Adventures in Bolivia

tashaq @ 2005-05-21T17:05:00

2005-05-21T21:14:53Z

school's out. but i start my summer class on monday. i'm also clerking at the Big Firm for 8 wks in the Big D. most definitely, not Bolivia or any other Latin American country. i am not going over to the dark side, just getting experience. i am hoping to go to Thailand in July and work at an NGO there and visit my grandfather. which will hopefully remind me why i ever decided to go to law school.

Bolivia did make the Onion Horoscopes this week:
Taurus: (April. 20—May 20)
By this time next week, you'll be suffering from altitude sickness, in danger of being arrested by the Bolivian government, and freshly divorced — all thanks to a bar bet you'll sorely regret having made.

tashaq @ 2005-02-26T18:37:00

2005-02-26T23:34:58Z

i tore a ligament in my ankle playing basketball on the co-ed team last week. this has not been fun. especially since all these painkillers make me drowsy and a bit loopy. but at least i got hurt here and not in Bolivia. when Erika sprained her ankle running to catch the trufi in Sacaba, she wasn't too impressed with the health care system in Cbba. although it improved for her after she went to my cousin's doctor. i'm sure the doctors are fine but i hate doctors period. and if things progress as slowly in health care as they do everywhere else in Bolivia, i wouldn't be too pleased when i demanded to get an MRI done NOW. my doc here didn't mind when i told him that even after he wanted me to wait a couple more days. blah. a sprain doesnt make me vomit from the pain. i knew i tore something the instant it happened. i can't imagine trying to convince some doc in Bolivia that i knew it was more than a sprain. plus, hobbling around the streets of Cbba in crutches?!? imposible. poor Erika was homebound for 2 weeks. not that it's easy for me living on the 4th floor w/no elevator. at least classes are just across the street. but i missed the playoff game that we lost by 6 points. i know i was good for at least 6! oh well, no surgery at least! it was still fun to play on a team again. i never played in an actual game in Cbba since the season got delayed. just a bit weird playing a bunch of 18 year-olds who are in the best shape of their lives. i felt old w/my 2 knee braces as did my teammates but we gave them some games! with me playing point no less. my doc said i dont have to end my bball career but he isnt sure when i'll be playing again, much less walking. it's a medical mystery why i'm in so much pain according to him. it's a mystery to me too but i don't have a MD. i think this blog is supposed to be about Bolivia but this Darvoset and Naproysn make my brain cloudy.

i have to spell the alphabet w/my foot now....

tashaq @ 2005-02-04T16:13:00

2005-02-04T20:29:37Z

i was just chatting with Selina about her samba school's performance at Carnaval Brasilero this weekend. and thinking about Carnaval last year in Bolivia. she sent me a link to listen to KUT for the interview of her school. i missed it but they started playing carnaval music from Bolivia, Sucay. !!! we're on a tour of all the countries now. this is much better than reading these cases for my closed brief. i won't be doing anything exciting here since that is due soon. going to Oruro was an experience! the costumes, the music, the dancing. the massive amount of people. but i also won't get drenched from water balloons or foam sprayed in my face. maybe we'll go to Brazilian Night or Latin night at Kismet.

off to Panama now!

i'm not the only one

2005-01-28T22:23:49Z

so, i can't remember if i mentioned this or not but we just discovered that there is another Bolivian/Chinese family out there. that lives in, of all places, San Francisco. my boss in Cbba had mentioned to me about a family who was from Santa Cruz who was Bolivinese and lived in the states. while we were in SF, my dad spoke w/his friend's wife who volunteers w/a Bolivian man who is married to a Chinese woman and they have 2 kids, an 11-year-old girl and a 8-year-old boy!!!!! he is from Santa Cruz too.....and like all Bolivians, is somehow connected to my father's family. small world. i still wonder if it is the same family my boss told me about. needless to say, it was a serious blow to find out my brother and i are not the only Bolivinese-Americans. i'm sure there are more, it's still weird to find out. especially since they speak Chinese too. (i'll learn soon!) i would love to meet them. to see what they look like, to find out about their experiences. they are much younger and live in one of the most diverse cities so it would be interesting to compare stories. and if for anything but to sit in a room w/them and my brother and feel like i belonged to a group. for the first time. ever. if 4 is considered to be a group. i can't wait.

