culture shock?

holllllller.
i finally have a bit of time (i think) to write a good blog entry.
I don´t really know where to begin, but, i´ll just start typing.
um. hokay. so.
i moved in with my host family on sunday.
they are wonderful.
my dad is big and boisterous - hes a pastor at a church here. hes really loud and funny though, although, i super cant understand him. the men here are so hard to understand. but i´ll get into that later. he also calls me katrina, because he cant pronounce my name. none of them can, but some of them try? ´kat-leen.´ i´m considering other names. lol. they tossed out kathy, which would be katty.
but, if you know me, you hopefully know that i hate. the name kathy.
anyways, we´ll see lol. i´m thinking, katie, or katrina for the old people. although, katrina just reminds me of a figure skater. katerina witt? anyways. thats not really important lol. this blog is going nowhere.
MY MOM. is soo short lol and super cute. i´m taking some pictures of life now, and so it´s my goal to get them up for next week. i just didnt want to be walking around my first few days snapping pictures. i´m white enough as it is here. and santa cruz isnt exactly a ¨tourest city¨
anyways. yah. my mom is a feisty little woman, but super caring, and has a swell laugh.
my sister, carla, we share a room - shes 22. I super like her, shes just wonderful. she´s studying english 5 nights a week, and i´m studying spanish freaking all the time it seems, so´together we´re piecing together sentences and helping eachother out. She´s really funny though. Oh, and we´re watching some spanish tv together. the other day we watched The Hills in spanish together, which i found hilarious.
hokay. thats the low down on the family. they also have a cat and a dog. and their uncle and grandma live in houses attached to theirs. and they have a massive extended family that gets together quite often. i´ve already seen them twice, but, then again it was my sister (older sister who lives with her husband) ´s birthday, and my moms birthday.
is this all confusing? i hope not. my family only has two daughters though. carla, and daniella - the older, moved out, married one.
HOKAY. enough about my family.
oh, one more funny thing though. the last salter that stayed with them, christina, introduced them to dutch blitz. and all of the cousins are addicted to it. and i just found it really funny, in the middle of bolivia, to be playing a gigantic game of dutch blitz. lol.

moooving on lol. the first two days that i left the MCC center, and moved in with my family - i wont lie, were some of the hardest of my life.
it just, all of a sudden, was INTENSELY overwhelming - moving out of the comfort of at least bein garound english people, or a computer or phone, and into an extremely busy city that i dont understand, with a family that i´m not similar to.
i just felt really lost, and really alone. and scared.that hasnt happened to me for a long time.
BUT. these past 3 days have been a lot better. as i´m adjusting to my house and my micro (those are the busses) routes and etc - i´m becoming more comfortable, and settling in more.
it still right now though, is overwhelming to think about a year. but that thought too, isnt as bad as it was monday and tuesday lol.
it was funny, i was at my spanish teachers house on monday and tuesday and she would be like
¨describe your mom¨
and i´d be like in my head ´are you kidding me´ lol. because i spent those two days semi on the verge of tears.
and i´d be like ¨mi madre es.. *lip quiver* simmppattiiccaa..¨ lol. but i held it together.
and honestly, these past three days, have been a lot better.
i wake up everymorning a little scared. but. í´ve been having fun days.
heres whats shaking down for my first 5 weeks now.
in the mornings monday-thursday, i micro to my spanish teachers house for a 2 hour class.
(ps she is i think the cutest old woman ever. she reminds me of my old piano teacher, mrs halpenny.. but spanish. she has huge black rimmed rectangle glasses, and is so small. and shakes her finger at me. and its just, fantastic lol)
ANYWAYS. after her class, i micro home and have lunch with carla. normally we go out for lunch. the food here is just, so cheap. yesterday for a huge meal for both of us with drinks etc was 27 b´s.. which divide by 7.. like 3.60 cents?
you get the idea. just so cheap.
and then. after that i come to the MCC center and spend two hours in the afternoon with my tutor, my, ¨paid friend¨ - who takes me around santa cruz and shows me things and makes me speak spanish some more.
