Today was a great day! I woke up had an amazing breakfast of tea and bread/cake (yea, they eat cake for breakfast, be jelous!) then walked to a place that has internet with my counterpart and her sister. It was so nice out! I got to tell my family (via facebook and email) that I'm okay, but not to expect me to communicate with them too much as it is pretty difficult. I hope I will be writing letters though! When we got back we had a huge lunch. I wanted to finish it all because I didn't want to offend anyone. And I did, but could barely move after! I anticipate a bit of a weight gain in the next three months! Then we relaxed for a bit. I think Ally (my counterpart although I am changing the name in this) might have slept or watched tv while I read outside, content to just be in the sun and watch the the world around me. Then 2:30 came and we took the bus into the city (around a 40 minute bus ride, it felt like a roller coaster ride because of the road!) and went to the house of one of the other Bolivian girls. We hung out there for a while with her and the Canadian girl Kate ( again name is changed). She is my origional roomate who speaks french. We get along really well even though its harder to communicate than if she was english or I was French. Plus we were missing the other girl who usually hangs out with us who can translate quite well as she was away in La Paz with her host family for the holiday ( Bolivia's Birthday). We then took a taxi to the Plaza where we met most of the other girls in the program. It was really busy there because everyone was there for Bolivia's birthday to hear the president speak. We went looking for a place to make international calls but they were all closed because of the holiday. So we went to a restaurant called Alexander's to have coffee, cheescake and icecream. It was really good, definitely a tourist restaurant. I was really proud of myself when I understood the waiter! Then Ally and I left since we had to take the bus back and it was getting dark. She told me it's quite dangerous to take the bus home after dark and that got me a bit scared. I don't think I will be carrying a purse in the open either, rather a small bag under my clothing or keep what I need in my front pocket. Her mother met us at the bus stop but not before two younger men (around 19) said something to us that I didnt understand and Ally made us walk away very quickly and in the opposite direction. That was a bit scary, but it's like any place. You have to be careful about what you do.
Tomorrow we are sleeping late again (I didnt sleep very well last night, the neighbors have roosters and they woke me up before the sun was up. I fell back asleep with my ipod in my ears but woke again to the sound of children playing. Much better then roosters though) and I hope by sleeping, I can get rid of the cold I caught.I actually feel quite miserable but there's just too much to do and see to let a cold get me down! I went to bed at 8 today though, I think Ally knew I was tired! When we wake up we will eat breakfast, then wash our clothes then we will eat lunch (I'm in love with the food in Bolivia although it's all new to me, especially the meat since I've been vegetarian for over two years) relax, go into the city so I can call my parents, then we will go over to one of the other girls houses (the same one we went to today) to hang out then off to another girls house where we will all meet and get ready to go out! Then we will go out to a bar or club. Im super excited and it's Ally's first time at a bar. I feel like an older sister though and want to watch out for her as much as possible. She is a beautiful girl and I anticipate men fighting to get her attention!
I'm begining to feel more and more at home here. The family is so incredibly amazing. I haven't met her father yet but he called tonight and wanted to talk to me on the phone. I couldn't understand very well but I know he said” welcome to my home, I will be there next Friday and am excited to meet you”. Ally showed me pictures of him and he looks a bit like my father which I find really comforting!
Also as weird as I felt the house was at first, I love the open concept of it. It's more like the yard is the living room, not the other bedroom. And I've always wanted a room that opens up to the outside! There is still a lot for me to get over in terms of culture shock but I'm settling in much better then I thought I would yesterday. So manychanges in a day it's crazy!

August 10 2010
Decided to date my entries since I can`t post them right away.
Going out was mucho fun! We learned to salsa some (I`ll have to practice!) and we danced the night away! The next day was just a day to sleep, which was fantastic! I had a cold for over a week but after a day of sleeping I suddenly got rid of it. One of my ``sisters`` was studying in the room when I went to bed, I was only going to read a bit but ended up falling asleep and not waking up until she shook me and told me it was time for dinner!
Monday we all went to the center for cerebral paralysis and had people from different volunteer jobs come talk to us (mostly in Spanish) about the different volunteer spots that are available. In Canada World Youth we will all have different ``work placements`` and will work there 3 days of the week. There will be at least one Canadian and one Bolivian girl there. The bus ride to the center was around an hour for me, for some of the other girls it was only 5 or 10 minutes!
At the end of the day I was going to stay over at Kate`s house so we could maybe see one of the girls who has been in La Paz for the weekend but we found out the program doesn`t allow sleep overs! So I went home a bit upset but my mood lifted when my `sister`s`` asked if I wanted to play soccer. We went across the street to play with some of the other children. It was so much fun! I ended up trying to show off a bit and fell flat on my butt when I went to score. The kids loved it though! Then me and my hermanas (sisters) took pictures with a few of the young boys (cousins of Ally and my sisters I think) trying to sneak into them.
Today (Tuesday) we went to a university (another hour or so bus ride for me) to hear some more people talk about volunteer positions. There were so many amazing ones to choose from. At the end of the presentations the Bolivian girls had to choose who would get what position out of them, and the Canadians had to choose which ones we wanted. It went pretty smoothly. I didnt get the job I thought would have suited me best (It was a placement working with women in the arts and crafts sector. Finding places to sell their art. This would have benefited me greatly since I am studying Entrepreneurship and International Development) but I did get an amazing placement working with children who have downs syndrome. The only thing I was dissapointed about was the length of the bus ride there. It will be about an hour which means I`ll have to get up around six. But the bus rides here are more like roller coster rides! It adds some spice to my morning, and wakes me up!
After choosing the work placements we all met in the Plaza and did an ``Amazing Race `` activity. We got to know the city a little better but it was exhausting! It`s only 8:50 and I`ve been in bed for half an hour. As soon as I got home I took a shower, ate and climbed into bed. My hermanas asked if I wanted to watch a movie, and I did but I know I would have fallen asleep!
I am so excited for my first day of work tomorrow and need a really good sleep so I have a lot of energy!