tashaq @ 2005-01-17T17:20:00

2005-01-17T23:45:32Z

san fran was great! caught up w/the mccroskeys and jordanna. reminisced about bolivia. and no one got tired of it! poor erika returned to the states only 2 wks prior so she was going thru some intense culture shock. it was great to hear all the current stories from Erika about cbba happenings. even if some are about my boss (who still hasn't paid me) hitting on her. it really seems like it has been years since i was there even though this time last year, i was on a plane to cbba. i guess law school makes you forget pretty much everything but the law. i'm glad i am still in touch with people who can help me remember. i even got a surprise visit from Shana and Charmin when they got stuck in Dallas b/c of the ice storm! Bolivinese Barbie is always willing to pick up her chicas at DFW in the barbie car!

Tio Ramiro is planning on visiting us in March. my prima, Vivi, is pregnant and due in April. Tio and Tia Wilma will go to Oklahoma to visit Wily, Wilma's brother. OU has several Bolivian students apparently. Tia will go to MX City to stay w/Vivi and Tio will visit us in Dallas, then go to DC to visit his friends in the VA. We'll miss each other in DC since he won't be here until late March. I'll be heading to DC for Spring Break (to find a summer job and to visit Marissa), then on to NYC to see Slint!!!!! i can barely type i'm so @#!$$! excited.

off to shoot some hoops. bball play begins tomorrow night. i'm thinking i probably won't be the tallest girl on the team and can play guard like i'm used to.

finals are over!!!

2004-12-20T04:18:29Z

it's time to celebrate! which i've been doing since thursday. 3 wks of vacation and i will be doing a lot of absolutely nothing. i am meeting up with some friends i made in Bolivia in San Fran where we will reminisce and go to Pachamama and eat overpriced Bolivian food. and i can check out Jordanna's alpaca coat. she had it made at Viv's where i got most of my suits. (coutoure and whatnot). i hope the coat looks ok since i served as interpreter and didnt really know fashion words. so much more to learn. but it's time to move on to my next language. someone buy me Learn How to Speak Portuguese in 10 Minutes a Day!

i need to catch up on what's going on in the world. it helps w/my tv back from my brother's. apparently, it is almost Christmas. Bolivia had some elections. the world has not ended yet. UT is in the Rose Bowl. Dubya is the president again (on the kappa alpha gamma delta sig ep house, someone spraypainted W ´04 or secession). basketball season started. and i already went to my 1st game - TX Tech v. Ohio State. Bobby Knight did not throw chairs and only had a mild fit. sitting 20 rows back was pretty cool for a close game. thanks, Irina!

i think i'll read something that i don't even have to.

Felicidades to me!

2004-11-30T17:25:54Z

i turned 26 on Sunday! despite the hours i needed to study, i still celebrated: chinese food for lunch w/my family and cuban food for dinner w/my friends. yum. and ice cream cake! and my dad brought a little of Bolivia to me w/his gifts. even Argentinian jewelrey! which means he has been hoarding that for 10 years since last time he was there i was in high school. Erika even called me! from a US line from Bolivia?!?!?! i need to figure out how that works.

winter has hit here in TX. guess i'll have 3 winters this year. when i left for Bolivia, it was winter. when I left BOlivia, it was winter there and now it's winter here again. at least i have my alpaca scarf and matching hat from Fotrama to keep me warm and make those SMUers jealous w/their Burberry.

i know i've been bad about updating this. and people still check it! (thanks, jeremiah!) finals start next monday until the 16th. so i've been a bit busy. this will be the best Christmas EVER. and my friends from Bolivia are planning a reunion in San Francisco for New Year's!

i could really use some sopa de mani.

back to outlining.....

tashaq @ 2004-10-25T16:39:00

2004-10-25T20:51:34Z

so i think we made history saturday night. went to see Red Monroe. it was probably the first time in Dallas history that THREE Bolivians were at the same rock show in Deep Ellum. i even have a picture to prove it. there is more to this post but i have a Property review session.....

