The First Week of Many

Some birthdays are more memorable than others. My 31st birthday will be hard to forget as it I split time between the clouds and the Lima airport. Leaving Chicago on July 19th at 9am, I flew to Panama City and then Lima, Peru where I received an unwanted birthday present of having my flight delayed 12 hours. However, at age 31 I’ve learned that when life gives you lemons you trade them for airport meal vouchers and spoil yourself with a free smorgasbord airport meal, courtesy of Avianca Air.

Touring La Paz using the Teleferico Red Line.

The next morning found more success as I woke up from my backpack pillow and stretched my legs with a classic terminal walk to scour the breakfast options. 5 hours later I arrived in the El Alto airport in Bolivia, and I was greeted by a nice family from the school. Expecting to feel the effects of the 14,000ft elevation, I was more than willing to let the family carry my luggage. Surprisingly, as we descended down the mountain and into La Paz, on what seemed like a never ending zig-zag pattern, I found myself feeling no signs of altitude sickness and feeling invigorated by the views and the new opportunities that lay before me. A big prayer of praise has been my physical transition to the altitude. I’m so thankful as I have experienced minimal symptoms during this transition. One of the tougher physical transitions might actually be going from summer to winter temperatures. The mornings and nights get very cold here.

New teachers at the overlook with the school in the back left.

Transitioning into a new school and new community has been one of the more exciting and enjoyable aspects of my first week in La Paz. 5 of our 7 new teachers all met at training this summer in June, and the another new teacher we met here has fit right in with our new teacher group. The last new teacher arrived this morning and I just met her before writing this. We have a great group of new teachers and it has been very encouraging to feel community within this transition period. We have done a lot of things together, both according to our schedule but also in our free time. The school community has also been very welcoming and they make it hard to go through the day without getting a free meal. I have really enjoyed meeting the Bolivian staff at the school and feeling very welcomed. It has also been a great opportunity to practice my Spanish and learn Bolivian culture. I am looking forward to all-teacher work week which starts tomorrow and where I will meet everyone involved with Highlands International School.

Using the Teleferico Blue Line to see the city.

Besides meeting new people, this past week has been full of meeting our new city and new school. We have had a couple of opportunities to get into our classrooms and get acclimated with the school grounds. One of my roommates, fellow new teacher, and first name sharer, Mark Stamey and I have explored around Highlands and found a really great lookout that overlooks the school and much more. The school has grown a lot over the past 16 years and was built up and converted from an old brick factory. It has lots of room for growth, but has a lot of character and even more beauty. Please be in prayer for the school as things have changed with the leadership of the school this year, due to various political and other complicated circumstances. The city of La Paz has blown me away with how incredible the buildings are woven and displayed throughout the mountainside. The city tastes of both old and new as it contains many indigenous and colonial traits as well as new aged technology and modern style buildings. The most notable man-made feature is the Teleferico System, or aerial cable car system, that is sprawled out throughout the city. Built by the Swiss, it began in 2014 and now contains over 10 lines and 36 stations, with each car fitting up to 10 people. It truly is a man-made wonder to see the city sites and to practically transport yourself throughout the city. The best part being that it is extremely cheap and costs somewhere between 40-70 cents per ride (depending on where you are going). We have had many adventures in the city, but being able to see the vastness of La Paz and the layout of the city and the mountains has been by far one of the more breathtaking. I wake up every morning with a bold faced mountain in my window and I thank God for bringing me here, and for giving me the mountain views as a reminder of his strength and sovereignty.

Shopping in the markets of La Paz with the new teachers.

No doubt in my mind that the Lord has been present and working in my first week here. I have had so much joy and peace fill my heart as I walk the streets and take in the views. I have already made some connections outside the school community as well. While reading my bible at a local coffee shop I made friends with 2 of the young men who work there and we talked about church and Christianity in Bolivia. Another time, while eating dinner at another local spot, I found out the owner was Venezuelan and we talked for a while about some of the work I did in Colombia with the Venezuelan refugees. He invited me back for the Venezuelan buffet that he holds every Saturday and I look forward to attending and connecting more with him and others. I have also experienced 2 different churches so far. One being an English speaking church for internationals and the other was a Spanish speaking church where my other roommate, and high school bible teacher, Luke is involved. I am looking forward to experiencing other options and getting plugged into a church community soon. It’s hard to be patient right now, but I know that all things will come in time. For now I continue to listen to His will and calling for my life daily, and I seek to take it day by day and soak in all I can.

Thank you for taking the time to read and support me.