and then after that. i maybe chill out with some salters, hang at the MCC center, lala. and go home by about 7 or 8.
my fam doesnt get home til about 830, 9.
so thats monday - thursday. friday - sunday: next two weekends we´re travelling. this weekend we´re just all chilling today. its friday. making food together, hanging out.
its nice to have a break and get a chance to chill with the other salters. because, normally, after i´m done with my tutor - my head hurts so bad from all the spanish i´ve already had to speak, that all i want in life. is english.
thankgoodness my house has some english tv lol - they have cable, so i´ve gotten to watch both friends and grey´s anatomy - well parts, i dont have that much time to watch tv. but. its actually good practise with the spanish subtitles.
yesterday though, i went out for a bit of something to eat at night with my mom (they, dont eat supper really. maybe a bit of bread, yesterday a small empanada. here, lunch is big. but, in general, they dont really that much in general, i would say). anyways. where i was going with this. i actually carried a convo with my mom, for oh i´d say 25 minutes. i mean, it wasnt a complex conversation, and i´m sure i messed things up, but hey. i´ve heard somewhere that you cant win em all. and i think i won that one.

SO. i´m about ready to wrap this up. but i say that, and i have a few more things to type about, so mayyybee i´m lying lol.
the micro rides. lol. oohh the micro rides. let me tell you about my history on the micros lol.
so. the first time going back from my teachers house i got soo lost on a micro. got off. had NO idea where i was in this CRAZY busy city. there are just, so many people eevverywhere. so many. espeically in the markets.
anyways. so i got a taxi, but, he wasnt from santa cruz and took me to the wrong street and was like ¨there you are, ciao.¨ and i was like ¨hey! espera! no es correcto!.. idiothead.¨but he was already gone.
and id idnt know how to describe where my house was. but i had a map.
so finally with the aid of a man, i took another taxi. and got home. carla laughed at me though when i came in the door, i think i looked pretty haggered lol.
my micro rides yesterday. the first one, i sat up right behind the driver (they are normally so packed that you dont have a seat, but, i saw this one so i nabbed it)
but i think people didnt take it on purpose. because out of the wall right beside me, was crawling out oohh i´d say about 30 or so beetles and bugs and things of all different sizes. and i´m normally ok with bugs. but. they were crawling up the back of the drivers chair, and up onto the roof, and about 5 fell on me around corners.
i think what topped it off too though, is that my stomach has been DYING for 3 days.
i´m fairly certain that i have a parasite. but it may just, pass on through right away. everytime i eat though, its quiite sore. like knife´y type pain. lol my family keeps making me drink camimille tea - which does help, but, yah not a ton. its funny though, the whole family knows and i keep having random people being like ¨how is your stomach?¨ lol.
i´m sure soon though, it´ll just. work itself out. if not, i´ll just, take these pills that apparently take out the lining of your stomach, all the bad, and the good. so thats wonderful lol. aparently though, you just have lots of yogurt, and it builds your lining right back on up.
whatever. i´m just waiting for my stomach to improve on its own. i thought i had an iron stomach. i guessssss i was wrong.
oh. and then my last micro ride last night. i just, would have never thought it was possible to fit THAT many people, onto one little bus. thankgoodness i´m 5´4. they are so short, some of them, my head brushes the top. poor remi, a salter whos with us. he´s 6´4, and on long rides he just dies lol. um. yah though. we were so squished that other peoples body parts basically just molded into my own lol. we were like, one van mold of people. and the door wouldnt even close. but then the driver was yelling at us to close it, and they were all yelling back at him. and i was in this big mans armpit and dying for air and wondering how the EFF i would see my stop to get off lol. so finally we all just like sucked in even more and i got shoved into his armpit, and they closed the door and then we had a bit more room. by a bit more room, i just wasnt, SHOVED into his armpit. thankgoodness i somehow spidersensed out where my stop was.
anyways. thats the fill in on my micros to date lol.
i think thats it for now. the spanish here is really hard to understand. the men all talk in the front of their mouths and dont really open it, like their mumbling,
and. they cut off all their s´s, and a lot of the ends of words.
