I bought my first lavadora automatica on Friday. It set me back $200 (American) but it is totally worth it. I have already done 3 loads of laundry. That may sound like a lot since I have only been here for 12 days, but you have to keep a few things in mind. The machine is smaller that we are used to in the States,and it is really dusty here so your clothes (and you) get dirtier a lot faster! I have a small room off my kitechen where my new appliance lives and there is rope above it to hang my stuff to dry, plus a big window that lets lots of fresh air in which dries the clothesat a fantastic rate.

I have also made a few new friends...both in and out of school. The entire staff started back on Monday. There are a lot of cool people at this school. Several couples as well as singles. Some are on their second year of a 2 year contract and others are starting their 3, 4, 5, and even 8th year in the country. That speakes pretty well for the school I guess. Santa Cruz Cooperative School (SCCS) is the first international job for a lot of us while others have made a carreer out of this scene. There are people who have taught in Italy, China, Korea, Thailand, Columbia, Ecuador, Honduras, and England. Its pretty cool.

I also met some really cool people at church on Sunday. There is only one English speaking church in Santa Cruz, so that is the one I went to. It is a small group (about 40) of people from all different places. I met a cattle rancher from Kansas who just moved down here with his family. His kids will be going to my school. What a crazy accent he has, I can't wait to see him again next week to hear about why he moved down here. There are some other families there who have kids at my school and the rest seem to go to the Christian Learning Center, also a US accredited school here in Santa Cruz. I had chinese buffet after church with a family who has been down here 15 years. The mom, Becky, grew up down here as her parents were missionaries out in the jungle. Her and her husband came back after college and teach at the school. I dinner with another family last night and some other teachers from their school. Apparently our sociallizing will have to end during soccer seasons as our schools are huge rivals. Overall,it was cool to go to the church. We even sang some of the same songs that my church in San Francisco sang. It reminded me that even though I go for spiritual growth, it brings a lot of comfort in an emotional way. Its a good place, I'm excited to go back next week.

I have a phone number now if anyone wants to call. Go to nobelcom.com and you can get an online phone card for $20. It gives you over 200 minutes in calls to Bolivia. What are you waiting for, sign up for one quick!!

cell 011-591-7002-9189
home 011-591-3339-3809