Last month was filled with work, packing for my move, and visiting dermatologists. Around mid-January I was apartment hunting in a neighborhood where other people from my mission organization live. At first, it didn't seem too promising. In this barrio, nobody advertises in a newspaper; everything is done by word of mouth. You have to stop by all the neighborhood stores, ask the owners for information, and if they are willing to talk to you, they'll let you know what is available. Several store owners knew of no apartments or rooms; others knew of one or two places, but by the time I got there they said it wasn't available. I did view a couple of rooms with private bath, but felt like I wouldn't have enough privacy. Finally, I hit gold and found a cute 1-bedroom in the southern zone of the city. 
I toured it and knew immediately that it was where I wanted to live. It was a new building next to the fairgrounds, near public transportation, a few blocks away from a running path, and owned by people who ran the store beneath it. The only problem? It wasn't going to be ready by February 1st, the day I needed to be out of my old apartment. After a week of negotiations, I convinced the owners that I didn't mind if the closet wasn't installed for another month (or so!) and we agreed that I could move in a couple days before the first of February. Here are a couple of pictures of the outside of the building, the store I live above, and the neighborhood I now live in. Note: My building is unusually large - most homes in the area are smaller - one or two stories. However, keep in mind that the owners are very business oriented. They have a store, they rent space downstairs to a dentist, and are now renting apartments upstairs. 
It's pretty different from my old neighborhood. The streets are cobblestone/dirt, not paved, so there is a LOT of dust to sweep up off the floors every day. Check out the garbage littering the street on the last picture - this is, unfortunately, the norm. Not too different from my old neighborhood in the Bronx, actually!! There isn't any main gas line to connect to my stove, so I have to use a gas tank. Water is “ordered” by my landlords, and last week I experienced for the first time in my new place was it was like to be without any water in my house. Couldn't shower, flush the toilet, wash the dishes. 
It's quite a pain - thank goodness I buy 20-liter bottles of water for drinking!! But here I live a bit closer to the reality that the majority of the Bolivian people experience. It's good for me to go a day without water. That is nothing compared to the many people here who have to wait days for water trucks to fill up their oil-drum sized barrels. They do not have running water, a shower (let alone a toilet!), a telephone, and sometimes not even electricity.
Anyway, my landlords are funny. The husband likes to tell me that I will be paying $3 a month for electricity, and then his wife will say that it isn't true and I should expect to pay $5-6 a month. She keeps him in line and I appreciate it! They live on the ground floor and half of the 2nd floor with their two teenage kids. I live on the second half of the second floor – my apartment has a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and living room. The third floor is vacant right now, which I am pretty happy about. It's a 4-bedroom apartment, and I am not sure how much noise I'll be hearing downstairs.
In other news, I went for my yearly skin cancer screening and was told that besides a mole in my scalp, I had healthy skin. 
No small feat since it is sunny here all the time and one constantly has to remember sunblock and hats and long sleeves. I was sent to a surgeon who decided to remove my mole. I've included a picture of the stitches. It didn't hurt at all; just my vanity. I went home the day of the surgery and looked in the mirror and cried. But the next day I got up and showered and could barely even see the wound, so I felt much better. A good night's sleep was all I needed to get perspective on the matter. In a few months my hair will grow out and hopefully I won't even think about the whole experience!
I will have to save a work story for one of my next blog posts. . . this is getting long. Miss you all back 'home'. Drop me a line or two!
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