Top Ten+ Things I Miss About Cbba

2004-10-13T03:53:46Z

just off the top of my head.....

1. family and friends (obvio!)
2. Bolivian food - especially made by Simone, this also includes Dumbo's ice cream, pikaye (sp?) and the "exotic" fruits
3. the mountains!!
4. going to the Cancha to buy anything i want
5. hopping onto the trufi or micro instead of driving
6. playing with my basketball team outside at night
7. my bellydancing and samba classes
8. hearing Spanish
9. leisurely lunches
10. guys who can dance
11. Bugy and Mateo greeting me every day I came back home
12. feeling like i belong

Felicidades!

2004-09-14T22:22:14Z

happy birthday Irina!! you finally hit the big 2-9!!

Cochabamba is celebrating 194 years of independence! to celebrate both birthdays, we´re going to eat some Vietnamese food and then go see Franz Ferdinand. hopefully, we´ll have some time to go to Zaguan and get some tres leches cake. i´ll be sure to rep my Bolivian pride at the show.

i can´t find my Bolivian patch to put on my laptop case to cover up the chilean brand name. guess i´ll just stick on the good ole anarchy patch. let them figure that one out.

i´m not sure if people have a clue where Bolivia is. when i say where i was the past 6 months, i usually just say South America and then clarify if they ask. whenever i say Bolivia, the response i always get is right. or okay. or of course (that was from the Dean!). although there is that rare time when someone will know someone who is from there or has gone to Macchu Picchu.

tashaq @ 2004-09-08T21:40:00

2004-09-09T03:48:39Z

so in contracts today, i got a little bored because my prof was teaching straight from the book, which i actually understood. (first time that has happened ever in any of my classes! prolly the last time too) since we have wireless in the law school, i glanced at Los Tiempos to catch up on what´s going on in Bolivia. the article that caught my eye, aside from the Tuto Quiroga article, was about bball. my old bball team, Real Sociedad, is in 2nd to last place. : ( without the 2 best post players (Carolina who moved to La Paz and me!!) and not much of a bench, guess it was inevitable. i´m not sure how the whole ranking thing works though. i saw Maryknoll and UCB practice and i thought we would at least have a chance. i have to wait til the spring before bball intramurals start here.

back to civ pro....sigh. and i thought reading the bolivian civil code was rough.

tashaq @ 2004-08-28T11:18:00

2004-08-28T18:37:11Z

my Bolivian friend Shana is visiting this weekend!! she's really American but i met her in Bolivia so i just call her my Bolivian friend. everyone seems disappointed to find out she isn't really Bolivian. lucky Shana has a twin who works for American Airlines so she is going back to Bolivia in October for 3 months.

it was great to reminisce about Cbba with someone who knows what i'm talking about and doesn't get tired hearing about it. we talked about everything we miss and caught up on the friends we made there.

we went to Zaguan this morning to have jugos con leche, just like we used to do after bellydancing class at Duarte's Cafe. but they weren't the same. not fluffy enough! and no yapa! but they do have Inca Kola and the colombian version of cunapes. and empanadas and pan de dulce de leche. yum. but much pricier here. $3.29 instead of 5 bs!! i could really go for some sopa de mani right now. i need to pick up jeremy's blender. it's rainy and a lil chilly here, even with my poncho (which are all the rage here!).

ok, i need to finish my legal writing homework and brief for property before we go see an indie rock band with a Bolivian in it!

my first day in law school

2004-08-23T21:32:58Z

is over. time to read and brief cases for tuesday´s classes.

i think i may keep this thing up as a study break to write and remember my experiences in Bolivia. and don´t worry, i´ll be repping for the Bolivians in law school.

