Saturday Post -- 17/12/11

It seems that my week was so exciting and Craig's week was so mundane, that it made no sense for Craig to write the blog and therefore, for the first time this year... it is my turn! As in, Amanda is writing and not Craig. I think it was about this time last year I wrote my last post... so I'm well on track for once-a-year entries.

The reason that my week was a lot more exciting than Craig's is because I travelled to Cochabamba for a three day course on solar hearing aids... and Craig did not. His week was even duller than average because he had to deal with more paperwork for our land and housing project. I'm really glad I wasn't here for that. I had been in Cochabamba for a layover before in 2003 when my Canadian team was leaving Bolivia and we had enough time to go to their big market and see Cristo de la Concordia (this massive statue of Christ on top of a hill - akin to the Christ statue that makes Rio de Janeiro notable), but in reality I didn't know the city at all. This time I feel like I got to see a lot more of the city... the less touristy things, and I didn't go see the statue... I couldn't even see the famous statue through all the clouds from anywhere in the city. But I got a good sampling of the city's food and a good idea of city life.

Cristo de la Concordia, the highest statue in South America
(yup, that includes the one in Rio de Janeiro).

I think we've said before that La Paz is probably the most "Western" of the cities we've been to, and that Santa Cruz is really developed and has a lot of amenities that are a nice break every once in a while, though it is really just a big Trinidad. Well, Cochabamba is somewhere between the two. It has a nice, cool climate, at least while I was there it was nice and cool... and rainy, but that doesn't bother me after Trinidad's sweltering heat. I don't know if I can describe it really well... but I got this vibe that put it somewhere between La Paz and Santa Cruz. We had a nice hotel to stay in with hot showers... and a girl can't really ask for more than that.

I went with Odalys, one of the nurses at the Foundation, who is trained in Audiology and runs the Audiology Department. CBM organised the course and people from all over Bolivia came to be properly trained in Solar Ears' product line (Solar Ears are an NGO from Brazil that makes low cost hearing aids, with rechargeable batteries and solar powered battery chargers). Solar power just makes so much sense here because a lot of people don't have the finances to keep buying new batteries, which can only last a week, and because a lot of people work in the country and are there for months at a time and have no way to buy new batteries when they need them. If they can just recharge the batteries they have with solar power it is a lot more practical. However, people are not used to such technology and they have to be properly taught, which means we have to be properly taught as well. Apparently, a common problem with their whole system is that people don't understand that only the charger is solar powered... you have to charge the charger in the sun about once a week... and then the charger will pass its power on the rechargeable hearing aid batteries... BUT NOT IN THE SUN. People think the whole process should be in the sun and they put their hearing aid batteries in the chargers and leave them together out in the baking sun and then their batteries explode. That had to get repeated several times over the three days to make sure we completely understood.

I don't know how much people would like to know about the details of the actual course... I'm sure if you have no experience with hearing aids you would find a run down of my course quite boring. So, if anyone actually wants to hear more... please e-mail me or Facebook me and I shall regale all. As to the other things I did while I was there... please keep reading.

I find travelling without Craig really hard... I know some people might find that mushy or gross or go, "Awwww", but it's true. I feel off somehow, kind of unbalanced... and the longer the trip, the harder it gets... but thankfully, this trip was only three nights and I survived without any permanent damage. After the first day, Odalys, Maricarmen (an Audiologist who used to work at the Foundation, but who moved to La Paz) and I went out shopping and walking around... and afterwards we went out for a really nice dinner at this restaurant called Paprika. It was really trendy and yummy even by North American/European standards... I really enjoyed this as I don't get to hang out with girls and do girly things all that often... there is not that much to do in Trinidad and when I am outside of Trinidad I am usually with Craig... and shopping is not something he enjoys all that much. It felt good to be out and have a girl night... it was very refreshing.

The second night the course finished earlier than expected and we went back to the hotel and rested... until dinner and then the three of us went out again. This time we went to a restaurant which people who've been to South American will understand... it's one of those restaurants staffed by young adult travellers from North America/Europe who are trying to pay their way through their travels... as in, a lot of them had dreads in their hair. :)

A view over the city. Cristo de la Concordia  is on the hill in the centre of shot.

The third night, CBM organised a culturally traditional dinner at this nice restaurant for everyone in the course... I ate half a duck. I love duck! It is so rich and always a treat, because you can't eat it every day as you would get sick... unless you were my sister who just gets sick anytime she eats it (she has a sensitive stomach). Anyways, it was definitely enjoyed... and I am anticipating my next mouth-watering duck experience with much eagerness.

I had been praying about this trip for a while before it... praying for a way to witness to Odalys... and, to be honest, we didn't have any earth shattering conversations... but I pray that we, as people and friends, are closer because of it. Odalys would say she is a believer, but it's hard to know if she understands what that means or if she thinks she is because she is Catholic. I'm not sure... she was one of the nurses who recently received a Bible from us, and she brought it with her on the trip... and I saw her reading it. She also recently received a devotional program for children to read with her 11 year old daughter. Please keep praying for her. I find it hard sometimes to know what to say to the nurses here, because I am very often unsure as to the depth of our friendship and how interested they are. I measure depth in a friendship by how much you share of yourselves together... how open you are and how serious you can be... and sometimes I think I am not very close with these nurses. And then sometimes they do or say something to make me think that they think we are very close... so maybe they measure friendship in a completely different way. Please keep praying that I can manoeuvre these cultural differences to be share to more with them and support them as well.

I also enjoyed getting to know Maricarmen a lot better as well. Maricarmen taught the very first ear course I took at the Foundation in April, 2010 and she came back from La Paz to lead the Audiology course I did  in January of this year... so I knew her a little, but I definitely enjoyed getting to know her better. She moved to La Paz about a year and a half ago... but not long after she moved, one of the young people from the church, Maye, moved to La Paz to study Audiology... and Maye is now living with Maricarmen and her family. Through Maye, Maricarmen became a Christian and is now attending the local church and brings her son as well. I can see a big difference in Maricarmen... she talks about trusting God and seeking His plan for her life. Please pray for her as well as she has big decisions coming up in her life; that God would lead and guide her through them all.

I have been instructed to tell you that we now have a Facebook ministry page... and if you are interested in knowing of prayer and praise items in the moment, please 'like' our page on Facebook. If you don't have Facebook, do not feel like you need to go out right away and get it... we will still be posting on our blog once a week, but if you like the shorter, more frequent updates, we now have that facility. There is a link at the top right-hand side of the blog... or if you want to go to the effort of typing (perish the thought!), the web address is www.facebook.com/cramandaham.

Well, see you next year then... or maybe sooner.

Prayer

• Maricarmen and Odalys and their personal walks with God.
• Craig as he focuses on Christmas during the staff meditations this coming week and his Christmas epilogue at the Foundation's Christmas Celebration. 

Praise

• Amanda's nice time with friends in Cochabamba - and the informative solar hearing aid course.
• A really great time with friends and colleagues at last night's informal staff-organised Christmas dinner. The food was so good and we really enjoyed the laughs and fun.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!


Craig & Amanda