This weekend we enjoyed everything Cochabamba had to offer. Yesterday, we strived to be fit and hit the gym for a cardio workout at altitude. It was an interesting experience to say the least, as running up four flights of stairs is easy in South Carolina, but here it's a different experience. I think Cory will be able to run a marathon by the time he's been at altitude for a month. Needless to say we were a little sore for the rest of the day. After the cardio challenge we ventured to La Concha and Mark and Cory made out like bandits with brand new polos from the clothing area. La Cocha is a sight to behold as there is 5 square miles of stands with everything ranging from DVDs, toys, local foods, and fresh fruit. Most Cochabambinos purchase their groceries there, as you can find everything from fresh vegetables and fruits to newly butchered meat. Later, we took in a movie, and ate dinner at Mohammed's.
Today, we went to church with Emily and Cindy and were able to meet more people within the community and even got invited to watch the last high school basketball game of the season, we're thinking of putting Craig in there as a ringer. The highlight of the day was when we were picked up by Jimmy, a former freedom fighter in Bolivia. He took us on a tour of Cochabamba, and told us one of the most amazing stories we have ever heard. Jimmy started as a 17 year old guerilla fighter, and told us stories of being tortured, escaping prisons, and living in exile. We never thought we would meet someone like him on our trip, but Jimmy told us stories and enlightened us on Bolivian history. Jimmy took us to El Cristo (The Christ), on the Northeast side of Cochabamba. The statue is a source of pride as it stands one foot taller than the one in Rio de Janerio. The view was amazing. After walking around the statue Jimmy continued to share his life story with us, and he showed us the oldest cathedral in Bolivia. It was a truly humbling experience to listen to Jimmy today, and be in the presence of someone whose story you'd watch on the TV or read about in a book, not meeting them in person. Overall, it was a great weekend and stay tuned this week for exciting updates including a 12 hour overnight stint in the Labor Room and the ER.
This is Los Ladrones de Jamon signing out. Go Tigers-sorry Mark, Craig won this round.
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