Ivan and gordon in the Market

We all went to the Baptist Seminary this morning to help out with some sidewalks that they were building.  It was a great opportunity for us to get to know some of the students and staff there.  Not sure how much closer to the sun we are here, but the sun was very intense and HOT!  The afternoon we were able go to the Cochabamba market to get a feel for the city.  Some video of the work we did can be found here.

Right now, I´m sitting on a chair in the dinning room of the CBM compound in Cochabamba. To my right is a window with a large green courtyard, fat white, pink and yellow roses and an enormous palm tree. I´ve already had my picture taken with the palm. I took off my shoes and lay on the grass for a moment and I could feel the hot sun bake the back of my black shirt: I´m tired, but clean now, and in my world, clean counts for a lot.

It´s funny. I was sitting on the plane, thinking about this trip and about Canadians and Bolivians coming together and imagining how that moment would look and feel and when it would happen – when the trip would officially begin. And I think I thought that it would happen, or at least feel like it was happening, with that first hug and kiss on the cheek like we practised at church during our trip preparation.

“Hello,” kiss, kiss. Let the solidarity begin!

And of course that is ridiculous.

I was sitting in a plane jam-packed with Bolivians. Some of them even brought me sweet coffee and little cakes with cream cheese in the middle, they just wore heels and red lipstick and short stewardess skirts. Solidarity is there for the seeing, has been happening for years.

It took us over twenty-four hours to get here and involved a good bit of running to catch planes that were about to leave and some super-sleuthing to find misplaced luggage, but when I set down my bags at the compound and came out into the dinning room I was met by the warm smell and gurgling bubble of brewing coffee. My shoulders relaxed. I exhaled, grabbed a mug.

“Kiss, kiss”, it said to me. “Welcome here.”

After more than 24 hours of travel, we arrived at the compound.  Ivan and Emigdio picked us up from the Cochabamba airport and we drove to our home for the next couple of days.  Some video of cochabamba.

We made it to Miami, had a Cuban meal, searched out our luggage and then relaxed for a bit.  Here is a clip from miami.

Arrived in Chicago and had to make a run to Terminal 3 to make it to our next leg.  We made it in time.  Here is the video update.

…and our trip to Bolivia begins.  Here is the first video clip from the Edmonton Airport.