bolivia part 2

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July 9
So, we are driving to Peru and of all things, it is snowing. Snowing! Not just flurries either, the treetops are covered. This has been a really surreal morning.
Anyway I left off talking about El Alto. The three days that followed were good, we had fewer lectures and a little more free time, but not much. I spent most of it shopping, drinking (noninstant) coffee (hurrah!), and fighting with people in my program. This I am serious about, I think we have all had a little too much tgrness. Coupled with the long, exhaustive days filled with lectures in a language some of us can't understand at all much less well, and the majority of the group being sick (I am so completely amazed that I haven't been sick yet), I can't say a ton of positives about the weekend, frankly. It's interesting to compare La Paz to Quito though; the atmosphere is similar, but the construction of the city is so vastly different. I wondered how blind people got around Quito for their whole lives, but Quito is a blindie heaven compared to La Paz. I guess I can say I'm happy to be leaving it and its coca behind. I will definitely be glad to eat an enormous platter of raw vegetables and fresh fruit when I get home and take a hot shower.
But I have to say, I am way excited to see what lies in store for us in Peru. We are staying in communities outside a village called Juli with Aymaran families. I will be staying with Rose, one of the girls from my program as well. As I've been told, it will be lucky if we are even given a bed, and I totally missed the memo about bringing a sleeping bag, so I'm hoping for a lot of blankets. I'll write more as it happens, that is, if we ever make it through this snow storm.

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