I have finished 7 days of language school and have 6 more to go. While I am grateful for the opportunity for this crash course in spanish, one on one with a professora for 4 hours is a little intense. i feel a little rebellious at times and think "i just graduated from college, i´m done with school!" or "english rocks!" but, everyday i have little victories like being able to carry on a partial conversation with my professora or understanding a whack irregular verb.
we have homework every night, and i love it! i´m not talking about the conjugating of verbs or essays, but our ¨"learning bolivian culture" homework! our directors told us to get to know and experience the city of cochabamba, and that is what we are doing. almost every day we ride a micro to the center of the city and explore. cochabamba is such a lively place, full of people, street vendors, plazas, coffee shops, ice cream.....! one thing i am not used to is the dogs! stray dogs or owned dogs freely roam the street and live it up! i took a picture of one dog that was so hardcore it had dredlocks haha.
last saturday we went on an excursion to incan ruins about a 3.5 hour bus ride away. we drove through gorgeous countryside filled with farms and random mansions. since the ruins are in the mountains, we did a fair amount of weaving in and out, up and down. many times i had to close my eyes and give a little yelp because we were so close to the edge and barreling along at a crazy fast speed. it was a gorgeous day saturday and it was a lot of fun exploring the ruins and getting some exercise at a high altitude! i´ve always loved reading about ancient civilizations so i was fascinated the whole time. we ate lunch on what used to be the astronomy tower and that was definitely the coolest place i´ve ever eaten lunch.
on sunday we attended an evangelical church with a profesora who used to work for MCC Bolivia. because we were guests they had us stand up and wave and the congregation all waved back :) after church we climbed up to el cristo, a huge white statue of jesus on top of a peak with his arms open wide. and by climb i mean trudge up one million stairs in church clothes in high altitude. we had a blast! once we made it to the top we were able to go inside el cristo. seemed a little strange but it had a great view of the city and mountains. this el cristo was built after the one in brazil, so the bolivians made it just a little bigger :)
sunday evening we went to a futbol game. it was a big one because both cochabamba teams, wilstermann and aurora, were playing. a profesor at school told us to wear blue, so we did, and when we arrived a the stadium everyone was wearing red! so we cheered for the underdogs, aurora. soccer here is more entertaining/dramatic then in the states. here if players ran into each other or had a ball stolen they drop to the ground a roll around until a foul is called. it usually is. a few times the stretcher brigade was called out because a player was so convincing in his fake injury. aurora won 2-1! so "our" team won!
yesterday we toured an old convent. i didn´t take any pictures because i would have had to pay more for pictures then for the tour. a few nuns still live in the convent and did not want to open part of it up to the public, but if they didn´t the government would have forced them out and taken over the land. these nuns, most over 80, joined the convent when it was still part of an old order where they took a vow of silence and how absolutely no contact from the outside world! i know it was so they could better commune with God, but didn´t Jesus commission us to not be of the world but to go out into the world sharing his love? we can also learn so much from others - i´ve only been in bolivia for 1.5 weeks (crazy) and i can tell i have so much to learn from my boliviano brothers and sisters!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
en Cochabamba!
hola!
we arrived in santa cruz, bolivia sunday morning, august 16. when i stepped out of the airport i thought, huh, kinda looks like florida. santa cruz is extremely flat with scrub grass and palm trees. we were picked up by a family of mccers and brought to the compound. we stayed there until tuesday, getting oriented with MCC Bolivia and life in santa cruz. i´ll write more about santa cruz when we move back there. then on tuesday night we packed our bags for 2.5 weeks and hopped on a night bus to cochabamba, a 10 hour bus ride. but surprisingly the ride was very comfortable because the seats were like lazy boy chairs.
we arrived in cochabamba around 7:30am and it was so cold! cochabamba is in the mountains and it is the end of winter here, so its cold when the sun is not out. the mountains here are beautiful! they are a light brown sandy color with a little bit of snow on the peaks. at night you can see all the lights from homes going up the mountians, almost like christmas lights. we are in cochabamba to attend a language school and cram as much spanish verbs, grammar, and vocabulary into 4 hours a day as possible. we attend class in the morning and then are free to explore the city. since i came to bolivia knowing absolutely nothing (besides bueno), after 3 days i can tell i´ve learned alot. they have us writing and speaking small simple sentences. one other girl and i from SALT are living with the same host family. they are very patient and generous, spending plenty of time helping us with spanish. there are 2 little girls and a loco chihuahua puppy, poncho.
