Sorata

Yesterday morning everyone met with their homestay families. All the families showed up at the Dragons´ headquarters to pick up their student...except for mine. I thought, ´oh no, not again´ (since I already had one ´home´stay without a real family or a home), but it has all worked out since then!

I was taken by another family to wait until someone from my family showed up to take me home. Eventually my 11 year old host-sister, Heidi (pronounced hay-dee), picked me up and took me to my room. We chatted a bit then she took me to her grandmother´s for lunch. I met her adorable cousin, Jefferson, who is so cute and immediately wanted to dance and snuggle.

After lunch, we headed off to her parents pueblo (village), where her parents were participating in a big fiesta. I sat in the trunk of a car with three other women and a baby (there were already four people plus a baby in the middle seat, and two in the passenger seat) which was quite uncomfortable as we drove on the washed out (read:bumpy), twisting mountain road.

The fiesta was crazy. There were so many people and a stage for live music. Some people were dancing but most were sitting around, the men were in one group, and the women were lined up along the outskirts like wall flowers waiting to dance. Everyone was eating and drinking a lot. Women walked around with bottles of beer, handing out/re-filling glasses for anyone in need.
To give you an example of what Bolivian parties are really like: My other 8 year old host-sister, Paula, bought me a beer.

My two sisters and I returned home to eat dinner and watch a few Disney movies.
Our parents never came back; they spent the night at the pueblo. I met the mother at the fiesta, but I havent yet seen the father or the 13 year old brother who apparently stayed in Sorata last night.

This morning I woke up and the parents still arent back. The girls were in one room, asleep. I didnt even know where the kitchen was to make tea, or where to find breakfast.

As I was trying to read, the girls came into my room. We played Yahtzee and they tried on all of the makeup that I brought but have yet to use since being in Bolivia. They are fun but it is exhausting; they dont often leave me alone! At 11:00 Heidi brought me some crackers for ´breakfast.´ Since then, we´ve re-watched the movies we saw last night, and have spent a lot of time snuggling.

Tomorrow we start spanish classes again, and hopefully I can begin to get in a routine.