Hey look - 2 posts in 2 days! This weekend has been filled with new experiences and fun. First off, it's been fairly relaxing which is what I think my body is telling me it needs. I'm currently fighting a cold but what else is new? Fighting to stay healthy here will be one of my main battles; at least that's what I'm starting to see anyways...

So after spending part of Saturday morning with Sebi trying to get the internet to work permanently here in the flat (who knows if we can consider it a success??) we went out on the town. More specifically we went to what I guess is called "Calle Buenos Aires", where there is booth after booth crammed together and you can buy just about whatever you might want. The "aisles" are just wide enough for 2 people to fit through. This is definitely not a place for people who don't like crowds, tight spaces, and being crowded in tight spaces. I only took one picture and it doesn't do the street justice at all. I will probably get more because I imagine I will be returning to this area in the future - especially for the movies! Yes, they may be knock-offs but they are only .75US! I bought the original 3 Star Wars to help remind me of home and to remember those important life lessons! I also bought Aladdin (because it's a classic - duh), Fast Five (because I just want to be entertained) and a CD holder (to manage my now growing DVD collection). On the way back home I managed to find some good pizza - at least the best I've found so far in La Paz - to end out a good day.

And today was a cool day in La Paz too. Apparently the president has named it a holiday where no one (except for airport taxis and tourist buses) can drive their car until after 4pm. It was cool to be able to walk the streets of La Paz without trying having to try and dodge here and there to ovoid cars. Because of this holiday we had church in different parts of the city. Our group (which consisted of all of the HOPE volunteers) met about 3 miles from where I stay. The hike down wasn't so bad but who wants to walk 3 miles to get back home on a Sunday afternoon? You just want to sleep!

The service was great with Kevin leading it in English and Lin translating into Spanish as we went along. Afterward we got to just hang and try to speak Spanish while eating some food! Which of course was a lot of fun - including watching Kevin try to speak Spanish! The Americans exposed some of the youth here to peanut butter and jelly as well as peanut butter and honey. And of course they liked it! For all of them it was the first time they tasted peanut butter - I don't know how they've been able to live this long without it! Hopefully we will be able to continue to have a positive impact - especially when it comes to the more life and spiritual side of things - in the future. They really are a great bunch of people who care about others.

Around mid afternoon when we had to walk back I wasn't feeling too well... again. I felt like I just needed to rest but I had to make that trek back again! Of course I came back, had some coca tea (which cures all), and watched a movie. All in all a pretty good weekend I would say! Especially since the internet is still working and I can write this blog!

I miss you all back home...