Aug 6th was Bolivian Independence Day. i celebrated with the 1.5 Bolivians in Dallas. wore my Bolivian ribbon to see Julius Papp. (see new pic) i pretended to dance a bit - caporales and tinku, pretended because i didnt learn all of it. last year, the Association of Bolivians in Dallas had a function but never returned our phone calls in trying to find out where. this year, it wasn´t even published. hmmmm. but i did meet another Bolivian, the boyfriend of one of my new classmates. his mother is from Trinidad. that brings the count up to 2.

tashaq @ 2004-08-04T00:58:00

2004-08-04T05:00:43Z

i miss the mountains.

and lots of other things about Bolivia. was it all just a dream?

back in the EEUU

2004-07-07T04:26:57Z

just got into dallas tonite. exhausted. didnt sleep much with all the despedidas and my no sleep the night before so i can sleep on the plane strategy. that obviously never works when you are surrounded by four 6yr olds.

i miss bolivia already.

i´ll update when i get some time next week about what´s been going on.

tashaq @ 2004-06-25T19:22:00

2004-06-25T23:22:21Z

one good thing about living in Bolivia is i never have to spell out my last name, i never have to repeat it, or split up the syllables like my dad taught me to do when i was little. nobody bats an eye or asks where it´s from or if it´s japanese. nobody butchers it, everybody knows how it is spelled and pronounced. what a relief. now i only have to explain my first name. yes, it´s russian, no, i´m not. and i answer to Natacha or Natashka since there is no sh sound in spanish. my cousins call me those con cariño. so my parents´ goal of giving me a name that was easy to pronounce in spanish, chinese, and english didnt really work out. especially since my Thai step-grandmother says Natachia and Texans say Nataahsha. 0 for 3.

you can actually see the sun today! after san juan, smoke filled the sky. at night, the smell and smoke was giving me a headahce. the next day, it completely covered the sun. it´s worse in cbba since it´s basically a valley surrounded by mountains. im glad i didnt go to Sacaba or Tiquipaya because it was worse there. thursday morning, the air was thick. the smell was pretty bad.

im off to bball practice. cross your fingers that ill finally be able to play in a game! the south american bball tourney for juvenil league is starting next wk but it is completely disorganized. why is that always the case in bolivia??

and tonite we´ll commence with the despedidas! chupar en la calle (because my american friends cant get over the fact that drinking in the street is legal) and some dancing, of course.

it´s been awhile

2004-06-24T02:11:51Z

today is San Juan. even though fireworks are illegal, they have been going off since yesterday. fires too. tomorrow it will be difficult to see 10ft in front of you because of all the smoke.

i have yet to travel anywhere yet. supposedly our 1st bball game is saturday. my left knee gave out at practice on monday. ouch. it´s been difficult to coordinate travelling schedules. at least i will be going to Chapare. winter break is starting this week for my cousins.

i started taking samba classes. the bolivian folklorico dances seemed too expensive. im relying on my cousins and aunt to teach me. and gotta learn me the cuban salsa for ashley´s bachelorette party!

my american friend got oranges and trash thrown at her from a march. we were eating breakfast in a cafe on 25de mayo when Manfred´s march passed by for the nationalization of gas. most stores lock up the doors to discourage stealing, etc. when the demonstrations pass by. but the cafe didnt. we saw foreigners targeted about 10min into the march. then they started throwing stuff at random Bolivians on the street. they must have caught sight of Erika´s blond blond hair and threw things inside the café. i´ve never seen a march that got that heated. most are pretty peaceful. maybe because i can easily blend. the owner of the café threw things back and an empty fireworks thing almost hit her 5yr old son.

and now im off to pachangear for san juan.

1 more month!

