I have been in Bolivia for about 6 weeks now. My experience thus far has been very different than I imagined. It was really hard for me when I first arrived in Cochabamba for my homestay and Spanish lessons. I felt so overwhelmed and lonely, being in a new county by myself where I don’t speak the language. I wanted to jump right back on a plane and come home. I hadn’t actually gotten to my volunteer placement yet, so I made myself stay. Eventually though, things started getting better. I made a couple friends, started exploring the city, and starting actually enjoying my time there. Before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye to Cochabamba and head to Villa Tunari to start volunteering at an animal conservation park in the jungle called Parque Machia. My experience at Parque Machia was completely different again than I was expecting. Everyday I would wake up early, go have breakfast at the cafe, get everything ready, then hike up into the jungle to my ocelot, Millie’s cage. After the morning chores of feeding her medicine and cleaning her cage, we would take her on a walk. She typically would walk for about an hour, then she would find a spot to lay down and nap for 4 hours.
But everyday something unusual would happen, like getting followed by monkeys, or seeing the ins and outs of working with Millie. I realized that this was not the experience for me or what I was looking for on this trip, so I made the decision to go back to Cochabamba and volunteer with the organization Sustainable Bolivia. Since being back, I have been making friends, exploring the city more and volunteering in a children’s hospital. I really love working in the hospital. Some of my favorite things I have gotten to do have been, holding and bottle feeding a little baby and going to see the kids with cancer. My time in Bolivia hasn’t been everything I thought it would be but I have already learned so much about myself and grown stronger and I know there are so many more great learning opportunities to come!
Ciao!