Catching up...

Okay...I've got tons of pictures to share and I'll try to catch you all up on what we have been doing the last month or so. We are now working full time on our new team at the Center. It has been going really well so far and we already feel like we are really getting to know the kids and our teamates well. I don't have any pictures on this post from the Center but I will in the future. In the last few weeks we have been to La Paz with Jeff and Santa Cruz with the Spies so now we have been to the three largest cities in Bolivia. They are all drastically different from each other so it has been interesting to see that. We also have said good-bye to Jeff and the last two interns that we will be working with, Jen and Craig. We'll miss you guys!

Here are some photos of our last few weeks. First Santa Cruz...

This is the airport in Santa Cruz. Notice the thing in the background...it is where they brought out our bags by hand because there wasn't even a conveyer belt thing to put the luggage on. I just thought it was funny.

Kate and Daisy

Some people jamming in the main plaza in Santa Cruz.

This is also in the main plaza.

Lily is just so cute I had to put in a picture of her.

I'm smiling so big because of two reasons...I'm eating a good breakfast which is hard to find in Bolivia and it was starting to finally get warm out. The thing is that Santa Cruz is know for being the hot and humid city of Bolivia. It is supposed to be like a Miami vibe there but it was cold (relatively speaking) for three of the four days we were there. So on the last day it finally warmed up and it was wonderful.

Matt eating his breakfast.

Matt, Nate, Lily and I at the zoo.

Flamingos

A tree

Apparently all the animals at the zoo are used to getting
fed through the fence cause they all got real close.

I don't even know what this thing is.

This ostrich could've pecked me it was so close.

A little farther away.

A toucan

These next pictures are from La Paz...

This is in "Artisan Alley" where you can buy tourist type stuff. I had seen this street on "Amazing Race" and really wanted to find it cause it looked so bright and beautiful. Luckily, our hotel was only two blocks away. Just down the street is the Witches Market where you can buy special herbs and have your fortune read and also buy dead baby llamas to bury under your house to bless it. It all has to do with the ancient religion of worshiping Pachimama (mother earth). We have the same stuff at our market in Cochabamba.

The Coca Museum

Hanging out in the main plaza with Jeff before he left. Which is actually inaccurate because we ended up leaving back for Cochabamba before Jeff left La Paz.

There were tons of pigeons there.

This was a really cool street with pre-colonial buildings.

That's me in the white shirt. I just saw this huge slide and
I couldn't resist. It was definitely worth it.

A view of the city. If you can see there are houses built way up
onto those mountains in the background.

And these last pictures are from Cochabamba...

A tree in our yard fell. Now we use it as fire wood.

This is from a hike we took with our church. It was really
beautiful and we could see the whole city of Cochabamba.

This is everyone from church that went. It is really more people than
actually go to our church because it was a special event.