My Incredible Stay in Bolivia
As I lifted my heavy suitcase off the wheeled cart, my mind soon went to work reviewing everything I had brought. Considering the mad rush I had to get packed for my ten day stay in Bolivia, I knew there was no way I could have remembered to bring everything. I knew for sure that I had remembered my toothbrush, which is the thing I normally forget. I also mentally went through everything I had packed and to my delight realized I hadn't forgotten a thing! I was so proud of myself! I was part of a twenty-one member team from the United States that went to the largest city in Bolivia to provide humanitarian aid, which included eye exams and refractions. From the Santa Cruz airport, I rode in a small green
…show more content…
Standing there, I could feel grits of sand hitting my arms and face as the breeze began to pick up. The sand asaulted my cheeks with their roughness, but soon the wind died down and the sand was once again laying rejected on the ground.
Turning my focus back to the church building, I noticed several Bolivians standing inside the iron gate. These people were all dark skinned with crinkles around their eyes, showing their love to laugh. They were dressed plainly, one boy wearing a shirt that proudly advertised "Coca-Cola." The girls were dressed in shorts and tank tops, and most of the boys just wore a pair of ragged shorts. I half anticipated them to smell like dirty laundry and unkept hair, but as I received the welcoming hugs, I knew I was grossly wrong. Accompanying these people was the cleanest smell I think I have ever smelled. It clung to them, in their hair, on their clothes and on their skin. The smell of Tommy Girl even came to me after hugging one teenager. The little boys, though dirty with sand-streaked faces and hands, were just as eager to give and receive hugs as the rest of the group. Even they smelled of freshly aired laundry and clean hair. Behind them, stood the church as well as a few other buildings.
This church was probably the prettiest church I have ever seen. Here in the States, people spend millions of dollars to create a showcase building, so tall and so
Colombia was one of the three original countries along with Ecuador and Venezuela that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830. Over the last 40 years, there has been a campaign to overthrow the government partially because of the drug trades throughout Colombia. The movement does however lack support from military and support from the necessary influences. In recent years, there have been challenges for control of the territories throughout Colombia and also for the drug trade.
Central America Central America, just south of Mexico and North of Panama, consists of just six countries; Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Of those six, all share a distinct common history except for Belize. Belize for one is incredibly small, and while Spanish is the official language of other Central American countries, in Belize English is spoken. So throughout this paper as I carelessly say 'Central American' I am not including Belize whose history and development was far different than the others. Although Central America is located close to the United States in relation to the Eastern Hemisphere, our ways of life are indescribably different.
Culture makes up who we are, what we believe and how we behave. About four years ago, I had the opportunity to live in Ecuador. I found the relationships and communication perspective to be very interesting and after spending two years there, I was able to notice several distinct intercultural differences between the American and Ecuadorian cultures. Since my analysis of Ecuador is only based off of my personal experience, I’ve also invited my friend Luis Salas from Quito, Ecuador who is currently attending Brigham Young University to give his own insights. By gaining his perspective of what it’s like to live in America as an
Colombia, republic in South America, situated in the northwestern part of the continent, and bounded on the north by Panama and the Caribbean Sea, on the east by Venezuela and Brazil, on the south by Peru and Ecuador, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Colombia is the only country of South America with coasts on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The total land area of the country is 1,141,748 sq km (440,831 sq mi). The capital and largest city is Bogotá.
When I was little, I heard stories of Third World countries where people lived in complete poverty. I would hear of how they had dilapidated domiciles, contaminated water, deadly diseases, and shortages of food. I was always told how blessed I was to live in a country where I was free of these situations, but I always took this truth for granted. I would go along every day, not worrying about where I was going to sleep or what I was going to eat, when people all over the world were facing these situations as problems. It wasn't until I was sixteen that I realized how blessed I was, when I was given the opportunity to visit San Jose, Costa Rica.
