The Three Week Visit

I returned to my home-sweet-home in sunny Cochabamba this morning after seeing my parents off at the airport in La Paz. My siblings will not be surprised to hear that I broke down and cried while I hugged my mom and dad goodbye. It is inevitable, I'm afraid. I much prefer hellos and beginnings. I am not sure if I wanted to: a) be on the same flight as them, taking me back to the U.S. for a visit b) freeze time, so that we could have done everything I initially planned to do with them during their visit c) go back to bed and get some much needed rest. Perhaps a combination of the three? Who knows . . . but it was time for them to leave and it is time for me to get back to the grind. Much was accomplished in three weeks - more than I have a full appreciation for right now. Here is what I remember at the moment:

1. my mom and dad have a knack for suggesting small home improvements that make a lot of sense. I now have blinds in my living room, hinges that don't squeak, and a canopy for my laundry area. They also helped me move my furniture around to optimize space. An added bonus was getting custom-made screens for my living room and bathroom. (My dad sometimes reminds me of MacGyver because he really can make something out of practically nothing. It was sooo nice to have a Bob-of-all-trades around!) p.s. I will admit that I usually resisted their ideas because 'things are fine the way they are', but I am enjoying all the changes so far.
2. trekking through a rainforest in the Chapare in flip flops. Not a good idea, but we did laugh A LOT that day.
3. being asked 100s of questions that I could not answer in a thousand years.
4. attending the opening day of The People's Summit on Climate Change and hearing the President of Bolivia talk about climate change and rallying the people against capitalism. (Evo Morales made a lot of press because of his opening speech. One of my friends was able to express what I feel is true of Evo - that he sometimes forgets that he is President of a country now instead of President of the coca growers federation. Ah, well. He made 'em laugh!)
5. waking up every day and feeling like I was in a dream state. How fortunate am I that my parents were able to visit me and take me traveling with them?!

When my mom first told me that the visit would be for three weeks, I panicked. After I started planning, however, I thought there would not be time to do everything or show them everything I wanted to show them. I was right - time flew by so quickly. It took a bit longer to get adjusted to the altitude, to catch up on sleep, and to do more than one activity a day. Just means they'll have to come back! I will post more pictures soon, but now I need to relax. Chau!