Spanish Schools and Sucre

It feels so good to finally be in Bolivia. It is like all my thoughts about getting here and being in Sucre have come to fruition. After landing in Uyuni after the Salar tour, I wondered if all of Bolivia was similar. There are a number of stark differences between Sucre and Uyuni. Uyuni primarily serves as a stop be for the salt flats. A place to find a cheap tour and get on the road. It reminded me of Arica in Chile without the charm. It felt edgy, rougher, and like something needed to bring it to life. Maybe it felt this waybecause we were there on a Sunday? Maybe I felt this way because I have been told to be more cautious in Bolivia? I am unsure. However, one thing we all knew was that we were not staying.
     In comparison, Sucre reminds me of Cusco. It has a very nice main square surrounded by lots of white buildings. It is a city that has some charm and life. If passing through, I would say 2-3 days here would suffice; however, if you want to learn Spanish this is the place to be. I went and talked to four or five different companies yesterday. They all offered similar opportunities for private and small group lessons at a reasonable price. Plus, they all included the opportunity to do extra activities, volunteering, and a homestay! Being my indecisive self, I thought how do I chose? Then, I emailed Beehive hostel (recommended to me in Arica by another lovely Canadian) and they suggested their top schools, but they also said they have friends who offer private lessons right at the hostel for 35 bolivianos an hour! 35 bolivianos is less than $6.00 Canadian!! For private lessons! I am so excited. Normally, the Beehive also has a cooperative where people from the community come in and you can be language partners. This consists of them speaking five minutes of Spanish and you speaking five minutes of English. However, because of the time of year, most of the students have left so I won't be able to participate in that.                
      In addition to finding a language school, I was also on a mission to find some volunteer work. At Fenix language school (which runs as a not for profit and puts the money back into the community) they work with a number of government programs and schools. But because it is the holidays and I think I am only staying here two weeks, volunteering with those programs is not really possible. However, I am still able to volunteer at an orphanage, which is what I wanted to do anyways! On Saturday, the Beehive is doing Christmas decorating and cookie baking with an orphanage and on Monday, Fenix will be doing a gift exchange that I will help with. I think I will also go to the orphanage on my own and help out. I am so excited to have the opportunity to give back again, especially around this time of year.
    It finally feels like Christmas and it is welcomed into my life. The square in Sucre is all decorated beautifully and looks so pretty at night. The coloured lights against the white buildings make for the perfect festive setting. I am missing the snow back home, but not the cold!

 Lights in Plaza 23 de Mayo

 Notice how Santa's face is white but hands are a different colour. 

I am still considering doing a homestay for the holidays and should know by Wednesday or Thursday if that will happen. I think it would be cool to participate in another countries traditions while attempting to improve my spanish. At this point in time, I am using more Spanish and I am attempting to say more even when I don't know. I'm finding that I feel it is necessary here and that I have enough basics to get by. I definitely can understand more than I can say so I am hoping my Spanish lessons help with this.