Saturday Oct 30 2010: Saturday we were in "La Cancha", most of the afternoon, looking for stuff for our apartment, etc. La Cancha is basically a huge marketplace in the city where you can buy everything except what you actually want (hahaha)...craziness...but it's where you go because of the wide selection and low prices because if you buy things elsewhere, you'll pay twice as much due to the legitimacy of those non-la cancha businesses and the taxes they pay. La Cancha is basically a huge, dirty, dusty, smelly, crowded black-market for anything from appliances and furniture, to food, clothing, toys and electronics with everything in between. Later that night, we went to a wedding for the son of a merchant that Fernando is friendly with, so we all got dressed up, danced, ate and drank until nearly midnight, and the cake still hadn't been cut, so we ended up sneaking out early...everyone was just too tired (and maybe bored?). To give you an idea of scale, there were 480 people invited, and it was a two day wedding with sit-down meals, drinking, dancing, appetizers, more dancing, music, etc. Needless to say, though we were urged continually by the parents of the groom, we did not attend wedding day #2 on Sunday.
Sunday Oct 31 2010: Sunday we hung out in the morning, then went to a Wilstermann (local professional team) soccer match, which was great fun with a exciting 3-1 victory, and then afterwards we all went out for hot dogs and burgers at "Frankffurt" a local favorite post-match restaurant.
Monday Nov 1 2010: Monday was a little break from family stuff, other than meals, which is when the whole family comes together for breakfast, a big lunch, and then teatime at night and sometimes even later evening snacks out or in the house. It is both wonderful, and disruptive. We are still in the house with the family, and adjusting to participating in all these daily communal eating rituals, but once we are in our own apartment, obviously we won't be as involved, but instead may occasionally host, or occasionally come back to the house for meals, especially lunch, and more likely on weekends. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights, I worked until about 3 am, after putting in full work days in addition to all the family commitments.
Tuesday Nov 2 2010: Tuesday was "Day of the Dead", or what Halloween used to, or is supposed to be...a welcoming/remembering/
Wednesday Nov 3 2010: Papi's birthday was yesterday, so Aunt Carmen, Uncle Cidar and cousins Marcel and Carlos were here in the afternoon, and then the whole family (minus aunts/uncles) went out for a special dinner last night. Poor Mami is sick on her stomach today from something she ate, but otherwise we all had a great time feasting on all kinds of grilled meats and a huge side/salad bar and pitchers of freshly-blended peach juice to drink. Vee and I had a nice but busy day all day running around getting internet setup, getting electricity set up, buying stuff for our place, etc. Then, another late working night/morning, as per usual.
So, just thought you might this stuff interesting if anything, and would give you an idea of what's been going on here. All good. My health has been good with no major allergic outbreaks. And we'll likely be moving into our apartment this weekend after alot of cleaning, etc. Our wonderful new friends and neighbors/renters in the Murano, Jon and Fernanda are all moved into our place and settled. Here, it's really nice being with the whole family, and even Juber and I have been connecting better than in the past. The girls are awesome, very busy with college studies, exercise classes, social outings, etc. Papi is busy with work stuff and helping us getting set up and driving the family everywhere they need to go. Mami is busy with work and keeping the house in top-top shape and cooking huge, fresh, wonderful meals each day. Juber just finished his work project in Sucre and is looking for new work, possibly in Santa Cruz.
One last little story you might enjoy...earlier this week, Vee and I took a taxi from the city center back to the house. It was fairly windy. As the taxi went under an overpass/bridge, the car's hood flew up and smashed the windshield, though not completely. Luckily no cars were beside us and the driver somehow managed, blindly, with the hood pressed completely up against the windshield, to pull the car over and got out and slammed the hood back down to its closed position. Slowly, with flashers on, he continued driving us to the house. When we got there, Vee paid him with a twenty-note (20 Bolivianos, like 20 dollars in the US...except that 1 USD = 7 BO) for our agreed upon fare of 10 BO. Well, the driver wouldn't give Vee her change of 10 BO and told us that it was because if we wouldn't have asked him to drive us, the hood wouldn't have blown up and smashed his windshield, and that we should feel sorry for him and help pay for the damages. Can you believe it? Never mind we could have been killed in the accident had circumstances been otherwise, and in any other developed country, his car wouldn't even be allowed on the road. Anyway, for what amounts to a dollar and half USD, Vee relented, it was a lost cause, and he kept the double-fair. Funny.
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