...near the end

Tomorrow we leave for the Santa Cruz airport at 5:30AM and will be arriving in Lafayette IN, after a layover in Miami, late at night.

Our experience in Bolivia has certainy been diverse for all of us. On one end, from the seven of us students, I was the most comfortable one with the transportation, language, food, and general culture. On another extreme, some of us felt like in a completely different world; not only that but they were much more sensitive to the differences of way of life in Cochabamba and Santa Cruz / Cotoca.

Yesterday we toured the facilities in Santa Teresa de los Andes in the morning. This is a home for the physically and mentally disabled, mostly abandoned by their families. Often, newborns are left at the steps of the gate because their parents know that they cannot provide for them. Within the compound there are several smaller houses (buildings) where people with different dissabilities are housed. They range from the highly functioning autistic individuals who have full motor cotroll of their bodies to those who are moved from crib, to mat, to wheelchair, back to a mat and then a crib all day, everyday for the rest of their lives.

Once again, our responce was very diverse. Some of us were very comfortable interacting the people housed in these homes while others were not. I must admit that I was initially uncomfortable with the sight of human souls trapped in their disabled bodies. It was hard for me and a few others to rid ourselves of discomfort and even fear of the unknown but I think we did very well.

Today we arrived at Santa Teresa de los Andes around 8:30AM after they had been fed. They were ready to be bathed and changed. Kenny, Edwin and I went to the house where the disabled individuals (I say individuals because not all of them were children) had a condition that affected the full development of their cognitive abilities as well as bend their joints (I don´t remember the name of this condition).

It was quite a daunting task for me but seeing Kenny dive into the task encouraged me to do the same. Edwin followed as well. We learned quickly how to dry them off and put their clothes on. The women running the home suggested we should stay the rest of the year in order to help! I think we did a great job and I´m happy I was there.

More importantly, something dawned on me while one of them (Pedrito) and I went for a walk on his wheelchair. At first I was nervous and concerned: what will he do? what should I do? how do I interact with him? what would he like me to do? Those concernes melted away once I realized I was in the presence of someone who was guaranteed a seat at the Lord´s banquet.

I had heard before that I would encounter saints but those words didn´t mean much to me until that moment. Suddenly I could imagine myself, if reaching paradise, a conversation with Pedrito about that very moment. What would he say then? What would I say then? And the questions that were making me nervous and unsure became the same questions that lifted my spirit and eagerness to continue our encounter.

Tonight we rest from a simple yet good day of work at Santa Teresa de los Andes. It rained intensely for a few hours and that has prevented us from doing some last minute touring as we had planned. Neverthless we leave Bolivia having learned much from our many encounters and diverse experiences.