These were at a party on Tuesday night - started earlier (9) than usual and we actually got to leave at 2:30 because I had to get up to go to work at 5:30.
It was a party for people who were born or raised in Oruro, Bolivia. Very historic town, that has been in existence for over 200 years. They have this party every year. I have no idea how we were invited last year, but they enjoyed us (Joeline) so much that we got invited again. As you can see in the first picture, Joeline is the life of every party we go to. Everyone in Cochabamba knows and loves her.
Monday, February 15, 2010
These were taken Sunday afternoon at a gated community to which we were invited by some friends of ours. Their daughters go to my school. As soon as you arrive, buckets of water are poured over your head, and all afteroon someone is running up and throwing buckets of water on you. All part of Carnaval.
We have decided to rent the "maid's quarters" at our house to a friend of ours from the states who is teaching here. So, we had to go to market to try to buy a few things. This was Monday, so we thought it would be ok, we neglected to remember that I was not in school because of Carnaval and that everyone else would be at Market also. Here is what we found. Have no clue, and didn't want to know, what they were going to do with the crates of baby chicks. The rest you can see for yourself.
I am trying to post these pictures - it is still Carnaval here - it lasts for about a month but is supposed to be over tomorrow. Anyway, I just had to go outside to bring my car into our "walled house". The neighbors are having a huge party, of course. Big fire in the middle of the street, music, lots of drinking, etc. When I went out they grabbed me and insisted I have a drink with them. The traditional drink here is Singani, mixed with Sprite (Seven Up, whatever) So, they hand me - the Gringo a huge glass filled to the brim. I downed it in one drink. They loved it, we talked for a few minutes - me no Spanish, them no English. Lot of fun and gestures. Then I insisted I had to go inside, so they insisted I take one more drink, this time the glass was filled to the brim with straight Singani - so I downed it. They didn't know they were dealing with a Wieburg. White Lightning, Tequila, straight Jack, none of it phases us. Only thing that will get me tipsy is Wine, isn't that weird?
I went inside and got a bottle of Singain out of my cabinet and took it out to them. I then closed and locked the gate.
I figure the neighbors here can do us a lot of good - or harm, like anywhere, and it is best to be in good with them.
In case you missed it, Joeline and I have moved out of the ninth floor apartment and moved into a large seven bedroom, five bathroom house. All so Joeline and the Maltese can have a yard.
We are really enjoying it, great views, etc.
Joeline was supposed to post pictures, but she is too busy feeding her fish on facebook, so guess I will have to do it.
I went inside and got a bottle of Singain out of my cabinet and took it out to them. I then closed and locked the gate.
I figure the neighbors here can do us a lot of good - or harm, like anywhere, and it is best to be in good with them.
In case you missed it, Joeline and I have moved out of the ninth floor apartment and moved into a large seven bedroom, five bathroom house. All so Joeline and the Maltese can have a yard.
We are really enjoying it, great views, etc.
Joeline was supposed to post pictures, but she is too busy feeding her fish on facebook, so guess I will have to do it.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
I keep getting asked about typical days, weekends here. So this is what we did this weekend.
Friday after school, 15 of the teachers, secretaries, and Joeline, met in the gym to start to learn a native dance that we will be doing for carnival. A lot of movement involved - tired me out. That went from 3:15 until 4:30.
Then Joeline and I had to go to five different grocery stores to try to find cornbread mix. We had invited four couples over to have chile and cornbread and to play Wii. Finally, Joeline had to settle for what she thought was corn meal - she bought two different bags that kind of felt like corn meal. We rushed home at 6 and she started making the cornbread from scratch. The couples started arriving at 7. She made two different batches, using each of the mixtures. One came out great, the other was uneatable - evidently not corn meal.
We ate, talked and played Wii until midnight. Very nice evening.