¨gracia¨ ¨despue del me¨ - which should be, despues del mes¨ and when they´re all talking killer fast. i´m just like ´oookkkkk. juuustt smile.¨ so i laugh when they laugh. and then i realize that they were actually asking me a question. and them like, crap. repeta por favor? lol.
oh. also. they arent from santa cruz. their from santa cru
so. i´m thinking about starting my own santa crew. maybe it will be a dance crew. we´ll see.
um. oh. i´m trying to think of any last things.
yes. its so hot. and its WINTER. its 34 normally, but, with the humidity. ugh. my sister changes here clothes normally oh i´d say at least once or twice a day lol.
so it hink i need to go buy a few more light weight tops. because, i wont lie, i just would rather be naked. thats how i feel. its just so hot, that i dont want clothes on.
acutally though. it rained alot yesterday, and its ¨cold¨here today. probably like, 19.
which actually is fairly cold for here. but everyone was in jackets and sweaters this morning.
and i´m actually really mad at the fact that i didnt put one on too lol.
because, i miss being able to wear sweaters soo much. even though thats normally the last thing i want to be wearing.
i just, love sweaters though. and i´ve probably missed out on the one opportunity i´ll have to wear one in a few weeks. ugh. whatever lol.
LAST thing i´ll talk about. now that i´m on my own alot, and just walking around the city etc.
i´m getting.. i dont know a good word for it.. ¨harrassed¨ seems to extreme. but, the men are super, yah. everywhere i go, cars like slow downnn - men who are about 50, my dads age, whistling and ¨hola momma sita.. lala.¨
yesterday a ¨little person¨ man, who was probably 4 feet tall, maybe less, started following me and hollering and whistling and doing everything. and i just wanted to be like ¨seirously? i could punt you.¨ lol. anyways. its just something new to get used to. you just have to, brush it off. and i do. but sometimes, even though i know they arent really harmful, its still, a little scary. just when they are following or near me. and its not all the men. it doesnt help also that my teachers house is right by a construction site lol.
so anyways. yah. thats the one time i pull a big gringa card (white person) - and put my ipod in (my bra, so it cant get stolen) and just, listen to music and normally just laugh lol, because its fairly ridiculous.
ok. i´m off. its time. this was super long though.
um. yah. we´re all just hanging out this weekend - some of us salters are going to one of our tutor´s church´s tomorow night for a college and career (youth) type event, hopefully that´ll be fun. its nice to start making some bolivian friends our age, even if right now its basically our tutors, and they aree paid lol.
anwyays. next week back at teachers and tutors and then the weekend off traveling to i think moro moro.
hopefully i´ll blog in about two weeks, after my trips to moro moro, and santiago.
it´s also my goal though, like i was saying, to get pics up early next week. so feel free to scope them on out.
hokay. i hope moving in to new homes, and university etc is going well for everyone (who is in unviersity).
i cant really think about home right now though, because, its just too hard. i miss everyone so much, but, i´m trying not to focus on it right now. because, thats just silly. i´ll never make it through this transition culture shock then.
but sometimes. i look at my pics of home. i really should have never printed those off lol.
hopefully soon i´ll settle into a routine though. and life here will become normal.
ok. i´m thinking about everyone so much though. i´m still excited for this year, but, i already cant wait to be home. yah.
ok. til next time.
stay fit and have fun everyone
kathleen(L)
ps. i dont have time to read this over. so if things dont make sense, soorry.

í´m heeere.

