Our Home!

Our first few days we used to find a house, and we considered something- how about sharing a duplex, or maybe getting a house and sharing it with Drew and Ann? They are cool as junk, seek to follow Christ as we do, also desire to learn about Bolivia and its people. SO…..after looking at about 8 places, apartments in the middle of the city, one house in a gated commuity (yuck), we went with this guy to a house that was close to our school and the cheapest house we had been offered by a few different agents. As we started ascending the mountain, we couldn’t believe we kept going up. We weaved through houses, small homefront stores, all on cobblestone roads, and we stopped at our house. It was awesome. It is a great neighborhood where people walk all over. We have a fellow living in the basement, the guy who built the house. The views from the balconies are amazing. The house connected to us has a store, so it is practically in our basement!! And a woman every morning on our blocjk sets up a table and sells meat. Isn’t Bolivia at its best!!!!!!!

And- there are 3 soccer fienlds/basketball courts within 5 minute walk- national park one block away from our home ( up the mountain).

SO>>We were going to move in and have to furnish it all our self. The day after we sign the lease, the landlord calls and says, would you like a refrigerator, Dining room table with 6 chairs, couch and 3 chairs???? Are you kidding?? We are so thankful.

So it took us a day to meet most of the kids in the neighborhood. We had about a 15 kid soccer game going under our streetlight, n the cobbles, using an old ball and rocks piled as goalposts. We desire to love the kids and their families. It only took 1 day for word to spread that there are 4 gringos in the neighborhood. The kids ask for John and Drew by name. Everyone is so friendly. It is customary to always greet people when you see them on the streets. We usually get a double take, when they realize we are gringos. We get made fun of a lot too. It’s great!

Okay, so the down fall to where we live. DOGS!! Packs of them. All over. That like to bark it up every night between 11:30-12:30am and then again about 4:30-6:30am. And a couple of them live RIGHT OUT SIDE OUR WINDOW!! Please pray that we will get use to this cultural difference soon.

-a note from Jenny-

The first week was like vacation. Staying at a hotel, eating every meal out, people watching. We broke every rule, ate from street vendors, used ice, ate at shady restaurants, ate lettuce…okay we never drank the water, we do use bottled. We figured if we are going to get sick we should do it sooner rather then when school starts?? I know. Crazy reasoning. I only almost cried once. I thought for sure it would have been more. I was stressing a little on our way down knowing that the Spanish would depend on me to learn, as I studied it in high school. I wondered how I was going handle speaking for us, finding a house, being a first year teacher, being away from all we know and love and learning a new culture. I just trusted the Lord and knew He would not give us more then we could handle. So he sent Drew and Ann. If it was not for them, John and I would have set in our hotel all week, and I would have cried for sure!

Pretty neat that after knowing each other for only 2 days we started talking about living together for the next 2 years! Another good gift from our amazing God.