A whirlwind of goodbyes

In Uyuni, all four of us first tried to buy train tickets, but the blockades between Uyuni and Oruro has stopped all trains from running because they blockaded the train tracks. So then we headed over to the bus station to buy tickets. But of course, it was 12:15 and it was already siesta time… TIB (This Is Bolivia). So Mansi and I went to use the internet, and sat on the nice outdoor mall in Uyuni, which was probably the only nice part in all of Uyuni. Finally, we walked back to the bus station at 2:30 which is when siesta is supposed to end, but of course, it was still siesta time… TIB (This is Bolivia). Finally, we found an open bus company and asked if they had seats to Oruro. They didn’t. But they did say they could put us in the aisle. We decided to keep looking. We couldn’t find anything. Other bus companies wouldn’t even put us in the aisle because it is completely illegal. So we headed back to the first bus company because we had to get back to Cochabamba, and one seat had opened up. We bought the one seat and the one seat in the aisle.

We then ate a quick lunch, and Mansi and I both called our mommies to say goodbye in case something happened to us because the bus company was a little sketch, we were doing something illegal, and we weren’t going to be using the normal route, and instead would be using the Salar to travel to Oruro where I was nervous the bus would fall through since under the salt are layers of water and more salt and more water. The bus ride to Oruro was the worst ride I have ever experience. While Mansi was absolutely amazing and stood up for the majority of the time since the aisle actually had 20 people in it instead of like 2 or 3, the people on the bus were just completely ridiculous. Specimen 1 = Old, fat, smelly man sitting on an arm of an aisle seat that refused to make room for us to stand on more than one foot. Specimen 2 = Stupid traveling Argentinean boy next to us who sang the entire ride and smoked and was lighting is lighter under the seat. So 10 hours of standing, sitting, Mansi on my lap, etc. was simply not was I call a fun ride. When we arrived in Oruro, we stuck with these girls we met on the bus that went to university in Cochabamba and got on a bus back to Cochabamba. This was a pretty nice bus, but it was also the coldest bus ride I had ever taken. However, it was 8:30 AM, and I was back in Cocha, so I was pretty happy.

I went home, and I was greeted by a screaming Laurita who jumped and hugged and kissed me! So Sunday, I rested, unpacked, relaxed, and also made a short trip to La Cancha with Karin and Laurita.

On Monday, I woke up early and spent the morning at La Cancha buying gifts for all my friends. Gifts consist of reversible hats, gloves that open, leg-warmers, sweaters, luggage, and some tapestries. In the afternoon, I bought presents for my family, and went to Mansi’s apartment to say goodbye to her host family. At night I went out for a combination Lucas’s birthday and me leaving. Karin, Julianne, Daniel, Becca, Mansi, Yudozca, Yudozca’s twin, Lucas, and a bunch of Lucas’s friends and family were there. In total there were probably between 15 and 20 people. We had so much fun, playing catcho and reminiscing about the past two and a half months. It was a really good last night Cocha with all my favorite people.

On Tuesday, I dropped Laurita off at school with Karin and then went to work with Karin. I hung out with her at her office until she had an inspection. Then I went out for a walk where I ran into Rodrigo from work. It was my last walk around Cochabamba’s centro. I walked through the familiar markets and streets and took in everything: the smell, the dirty ground, the women screaming at me to buy empanadas, the meat hanging from strings. After Karin’s inspection, she basically forced me to go get ice cream with her at Dumbo’s since it was 2 scoops for 1 day. I told her I wouldn’t be able to finish my lunch if I ate it, but she bought it for me anyhow. At lunch, we had all my favorites: pumpkin soup with beef, charque, hard-boiled egg, and chocle con queso. But, Karin unfortunately had filled me up with ice cream, so I couldn’t finish everything that was put in front of me. After lunch, I gave everyone their presents: perfume for Karin, photo and picture frame for my parents, and Guess Who? for Laurita. After lunch, I think I played Guess Who? for about two hours. Then, I finished packing and got ready to go see Laurita’s play where she was a conejo (bunny).

After the play, we returned home, and my host family gave me presents: natural perfume from Bolivia, artisan pajama pants, and a sweater my sister had knit for me as well as presents for my mom and dad. Then I went to bed for the last time (this year) in my bed of two and a half months.

Now it’s Wednesday, and I am sitting in an internet cafe in La Paz reminiscing about the past two and a half months. It’s hard to believe that I left my family this morning, all of us crying, and that in less than a day I will be back in the United States where I can drink from the tap, where I can take a shower with a shower curtain, and where the internet does not move at the speed of an ant. But I will also be back where my friends might not appreciate my love for Latin music, where my real mom won’t be able to make empanadas and canapés like my host mom, and where the atmosphere is not so “tranquilo.” From watching the World Cup in a South American country to traveling to such rural places where I can’t take a shower for 5 days to living with an amazing host family to learning more about development in one summer than I ever could have in a classroom, this summer has definitely been the most memorable and exciting ever.