As we left the hotel, the doorman reached out in a final attempt to help us. He was speaking much slower than the man at reception. This time, I was able to recognize a few more words. I realized that he was trying to tell us about two apartment buildings he knew of that often operated as Airbnbs. They were both down the hill, about two or three blocks due north. A wave of reassurance washed over both of us, and Josh and I quickly returned to the map app. Twenty minutes later, we were standing inside of the correct building. This time, our names were on the reservation list! Finally, we had made it.
Those first three days in La Paz were truly a blur. We were trying our best to speak and understand Spanish, adjusting to the high altitude, learning how to navigate the Mi Teleférico system, using bolivianos instead of USD and just being totally immersed in an entirely new and foreign culture right in the heart of a bustling city.
Then, like the blink of an eye, we found ourselves in another car, this time headed out of the city, towards the valley of Jupapina and our new home at Up Close Bolivia. Even as a I sit here now, writing and reflecting on our arrival in Bolivia and what has become our new community in Jupapina, I can hardly believe a month has gone by. What’s more, I can hardly believe how much has changed for us since that first day we arrived in chilly El Alto.
The other volunteers we share the Green House with (Mino, our volunteer coordinator, the rest of the staff and especially Emma and Rolando, the founders of Up Close Bolivia) are like our second family now. Of course, it helps that everyone here at Up Close speaks English.
