Ioan in Mission (IIM): Bolivia Day 4

Today we had the chance to sleep in since mass started at 10:30, and even that was on ¨Bolivian Time,¨ meaning anywhere from 20 minutes to a half hour after the stated time of commencement. As people straggled from bed, we enjoyed a breakfast of fresh fruit from the market, bread and avocado.   

 

We went to mass and as a large group of ¨gringos¨ we quickly became the center of attention!  Then, we returned for lunch—again delicious!   Shortly after our almuerzo Father Steve Judd, from Butte, Montana, who works with the Maryknoll Language School in Cochabamba presented on the history and culture of Bolivia.

 

Following the presentation we went for a walk around Cochabamba’s central lake, a distance of around five miles. We have been doing a lot of walking and some of us are starting to get sore! After returning to the house we prepared for dinner at Dumbo’s, a traditional Bolivian restaurant. We sang happy birthday and smeared Christina’s face with cake since the Brothers and Sara decided to tell the wait staff that it was her birthday—feliz cumpleanos Christina!!

 

The walk home was fun, filled with interaction with each other and vendors. We’re fairly sure that Bianca was proposed to by a vendor, who presented her with a ring. Upon arriving back in the house, we had an intense and thoughtful reflection. We are all growing so close and having such a phenomenal time! We are so excited to begin working in the city tomorrow!