Bolivian Independence Day

On Monday, I found myself, once again, at the school preparing my classroom.  I finished hanging the paper on the bulletin boards and tried to decorate them the best that my non-artistic self could.  Although the walls looked a little bare now, they would soon be filled with student's work...or at least I hoped they would.  Lunch was provided by the school board, although I couldn't understand a word they said in their speech...was gonna have to work on my Spanish!!  The rest of the time was spent preparing the class and trying to figure out what I was going to teach the three days the kids would be here this week.

Finished Classroom

        

In the evening, I went over to Hannah and Leah's again, where we spent the evening around the truth table.  We laughed and shared our stories over vino and our game Chronology, which we still have to play a full game of.  It was also a great day, as we did not have school the following day due to a holiday: Bolivia's Independence Day.

Tuesday, I was able to relax in the morning.  I took a walk around the neighborhood and watch, amused, at the young kids playing in the park.  I returned home after climbing the brutal hill and sat in the courtyard blogging and listening to the sounds around me.  The birds were fluttering about in trees above me and I could hear the kids prattling about.  Dogs barked loudly at passerby's and I could hear the rumble of the buses as they traveled their route.  Later in the afternoon, Hannah, Leah, and I were escorted by Giovanni downtown to watch the parade where the Bolivian President and Vice-President would be in attendance.  We parked at the tennis club and Giovanni showed us around and we at lunch.

Vice President is the gray-haired guy, President is to his left

We hurried outside after lunch, down the crowded streets, to where the President and Vice-President would be standing.  There were people everywhere and it was difficult for me to see over people's heads.  Soon the parade started and we watched the brightly clothed marching band come down the street with the President and Vice-President following.  They stepped onto a platform from where they would watch the rest of the parade.  I had turned to join Leah, as she had stepped over to the side, and apparently at that point, the Vice-President saw Hannah (who is quite tall and looks very non-Bolivian) and started waving at her.  Then he nudged the President and pointed Hannah out.  It was a cool experience.  We wandered around the park for a while and then went to get homemade ice cream. It was a nice way to end the day.