hey team.
well, its what, wednesday today? yes. so i´ve been here for 4 days now. wow, i just had to count, i´ve lost all track of time. i really have no sense lol.
but, i tthiinkk i´m kind of starting to BEGIN to settle in lol.
the mcc center here is super rad. there are tortoises outside which i looove (two of them, i have yet to name them. but the names are going to be wonderful) and right now there are puppies and they are sooo cute. yesterday i took a nap with one of them at ´siesta´time for like 30 minutes zipped into my zipup hoodie with its head poking out, and it was potentially the cutest thing ever. lol.
thats another thing. siesta is just the best thing ever. like, from 12-2 everyone just goes home and eats, naps, often showers because its so hot - etc. i know its semi similar in europe, but i´ve never actually been in this lifestyle before.
i dont know how i´ve lived without it. lol, its just the best thing ever.
today we had a busy day where we went to where 3000 families have been relocated too in the city, quite a poor part of town, and we were there almost all day getting briefed on what programs are going on there etc - and so anyways. by like 2, all of us were like falling asleep during the presentation lol. or just, like restless.
maybe because it was SO hot out today.
the bus ride home, they´re called micro´s here. anyways. so hot.
we were also a group of like, 15 white people, or gringo´s. which has nothing to do with it being hot. but a group of 15 white people on a public transport bus in bolivia gets staaared at.
its odd to be walking down a street, even with just like a few of us, and getting stared at by eevveryone. i´ve been with guys so far though, so i havent really gotten bothered much by the guys.
buutt, soon that´ll start. meh. i´m going to just put my ipod in my bra (so it doesnt get stolen), and sing my little heart out.
kidding. i´d look crazy, but, yah - ipod in fosho. its a nice way to get a nice little breath of home too -
listening to matisyahu, or wailin jenny´s, tegan and sara, modest mouse - they all remind me of people in a good way. in a way that doesnt make me super sad, or homesick.
i´ve been pretty good so far - sometimes i get overwhelmed. or, i wish i was fluent in spanish already.
but even in 4 days, i´ve learned and brushed up on so much spanish. remi and i talked about this today. we had (at different times) this one moment where someone said something in spanish
and i understood it liek someone had just spoken enlish. and when i realized it i was just like ¨aslñdkfjasdf¨ lol.
i´m also excited for these next 5 weeks.
i move in with my host family on sunday, which i´m a little nervous about - but anyways
then for the next 5 weeks i have spanish lessons in the morning for 2 hours - my friend caleb and i with the spanish teacher.
and then in the afternoon i get a tutor, or, a ´paid friend´ to go out just with me and go wherever i want to go - and they dont speak any english - so its a way for me to get to know how to get around the city, and speak spanish with them etc. i´m going to make mine take me to the zoo lol.
.. and i guess the things i need to know too. like how to get to my work. i guess thats an important one.
anyways. and then two of those weekends we go out to rural cities/towns of moro moro and conception - where remy and caleb will be working.
so that´ll be fun.
i´ll type more about the country soon. and post pictures hopefully.
i´m enjoying it though so far, i think i´m going to like it here for a year.
tonight was wonderful - theres like, a few fmailies doing orientation with us too - and so theres about 8 kids running around between the ages of 2 and 9. they are so much fun. and also my workout for the day.
they are super cute though, and just a good way to have fun in a day goofing around with them - since this can be a bit overwhemling and scary.
missing home comes and goes, and really, i´ve only been here for 4 days.
i´m just trying to absorb everything, and take it one day at a time.
the people are really nice here though - mcc ers and bolivian people alike.
i´ll write more soon - but now i´m going to head out and go for a walk with remi and toni around the city before it gets too late and potentially a bit dangerous.
this blog was kind of all over the place, but most probably will be.
i dont have the most computer time in the world - like, today, yah. 20 minutes.
which is fine - it just makes my typing really rushed.
ok, bye all. love you all so much. write more soon when i can about the city, the people, etc. hopefully soon i´ll have time to actually write a good fill in.
anyways.
i hope transitions to september are gonig well - an achy part of me wishes i was there, but all in all, i´m super happy to be where i am - i´m getting pushed so much and learnign so much already.
ok. tons of love. bye.

Orientation

Well hey there everyonee.
We finally got an hour and a half break during the day today, so I thought it was finally time to come on and create a blog.
