It is the 28th of May and I find myself content.  Simply content.  Today has been a pleasant day.  I had a nice day at school, spent time with my friends, and started a great book (Mere Christianity  by: C.S Lewis). 

  I am arriving to the end of my exchange  and my time is quickly running out...this thought is always on my mind.  However,  I feel that I am arriving to the end of a successful exchange.  An exchange where I have learned much more than I ever imagined and developed relationships I will cherish for a lifetime.  I'm looking forward to heading back to Washington and starting the next chapter in the book of life. But more than anything, I'm looking forward to starting this next chapter alongside my family.  If I've learned one thing on this exchange it has to be the truth to the phrase ¨You don't realize what you have until it's gone.¨ This year I have learned to value my family and appreciate the unconditional love they have poured over me for all my 17 years.    

Last week, I had a very special visitor..my father.  I had an amazing time showing my father the life I have in Santa Cruz, my friends, family, and different activities.  I'm very pleased that he has seen the Bolivia that I live in.  It was was a really short time to pass with someone that is SO special to me, however I know we both enjoyed it immensely and won't ever forget it.

I will be headed back to the USA on July 1st.  I have decided to spend my last month enjoying life here and doing all the things that are important to me.  I'm hoping to be able to do some traveling.

Until later,

Melissa

Hello Friends and Family!

I hope all is going well! Today has been a very interesting day that I wish to share with you all. 

Because I am arriving to the end of my exchange, I've made a list of things I would like to do and see before my departure and I'm starting to attack that list.

Today I have marked two things off the list.

1. Visit a Public School  (where the people with very little money go)

2. Visit the Downtown Hospital

For the last several months, I've really wanted to visit a public school.  In Bolivia, the children with less resources attend public schools which are normally overcrowded and understaffed.  Today I visited Colegio El Fuerte which is located on the outskirts of the city ( I asked the mother of another foreign exchange student to take us)  The school is small and relatively new.  The classrooms were full of students and the desks were obviously old.  It was apparent that they tried sticking to a uniform code, however not everyone had a uniform.  We were told later that as long as the child had a patch from the school sewed on a shirt they were allowed to enter school. 

 We were warmly welcomed by the principal who showed great pride for his school and a love for his students.  He quickly took us to a class room where the second graders where working.  The principal informed us that the kids in this grade had been to a tennis championship recently and asked if we would like to see them playing tennis we obliged, and the students eagerly showed us.  The second graders enjoyed showing us their tennis skills and we enjoyed watching and asking them questions.  After visiting the younger kids, we went to the high school part.

We first entered the freshmen room.  The room was small and full of students singing.  The principal led us in and told us they were in music class.  After introducing us to the class and sharing our intentions of seeing their school the teacher asked us to sing our national anthem.  We (the other foreign exchange student and I) sang the national anthem and the Bolivian students reciprocated with their national anthem.  After talking to the freshmen class we entered the sophomore room.  The sophomores were in Religion class, we did a brief introduction and they asked me to share some about my experience in Bolivia.  I shared with the class my impression of Bolivia and the people I had met and they seemed to enjoy that.  Afterwards, the class prayed a Padre Nuestro and a Hail Mary. We then made our way to to the Junior Class.  We entered the junior class and the principal introduced us.  The sophomores were in a break at that time.  The principal encouraged us to ask them questions.  I enjoyed hearing their responses to my questions about their aspirations for the future.  The principal told the juniors that the younger kids shared with us.  One class showed us tennis, another sang the national anthem, another prayed and the principal asked them what they would share with us.  At this time the young men that were smiling in the corner brought out a guitar and said they would serenade us.  They sang us a love song, it was adorable.  Next, we visited the senior class.  We spoke briefly and then class was dismissed for recess.  During recess, I went off with a group of 3rd grade girls.  I asked them all a lot of questions about their life, family, and aspirations.  The girls shared their potato chips with me and asked me questions about my favorite color and favorite animal (which, by the way, is green and dog).  Afterwards we talked to the principal a little more.  I found out that the government didn't always pay the teachers and the parents had to start pitching in money so the teachers could stay and teach.  Teachers make barely $3.50 an hour.  Despite the low pay, the teachers had a passion for teaching and it was apparent that education was very valued.  It was very refreshing to see.

After chatting with the principal, he gave me an agenda in which he wrote my name and thanked me.  The principal asked us to please come back sometime and not to forget about the school.  If all goes as planned, I will return in about two weeks with two other foreign exchangers and give a presentation about the U.S. It would be a great way to help better the image that some kids may have of the US.  With a president like Evo Morales that spreads hatred and resentment, it would be nice to show them that we care about them.  It was a good experience seeing a different school.  The school I am going to this year, Colegio Saint George, is a private school where wealthy families send their children.  It is a very nice school.  The difference between private school and public school is huge. 

After the school visit we went to the hospital.  We talked to some doctors and walked around the rooms.  There was not very much privacy in the hospital and  little organization.  I was told that sometimes the hospital fills up with so many patients that they have to treat them in the hallways.  In the Maternity Ward, all the women that had recently had their babies were in a room together.  The hospitals was very different from what I had seen in the US.  I'll write more about the hospital later.

Con cariño,

Meli

Hello Friends and Family!

I hope are all well.  In Santa Cruz, everything is going fine.  I’ve recently come to the realization that my time here is quickly coming to an end and I find myself with mixed feelings.   I’m very anxious to be with my beautiful family once again; however I will miss the many friendships I have accumulated throughout my exchange. 

I will be leaving Bolivia the 1^st of July, and therefore I have been trying to utilize my time here wisely and not waste a minute.  I have been enjoying school, my prayer group, and the orphanage while trying to spend time with my friends. 

My father is coming to visit me in May and I am anxiously waiting his arrival.

Much Love,

Missy Doty