Lo que voy a extrañar y lo que no

After speaking with our wonderful Global Fellows Director, Tanya, I decided to use this last in-country blog post to reflect on my time here and appreciate my last few days. Tanya gave us the idea of “10 things I’ll miss and 10 things I won’t miss”, but anyone who knows me knows that I’m not one for restricting myself to structure. So here’s a list of “some” things I’ll miss and “some” things I won’t miss.

Things I’ll miss

• Cuñapés and Api
• My host familia, Sami and Helga. So much love is shared in this household.
• All the kiddos to whom I had the pleasure of being a “tía”
• Ice cream shops, how easily accessible they are, how cheap they are, how “let’s stop for an ice cream” is such a casual thing to do.
• The weather, I love me a strong sun
• Walking everywhere, and having everything in walking distance
• The trufi system
• My lovely, lovely coworkers and friends, Ariel y la Chinita
• The relaxed workplace at a healthy pace
• The pace of life in general
• Long lunches, and post lunch naps
• The minds and spirits of Carlos and Anna Aliaga
• BIIIICHA, the office doggo who I bonded deeply with during a thunderstorm.
• Paula, her store, her cookies, and the red dust that paints the sidewalk outside her house
• There’s too much so I’ll stop here because if I don’t I’ll never stop and thinking about it will make me sad :(

Things I won’t miss

• The pollution. It took me around 3 weeks to finally get used to it and have it not affect me. Before then, my nose and throat and eyes were constantly burning. Thank GOD for Mentisan.
• The two dogs of the downstairs neighbor. They were little but feisty. Six weeks of living here and they never got used to Ali and I! Always greeted with smol but aggressive barks, no matter what time of the day.
• The carbs. Bolivia, I love you and I truly, honestly believe your food is amazing. But I’m tired all the time and I’m 99% sure it’s because of the carb overload. ESPECIALLY since I’m vegetarian, any meat substitute is just more carbs. If I had a nickel for every time I had a meal that was just 3–4 different types of potato, bread, rice, and a touch of veggies! Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always LOVED carbs, but I’m just a tad over it. I’m very grateful for it though, and will remember it fondly with all the extra lbs I’ll be carrying around ❤
• The. Amoebas. Two times I contracted those suckers. You will definitely NOT be missed.

Bolivia, thank you for letting me love you. Thank you for welcoming me with open arms and an open heart. Thank you for challenging me, for allowing me to grow. SHOOT I’m gonna miss you.

I always felt welcomed in Cochabamba

Api with a cuñape and a pastel, the most delicious breakfast

Mi familia. (I’m not crying; you’re crying)