As many of you know, we recently moved into our own place. It’s a large 3rd floor apartment in the city. We have plenty of space, however, the apartments here in Bolivia are not equipped with appliances. So, I took a trip to “La Cancha” with our friends Ivan and Ely in search of a stove, frig, and microwave. After finding the models that would be best, we began price hunting from store front to store front. Since there are about 50 places that sell appliances, we had many options. After about 1/2 hour, we found the best price and purchased the items.
The lady from the appliance store then contacted a delivery man who then lined up transportation…Much to my dismay when I saw a taxi pull up and stop.
My eyes grew wide as I watched the men load the refrigerator into the back of the taxi. But then, to my horror, I was frantic when they began to lift the stove onto the roof. “Tranquila, tranquila, Juli” said my friend Ely. It’s ok, It’s ok…this is how it’s done in Bolivia, she told me in Spanish.
When we arrived at the apartment building, I snapped this picture to show John. Let’s just say he was glad he wasn’t there in person! One more adjustment to life in Bolivia.
I’d like to introduce you to Ely. She and her husband, Ivan, attend our church and have two children. Rebeca, 18, just left last month to study in LaPaz and Joel (pronounced hoh – elle) is 15 and just finished 10th grade.
The Gonzales family has just embraced us and I enjoy spending time with Ely. They own a business which has a store front on a main road. I can go and visit with her since there aren’t many customers througout the day, and practice my Spanish. It has been a blessing for both of us and it gives me an opportunity to learn as well as company for her. Ivan likes the idea because Ely isn’t alone so much of the time.
Ely understands some English as she studied abroad in England over 20 years ago. She doesn’t speak much, but it does help from time to time. It’s also been a blessing because she understands what it’s like for us being in a new country. She’s helped us understand more about Bolivian culture and is very willing to gently correct us when we’ve made cultural blunders!
John enjoys spending time with Ivan as well and even though there’s a language barrier, the two seem to find a way to communicate! We thank God for the friendships that He has raised up for us here in Bolivia.
For three months Grover, Nelvia, and Matias have shared their home with us. Although we are now in our own apartment, we express sincere gratitude to this family and look forward to a long and lasting friendship with them.
NTM recently made this video available and we wanted to share it with you. It gives a tribal person’s perspective. We hope you find it educational as well as a good reminder to continue to pray for those who have yet to hear the truth and those missionaries working to make it possible for them to hear.
This is the mode of transportation we typically use to and from language school.
The trufi is the other form of transporation that is widely used in Cochabamba. A trufi is a 15 passenger van that travels a set route. Each has a number displayed in the front windshield. Just like the micro, there is no set schedule. You simply wait by the side of the road and when your number trufi comes along, you flag it down with your hand. If it is full, the chofer just keeps driving and you wait for the next one to come along. Sometimes there are two or three within minutes and other times you may end up waiting for about 10 minutes. It all depends. Each one way trip in the trufi costs 1 boliviano 50 centavos per person (or about 21 cents). It’s a very economical way to get around, especially if we are alone. When the 5 of us need to go somewhere, it’s often difficult to find enough space for all of us, so it’s more ecconomical at times to take a taxi (about 10 bolivianos).
As most of you know, we’ve been asked to use public transportation in order to better understand Bolivian culture and how the majority of Bolivians live. We wanted to share 2 methods of transportation to which we’ve become accustomed.
First…the Micro (pronounced mee-croh)
The Micro is a medium sized bus that is generally brightly colored with red, white, and blue. Each has a letter on the front. Each letter stands for a different route. We generally use the micro “S” which comes about 1 block from our house and can take us “downtown” or any number of places that we generally visit during the week. There are no scheduled stops. To get on, you stand somewhere along the route and flag the driver. To get off, you simply say, “At the corner, please” or “I’m going to get off, please”. Most times, we take this bus to the main road (the avenida) and connect with a trufi (true-fee…look for definition in the next post). Sometimes the micros will be rather empty and other times, we find ourselves packed in like sardines. It usually depends on the time of day. Hope this gives you a little more insight as to our daily life.
Bekah had the privilege of being the first member of our family to celebrate a birthday in Bolivia. I (Julie) surprised her at school with a cake from a popular bakery in Cochabamba. Later in the evening we were going to head out for pizza around 6:00 p.m. and then to a park. At 5:15 we received a call from a friend that she and her children wanted to come and surprise Bekah and wish her a Happy Birthday…around 6:00 p.m. OK! These are friends of Bekah’s, so we decided to change our plans and wait. At 6:15 p.m. Reiny came with her children and surprised Bekah with cupcakes. What a wonderful treat. We shared the cupcakes and a visit together and decided to still head out for pizza aournd 7:15 p.m. Reiny left and we headed out to get into our taxi and our other friends, Ivan and Ely showed up. They also had a present for Bekah, and wanted to wish her a Happy Birthday. We invited them to join us for a pizza dinner. There were about 13 of us in all. After pizza, we went next door and bought ice cream bars to share with everyone. At this time it was close to 9:00 p.m. and the park idea had to be put on hold for another day.
Flexibility and willingness to change plans is a way of life here…but not so easy for the North American mentality. We are learning day by day. Relationships generally trump time…is that so bad? When we look at scripture, I can’t really think of a verse that depicts Christ running late for an appointment, however, there are many that depict Him conversing with people and showing His love.
