Chirpie Chirpie!!!!!

Hola..

Back to silly stories, just for you pete..

Thursday, Felipe (Phil likes to use his Spanish name) knocked on our door and invited us to a party! woohoo! It was a going away party for Terrain, the female canadian who was going back home. This invite came just as we were hoping to get more friendly with our neighbours, canadian and bolivian, at the seminary. We really want to be a part of the seminary community and become friends with the students there. So perfect timing he invites us to this. We had actually planned to go to an English bible study run by a Scottish missionary who works with Charles and Suzannah I mentioned before. But that´s on every week so we´ve another 12 weeks to get to that!
So yeah, we got a taxi to the party and had a great night! I may have to add it to my list of the best days ever actually. I think it was in the apartment of one of the groups friends from Calama (the church). It was lovely. It was outdoors, we sat around in garden chairs outside, had a BBQ, were introduced to a few people. A Canadian couple who preach at the seminary where there. Then about 20mins after having arrived, they cleared the chairs around the edges of the gazebo place, and put on some music. It was time for games.. haha. I love games, I do - you all know this, but also you know I´m a bit shy especially with people I don´t know!! Which was everyone - I´d only known the Canadians who invited us a few days really lol but I thought aw why not, its a good ice breaker, and given that I couldnt converse with most people there given the language barrier, it was a good chance to make friends and have a laugh. But in Bolivia, they dont do silly games. They dance!! haha! Yes. Bolivians loooove to dance. So the first thing we did was dance the ´chirpie chirpie´. It was HILARIOUS. I mean my tummy hurt by the end I was laughing so much. It´s a game/dance. I dont think I can explain it here but Dave, Jonny, and all other YF-ers, I´m bringin it back to carrick with me! Something for you to look forward to. So the night went well, everyone was really friendly to us and really welcoming.

Last night we stayed in just at the seminary. I´d bought a ball (there´s loads of outdoor playing space, inc a concrete football/basketball court) so a few of my team were out playing volleyball when Felipe and Benjamin (Bolivian guy we met at party who goes to the bible college,lives in seminary) came over and so we got a few games goin (some more il be able to bring back to YF!) . There are about 7 kids I think who live in the seminary grounds who as soon as they hear people playing they run to join in, so we played tag with them for aaaages. It was great fun. And good for us mixing with the Bolivians. The kids are great. They know we dont speak good Spanish and are so patient with us. I love ball games, like we can play with the kids for hours without needing language, they´re such lovely kids.

I know the above is pretty useless information and I didnt need to tell you, but it just sums up so well life at the seminary. I love it. If we had been placed in a house just on the street on our own there´s no way we would be meeting to many locals and especially local Christians. It´s such a friendly, family-like atmosphere here. It´s a lovely place to live and I´ll be super happy to live here for 4 months!

This morning we ventured up El Cristo ( google it). It´s this huuge statue of Christ which is symbolically set high above the city of Cochabamba. About 2,000 steps up to it in what must have been high20s - hot heat. There are cable cars up and down but we were feeling rather enthusiastic so walked it. Felipe and Benjamin and Dave took us up. It was good craic. At the top I mean, the hike up I near died!! I blame the altitude though, not my fitness..ahem.
The view from the top is breathtaking. You can see the whole of Cochabamba. You really can see the staute from almost anywhere down in the city too. The seminary is pretty much right beside it (hmm I wonder if you would see it on google maps?! mayb andy could check that out and let me know?!) so it´s handy if we ever got lost in the city we just look up at the Cristo and walk towards it. It´s lit up at night time and it changes colour every now and again. It´s really scary looking when it turns red!