An Update from Our OutBound Student Rogan Hall. First Impressions of Bolivia -Traffic. The traffic here is hectic and pretty much just everywhere. There seems to be no rules, the goal is only to get from A to B without stopping. Its amusing to me, I think only because its really different and crazy and new so its intriguing more than terrifying. Im surprised Ive only actually seen one accident. -The people are really warm here. Every time you see someone its worth a greeting! Its a handshake for the guys, (not just as an introduction, by the way). Its a kiss on the cheek for girls. As well, Ive found it really easy to make friends at school. Everyone is very welcoming. The whole grade seems pretty close to each other too. There almost arent cliques. Almost. People just seem to hang out with some people more than others. (I really hope this explanation is understandable - I cant tell, Im too biased haha) -Music. Spanish Party/Dance/Club music is really popular and fun to listen to as well. (Here is a url of one of the really popular songs https://youtube/watch?v=NUsoVlDFqZg (this one is my favorite) and another https://youtube/watch?v=9FWgcBfs5A0 (beware the video and lyrics of this one. Theyre pretty freakin vulgar - which is mildly amusing, to me anyway) -School. Its pretty relaxed here, especially for me, some teachers have told me they dont expect anything from me, being an exchange student and all. Its good to be in class though, listening anyway just to practice my Spanish. Some classes the teacher hasnt shown up so we just listened to music. -Food. QUE RICA (rico/rica literally means rich but people just use it as yummy pretty much) Im loving the food here and havent had any discomfort as a result of it. Theres a popular Bolivian dish called salteñas which are like palm sized baked pitas with filling of a sauce, veggies & meat (usually chicken or beef). Theyre wonderful. Thankfully I havent felt anything but tired for the first few days as a result of the altitude. Ive spoken with David who went to Quito, Ecuador which is at 2800m and the altitude there is really giving him a tough time. Im living at ~3600m. I think the lesson here is sports pay off at heights, kids. Im the only exchange student in La Paz with most of the rest of us inbounds are in Santa Cruz. There are some in Oruro & Cochabamba too. I am writing this from Cochabamba which we are visiting for my host brothers band competition. We got here this morning and hopefully I can meet the German inbound who is living here! Light up Rotary! All the best! Rogan
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 14:23:45 +0000
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