Time is running by way too fast

I can't believe how fast time goes by. I came to Cochabamba almost two months ago. On the one hand it feels like I've been here forever, because now I'm used to the city, my work – life as it is here. On the other hand, it seems so little time because every day new exciting things happen and I learn new things (at least a few more words in Spanish ;-)).

I'm working in Pre-Kinder (the four-year-olds) and as much as I love the kids and my work it had one dark side: the teacher. She gets paid by the government and Proyecto Horizonte (PH) has no influence on the selection. The teacher is not a very loving person, she yells at the kids all the time, has no empathy and no contact with the kids. The kids didn't seem to be very happy with her and all I did was try to give them the love, affection, and help they needed.After a talk with Eliza, the volunteer coordinator, we had a meeting with Nicola, the local coordinator of PH, and I told her about the problems and suggested solutions. I'm really happy how fast things have improved. The principal talked to the teacher and her assistant, and since they can't fire the teacher, they hired another assistant. She is a very loving person and the kids love her. Her life story moved me a lot. She's only 20 years old and she's already a widow, has a child in El Maternal (18-month to 2-year-olds) and lives in Ushpa. I find it amazing how PH solved the problem: they were very open minded and immediately started to change things in a way that not only provided a solution to the problem but also meant that a young local mum found work.

After another volunteer leaving I started to work two days a week in the health center, but stopped this week, because they have two interns from the university and they don't need my help. I'll probably return in July. This week I started working in El Maternal with the babies one day a week, which is a nice change.

When I don't work in Pre-Kinder and the kids see me in the daycare center, they shout: “Hola Profe Anita!” (a sweet form of Anna), wave enthusiastically and smile widely – what is an awesome reward for the work!

Last weekend was Mother's Day and the anniversary of PH, which we celebrated with a big fiesta: The kids danced in traditional clothes, which was so cute and we, the volunteers, performed a short play about the importance and function of SODIS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_disinfection). Moreover, we had a table where we showed how to make pilas (taps made from plastic bottles). The celebration was a big success, there were so many people and the atmosphere was wonderful.

Besides my work I'm enjoying life in Cochabamba. All of the volunteers go out a lot, but it's not a big closed group. Usually we go out with volunteers from other organizations and local people. I went on two trips with volunteers from PH and others: to the Salar de Uyuni and Torotoro national park. Both trips were amazing; Bolivia has so much to offer and the countryside is so lovely.