My 30 day visa expired on Friday. It´s been a month since I arrived, and I´m getting more comfortable each day. Time is just flying !! It´s even already feeling like home. Lots of familiar faces to greet each day & my Spanglish vocabulary is expanding to become almost functional. I can order more than pollo (chicken) & hamberguesa in restaurants. I´m not getting lost as much.
I´ve got someone working for me to get the required working papers. They sure don´t make it easy here. I needed a rental contract from the landlord (I guess I´m staying there); a copy of his water and light bills; a copy of his ownership/ mortgage payments; a signed contract from school( ¿in Spanish? - I hope I´m not volunteering !!); a copy of the Principal´s proof of ownership; a copy of her personal identification; the school´s tax number; a copy of the school´s financial statement ( she was really happy to share that with me, not); my passport; my fingerprints & registration with Interpol; and, some new photos. It´s taken most of the last three weeks to get everything. I expect the regulations to change tomorrow & I´ll have to get more documents from someone or another. I told the agent that I wanted to travel over the Easter weekend…. a definite maybe !
School is going well. The initial diagnostic period ended Friday with Meet the Teacher night. I was received nicely by those who showed up. It seems the kids like me. Imagine ! I´m also benefiting from Lani´s reputation & good standing here. A few of her former students´parents came by to say ¨hello¨as well. Half the parents could understood me, & Franco´s Dad helped to translate for those in need. By 9:00 pm it was finally TGIF - and Friday night at the Irish pub, for the weekly band. There, I meet Peter, a retired teacher from London, England, who´s here working with an NGO, helping to ¨modernize¨ some rural schools. The conditions he described outside the city are not to be believed.
As for Grade 5 at Tito´s Place - the period of ¨advancement¨ which we call teaching, starts tomorrow. I still have to finish my weekly plan before the morning. Tomorrow´s should be easy - page 1 of all the texts….pretty creative lesson planning ! Eight of my eleven should advance with little difficulty. I had to tell the other three´s parents that they should get tutors for their kids. It´s never been fun to give bad news, but I don´t think it was new news to them and they thanked me, even before we started. Go figure. I´ve got homework tonight. Ugh !
During yesterday´s wandering I spent time in one of the Plazas, where there was a live telethon, with band after band playing traditional Bolivian music, raising money & collecting food & clothing for the people in the flooded regions of the country. I was on Cochabamba TV - ¨Lo siento. No hablo español.¨ I´ll have to see if anyone I know was watching. I did make a donation to the cause. Our school is also starting a relief drive.
I went home for a nap afterwards, before Saturday night on the town, but didn´t wake up until the dogs barking on the street woke me about 2:00 am. Damn dogs !!
Refreshed this morning, I walked down to the stadium, a few blocks away, for the weekly pets mart…. speaking of dogs. Sellers show up with cardboard boxes of the cutest looking puppies & kittens - I look but don´t touch; some in cages; dogs of different breeds on leash; people with puppies & kittens in backpacks & shoulder bags; some off the backs of trucks. Everyone had pictures of the parents to guarantee the blood lines. There were lots of pet supplies stands. You could buy birds, fish and rabbits. The guy selling the rabbits also had rabbits´feet and pelts for sale. I´m not sure if he was selling pets, or supper. Needless to say, I had to watch where I was stepping. No poop and scoop laws here.
Besides all the walking I´m doing, there are other different forms of transportation available. Lots of nice new cars, especially huge SUVs…even a few Hummers….but mostly private cars that wouldn´t likely be considered roadworthy at home. For me there are the highly individually decorated buses; micro buses ( pronounced ¨meecro¨, just as I am ¨Meester Joel¨), taxis, and Trufi taxis, which work like the buses. You negotiate your fare before getting into a regular cab. I travel to school by Trufi or micro bus. These have set routes which wind throughout the city - on paved roads, cobblestone roads, and dirt roads. I get a pretty good view of the differences in wealth in Cochabamba, all on one ride. In their windshields are signs that highlight their routes ( and obscure the drivers´vision), so you can know where you´re supposed to go, and hope you get there. The fare is 1.50 Bolivianos (almost 20 cents). There are no set stops, so you flag your ride down wherever you´re standing, and get them to pull over wherever you want to get off. Consequently, they swerve to the curbside without warning to pickup or drop off passengers, and to avoid the numerous potholes. Little signalling, lots of honking. Red lights mean stop - maybe ! As I said, these drives are enough of a road adventure, that I have abandoned all thoughts of buying a bicycle. There are lots of motorcycles, which often carry families of 3, even 4 ! Not a helmet in sight !! I´ve described this as the place of near misses. Despite the roads & taxis; the games of chicken at intersections and the many traffic circles; and, the frequent speed bumps which everyone stops at before going over, I haven´t seen a single traffic accident. Unbelievable !! Pedestrians are at the bottom of the road hierarchy and you have to on constant guard, watching over your back, crossing the street. I´ve got to be ready to sprint at a moment´s notice. There is no road courtesy.
I do have new pictures of what I´ve just told you, but have filled my quota for this month on Flickr. I´ll go home for my credit card & upgrade my services at the next Internet cafe, and post the new shots.
It´s a beautiful warm, sunny day & it´s time to get outside for a while. Sorry to have to share that, but it WILL be spring soon back home. I hope everyone is savouring the last days of winter - thanks for all your weather reports.
I love hearing from you…. keep the comments & emails coming.
Hope all is well.
