Two weekends ago, the SALTers (Bridgette, Stephen, and I) along with the Connecting Peoples Coordinators Wendy and Chris, their children Jack and Frances, and two other MCC workers traveled the long trek to Santiago de Chiquitos to visit the small pueblo where I will living.
Bridgette, Dovana and I on a hike to the cliffs
The journey was long -- 12 hours each way in train or in bus (over dusty, sandy, pothole-laden terrain) -- but the small town was a delight to visit, and I feel a bit more at ease knowing the layout of the place I will be spend the year.
The town is small enough that no one really owns a vehicle; one can walk from the center plaza to my house on the outskirts of town in no more than 20 minutes. (Bear in mind that the streets are all sand, so the walking is slow.)
But the folks I encountered were very welcoming and friendly -- the teachers even hosted a tea in my honor and I was able to meet several of my soon-to-be students. Clearly, they are excited to have a music teacher in town. In the past, teachers have come for only a week or two to prep the kids for a concert (which, you can imagine, doesn´t work so well when you´re trying to train young kids and youth to perform classical music).
We stayed at the place I´ll be living, called the ¨Escuelita¨ as it was once a school. Now it serves as a small hostel for travelers. My host family (mom and 5? kids) are caretakers of the place, and they live in the adjoining house.
L: The Escuelita, where I will live R: View from my room
I plan on moving from the city to Santiago in just one week. Before then, the SALTers are traveling to Cochabamba this weekend, and I´ll have just a few days to get last-minute details taken care of before I leave Santa Cruz. Its been a great month, learning the city and becoming comfortable (mas o menos) with the language and the music school here in the city. I expect it will be difficult at first to adjust again to a new way of living and a new set of responsibilities.
But I am excited, nonetheless. Journey on!
1 comment:
The description of your little town sounds wonderful. Thanks for the picture of your 'home.' We will keep you in our prayers as you prepare to leave Santa Cruz and engage on yet another step of the journey. Love, Dad
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