2004-06-07T23:39:54Z

so i just changed my returning flight back to the states. instead of coming back on June 16th. i´m coming back July 6th, just in time for Ashley´s wedding. got my dress all fitted and shoes dyed so it´s all good. now i´ll have time to travel!

and play in at least 1 bball game! the bleachers are in rocks at the Coliseum right now so there is nowhere to play but outside. they´ve postponed the tourney for weeks now. and i´ve got to run off to practice soon.....

tashaq @ 2004-06-01T10:14:00

2004-06-01T14:42:51Z

so someone stole my cell phone and keys on the micro yesterday. grrr. i knew something was weird, should have gone with my instinct. guess that´s pretty good to go all this time without getting anything stolen though. luckily he didnt steal my id or money. i didnt get a phone call offering my keys up for ransom. that was disappointing.

this is the 4th week of no classes. teachers continue their strike. rural schools started classes yesterday, the teachers made a deal. most likely, classes will start up tomorrow for the urban schools. poor joel is bored out of his mind. some days, we played bball last week and he listens while i practice piano. i can´t imagine what it´s like to not know if there will be school the next day. there are days when he heads out but ends up coming home because there aren´t any classes. aside from no classes for all kids who go to public schools, their version of free and reduced school meals have been stopped since there aren´t any classes. it has been difficult getting to the plaza principal with all the marches and protests so i´ve been avoiding it. the blockades havent really affected cbba too much. just around La Paz. there was not a national strike by the transportistas today.

i would write more but i need to finish working so i can watch the Bolivia vs. Paraguay this afternoon. oh, and make chirimoya cheesecake. it will be another baking experiment. i made chocolate chip cookies saturday, mixed in a blender (not blended in it) and had to substitute a lot of ingredients. they came out yummy, or so i heard since i only ate one.

feliz dia de madre!

2004-05-28T03:35:49Z

today is mother´s day in Bolivia. we had a nice dinner for my Tía Wilma, her sister, and my cousin´s mother-in-law. and all the potential mothers, according to Ramiro. eek.

so happy mother´s day to my mom! and all my adopted moms here in cbba who say that i am not eating enough and insist on inviting me over for lunch so they can make sure that i eat everything on my plate.

tomorrow if i´ve got the time, i´ll relate a so dumb it´s almost funny, yet offensive, interview by Miss Bolivia for the Miss Universe pageant, er scholarship competition. if i could, i would snort in disgust. but it did make the news a little lighter today.

tashaq @ 2004-05-25T10:53:00

2004-05-25T15:37:35Z

so i jammed my finger at basketball practice last night. how am i supposed to practice piano?? we scrimmaged with the guys yesterday the entire practice. i got a lil banged up. some guy knocked me in my sternum with his head. i am either a giant or he is short. thanks, coach, for calling the charge. but i threw some ´bows and got him back. i have got to find a knee brace for my left knee. the good news is that all the cobwebs and dust are out of my knees but they still dont feel strong without a brace.

chile will probably not happen. : ( la paz may not either with the blockades and strikes. not a very good time to travel. so much for going to potosi and sucre. i guess i´ll just get more time in to learn samba, cueca, and ballet folklorico.

ok, back to work. finishing up the templates for the software. i wont have access to all my work docs since they disappeared on my hard drive. what a wonderful feeling.

i said brrrrr

2004-05-24T02:45:59Z

it´s cold in here....

so i really really really want to go to Santiago, Chile to see Massive Attack this weekend. they are playing at a festival. but....as usual no travelling buddies. maybe it will work out if Shana can go. i hope....

friday night i went to see Los Kjarkas, a traditional Bolivian band. i saw them at the fair, but this time they were playing at Inferno so we were up close and personal. i dont think i mentioned it before but seeing Bolivian bands is a new experience for me. for the 1st time, i actually feel a kinship or sense of pride, if you will, because they are Bolivian and so is the rest of the crowd. the only time i felt a similar affinity before was when i saw Hang on the Box, a punk band from China. but the crowd was mostly watching in wonder. anyway, i still think it´s a lil weird that everybody knows every word to every song. but i am learning!

