My first days in Bolivia!

View from my bedroom window

 It has already been 4 days since I arrived in La Paz, Bolivia, but I have been so busy I haven't had the chance to update my blog yet. I arrived quite late in the evening on Monday, and got to see the magnificent view from El Alto before going down the valley side to Casa Alianza, my new home for the upcoming months. Currently I'm the only Norwegian volunteer living here, so I have the 4th floor all by myself. The standard is good, as you can see on the picture below. In the evenings, however, it does get very cold. This is due to the high altitude of La Paz, which makes the climate change from day to night quite big.

My living room at Casa Alianza

The altitude in La Paz varies from around 3000-4100 meters, and as a result of this altitude sickness is quite common among tourist the first couple of days. I must say that I have been quite lucky, cause I haven't had any big problems when it comes to this matter. I've had some problems sleeping, but I think that might be just jetlag or something.

In case you get problems breathing there is always an oxygen-mask available.. ;)

Yesterday my Spanish lessons started, and I'm going to have 3 hours spanish lessons every weekday for 4 weeks. My teachers name is Franck, and he is a really funny guy who makes learning fun.
Though I've never had any Spanish lessons before I did practice it by myself in the summers when I was working at the souvenir shop Nilssen paa Bryggen in Bergen, and that has helped me a lot. Besides my lessons in the morning I also spend a couple of hours in the afternoon reviewing and practicing; there's really a lot to learn..

View towards the street from Casa Alianza

Besides my Spanish courses I also work at an orphanage just 15 minutes walk from where I live. The organization I work for is called "Para los niños", which means "for the children", and the home I work in is a residential home for kids called Virgen de Fatima. Here we are working with kids up to eight years old, and since I have my Spanish lessons in the morning I spend the afternoon in the orphanage looking after the kids with other volunteers.
In the afternoon the kids gets to try out different activities every day. For instance we have a sports day, an art day, and today we had music day. The kids seems to love both the activities and us volunteers; they are not shy at all so it is easy to have a good time together with them. Unfortunately there aren't enough volunteers to let all the kids participate in the activities every day though. It is sad, cause the children doesn't have that many opportunities when it comes to contact with grownups or activities that can stimulate their creativity. Volunteers are really important for institutions like this!

The Calle 10 next to Casa Alianza

Besides my Spanish lessons and the work at the orphanage I haven't had the chance to see much of the city yet. But now weekend is coming up, and then I might have the chance to see more of the area. I'll definitely be back with more blog posts from Bolivia. Hasta la proxima!

All Blogposts from Bolivia

About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.