Everyday life

We have been living in this country for more than a month now, which means lots of things...

First, that our visa has expired and that we still haven't even managed to put all the paper's together to present to immigration (the fact that there was an earthquake in Chile where our papers were going to be authenticated didn't help!)

Second, that Andrew is getting much better with his Spanish, so much so that his teachers one week say "we need to focus on your grammar" and the next week they say "actually, you just need to talk to other Bolivians and you will pick up the grammar"

Third, that I finally have set a routine for Lily! Which makes Lily and her Mummy much happier. That means that Lily is learning to wait patiently in her cot in the morning and that I don't have to get up at 5:30 just because she is awake; that I can do my "chores" with Lily and so I can feel I am serving my family and Lily learns that Mummy has other things to do apart from playing with her; that Lily is learning to actually stay in her room for "room time" and play in her room for 10 minutes!

Fourth, that I am learning to eat Bolivian food, and to learn to cook it! Now I love "Humintas". Now you need to understand that the first time I try it, I misheard the name and I thought that it was "Humitas" which is yellow corn with basil cooked in the corn leaves in hot water! Savoury dish. Well, Humintas is like a cake with cheese on top and with sugar. But now, I truly like it and Sonia, the lovely house help, taught me how to cook it.

Fifth, that I am learning to love the streets of this country, despite the smell and the dogs. I am enjoying the amazing things that you can see on the streets: like a man doing tattooing outside the bus terminal, another man saying "keep an eye on your weight for 50 cents" with a house scale, and people selling all sorts of food.

Sixth, that I am looking forward to move to Tarija, not as a way of escaping from where we are now, but as a way of being truly happy for the future that the Lord has for us in Tarija.

God has been so good to me, he has sustained me and has shown me that he is with me every day, all the day. He has given people to talk to, he has feeding me with his word and with the amazing food that I can find in this country, he has cared for me when I have been sad for my family who has suffered so much, he has embraced me here, in this city that is surrounded by velvety hills, on the top on the Andes. I have met God in this country and I can truly say, He is the same in here! Alleluia!