Reiny (pronounced Rainy) is one of the ladies in our church. It’s very customary to bring something with you when you go to someone’s home, so I decided to take a loaf of homemade bread. The next day I received a phone call that there was going to be trouble in the house if she didn’t learn to make bread like the loaf I had given as a gift. Her husband loved the bread! So, the next day I had an opportunity to teach my new friend how to make bread. She’s now an expert and has a very happy husband, Eloy, and her 4 young children are enjoying the bread as well.
Reiny has been very hospitable and her family has welcomed us with open arms. She is always smiling and we are very thankful that this family is part of our church.
Although her name is pronounced rainy, days spent with Reiny are anything but rainy. They are pleasant and full of opportunities to learn language and culture, but most importantly, an opportuinity for fellowship.
The kids started school last week…although, they didn’t start at the beginning of the school year, but at the beginning of the third trimester! They just finished (North American) summer break and will have (Bolivian) summer break in mid November. The school asked that they repeat the latter part of their last school year so technically Rachel’s still in 10th grade, Nathan in 7th, and Bekah in 5th. The beauty of the situation is that their grades don’t really count since they’ve already completed those grades. This will allow them to concentrate on learning Spanish. Yes, over 50% of their classes are taught in Spanish. They have a couple of classes in English, but the majority is in Spanish. They also have to wear uniforms and now they really look like the children from the Narnia films. Overall, the first week has been pretty overwhelming. They are driven to school each day by our friend, Christian, who has his own taxi. The kids have grown to love him and he is very kind and conscientious. Please continue to hold them up in your prayers as they have had to make so many adjustments and now this is just one more.
We’re getting settled and are mostly unpacked. We had no problems getting through customs and the kids are thrilled with the house.
Grover and Nelvia are the couple with whom we are staying. Nelvia speaks no English which has been a great workout for Julie’s Spanish.
We’re surrounded by the Andes Mountains and the view out of the kitchen window is just breathtaking.
On Monday Julie was able to experience "la cancha". This is the market where many Bolivians shop. We purchased a few small items and have begun to learn the bartering process.
So far we’re all enjoying the food. We’ve had a chicken dish called "picante de pollo", a Bolivian soup called "sopa de mani" (peanut), and a dish called "pollo de horno", (chicken from the oven) that’s served for a special occassions like a birthday or Americans moving to Cochabamba.
I joined the swimming pool with Nelvia and we went for the first time last night. The instructor gives directions and the "students" swim laps according to the stroke that he wants us to practice. About 15 people share one lap lane. Quite different than in the U. S. We’re uncomfortable if we have to share with one or two people!
Thanks for your prayers. We’ll try to upload pictures here for you to see as we’re having difficulty with Facebook.
Email seems to be the best way to get us a message. Thanks so much for everything.
John and Julie Meyers Serving in Bolivia with New Tribes Mission 
First…the Micro (pronounced mee-croh)
Bekah had the privilege of being the first member of our family to celebrate a birthday in Bolivia. I (Julie) surprised her at school with a cake from a popular bakery in Cochabamba. Later in the evening we were going to head out for pizza around 6:00 p.m. and then to a park. At 5:15 we received a call from a friend that she and her children wanted to come and surprise Bekah and wish her a Happy Birthday…around 6:00 p.m. OK! These are friends of Bekah’s, so we decided to change our plans and wait. At 6:15 p.m. Reiny came with her children and surprised Bekah with cupcakes. What a wonderful treat. We shared the cupcakes and a visit together and decided to still head out for pizza aournd 7:15 p.m. Reiny left and we headed out to get into our taxi and our other friends, Ivan and Ely showed up. They also had a present for Bekah, and wanted to wish her a Happy Birthday. We invited them to join us for a pizza dinner. There were about 13 of us in all. After pizza, we went next door and bought ice cream bars to share with everyone. At this time it was close to 9:00 p.m. and the park idea had to be put on hold for another day.
Reiny (pronounced Rainy) is one of the ladies in our church. It’s very customary to bring something with you when you go to someone’s home, so I decided to take a loaf of homemade bread. The next day I received a phone call that there was going to be trouble in the house if she didn’t learn to make bread like the loaf I had given as a gift. Her husband loved the bread! So, the next day I had an opportunity to teach my new friend how to make bread. She’s now an expert and has a very happy husband, Eloy, and her 4 young children are enjoying the bread as well.
week…although, they didn’t start at the beginning of the school year, but at the beginning of the third trimester! They just finished (North American) summer break and will have (Bolivian) summer break in mid November. The school asked that they repeat the latter part of their last school year so technically Rachel’s still in 10th grade, Nathan in 7th, and Bekah in 5th. The beauty of the situation is that their grades don’t really count since they’ve already completed those grades. This will allow them to concentrate on learning Spanish. Yes, over 50% of their classes are taught in Spanish. They have a couple of classes in English, but the majority is in Spanish. They also have to wear uniforms and now they really look like the children from the Narnia films. Overall, the first week has been pretty overwhelming. They are driven to school each day by our friend, Christian, who has his own taxi. The kids have grown to love him and he is very kind and conscientious. Please continue to hold them up in your prayers as they have had to make so many adjustments and now this is just one more.