Acclimation
According to Merriam-Webster, acclimation is defined as an organisms adjustment to physiological change. After returning from a weekend trip to Torotoro, home to what is known as the grand canyon of Bolivia, I realized how comfortable I am starting to feel here in Cochabamba. Upon arrival to our apartment in the city, I felt the same sense of comfort I would normally feel when returning to my home in the US after a trip. This is the first time I truly felt acclimated to my new lifestyle in Bolivia.
I expected to begin to feel homesick after a few weeks in Bolivia but I am feeling the opposite. I have adjusted to the lifestyle here and learned to love it. Therefore, I am already sad to think that my time here is coming to an end in a couple weeks.
We recently finished our work tutoring the kids in math. Now I am working on quantifying the benefits of the program. I am also working on identifying the qualitative benefits by interviewing the kids math tutors, math teachers in school, the kids themselves. It has been interesting and rewarding to hear the opinions of the parents of the children and directors of the orphanages. In addition to my work with Bolivia4ward, I have been assisting the 2 other groups in Bolivia with their projects.
As mentioned in my last blog, our weekend excursions have been an incredible aspect of my experience in Bolivia. In the last couple weeks, we went on trips to Torotoro and to the Amazon. In Torotoro, we went spelunking in the largest cave in Bolivia, we got to see dinosaur prints that have been fossilized into rock in the ground, and we hiked down a huge canyon to find a large waterfall at the bottom. After returning from this trip on a Sunday night, we walked down the street to grab some dinner and stumbled upon a huge festival called Fiesta Del Carmen. There was a firework show every half hour, live music, and tons of street vendors. Accidentally discovering events like this have been a highlight of the trip.
The next weekend, we went on a trip to the Amazon with our bosses husband, Carlos. Carlos had worked in Chapare, the area of the Amazon we visited, which made him a perfect tour guide. His wealth of knowledge on the area and fascinating perspective on life made the trip especially insightful. We went on a hike to a view point where there were monkeys, we walked down to a river from our hotel, and we went on another hike to a waterfall where we were able to go cliff jumping and swim in the water. This trip to the jungle was an awesome escape from our daily lives in the polluted city of Cochabamba.
I am going to do my best to make the most out of the little time I have left here!
