Happy New year to you all. We were thinking of you all at 8 pm (our time) as you clinked glasses and celebrated 2008. Things were a bit different here. Our church organised a supper for everyone on the evening of the 31st December of traditional Bolivian soup. We welcomed in the New year together and then we invited all the “young” people of the church back to our house to play games and have a party. It was Pastor Phil’s idea to give them an alternative to going out onto the streets and buying cheep, nasty alcohol called cheecha. It was good fun. We got them playing lots of silly games… all the Crossover / Big Crunch favourites and a few new ones too. We managed to explain most of them with our limited Spanish and lots of sign language.
On the 3rd January we went to Trinidad with Chris ( LLink co-ordinator). The bus journey was up and over the mountains and into the jungle. We had a bit of excitement when the driver told us that the bridge had collapsed because of the floods and we would have to carry our bags across. This meant a 1 mile walk in mid- day heat (35 degrees), clambering down a mud bank and crossing a river on no more than a few planks of wood tied together with a couple of shoelaces. Then getting on a different bus the other side. OIB – only in Bolivia…
Trinidad is in the Beni jungle, it was hot and humid and full of creepy crawlies. So thankful for our mozzie net. We visited a church and a few future projects. Dean now has 800 acres of jungle named after him … just don’t ask how…. Dino’s Place!
We arrived back in Sucre today and are getting ready for our workshops that start next week and re- starting language school on Friday.
Thank you so much to all those who sent us parcels and goodies for Christmas, they are beginning to arrive and it is a lovely surprise to go to the post office and have Christmas spread over a few weeks. Thank you… muchas gracias.
Images: Ruth in her birthday poncho, last cups of English tea, new year party games and the river crossing.
Dean and Ruth's Diary 