i recently met a bunch of expats and have been hanging out with them. it was a weird adjustment at first. speaking so much english for one. i felt like i spoke like Yoda and i know i made up several words. writing is much different than speaking. it´s good for me to hang out with Americans, will defintely help me with the culture shock when i go back. and Americans are loud!! and crazy!

i almost fainted on friday after my bellydancing class. i was talking to the teacher, Shamsa (Palestinian-Chilean!), when i started to feel weird. i just remember saying i dont feel so good and then the next thing i knew, Shamsa´s boyfriend, Mehmet, was carrying me into his office and spraying water in my face. that´s what i get for not eating breakfast or much for dinner. (the night before was a going-away party and they made fish cakes. i don´t like fish so i ate guacamole and cake). not getting my protein! i am so glad i was at the gym with people i knew and not on the micro. i am feeling much better and ate 3 milanesa and lots more protein the next day. and bellydancing is exercise. dont knock it if you havent tried it. it takes a lot of effort to shake those hips. esp when your right hip doesnt want to work.

so saturday night, we hung out on the Pando. here, everyone parks their cars and drinks in the streets before going to a boliche or spending the remainder of the night continuing to drink on the street. we decided to do the same since we didn´t feel like spending more money. Shana went camera happy and i have some great pics but for some reason i cant´post on yahoo. soon. pics with random guys, a bride, a band, and dancing on the street! salsa and cumbia. Vladi is a great teacher.

and now i need to get back to work. i asked for some law books in spanish (i.e. a Grisham novel) but ended up instead with Bolivian´s Civil Code. there is a big difference.

tashaq @ 2004-05-19T17:57:00

2004-05-18T21:58:14Z

Wilstermann lost. the stadium was packed. good thing we bought tickets before. tear gas, police hosing down the crowd, fires in the stands. someone from the stands hit one of the Bolivar players with a half-filled Fanta bottle on a corner kick. hit him on the side and he went down. riot police ran out to cover him, the crowd just kept throwing more bottles. so they called in the calvary or the tear gas guns. that quieted everyone down. just your average futbol game. also went to the Aurora vs. Strongest game on Sunday. much calmer. less crowded. nice way to spend a sunday.

pics from the Wilster vs. Bolivar game: photos.yahoo.com/natashaquiroga

in work news, the software wont be ready til July 1st. since i lost all my docs, im starting from scratch. some company in La Paz will try to recover my data, all covered by Dell. how nice. also will start looking for my replacement or someone for the summer. if you know of anyone, let me know. it´s a volunteer position as of now. mostly project and knowledge management stuff, at least working knowledge of spanish and/or english. first priority is to cover Cbba, then La Paz.

so apparently Marissa did not get the memo that i NOT moving to DC. she and Chris are moving there soon, like 2 weeks after i get back to the states. : ( now i cant call her my dallas best friend anymore.

started bellydancing classes. fun! too bad i´ve only got a month to learn.

i bought a jacket and gloves today since it was 2 degees this morning. celsius, but still. i also bought my 1st sugar cane of the season. and a half-kilo of pasancalla. i figure i wont be able to get this stuff back in the states so...

have to practice piano now.

tashaq @ 2004-05-14T10:43:00

2004-05-13T16:32:49Z

so i cant believe i have just a little over a month left!
im starting to get a little sad about leaving. despite missing my peoples back home, i can honestly say i could easily live here. ive gotten used to my routine here, getting around, knowing the city. i can give directions, tell people which trufi to take, and if it werent for the occasional bolivian/quechua word that im not familiar with, no one would be the wiser! i bought some fabric to make some suits to bring back and the guy thought i was Braziallian!

my boss finally called me. we´re meeting on monday. in the meantime, getting info from Espacio Alternativo and helping the guardaria recruit more moms. i need to go to the plaza principal and ask the moms there. the guardaria´s capactiy will be 200 kids and right now they´re hovering around 90. considering that there are 400 kids in a 4block radius on Heronias, i dont think it will be a problem. when i was down at La Cancha yesterday, it hit me again why there is such a need. i was stepping over children. kids crawling on the sidewalk, hanging onto their moms, playing with trash on the side of the street. babies sleeping on the cement while their mothers are working.

