3 weeks left

Well we only have about 20 days left of our trip in Bolivia and it's going to go very fast. Sorry for not updating the last two weeks. We've gotten distracted and had several things to do and I've been a bit lazy. Since the 4th of July we have continued doing our business classes three nights out of the week and we've had our English classes on Saturday mornings. Last Saturday none of our kids came so we didn't have anyone to teach. There are two really cute kids that come most of the time so we promised to make cookies and cake for them on our last day.

Last week it got really cold and actually snowed in La Paz! We got some rain which was exciting, and the wind continued. In our cement house it was pretty cold for about 3 or 4 days nonstop. One of those days we got to learn how to make Empanadas with one of our coworkers moms. It was really fun, especially since it was cold that day.


The onions made us cry...alot.

This is how we cooled off the Empanada filling...stuck it on a chair and put it outside. The filling was made of pretty much everything from ground beef, chicken, eggs, and peas, to cilantro, spicy seasonings and lots of oil.

No rolling pin to be found so we used a glass bottle. The dough is basically flour, melted butter and some water but is actually pretty tasty.


The way she pinches the ends give the Empanadas a really cool design.

Then they get deep fried in a LOT of oil.

Yummy!


The next exciting thing that is upon us now is the new arrival of American kids to be here for the next two weeks. We met them on Monday and they all look like they're still in high school. Excluding a couple chaparones, they aren't any kids older than me. It was really quite fun to speak English again.

Last night the whole office went to see them at their hotel and play some soccer. The field was really big and Ben got quite a workout. After the soccer game Ben and I took some of the participants shopping for clothes because two of the girls had their bags lost by the lovely Miami airport, and one girl and her mom went looking for soccer cleats, so we took them. Then they allowed us to crash their dinner with all 26 kids and however many adults. We ate at this Brazilian pizza and pasta place that was sort of like a buffet but you didn't have to get up. They would bring around trays of pizza, tell you what it was and ask if you wanted a slice. It wasn't typical pizza, it was brazilian pizza and that means lots of ham and bacon pizza with cheese and onions. There was a cheese and garlic pizza that Ben ate that must have had at least 6 cloves on the one slice alone! My favorite one is hard to describe. It had lots of cheese on it, and pizza sauce doesn't really exist there, and then had milk, yes milk, on the middle of the pizza, and then these crunchy stick things with pieces of steak. They were very very good.

Then there were the desert pizzas! They were really good too! There was one with condensed milk and coconut, one with chocolate spread and chocolate sprinkles (my favorite), one with chocolate spread and strawberry jam on top, and one with some peanuts and peanut spread. Very tasty. Sadly we didn't take any pictures, but it was also really cheap so we plan to go back there sometime before we leave.

Hopefully we will get to see the americans again and get to crash more of their dinners. It's fun for us and we get to be helpful because with 26 americans that don't speak Spanish, we figure we can be of some help somewhere and offered to help out while they are here. Hopefully we will get to be able to soon.

The rest of this week is supposed to go as usual, with the possibility of helping the group of Americans. We have our class in La Guardia tonight and our class at the office tomorrow night. Fortunately it has warmed up a lot and I have made good use of the extra mattress and the balcony that we have to take naps on and relax on.

A funny thing happened yesterday. Ben and I went to the grocery store to get chocolate and bread and butter. We got to drive the boss's car all by our selves through the Bolivian roads, which was an adventure in itself! We found a bunch of cans of soda and Root Beer was one of them and we wanted it! Mine was no trouble but Ben's was. In the style that only happens in movies and cartoons Ben picked his can and it was like slow motion! All the rest of the cans slowly toppled to the floor and they just kept going and going and there was no way to stop them! It was hilarious and intensely embarrassing. It was amazing.

Well, thoe are the highlights from the last two weeks. I'm sure there will be more exciting things to come, and we will be sure to keep close updates on our last three weeks in Bolivia!

Best wishes and hopes to everyone back home.

Adios!

Marian and Ben