Day 18

Sunday was a really great day too!

Got up and went to church at Dr. Aguilar's church. He's the gastroenterologist at the hospital. It was very nice and everyone was so friendly to us. It was 3 people's birthday that week so they had birthday cake after church to celebrate. That was fun! :-)

We went to lunch with some of the ladies from hospital who work in human resources and other offices. Charlotte, Amy & I split 2 meals and they were both delicious! We ordered cordon bleu and then we were going to try ox tail but they were out. Instead, we got this steak with eggs and cheese and tomatoes and peppers and it was REALLY good. We all felt like it was the best meal we had all week.

After lunch we walked around a bit and a few people went home. Leila left on Sunday night and so she had to go back. It was sad to lose my roommate! There was a soccer game at 4 and so we headed over to buy tickets. It was either 25Bs for regular seats or 35Bs for premium seating that wasn't in the sun. So that translates to either $3.50 or $5. We were ok spending the extra $1.50 to avoid sunlight. :-) So we walked around outside and looked at all the stuff that the venders were selling. They were selling food, cotton candy, drinks, jewelry, and they even had puppies and kittens to adopt! They had this adorable little white puppy that I would have seriously considered purchasing had I thought it in the least feasible. I also was instantly in love with the kittens and can't wait to adopt one (or two) in the fall when I move into my new apartment in Tallahassee! There were two local teams playing, Cochabamba vs. Cochabamba so I was going for Cochabamba. Just kidding. The teams were Aurora vs. Wilsterman.... we picked Aurora because we liked their colors better. Turns out they are the underdog team. It also turns out that Dr. Aguilar is the team doctor for Wilsterman, which we learned after purchasing a bunch of Aurora gear. Oops! But in the end, it worked out because Aurora won! 3-1. It was a really fun game to watch and those of us who chose to go absolutely loved it, because it really felt like we were embracing the culture of the locals.

After the game, we decided to be adventurous and walk around downtown Cochabamba. Emily was with us so we had a quasi native speaker ( she lived here when she was younger for several years but now lives in the US) and Johan & Matt were with us, so I felt safe the whole time. We stopped in the little restaurant just to get a little appetizer and it was so nice! When you walked by the waiters moved out of the way for you! I have never been treated so great in a restaurant! The bathroom even had toilet paper....a commodity you don't often find in public restrooms here. We were going to make our way down and visit a few other restaurants kind of like a progressive dinner, but it started to get a bit late and we didn't want to be inconsiderate to Don Manuel, our wonderful trufi driver.

That night we got back and had 2 more volunteers with us! Ava is a medical student with James & Johan, and her brother Seth came with her, to volunteer as a translator. Ava became my new roommate and she's really funny and just great all around. Seth is an excellent translator and is very helpful to have around! It was a relief to get someone else who actually speaks fluently and translates exactly what is said. So they have been a wonderful addition to our Bolivian family!

Pretty sure that's all for that day... needless to say it was full weekend and by Monday, we were tired!