Saturday we slept in till eight, then drove to Market. She bought three dozen pink roses - I think they were 14 B's ($2) per dozen. We also bought a couple of 1/2 kilo blocks of cheese. The cheese here is fantastic, especially the block Parmasean. We left market and went to a new restaurant about which we had just heard. It was small, and absolutely beautiful. I think it was Japanese, anyway we had "Chinese" food, it was the best we have had in Bolivia. I think they even have fried noodles, which Joeline loves, but we had trouble conveying her request to the Japanese guy, who spoke Spanish, and we were ordering Chinese - in English (see the problem). So she ended up with Chop Suey with regular noodles, but she said it was great. I had some kind of 5 spice Pork. Wonderful, but also hot, hot, hot.
Went home at about 2 and I took a nap. Joeline took a bath and read. We watched a movie, "Invictus", Morgan Freeman, very good. Then we got ready to go out.
A trumpet player we know had flown in from Santa Cruz and was playing with a Jazz band at an Irish Pub. We got there at 10 - I drank Irish Coffees (but with Tequila), Joeline drank "Coka Zeros sin Hielo con Limon". The Trumpet player and the Sax player were very, very good. At midnight we excused ourselves and went to another club to dance.
A parent of one of my students has a club. He starts singing at midnight. We stayed throught two of his sets, and two sets of dancing (all salsa), Joeline finally got tired enought to let us go home. The woman moans about going out so late, but once you get her out, she never wants to leave. We finally left at 3:30. I drank Kubra Libras there and she drank her Coke Zeros.
We got home just before four, checked our emails and went to bed.
I slept in till 8:30, Joeline is still in bed.
I'll get her up in just a second so we can get ready for church. There is an International Church here that gives both Spanish and English. One verse of a hymn is in Spanish, the next in English. The sermon is mostly in English, but the non-English speaking people have earphones and someone trasnlates for them.
Of course before we go to church we will stop off at the soccer stadium where they have a pet market every Sunday. They sell cats, every breed of dog imaginagle (except Malteses), tropical birds, fish, whatever. Vets have little stations there to give shots, etc., and there are the inevitable food booths - Bolivians love their food. We get a coke and potato chips.
After church we will go to eat at one of the hundreds of restaurants. Joeline loves the trucha here (trout, she does not like U.S. trout)
Then it will be home for me to play poker online with the kids and Joeline to read. Tonight I have to work on the school budget. Then we will watch a movie (all of the movies we watch are DVD's) I can buy a DVD first run movie here, usually before it is released in the states, for $.75 to $1.50 depending on which "pirater" I get it from. I can buy them at the pet market I told you about for $.75, but sometimes they don't work and sometimes they are in Spanish only, although I am promised they are in English. But, I have a friend who sells me good ones, but he moves around and is sometimes difficult to find.
If your are saying - Oh, that is wrong to buy a Pirated movie, I might agree with you. However, I have no choice. There are no copyright laws here and there are NO orignial movies - I couldn't buy an original one if I tried, They are not in Bolivia. So, it's buy these or don't watch any movies.
By the way, there are no copyright laws in regard to textbooks either. A lot of our textbooks are "copied" on the copy machine by our book store guy. I am buying textbooks from the states, but the shipping is horrible. Probably only about 20% of my books are copies.
Anyway, that is a typical weekend. Now I have to get Joeline and Evita up to get ready for church (Evita is the Maltese and she will sleep as long as Joeline does, as long as I take her out to go "pottie" at about 6am.)
Hope this was not too boring, but you asked for it.
(I'm too tired to spell check this, so if you find errors, too bad!)
Carl
Friday after school, 15 of the teachers, secretaries, and Joeline, met in the gym to start to learn a native dance that we will be doing for carnival. A lot of movement involved - tired me out. That went from 3:15 until 4:30.