we are getting to know the transportation here, which are micros (small buses), trufis (communal taxis), and taxis. we accidently rode one bus all the way to the end of the route way out of the city and had to pay again to get back on :) but hey it builds character and it was like a really cheap tour of the city! we have also explored a little this massive market called la concha, which has everything in huge amounts. since 1USD=7 bolivianos, buying presents for home is affordable! i plan to study some spanish this afternoon and then we are off to explore more of the city!
during my daily devos, i found this verse that i end up reading every night and get great encouragement from.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
we arrived in santa cruz, bolivia sunday morning, august 16. when i stepped out of the airport i thought, huh, kinda looks like florida. santa cruz is extremely flat with scrub grass and palm trees. we were picked up by a family of mccers and brought to the compound. we stayed there until tuesday, getting oriented with MCC Bolivia and life in santa cruz. i´ll write more about santa cruz when we move back there. then on tuesday night we packed our bags for 2.5 weeks and hopped on a night bus to cochabamba, a 10 hour bus ride. but surprisingly the ride was very comfortable because the seats were like lazy boy chairs.
we arrived in cochabamba around 7:30am and it was so cold! cochabamba is in the mountains and it is the end of winter here, so its cold when the sun is not out. the mountains here are beautiful! they are a light brown sandy color with a little bit of snow on the peaks. at night you can see all the lights from homes going up the mountians, almost like christmas lights. we are in cochabamba to attend a language school and cram as much spanish verbs, grammar, and vocabulary into 4 hours a day as possible. we attend class in the morning and then are free to explore the city. since i came to bolivia knowing absolutely nothing (besides bueno), after 3 days i can tell i´ve learned alot. they have us writing and speaking small simple sentences. one other girl and i from SALT are living with the same host family. they are very patient and generous, spending plenty of time helping us with spanish. there are 2 little girls and a loco chihuahua puppy, poncho.
we are getting to know the transportation here, which are micros (small buses), trufis (communal taxis), and taxis. we accidently rode one bus all the way to the end of the route way out of the city and had to pay again to get back on :) but hey it builds character and it was like a really cheap tour of the city! we have also explored a little this massive market called la concha, which has everything in huge amounts. since 1USD=7 bolivianos, buying presents for home is affordable! i plan to study some spanish this afternoon and then we are off to explore more of the city!
during my daily devos, i found this verse that i end up reading every night and get great encouragement from.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Friday, August 14, 2009
Next Stop...Bolivia!
So tomorrow is the big day, I can't believe it's finally here! Orientation has been a blast. We've discussed some heavy stuff, like loneliness and the difficulties of cross-cultural communication, but it has been great meeting and talking with others from all around the world who are about to set off on a year of service as well. Today we had a commissioning ceremony and everyone was asked to dress in traditional clothes. We U.S. and Canadians wore church clothes, but there were beautiful clothes from Cambodia, Indonesia, Zambia, Ethiopia and more. At the service we were given a potholder that was crocheted by Mennonite volunteers, who prayed for us with every stitch they made. The house I live in hosts not only North Americans going to Latin America, but also people from Latin America who will be serving in the U.S., Canada, and other countries. Since tonight is the last night before everyone leaves...we're going to have a fiesta! Tomorrow my Bolivia
n group leaves at 1:15pm for Philadelphia. Our first flight is from 5:45-9:00pm to Miami, and then we takeoff at 11:05pm and arrive Sunday at 8am in Bolivia! There is no time change so hopefully I can sleep on the plane. After we arrive, we will have some time to rest and then our MCC connecting people (a family from PA) and others will show us around the city! I felt a little nervous when I was given my ticket this morning, but now that's gone and I am so excited! God has blessed me with this opportunity and I can't wait for this next step in the journey! Thank you all for your prayers!
n group leaves at 1:15pm for Philadelphia. Our first flight is from 5:45-9:00pm to Miami, and then we takeoff at 11:05pm and arrive Sunday at 8am in Bolivia! There is no time change so hopefully I can sleep on the plane. After we arrive, we will have some time to rest and then our MCC connecting people (a family from PA) and others will show us around the city! I felt a little nervous when I was given my ticket this morning, but now that's gone and I am so excited! God has blessed me with this opportunity and I can't wait for this next step in the journey! Thank you all for your prayers! Sunday, August 9, 2009
Transitions
This weekend has just been a whirlwind, but one that I am blessed to be caught up in. I left early Friday morning to a tearful goodbye to Pete and Dana, but the good cry kind :). The drive to PA took about 11 hours, but was relatively uneventful. On Saturday we took a small trip to chocolate Mecca, Hershey, PA. We had a blast. We toured the museum, made "chocolate art," and saw how beautiful Hershey is as a city.