This will probably be the most frequent way I communicate with home next year -
they really want us to shy away from using computers and connecting with home ALL the time -
they put big emphasis on going through the full experience of not using a support group for problems and stuff at home, but pushing yourself to find one in your country.
so.
i'll be sending letters and facebook messages to people occasionally - i'm not quite sure how that'll work out. I guess i'll just play it by ear.
Anyways WHERE I'm going with this ramble is that i'll probbablyy post a blog, once every week and a half, 2 weeks. so. yes.
oh. but. send me messages and letters though sometimes please! every time I get a facebook message, i'll respond. I just, don't know how often or whatever i'll be able to. Already i'm even feeling here how great it is to get little messages from home though. It super helps to deal with some of the lonliness that meeting tons of new people and missing everyone brings.
anyways. orientation.
its been wild. but super good. Our complex here is like, one big 10000 villages store. its AMAZING. everything is either fairtrade or local too, like food, etc, so its super rad. The food is awesome, and the rooms are so cool - huge big wooden sliding doors, and beds, yah. just awesome.
ALSO. i don't know if anyone checked out my facebook status. but.
out of 5 drinks in the vending machine, one of them was diet doctor pepper (my favourite drink in life). AS IF. oh, and for 50 cents. i'm taking like, 14 in my carry on. and i'm not kidding.
hokay. so.
Theres like 50 of us here going on SALT (people from north america going to other parts of the world)
and 100 people here on either IVEP of YAMEN (which are people coming from other parts of the world and either going to North America, or back into other parts of the world).
so its wild here. its awesome meeting 100 people from south america, africa, asia, middle east and europe.
so many cool differences, perspectives, and like even differences in worship. our morning worship is super cool. yesterday we learned a few african songs and we were trying to dance and it was super awesome.
anyways. i cant type for much longer. this is getting long anyways. but our days are super busy - so many workshops, on just, thigns we'll be experiencing etc. my brain like, permanently hurts. i'm so glad we had this orientation though - theres so many things we've discussed that i've been like "wow. i would have made that mistake, and super offended my host family/culture."
yesterday we had an awesome game of soccer with all the north americans who wanted to play vs africa, asia, and south america.
needless to say we got owned. but we kind of held our own? it was so much fun. a girl broke her elbow though, and that sucks. at least they didnt cast it - shes going to a remote village in indonesea, and getting the cast off couulldd have posed some problems lol.
theres 7 of us going to bolivia. 3 from canada, 3 from the states, and 1 girl from mozambique.
therse going to be 4 of us in the city that i'm staying in. Everyone is super nice - in my city i have a Toni from steinbach, Heidi from BC, and (pronounced) Sta-bi-Lay, from Mozambique. All are awesome, and I'm super looking forward to our year in Santa Cruz.
Anyways. I'm off. I'll message again once I've been in Bolivia for about a week or so.
We have a week at the MCC (mennonite central committee, the group i'm going with) center in Santa Cruz (the city i'm staying in) and then I move in wth my host fmaily and have 6 weeks of intense language training and travelling the country before I start my placement in the children's home Guardaria Moises.
Anyways. I have to go get dressed up. All of the IVEP'ers are leaving today for their placements in Canada and the US so we're having a big service and stuff with everyone dressed up in traditional gear.
maybe i'll just wear some of the canadian stickers i brought? that probably wouldnt go over well.
my canadian towel it is.
anyways. I miss home already, this week has pushed me a ton, and they've done a good job this week semi scaring the crap out of us - BUT, at the same time i'm super excited. I miss everyone already from home though, send me a message when you get the chance, even if its small. its nice right now to get some news from home. Also, keep me in your prayers, I could definitely a few these next couple weeks.
OH. travelling saturday. we leave here i'm pretty sure at either 2 or 4 in the morning, go to miami, have a 9 hour layover, 8 hour flight to bolivia, we get there sunday morning and have to pull a full day. :. allriigghhhtt.
ok. i really need to go now. i hope everyones last bit of summer is going well!
stay fit and have fun. love you all a ton.
kathleen.