Homestay

As I thought, I live on the south side of the center of La Paz, in the Sopocachi district, which is known for its lovely cafes, restaurants, and nightlife. Zona Sur is south and the rest of the city rises up to the north, via La Paz's main road (El Prado). I share a room with a Quebec girl Annie, who is great. We get along very well and she is just as adventurous, so we had fun exploring the city the day we arrived. We live in a spacious 3-bedroom apartment in a high-rise, overlooking a plaza that has a playground and a cevicheria stand that says: "Si no esta rica, no paga" (If it doesn't taste good, don't pay). Via the cevicheria stand, I find my way home, since there are no street signs (Molly would go crazy!). Our host mother is a Bolivian woman in her 30's, who has an 8 year old daughter who is super cute and loves nutella. There is also a maid named Sonia, who is 20 years old, and knows 3 languages (Quechua, Aymara, and Spanish). Informally, we decided that I'll teach her English words and she'll teach me Aymara words. There is also another exchange student from California who is staying with the host family. She is doing a 10 week public health program in La Paz, interviewing public health and hospital directors in La Paz, as well as women who come to a certain clinic she is working with about sexual and reproductive practices among the people in La Paz, and its association with cervical cancer, which is apparently the most common cancer present in Bolivianos. It is interesting to come here when HPV is so common and where the vaccine is an important part of preventive care, in contrast to the US where I feel like the vaccine is only now beginning to become popular and known among everyone. So, that's our family. We all meet for lunch at around 2pm, as that is their biggest meal of the day. Dinner is usually no more than a small snack, because due to the altitude, digestion is slowed, and eating a lot before going to sleep means you won't be able to fall asleep for hours. I am getting used to the altitude, no more waking up with a sober hangover - yay! Although, I still get out of breath when walking up the constant hills, and get a pounding headache 10 minutes into exercising. But looking out the window of my bedroom and seeing snow-capped mountains beyond all the buildings makes it sort of worth it.