I absolutely love it here. People are super friendly, greeting me always with a "buenas tardes, Señorita!" And the beauty in every direction at all times is absolutely breathtaking.
Now I want you to cement into your brain that I love it here, because it's 100% true, but the next few paragraphs may not support that statement.
The very first day I was here, I was asked to walk out to the main road to meet the person doing my orientation. Upon arrival to said road, I spotted a man shamelessly taking a leak in the street. And there were cars going by and everything. He then returned to the group of men he was with, sitting only about 8 feet from the spot he'd just relieved himself. What!?
A little down the street, I saw a stray dog tearing apart a dirty diaper and devouring the poop. Sorry if that's graphic, but better to read about it than see it in person...
And today, I found a random pair of dentures laying on the side of the road.
Congratulations, you have made it through the disgusting portion of this blog entry! No more grossness, I promise!
As we volunteers don't have vehicles and all have different schedules, we utilize public transportation. There are taxis, but they are expensive and not always completely safe. Minibuses are the preferred option. They are like giant vans that you just flag down and climb in. There is always such a wide variety of people onboard - men going to work, women with their children, families returning from the grocery store, kids going to school. There is no minibus "type."
I'm a giant. Even the Bolivian men are all shorter than me. It is for this reason that I occasionally run into problems in the minibus, because I'm either too giant to crouch enough to look out the window and figure out where we are, or there is an air freshener that hangs above the heads of most people but directly in mine. I sure hope I don't need to buy any clothes while I'm here, because I'll be out of luck!
It is very safe here, and even the people who aren't safe generally don't try to do anything violent to a person, they just take money and possessions. I'm already feeling comfortable going places on my own - although I'm very aware that I'm not invincible! (By human standards, anyway.)
You know those photos of traditional Bolivian women that are seen whenever images of Bolivia come about? With the big skirts, blanket shawls, and top hats? Well, I always thought they were just photos of a few select people who happened to be dressed that way. But it's totally reality - there are SO MANY women dressed like that everywhere!! It's incredible.
The elevation here in Jupapina is 10,187 feet, but the airport is at a whopping 13,615 feet. Yes, there is over 3000 feet worth of elevation changes just within the city itself. Some people experience altitude sickness when they first arrive, or at least difficulty breathing due to the thin air. I personally have not noticed any difference at all while dormant, but the second I do anything even the slightest bit athletic (like walking up a small flight of stairs, for instance), I get completely out of breath, heart beating out of my chest, and it takes several minutes to recover.
I'm going to end here, despite there being so much more to say. I'll just add one more thing before I go: I met a family staying at the campground here who is from California and DROVE here to Bolivia. They have been on a road trip for 3 1/2 years now. And they legitimately have a California license plate on their van.
That is all.
¡Buenas Noches!
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