Leaving Montero

For me, our final days in Montero have been full of mixed emotions. In some ways I am ready to go back home and see friends and family; in other ways I know that this experience has changed me in ways that will make adjusting to life in the states again difficult.

I have truly come to love the people of Bolivia. When visiting someone´s house, no matter their situation, poor or rich, busy or bored, they would always offer us a seat and pleasant conversation. And despite the stares, most the people we encountered on the street were also extremely friendly.

Besides the people in Montero who only entered our lives briefly, we also made some great, and hopefully life long, friends. They took us to places we never would have discovered without locals. They were amazingly patient with our spanish, and many weekends they helped us stumble through the traditional Bolivian dances. They seemed to accept us into their circle of friends as if they had known us for years. We were truly touched by their hospitality and we will miss all of them very much!

I will also miss the people we worked with at the clinic. The nurses we went on home visits with were very friendly and patient, allowing us to help with most aspects of the visit despite a couple missteps giving vaccinations. I really feel that we got to experience a lot of different types of work that is done at the clinics; from folding gauze, to painting, to inventory, to giving vaccinations. One day we helped a nurse vaccinate over 80 animals, mostly dogs, but a couple of cats and a monkey too. It was a longggg day, but very interesting. I have gained a great appreciation for the work of the clinics.

While this blog could in no way fully express all that we have experienced here, hopefully it will give a little insight into our time in Montero that has been life changing. As I stated in an earlier blog post, the clinics have been feeling the effects of the recession with the rest of the world. Because of our incredibly rewarding experience here and our belief in the work the clinics are doing, Mansfield and I are asking anyone who was planning on giving us a Christmas present this year to please consider donating to the clinics on our behalf. It would be a great gift to both of us, and you would be amazed how far even $10 will go down here. If you´re interested email me (or get in touch through the blog) and I´ll let you know details for donating. Thanks!


We are now in Copacabana for a couple of days. From here Mansfield and I will go on a four day trek to Machu Pichu, before heading to Columbia to see Jorge!