April 25, 2017 - Friends, Old and New

Friends, Old and New

When I woke up Saturday morning, I was met by sunny skies and a cool spring breeze blowing in my window.  I had plans for 11:00, but at 7:15, I decided I needed to get out of the house and enjoy the gorgeous morning.

I had plans to meet two different groups of people for lunch.  Mary, a coworker, has her parents visiting.  Ron and Lisa, former missionaries, are thinking of returning to Bolivia.  I was going to meet both for lunch at the Plaza and take them on a little tour.  Lunch was Lisa’s idea and the tour Mary’s.  Both sounded good to me.

By 8:00, I was out of the house taking pictures of a cute little church called La Pompeya and heading over to Starbucks for breakfast.  I wasn’t there long before I had a destination in mind.  The sky was gorgeous, so I wanted to try again to see if I could get a picture of the Cristo.  That is a long walk so I took a taxi instead. 

I walked around the neighborhood of the Palacio de Justicia, taking pictures and discovering barrios I haven’t visited before.  There are some beautiful condominiums in that part of town.  Lots of flowering trees.  Clean streets.  And cool restaurants.  I found a statue I had passed a few times, always promising I would return to it one day.  It is a knight on a horse (or half a horse) with his lance in the air.  He somehow reminds me of Don Quixote, the Spanish knight who fought windmills.  Until someone tells me differently, that is who he will be.

Not far away was the Cristo statue.  I walked to the chapel, who a friend told me was built for the Pope’s visit, so he would face the Cristo when preaching.  It was closed, but there was a young guard on duty.  I asked if I could come in to take a picture of the Cristo.  He said I wasn’t allowed to do that.  He looked nervous, then whispered, “if you do it quickly and leave.”  I had not intended on pressing the issue, but I am thankful to a young man who allowed me to take a picture.

After more walking, I was again in a taxi, heading to the Plaza.  About two blocks from the Plaza, I noticed the young lady that had been doing immigration work with me, Tabitha, who works with El Alfarero.  So I got out of the taxi (I paid of course) and hurried to meet her.  She was going to the Plaza to change money, but I tempted her to sit and have a soda with me at my restaurant, La Pascana.  We talked about the ministries of the Learning Center and El Alfarero, which works with college students.  And we talked about seeing the country, places like Samaipata and we talked Thanksgiving for those of us living outside the USA.  After an hour, she had to leave, but it was good catching up.

Ron and Lisa, and their daughter Rocio, are very Bolivian in one thing, promptness.  They were half an hour late, but that is something you learn to accept here in Bolivia.  Ron and Lisa attended CFNI with my sister, Glenda and her husband, Andrew.  Later they attended the same church in Rockwall.  When Ron and Lisa decided to move to Bolivia, Glenda directed them to meet me.  My last year in Bolivia they worked here with a deaf ministry and when I returned to the States, they took my dog, Shadow.  They left in the 90s, but now want to return.

Ron peppered me with lots of questions about Bolivia, from the perspective of an American living here.  Lisa is also interested in teaching at the Learning Center.  Their daughter, Rocio, is now an adult and just wanted to get to know the place where she was born.  They had questions about how things work now, compared to the 80s.  Lots of things have changed.

Mary and her parents weren’t able to show, but I still gave a little tour of the Plaza to Ron, Lisa, and Rocio.  I told them stories about the Toborochis, how the Manzana Uno was once a jail, and introduced them the Mojon con Cara.  To top it off, I took them to the hospital that Rocio was born in, the Clinica Foianini, which is across the street from my apartment.

I got home around 2:30, exhausted and slept the next two hours.  But it was a beautiful day to spend with new and old friends.

Ron and Lisa, hurry down here so we can do this again!