We've Got Return Tickets!

Sorry for not posting while we are in the states.  We figured we would leave this blog to be about our time overseas as life in the US is somewhat predictable :)  On that note, we've got tickets back to Bolivia- yay!  Please check out our newsletter for details: http://eepurl.com/iHdGT

Creature Comforts

So getting used to a new city is always an adjustment. Getting
acquainted to another culture is even more difficult at times. We've
battled illness while adjusting to new foods, struggled miserably with
the lack of internet, and pushing cars down the street is not all that
uncommon. Even though stray dogs are about as common and abundant as
ants around here, one way we have satisfied our cravings for the
familiar is by befriending "Daisy 2". This super-sweet dog "lives" on
the corner near our house. There have been several nights where we
will make a return trip to the local super mercado to by a little
something extra to give to our new friend. She looks like and has
many of the same mannerisms as our girl, Daisy (1). We're pretty sure
she doesn't officially have an owner, even though she hangs out at
this local car wash / body shop, so when we return next year, there's
a chance that she may be adopted. It's the least we can do for a poor
street dog.

...don't worry, we're still going to help the children get adopted too.

Internet Woes

So this last week we were finally able to get a good amount accomplished due to our new "high speed" Internet. We, as self-professed total geeks, finally felt normal again. However, yesterday our Internet went from great to almost non-existent. So today JM marched into the tech company to complain, only to find out that our "unlimited" plan is actually capped at 10GB of data. Well, leave it up to the Hulseys to go through a month's worth of data in one week. Oh and just to twist the knife, they punished us on the day iOS 5 came out! So if you see us online, be assured we're back to bumming Internet from our friends.

Incachaca Waterfalls

This Saturday we woke up early (yes, we know, a first for the Hulseys) to go with our teammates, the Morels, and one of our favorite World Racers, Emily, to the Incachaca Waterfalls.  We traveled about two hours outside of Cochabamba, past one of our orphanage sites (see this post) to the jungle.  We were lead on about a three-hour tour, first down to see the waterfall and then up the mountain to a panoramic view.  It was beautiful!  And of course, our crazy gringo selves decided it would be just awesome to swim in the freezing cold water at the bottom of the falls.  Admittedly, the water was beautiful and clear and we all had a blast, despite the hypothermia.  During the hike up the mountain we were all “sucking wind” as the altitude was pretty high, but it was a great workout and totally worth the views.  Yes, yes, even I may turn out to be hiker- shocking!

Granted, this week as been full of “field trips” but it’s always good for us to get outside and enjoy Bolivia so that we remember that there is more to look at than our computer screens.

Incachaca_Waterfalls.m4v Watch on Posterous

Roasting Coffee- Bolivian Style

John Mark and I are helping to rebrand Bolivia’s Best Coffee, the main source of income for the orphanage families.  So on Friday, in order to do some “coffee research” we got to go to our local Bolivian roaster (we have a different roaster in the US) and see exactly what takes place.  It was an awesome experience!  From roasting the beans, to cooling them, grinding them and bagging them, we got to see and participate in the whole process.  As if we were not coffee fans already, watch out world, Bolivia’s Best Coffee might just be the next new Starbucks, but for a really amazing cause.

And by the way, our hair smelled like coffee for days!

CoffeeRoasting.m4v Watch on Posterous

Inca Ruins

In Bolivia, if you are upset about anything really, the way to get your point across is through a road blockade.  What does it do?  Well, it just makes things a little more difficult and makes people curious (or annoyed) at whatever stance you are trying to make.

So on Wednesday, since we had road blockades (and therefore no school or work for the team), a group of us went out to see some ancient Inca ruins outside of Cochabamba.  It took about 1.5 hours to get there, mainly on a windy road going up through mountains.  It was a fun adventure and a great way to get outside of the city and enjoy the holiday protests!

Second Round of Impressions

I think that you have to live a month to start to understand a culture and a year to truly grasp it. We are only at those beginning stages of exploring Cochabamba and immersing ourselves, but we've seen and noticed quite alot. So here is a continuation of interesting observations:

1. Bolivia is pretty stinky. I remember meeting people in Bogotá who had mentioned this and it's true. Don't get me wrong, sometimes a woman walks by with the most beautifully scented perfume, but unfortunately this is not the norm. I think it's just part of the poverty culture and one of the reasons our "baby washing" ministry is so popular.

2. Water is not your friend. This is a weird one. You learn very quickly to close your mouth in the shower, thoroughly dry your hands and dishes and to use the disinfecting wash for your fruits and vegetables. Only agua pura is your friend.

3. Pizza is crazy popular here :) Every Saturday night we go out for pizza with the team and the list of options is quite long. It's good too!

4. Cochabamba is a religious meca. The most pristine property here is the Mormon temple. They have a huge missionary dorm and the greenest grass in the whole city. There is also a huge number of Jehovah's Witnesses and of course, Christian missionaries. The people themselves are mainly a mix of Catholicism and Indigenous beliefs. It makes for very interesting conversations and assumptions.

5. The people here are just as annoyed as the Americans about the lack of governmental relations. It turns out that there is a huge Cochabambino population in Arlington, VA and they have just as many travel restrictions as we do. So the consensus is that the governments should work things out instead of punish the people. Pretty sure this opinion is not so popular in other Bolivian cities, but it's nice to be on the same page here.

That's all for now! We'll be updating this week on all of the work we have been doing thus far :)