Now to the goodbyes...it was hard. Of course it was. I am still a little weepy as a write this. But as we learned this morning at our worship time that God is the center of all things and holds everything together. This is something i must remember and lean on for strength. I love all my family and friends very much, but this is quite an adventure I am embarking on and am blessed with all the support those who love me give me.
Orientation is going well...I'm staying in "Manor House" which hosts 26 of us who are either going to Latin American or who are from Latine America and will be working in North America. It's a full old house (i'm sharing a bed) but I can always find someone to talk to and hang out with. We start the real orientation tomorrow (Monday) but I've already learned more about the history of MCC and where they are involved in the world. It is a pretty cool organization and I am blessed to be here!
Tchuss!
Now to the goodbyes...it was hard. Of course it was. I am still a little weepy as a write this. But as we learned this morning at our worship time that God is the center of all things and holds everything together. This is something i must remember and lean on for strength. I love all my family and friends very much, but this is quite an adventure I am embarking on and am blessed with all the support those who love me give me.
Orientation is going well...I'm staying in "Manor House" which hosts 26 of us who are either going to Latin American or who are from Latine America and will be working in North America. It's a full old house (i'm sharing a bed) but I can always find someone to talk to and hang out with. We start the real orientation tomorrow (Monday) but I've already learned more about the history of MCC and where they are involved in the world. It is a pretty cool organization and I am blessed to be here!
Tchuss!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Hi All
Welcome! On this blog I will regularly (will try very hard) to tell of my life in Santa Cruz, Bolivia while serving with the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). While the posts may not be eloquent, I will try to convey my experiences, joys, hardships, and steps in faith in a way that will seem like you are in a conversation with me instead of reading a boring report!
Just a quick overview of the next few weeks:
On Friday, August 7, my parents, sister Grace, and Wyatt will drive me the 10 hours to Akron, PA to the MCC headquarters. Orientation with MCC program participants begins Saturday night and I will meet my fellow SALTers who will also be going to Bolivia! After a week of orientation, we will fly out on August 15 and arrive in Santa Cruz on the 16th. Since I know absolutely no Spanish, the MCC is sending us SALTers to a Spanish language school in Cochabamba, which is about a 10 hour bus trip and higher up in the Andes mountains. There we will spend 2 1/2 weeks (Aug. 190Sept. 4) studying Spanish and living with a family. This is a wonderful blessing. I can really focus on learning the language before I start working at the center!
Here is some contact infor:
Mailing Address
Comite Central Menonita
Atiende: Corrie Krol
Casilla 213
Santa Cruz
BOLIVIA
Skype Address: corrie.krol
email address: corriekrol@gmail.com
Thank you all for your words of encouragement, financial gifts, and many, many prayers. All are so appreciated and I ask if you could keep all the SALT participants in your prayers as we go through this transistion time of leaving family and friends and traveling to all corners of the world!
Just a quick overview of the next few weeks:
On Friday, August 7, my parents, sister Grace, and Wyatt will drive me the 10 hours to Akron, PA to the MCC headquarters. Orientation with MCC program participants begins Saturday night and I will meet my fellow SALTers who will also be going to Bolivia! After a week of orientation, we will fly out on August 15 and arrive in Santa Cruz on the 16th. Since I know absolutely no Spanish, the MCC is sending us SALTers to a Spanish language school in Cochabamba, which is about a 10 hour bus trip and higher up in the Andes mountains. There we will spend 2 1/2 weeks (Aug. 190Sept. 4) studying Spanish and living with a family. This is a wonderful blessing. I can really focus on learning the language before I start working at the center!
Here is some contact infor:
Mailing Address
Comite Central Menonita
Atiende: Corrie Krol
Casilla 213
Santa Cruz
BOLIVIA
Skype Address: corrie.krol
email address: corriekrol@gmail.com
Thank you all for your words of encouragement, financial gifts, and many, many prayers. All are so appreciated and I ask if you could keep all the SALT participants in your prayers as we go through this transistion time of leaving family and friends and traveling to all corners of the world!
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