To start this blog off I have something to share, an explanation of sorts. Over the last month you may have been thinking Amanda, you’ve taken a curious lack of pictures since you arrived in Bolivia, and the pictures you have taken aren’t up to your typical quality (like the pictures in this post which were taken using my iPod).  Well, it’s true and it’s all due to a very unfortunate event that occurred my first week here in Bolivia, and here’s what I have to say about it.

The train broke my camera.

Ok I may have been involved a tiny bit, but I blame it all on the train.  If you remember, a month ago I got a chance to go to Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats), well, on the train there from Oruro we passed through a huge lake full of flamingos and it was awesome, so I got my camera out to take pictures and then, instead of putting my camera away I put it on the floor and then I fell asleep.  Sometime during my sleep it must have shifted closer to my foot rest because when I woke up in was under it, and when I took out my camera the LCD screen was cracked.  My camera even has an extra hard plastic cover protecting the screen, but… they both cracked.  My luck.  Here I was, on my way to one of the most beautiful places in the world and I’d “ruined” my good camera.

Now, it’s true it could have been worse, I mean it’s just the screen, the rest of the camera works,so since the incident I have taken a couple pictures with it, but there are several issues that arise from the screen being useless, the greatest of which is my paranoia that my pictures won’t turn out. Case and point, a good quarter of the pictures I took at the salt flats had a giant, black piece of dirt or something in the middle.  Bummer.

I’ll admit, there’s a huge part of me that wishes I had $500 to order a new Rebel, because, while I’m thankful for the point and shoot I do have, the pictures just aren’t the same.  But alas, I don’t, and you know, while it’s still hard for me, I’m coming to terms with reality more and more everyday.  I mean, people who shot with 35mm cameras didn’t have LCD screens and their pictures still turned out ok right?

Anyway, on to better things, like cute little children!

A ministry I volunteer with weekly here is an orphanage called Casa De Amor 1, which is a home for babies up to 4 years old (Casa De Amor 2 is for the older kids).  When we arrive in the afternoon the kids are just waking up from their nap, so we round them all up, help the Tia’s change all the diapers, which are all cloth by the way, and then we take them downstairs to eat.

Some of the older kids are able to feed themselves but the younger ones definitely need help, especially the littlest one, who I’ll call N.  I don’t know exactly how old N is, but she couldn’t be more than a couple months.  I love sitting in the rocking chair, holding her as she looks into my eyes, happy to be held.  I wish I could go there and hold her everyday.  She’s so precious!

Feeding the 15 little ones takes awhile.  We’re talking like an hour to get it all done, but finally when they’re all finished and cleaned up it’s time to go outside and play, which is of course their favorite time of the day.  Usually we only have a few minutes to play with them before we have to leave, which is disappointing, but at least we can go back as often as we want!  I’m really looking forward to the relationships I’ll build with the kiddos over the next year, and trust me, I’ll share it all with you guys, pictures or not!