Top: Mi amiga (my friend) Maya and I <3 ft: Meyer's head :P
Middle L-R: Mi amigos (my friends) Belen, Brenda, Ericc, Valentina, Me, Belen <3
Bottom: Mi amiga (my friend) Valetina and I <3

Crazy pictures on my fellow Rotary Youth Exchange Student Brandon's phone with my linda hermana (pretty sister) Arianna while waiting for our parents. <3

I could not have asked for a more patient, loving, incredible host family for my year in Bolivia. On Sunday we celebrated my first week in Bolivia with a rico (delicious) lunch of Peanut Soup with French Fries, Gelato from Deli Gelato and some pictures. Everyday brings us closer together and I am SO thankful for their love and support.

Top: Coky (22), Me (16), Nicholas (16), Arianna (10).
Bottom: Papa, Me, Mama <3

While we are on the topic of my favorite foods... Lets discuss some more yummy meals I have tried here in Tarija. Yes the apple, cranberry strudel is probably from Germany. Yes the beef, cheese lasagna is probably from Italy. But the peanut soup with french fries is a traditional Bolivian dish and my MOST favorite food thus far. 

Out of all the Gelato places I have tried so far, Deli Gelato is my FAVORITE! Believe me when I say that for the first week in Tarija I went to 5 different Ice Cream/Gelato shops. YUM!!!!

Along with the Maple Syrup I brought from Canada as a gift, I also brought an ancient family pancake recipe. Lets just say it was a breakfast that will be remembered for a long, LONG, time :)

I thought Canadian Movie theaters were big.... I thought wrong. Three floors, two sets of escalators, a food court... Lets just say I am excited to watch my first movie here... Though today was just touring because we are waiting for a good family movie.

Top: La Plazuela (also known as Sucre Square) the meeting/hangout place for all teenagers in Tarija.
Bottom: A magnificent cathedral at the top of a hill in uptown Tarija.

Waiting for Papa to finish work, we took a selfie. I love my crazy brother Nico (loco hermano) and my wonderful mama, and our dear sweet Edna.

Across the road from my Papa's work, is the Tarija Military Training Camp. Really interesing to see all the exercises and workouts required.

Words cannot describe how much I love the MARKET... In Canada we have big box stores. Here, you buy almost everything from the MARKET... Clothing, Accessories, Toiletries, Baked Goods,Dairy Products, Fruit, Vegetables, Nuts, Spices, EVERYTHING and ANYTHING... Its crazy how different our culture is, we simply pick out our goods and use the self check out line when we get groceries. Here in Tarija and Bolivia you go to individual vendors, pick out what you would like to buy, put it in your bag from home, pay and move on to the next vendor. In this culture you really get to know the people (farmers and business men) and find out where your groceries came from. Its amazing...

 Met a YouTube star and his girl friend in the Market today... Still not sure if I thought this was super cute or animal cruelty...

A typical breakfast my house in Tarija, Bolivia looks something like this: Leche (Milk) and Cereal. YUM!

I gave a speech in English Class on Thursday... I think its very safe to say it went well. Love my classmates, #goals. Ft: Samuel because he is not in our class but managed to make it into this photo.

My amigas <3 Third night in Tarija and they invited me to have gelato and walk around La Plaza.

Tuesday was my first day at school, this is my formal school uniform. All articles of clothing promote my school La Salles - Tarija.

With many butterflies in my stomach I stepped off the brief flight from Santa Cruz to Tarija. It was 4 degrees out side but it felt like it was freezing. I followed the long line of returning families into the baggage area. I waited for what seemed hours but was probably 20mins... Finally I made out of the baggage area and was warmly greeted by my councilor, his wife and my family. Coky (my big brother) missed the picture at the airport so we had to take another one with my first dinner in Tarija... Which was PIZZA. :) Top Picture (L-R): Mama, Arianna, Papa, Nicolas and Me. Bottom Picture (L-R): Nicolas, Coky, Me, Arianna. <3

Before I move on to my new life in Tarija, I would like to end Santa Cruz with this photo. Mi muy linda hermana (my very pretty sister) Tatiana and this humble coffee man. Who makes his living selling fresh Bolivian coffee to passers by in the main square.

Before I headed out to catch my next plane to Tarija, I did a bit of sightseeing. The first picture is of a stunning chapel which stands elegantly close to the main square in downtown Santa Cruz. The second picture is of the municipality building, simply beautiful, but it was the palm trees that caught my eye. The third picture is of my incredible family in Santa Cruz, Tatiana and Ferdy (far left, far right), Papa and Mama (middle left, middle right). They continue to check on me even as I am in Tarija, and repeatedly tell me their house is ALWAYS open to me :)

About four hours after breathtaking La Paz, I finally arrived with mi amigas (my girlfriends) in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Jet lagged and utterly exhausted we miraculously maneuvered our bodies off the plane and into corrections. Then to the baggage area, where we grabbed our years worth of supplies and headed for the baggage check in area. 

It took forever to go through all five of my bags... but finally I entered through the glass sliding doors into a swarm of excited welcoming Bolivian bodies. 

My Papa (Federico - Quico - Yellow Vest) welcomed me warmly with a traditional beso - kiss (on the cheek) and introduced me to the many Rotarian's waiting for my amigas staying in Santa Cruz. 

I was tired and more than tired completely confused because everyone was talking in Spanish at a rapid pace. Now I know how people of older generations feel when teenagers and young adults run through sentences.. Completely lost. 

But luckily body language and the few words I knew got me a long way, and about ten minutes later Papa and I where heading to my new "home" in Santa Cruz (my overnight stay before finally arriving in Tarija the next day.) 

The 'Ensalada de Cesar' (Cesar Salad) was the first lunch I ate in Bolivia. For those of you who don't know (just as I did didn't know, before I ate lunch in Bolivia for the first time)... Lunch is the main meal of the day and therefore, even when you order a medium, its very big. 

It was 4am Saturday August 20th 2016. The altitude was 5700m above sea level. I was living on about 3hrs sleep in about 16hrs (+3 hour time change) of traveling... But it wasn't just the altitude taking my breathe away... La Paz, Bolivia, SOUTH AMERICA at last. But was I ever glad to have stayed awake for these views.