the school system is different here as well. public schools have classes for about 4-5 hours. either in the morning 8-12, afternoon 2-6, or night 6-10. or on a similar schedule. private schools have classes that are a couple hours longer. but you have to pay. La Salle, where my dad went, is $50 per month. the schools on the American calendar and the most expensive are $200 per month. i wonder how they can get all the material covered in such little time. my cousins said they have lots of homework that they finish in the afternoon or whenever they dont have classes. the night classes are for the kids who work during the day. i see kids who wash cars during the day, as young as 7, working on homework when it isn´t busy. Alex, my uncle´s semi-gardener, works in the mornings, eats his lunch and then goes off to school. the schools are also over-crowded so maybe splitting up the kids this way helps that.

tonight i am going to the Wilstermann vs. Bolivar game. my first night game, i´ll be sure to bundle up. glad it´s on a Thursday since most night games are on wednesdays and i´ve got bball practice then. my new sweatshirt is even Wilster colors, altho a bit reversed.

tashaq @ 2004-05-08T17:46:00

2004-05-07T22:11:14Z

my laptop is back with a spanish operating system, that even includes the keys (but my keyboard is english but corresponds to spanish, entiendes¿). so its a game trying to find the correct punctuation marks. DHL delivered my new hard drive today. the technician is in La Paz so i can switch it out myself. even better, since i will take my sweet time until i can figure out a way to get my data out. found my backup cd but it apparently has nothing on it!·_!$ i checked it when i made it so i have no idea what happened. im really trying my best to keep perspective. but when my cell died on me, i almost hit somebody. luckiy for random stranger, i just reinserted the battery and it works again.

it is starting to get colder here. i really need to buy a jacket. i am freezing in the mornings upstairs. at least in the sun, its nice. but bball practice at night...brr. need to buy a sweatshirt too since random kid stole mine. and my throat tickles. i went running with Wlady last night. we ran almost 2miles. i am getting into better shape fortunately. wed nite practice wasnt much of a workout. we just worked on plays. and our uniforms are going to be red and blue, Wilster colors.

i had my piano lesson today! i was nervous because i wasnt sure how my teacher would be. but she was very nice and even said i play very well. : ) were going to polish up my 2 Beethoven Sonatas - Moonlight and Pathetique and see if i can learn Chopin´s Fantasie Impromptu. i really wanted to learn Apassionata but there isnt time. also need to ask her where to buy sheet music for Bolivian music. i cant believe its so cheap! and she played Pathetique for her qualifying exam for her master´s in Italy. i took 4 lessons and taught myself the rest my senior year of high school. i am the cool.

Wlady quit his job at the bank to finish up school at San Simon. classes are in session but 3 students holed themselves up under the stairs and bricked themselves in. other students are on hunger strikes, i think on day 6. but my aunt says they eat at night. there have been blockades in the plaza prinicpal all week. the strikers were fighting with the vendors who were still selling. throwing oranges and whatnot. i´m going that way in a bit for the Cbba Women´s Club Cookbook Release, but im sure most of it will be done by then. the Cookbook proceeds will go to their charitable projects. it´s only 50bs or about $6. you want one? their 60th Anniversary Gala is on Saturday and im going. but i have nothing to wear!! and i think im going to miss the Wilster game that night. doesnt the team have magnets with the schedule printed on it? its always a surprise for me.

i havent heard from my boss so until then im chillin and doing my own thang. next week im going to work at the Jardin de la Fantasia. im not sure if i should help out with the kiddos or do some data form creating-strat plan stuff and the like. the stats that they´ll collect will really help out my projects and others as well. long-term or short-term. maybe a lil of both. seems so much like Avance. yay Avance!

in law school news, i finally heard back from USC- waitlisted. that leaves UCLA and UC-Hastings. im def going to SMU but i would still like to know. its already May, get yo act together UCs!!

and that´s all the news that´s fit to print...