Coch it is!!

Well, it´s final. I will be living in Cochabamba full-time. I will NOT be moving to El Alto after language school is finished. After a long and soul-searching series of meetings, the members of my region (and I) decided that it would be best for me and the other new missioner, Michelle, to stay put in Cochabamba. At first I had a really hard time with the idea of staying here. It didn´t feel right and I had put all of my hopes and dreams into a city/location that was in the altiplano. I was looking forward to the cold, to seeing my breath in the morning, to living in a place that was almost 100% indigenous. BUT, things have changed and I am now happy that I will be able to stay in Cochabamba, known as the land of eternal spring. (Eternal Spring? Hm. We´ll see about that.)

I did have the opportunity recently to visit La Paz/El Alto and both cities are wonderful and I will definitely be back there when I can fit in a visit. The feel is completely different from Cochabamba. Definitely more cosmopolitan in La Paz and more ´campo´-like in El Alto. El Alto is located outside of La Paz and it is starkly beautiful in my opinion. There are mountains surrounding both cities and the air is very thin. You really have to work at just walking around. (13,500 ft. above sea level)

The next questions will be: Where will I live in Cochabamba? Where will I work? What will my life look like? Exciting and a bit scary at the same time. I´ve been really spoiled here so far. As I´ve been in a language program, I have been living with a host family who makes all of my meals, does my laundry, etc. I am actually looking forward to having more control over what I will eat but I will miss my host family and the area of the city in which I have been living. Wherever I do live will be in a poorer area and I think both Michelle and I aspire to live outside of the city of Cochabamba in a rural area. Yikes. . . my only requirement so far has been that there is running water. Yeah, I´ll get back to you guys on that. hahaha

Let me know if you have any questions. I´m winding down my time in language school. 2.5 weeks to go! Woohoo! Immediately afterwards I am trying to take a ´cheap´vacation. Wish me luck.