So this is it. In six days I’ll be boarding a plane at Washington Dulles airport to begin my journey to Cochabamba, Bolivia until May. This adventure has been over 8 months in the making and even though it’s less than a week away, it still feels just as surreal as ever. This blog is going to be my attempt to keep everyone I love updated as much as possible on my life while I'm in Coche (the nickname for Cochabamba). The title of my blog is "Cartas de Coche" or "Letters from Coche." It took me a while to come up with something, but I thought this was clever because it incorporates my Spanish AND it's an alliteration!! I don't consider myself much of a writer and I've been told I can sometimes ramble, so I apologize in advance. But when I get excited about things I just want to share every last detail!!
This first post is a little boring but, while much of what my exact day-to-day routines will be over the next nine months is still a mystery to me, I thought I would give you a little background on what I do know that I’m getting myself into.
The organization I’ll be working with is called Amanecer, which means “dawn” in English. It was established in 1981 by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul to provide housing and care for the street children of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Literally helping them to create their own “dawn” and new beginning. Today the organization has nine homes in the city, which help over 450 children every day. While the organization originated with a focus on the young boys of the street, with seven of the nine houses holding only boys, they have expanded to include a shelter for women and children (Madre de Dios) and now include girls in their home for the youngest children (Salomon Klein). They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I imagine a video is worth even more! Instead of making you read a thousand of my own words describing the amazing work Amanecer does, I’ll let you watch this brief 12 minute video that gives you an all-access look into the work they do and where I will be spending the next nine months:
Soy Amanrecer from amanecer on Vimeo.
While there are nine homes in the city, I will be spending my days working at Salomon Klein with the youngest kids. Seeing as I had no say in which house I would work, this is definitely a great fit for me. I love working with kids and, as much as I question my Spanish fluency, I feel confident that I can keep up with six year olds! If they’re anything like the kids from when I did Take Ten at St. Adalberts who were constantly shocked when I knew what the word for “horse” was in Spanish (caballo), I think I should pass their tests with flying colors! However, my true test will be that I am living in an apartment in the house with the oldest boys (18-20 years old) who are transitioning out of the system. I will be living in a three-bedroom apartment with a kitchen and a family room with a Dutch girl named Ancillia and an American boy named Jordan. The volunteer coordinator has said that the boys will keep to themselves if I want the space or will love getting to know me if I’m open to it – and I definitely want to try to get to know them!
To say I’m nervous would be an understatement. To say I’m going to miss my family and friends more than I can even put into words would be the world’s biggest understatement. I go through extreme highs and lows of excitement about this adventure and sadness of everyone I am going to be so far away from. Yet, every time I start to feel nervous or upset, I think of all the small-world connections and signs that have lead me to this decision. From Katie Smith and Jennie Coe’s visit to Bolivia last summer to Darrell introducing me to Kelly and Rich (Notre Dame grads who volunteered with Amanecer a few years ago) – I know it sounds incredibly cheesy, but I have this feeling that everything will work out, that all these signs pointed me here for some reason or another. Hopefully I can keep reminding myself of that as take-off gets closer and closer…
I know the next few days will be a whirlwind of celebrations at the bay house with friends and family and then furiously packing in Richmond for the last few days and making last minute phone and skype-dates, but I thought I would try to give you all a little heads-up as to where I’m headed. I don’t know much about what I’m headed into, but I think that’s part of what makes me so excited.
Cochabamba, ready or not, here I come!
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