i haven´t quite gotten a handle on the catchy blog title thing

El Cristo- 5.30
did you know that cochabamba has the largest statue of Jesus in the world? it used to be the one in Rio, which is much more famous, but in 2004 Cochabamba built a bigger one =P
Today we woke up much refreshed to a light breakfast. much to my relief, they had plenty of coffee =) here it is brewed super super strong and kept cold, and then you add warm milk to suit.We then travled to the east of the city to see el Cristo, and to learn a bit about the history of the city. Maurico, a native Cochabambino and the program director for fsd, explained some of the complexities of life in Bolivia, and the many contradictions which prevail.

From there we traveled to La cancha, thought to be the largest market in the world. Picture thousands of people and millions of goods packed to the brim, with every sort of disgusting and delicious smell you could imagine. We were noticeable outsiders walking through the narrow hallways and often people would ask where we were from. Favorite part - the displays of skirts (polleras) and ornate blouses which are worn by cholitas, or women of indigenous ancestory who live in the city. These skirts vary in type but some are so fabulously oranate and beautiful that I'm suprised some Italian fashion designer hasnt coopted them into their spring line. Of course, they are somewhat tempered by the bowler hat precariously balanced atop a braided head which normally completes the outfit.

We then feasted on our first true Bolivian lunch. Almuerzo is the main meal of the day, and usually consists of soup first, and then a full second course. Lucas and I (who were on the same flight) had both lost our luggage, and so returned to the airport with Daniel, another member of the fsd site team, to retrieve it. turns out it wasnt actually there yet, although they had called us to say that it was, and while waiting we talked about Coca. what else? coca has such an important cultural history here, and they always say "coca no es cocaina." Bolivia produces cocaine, but they arent the people who use it. Daniel had very strong opinions on this, as im sure do many people, and it will be interesting to see the different perspectives as i go along.

* embarrasing, yet mildly hilarious sidenote. the adjustment to the altitude has not gone well for me, and i've had a wicked headache since i arrived. Knowing that coca is used to alleviate altitude sickness, i proceeded to chew some yesterday. Little did i know that you arent supposed to swallow it..... I then discovered another use for coca - it can be used to quickly and highly effectively induce vomiting* i have so much to learn =P

A perfect end to the day, i went to a soccer game between two of the different departamentos (states) in Bolivia. not having a particular preference, we aligned with Aurura, the home team, and cheered and cursed them into victory =) Bolivians are intense about their futbol, to the point that riot police have to protect the players during the game, and the referees after. i also learned various bad words which seem to only be appropriate when slung at the opposing team or the refs.