Then Joeline and I had to go to five different grocery stores to try to find cornbread mix. We had invited four couples over to have chile and cornbread and to play Wii. Finally, Joeline had to settle for what she thought was corn meal - she bought two different bags that kind of felt like corn meal. We rushed home at 6 and she started making the cornbread from scratch. The couples started arriving at 7. She made two different batches, using each of the mixtures. One came out great, the other was uneatable - evidently not corn meal.
We ate, talked and played Wii until midnight. Very nice evening.
Saturday we slept in till eight, then drove to Market. She bought three dozen pink roses - I think they were 14 B's ($2) per dozen. We also bought a couple of 1/2 kilo blocks of cheese. The cheese here is fantastic, especially the block Parmasean. We left market and went to a new restaurant about which we had just heard. It was small, and absolutely beautiful. I think it was Japanese, anyway we had "Chinese" food, it was the best we have had in Bolivia. I think they even have fried noodles, which Joeline loves, but we had trouble conveying her request to the Japanese guy, who spoke Spanish, and we were ordering Chinese - in English (see the problem). So she ended up with Chop Suey with regular noodles, but she said it was great. I had some kind of 5 spice Pork. Wonderful, but also hot, hot, hot.
Went home at about 2 and I took a nap. Joeline took a bath and read. We watched a movie, "Invictus", Morgan Freeman, very good. Then we got ready to go out.
A trumpet player we know had flown in from Santa Cruz and was playing with a Jazz band at an Irish Pub. We got there at 10 - I drank Irish Coffees (but with Tequila), Joeline drank "Coka Zeros sin Hielo con Limon". The Trumpet player and the Sax player were very, very good. At midnight we excused ourselves and went to another club to dance.
A parent of one of my students has a club. He starts singing at midnight. We stayed throught two of his sets, and two sets of dancing (all salsa), Joeline finally got tired enought to let us go home. The woman moans about going out so late, but once you get her out, she never wants to leave. We finally left at 3:30. I drank Kubra Libras there and she drank her Coke Zeros.
We got home just before four, checked our emails and went to bed.
I slept in till 8:30, Joeline is still in bed.
I'll get her up in just a second so we can get ready for church. There is an International Church here that gives both Spanish and English. One verse of a hymn is in Spanish, the next in English. The sermon is mostly in English, but the non-English speaking people have earphones and someone trasnlates for them.
Of course before we go to church we will stop off at the soccer stadium where they have a pet market every Sunday. They sell cats, every breed of dog imaginagle (except Malteses), tropical birds, fish, whatever. Vets have little stations there to give shots, etc., and there are the inevitable food booths - Bolivians love their food. We get a coke and potato chips.
After church we will go to eat at one of the hundreds of restaurants. Joeline loves the trucha here (trout, she does not like U.S. trout)
Then it will be home for me to play poker online with the kids and Joeline to read. Tonight I have to work on the school budget. Then we will watch a movie (all of the movies we watch are DVD's) I can buy a DVD first run movie here, usually before it is released in the states, for $.75 to $1.50 depending on which "pirater" I get it from. I can buy them at the pet market I told you about for $.75, but sometimes they don't work and sometimes they are in Spanish only, although I am promised they are in English. But, I have a friend who sells me good ones, but he moves around and is sometimes difficult to find.
If your are saying - Oh, that is wrong to buy a Pirated movie, I might agree with you. However, I have no choice. There are no copyright laws here and there are NO orignial movies - I couldn't buy an original one if I tried, They are not in Bolivia. So, it's buy these or don't watch any movies.
By the way, there are no copyright laws in regard to textbooks either. A lot of our textbooks are "copied" on the copy machine by our book store guy. I am buying textbooks from the states, but the shipping is horrible. Probably only about 20% of my books are copies.
Anyway, that is a typical weekend. Now I have to get Joeline and Evita up to get ready for church (Evita is the Maltese and she will sleep as long as Joeline does, as long as I take her out to go "pottie" at about 6am.)
Hope this was not too boring, but you asked for it.
(I'm too tired to spell check this, so if you find errors, too bad!)
Carl
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