Ecuador is one of the smallest countries of South America. It lies on the West Coast of the continent between Colombia and Peru. The equator crosses Ecuador and gives the country its name. Ecuador is the Spanish word for equator.
Costa Rica is a very beautiful and unique place. It was my first time going there and I loved it! It was much different than the United States in ways I didn’t mind or even enjoyed. We saw many things and went many places while we were down there. I am ready to go back again already and do new, exciting things. However, we did a lot while we were down there.
The American Revolution did much more than any of our founding fathers had ever imagined, it started a movement that would threaten the very roots of colonialism across the globe. Setting an example of how a David could overcome a Goliath, the United States inspired regions such as Latin America to fight for their rights and liberties as well. One such region that embraced the message was Upper Peru, which would later be known as Bolivia. With some key tipping points that caused the war, the leaders of the soon to be formed nation rallied its troops and won several major battles, but even they couldn’t prevent the tough times that lay in the early years of the nation. From the year 1809, Upper Peru was engaged in a
The country was foreign, a first for me. Dilapidation and ruin scattered the horizon as far as one could see. Guatemala is a place where poverty has a strong grasp on its people. We traveled tirelessly for hours to reach the poorest of the poor. Upon arrival old, young, and natives of all shapes and sizes formed receiving lines, eager to welcome us with gifts of smiles and gratitude. It was an experience that forever changed me. This was the first time I had stepped outside the boundaries of the American culture into a world where nothing is taken for granted. Each day spent on my mission trip brought a fresh awareness of gratefulness. Any pre-trip reluctance quickly became a vague memory as my emotions welled within bring a fresh change to
Southern Uruguay consists mostly of rolling plains and is an eastward extension of the Argentine pampas. The Atlantic coastline is fringed with tidal lakes and sand dunes. Low, unbroken stretches of level land line the banks of the two border rivers, the Uruguay and the Plata. The Uruguay is the nation's longest river, with a total length of 1,610 kilometers (1,000 miles).
It was the last day of my trip, and while I was washing plates in my grandmother’s house, the sunlight was reflected on the plates to my eyes. The fear going through my veins, my mind confused with everything that have happened two weeks ago. Uncertainty of what event would destroy or rebuild my heart. What would happen next ?. The future is unpredictable, so far that is a concept that now I understand. Considering the time spent in my country Colombia , vacations, friends, and parties were the words that stay on my mind for the first two weeks, otherwise the next two weeks were not what I planned. Firstable I was not supposed to be there for these last two weeks, but I am grateful. “No puedes viajar hoy” were the words asserted by the airline
In 1863 Colombia was given its name. The name was chosen in honor of Christopher Columbus, even though Columbus never visited Colombia. Alonso de Ojeda, was the first European to set foot on Colombia in 1499, Alonso de Ojeda explored Sierra Navada de Santa Marie and was very surprised by the wealth of the Indians and their stories. These stories gave birth to the legend of El Dorado.
As the Honduras trip slowly approaches, I cannot help but think of what I will come across during this adventure. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to even consider making this trip. I chose this program because it allows me to complete seven credits in three weeks. This is amazing because not only will I be taking two courses but I will also get an experience of a lifetime. Being able to take these credits during the summer means that I am able to fit in some of my minor courses this coming year. This also means that I will get the chance to et ahead on my major classes so the I can further focus on completing my minors. I also chose this program because it was going to give me the opportunity to observe a bilingual school setting.
History of the region from the pre-Columbian period and including colonization by the Spanish and Portuguese beginning in the 15th century, the 19th-century wars of independence, and developments to the end of World War II.Latin America is generally understood to consist of the entire continent of South America in addition to Mexico, Central America, and the islands of the Caribbean whose inhabitants speak a Romance language. The peoples of this large area shared the experience of conquest and colonization by the Spaniards and Portuguese from the late 15th through the 18th centuries as well as movements of independence from Spain and Portugal in the early 19th century. Even since independence, many of the various
on the south by the Atlantic Ocean and Chile, and on the west by Chile. The