The feeling has arrived where I no longer feel like a foreigner visiting a foreign country, solidified by an instance where I corrected a taxi driver on where one of the local coffee shops was located. Two months in, and I feel at home. It's a feeling of comfort found through enjoying your favorite Bolivian candy bar, while drinking your favorite Bolivian coffee, and sitting in your favorite Bolivian plaza. The past three weeks have been filled with events and experiences that have helped make both La Paz and Highlands feel like home. One particular instance was on a city sanctioned pedestrian day where no one was allowed to drive. This happened to be on a Sunday and therefore most churches cancelled or were rescheduled. My roommates and I decided to hold a "house church" for other staff members at Highlands who are within walking distance of our place. It was an amazing time of fellowship and encouragement. We played music, shared what God was doing in our lives, watched a sermon, and prayed for each other.
Life at Highlands has been full of opportunities as the school year seems to have picked up and as the students seem to warm up to the new year. One event that got the ball rolling was a Highlands tradition of bench painting. Essentially each grade, from 6th-12th, has a bench on campus and each year, at the start of the year, they hold a bench painting party where the students collaborate together and paint the benches for the year. It's a really cool idea and I was really encouraged by how well the students worked together and unified over these benches. I am the senior class homeroom sponsor, and they really impressed me with their rendition of Van Gogh's Starry Night. It was a really fun after-school event with a great turnout.
Another excellent opportunity was our community service day that was held this past Friday. I was a part of a group that went up into the mountains to help do some construction projects for a church. I got to use some of my masonry background and teach many of the young men the value of hard work, and the importance of staying in school. We mixed up some cement and patched up a broken walkway and poured a cement drainage system to prepare for the rainy season. I enjoyed teaching the boys the important lesson of "doing the best with what you got", as we really didn't have many of the tools or necessary materials to get the job done as one would hope. We made it happen though, and the pastor was very pleased at the end of the day with what we were able to accomplish. Best of all it was an opportunity to connect with many of the male students outside the classroom. I'm thankful for opportunities like that where God allows bonding to occur over tasks such as mixing cement and hard earned sweat to produce memories and new friendships. There was a good group that stayed with me as we were told to go on lunch break, but didn't want to take a break until the job was done. The boys worked hard, and lunch never tasted so good after we were done.
Other opportunities like the start of the basketball season, a Staff vs Student soccer game, and chaperoning a movie night, have only added to the growing sense of "home" and comfort found in these past three weeks. My roommate, Mark Stamey, and I have started coaching the basketball team at the school, which competes in random tournaments, and less on a scheduled season format. As some of you know, I love coaching and coming at the students from a different angle, other than the classroom. So far it's off to a good start and many of the players are excited to have an opportunity to learn basketball from Americans.
The Staff vs. Student soccer game was another way in which we got to bond with the students outside the classroom. The staff delivered a humbling lesson as we won 7-2, and my lungs survived the altitude, and my ankles stayed intact. Luckily I was able to rest up and recover while chaperoning the movie night last night. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the student pick was the classic, Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's little things like the movie night that provide opportunities for conversations and moments of bonding that I am very thankful for.
The Staff vs. Student game wasn't the only big soccer event happening in La Paz. Somehow the school got connected with some tickets to what one Bolivian coworker described as, " the Super Bowl of Bolivian soccer matches". It was quite the cultural experience as we got to witness the rival matchup of Club Bolivar vs. Club Strongest. Apparently these two are massive rivals and only play twice a year. This match was especially big considering it was on a neutral field and was heralded as simply, The Clasico. It was a ton of fun, and really cool to be a part of the Latin American soccer experience. The game was pretty heated and ended in a 1-1 draw, but there was no lack of action or dramatics. The video below doesn't do it justice, but there was a lot of chanting, screaming, and music throughout the whole game.
Now I find myself on the eve of spiritual emphasis week, a big opportunity for God to work in our student body. Please pray that God will soften the hearts of the unbelieving students and really speak through the different speakers which are coming each day this week. Last week we started discipleship groups, something the school does every other week instead of chapel. I am in in charge of the 11th grade boys. During this week however I will get to see them and spend time with them every day as part of Spiritual Emphasis Week. Please pray that I can continue to build solid relationships with them and both encourage and challenge them.
Thank you for your time and support, I have been very encouraged by those that have reached out and told me they are praying for me and supporting me. Please continue to pray for my Spanish. Dios te bendiga! (God Bless You)