Photos

I have attempted to upload photos a number of times, but it seems very slow, I therefore have created an account purely to view photos.
For those on facebook who have already seen some pics, these are largely the same but without the drunken snaps and with more cultural ones!!!

Please find at www.getjealous.com/maddysgapyearphotos

I will post soon about the past week and my Latin Catholic Christmas experience!

Feliz Navidad x

Day 43

My decision to stay in Santa Cruz for longer was definitiely a good one. The weekend after my last post we (myself, Marcelito, Maria, Marias boyfriend, Luis, and a friend of Marcelito´s) to Samaipata, a countryside village where they family have 2 little bungalows. It was such a fun weekend.. did some long scenic walks in a historic national park first and then in a sort of forest area with rivers and waterfalls, we drank Ambrosia (the first milk of the day from the cows with cognac), and stayed in the house drinking etc in the evenings. I then planned to leave, again, so I had my second leaving lunch, but I then decalred I had changed my mind on xmas and would come abck here and not go to peru, i figured with people who actually really want me here and the chance to help at the oprhanage this is more of an expeirence than just going to the beach with our british people. This means I am here until early January. So i then went off to La Paz for what was supposed to be about 2 weeks. But then I discovered altitude sickness, and after spending half a night in hospital with oxygen pipes up my nose and metal clamps round my wrists and ankles (SAW: The Bolivian Edition???) I was back in Santa Cruz within 2 days! La Paz is a very striking city, not so much pretty as just quite breathtaking. It is very high up so you are in the clouds literally, and sourrounded my mountain tops. The family didnt speak any english so I really stretched my spanish ability... the conversation obviously ran dry pretty quickly and turned more into a game of charades. They were lovely though, and gave me a speed tour of the city so that I still got to see a lot. The father is head of the airforce so I somehow managed to land myself seat 1A for nada on the plane back.. ideal i thought, as I strutted through security drink in hand and walked to the plane chatting with the pilot (his mate) about how yes thank you i would love to come to the cockpit during the journey to see, this was more like it. So there I was sitting comfortably in my big seat, smug as hell definitely deserving a slap, i didnt understand the announcement explaining we had to swtich planes or why everyone was getting up and leaving,. I eventually worked this out and thought, well, no rush ive got my seat waiting in another plane. good one maddy. on the next plane it was a first come first serve on seats, and the seats were somewhat smaller. i found myself practically in row 3457938 seat Z. different pilot. no vip treatment. 2 hour delay. maybe in hindsight I overeacted by crying for the first 20 minutes and it probably was comic for everyone else to see the stupid smug tourist from the last plane shoved at the back. karma. Taking off from la paz is bizare because of the altitude; its like ´cabin crew for take off ... 10 seconds later ... ladies and gentlemen we are now curising at 20,000 feet.´ anyway i enjoyed my albeit brief trip to la paz a lot, but i am excited to spend xmas here in s.c
I am working at the orphanage again now, I had an emotional reuinion with millie (my fave baby) and melly (my fave 5 year old). Athough melly keeps called me ábuela´... this means grandma... sun damage is taking its toll maybe. I also went to the market on saturday and bought lots of toys and sweets for the orphanage for xmas,  so i am going to go that day and help out and give them to them. i know babies cant be excited about recieving presents but its still worthwhile to know they are getting good, clean new toys that arent broken, and that there was presents for the older children.
Last night we went to the plaza and outside the cathedral there were carol singers. Weird standing listenging to silent night in spanish whilst slowly sweating to death.
Lots of love to everyone and I hope you are enjoying the pre-xmas time at home xxxxx

Day 31

I have finished work at the orphanage now. It was really great working there but it is sad that you cannot do anything to really change or help in the long run, maybe you make that day or month better but you dont make any of the childrens lives better. I think for this projects like building them a new area or something is better, maybe in the future I will return and try to do this.. I was so sad when I had to leave; i spent nearly an hour just with milagro (my favourite!). i dont remember if i already said this, but i found out she had an older brother and sister, but when their mother died they were split up and put in different oprhanages. things like this actually make me really angry.. a bit of extra admin/organisation would keep the remnents of a family together and essentially make a huge difference to their lives. maria tells me this usually does happen. when i was leaving the head nun came and said thank you and we chatted a bit, although it was all in spanish so it was a fairly retarded conversation on my part! she then gave me a bracelet, which i immediately broke in front of her, good, and then she gave me another bracelet, which i now am wearing and will always keep. i still cant decide whether i think it is better for some of the children to be there than the potential lives they could have had; sometimes you see children working with their parents in the markets or on the streets at night, and then i think actually for the children in the orphanage who are safe and sleeping maybe it is a better start to life. I felt really weird and a lot of guilt on my last day i was looking after them and i couldnt help but think how different our lives will be and how nothing will change that. The children need a lot of look after, by the end as i was more involved i realised how much there was to do, constantly looking after nearly 20 babies between 3 of us, but often just 1 of us, is difficuly, because its crucial you dont let anything go amiss, and then of course there are all of the other children, so they really have a lot to do there. I found out that the other people who work are all paid and are not volunteers, maybe hence some of their attitude! But obviously this is a big drain on the money available, and then with having to feed, water and give medicines to 70 children, you can see that it is struggling. This is why volunteers are actually a big help, it made me think maybe i should work for a longer amount of time in the future, so to actually save them the cost of another person working.

On sunday we went to  a national park, Guembe, which had a mariposario (butterfly dome), a bird sanctuary, natural springs, waterfalls, a lake, an island for monkeys, etc. This was probably my best day yet! I went with Maria, Sergio (marias boyfriend) and Luis (marias brother). We didnt actually plan to go, we were going to go to aqualand again but it had closed down (not paying its taxes.. good one) so we ended up taking the long dirt track to guembe which was a result! Did some kayaking, climbed to the top of the bird sanctuary water tower where you can see the entire city and beyond, swimming, etc. Once again, even though i bloody wore cream this time, i ended up with a bright red face. This needs to stop happening. They keep looking at me and saying ´....ohhh... roja´ yes thank you i had noticed!!! Also was not ideal when, i kid you not, about 25 wasps attacked me at lunch, dad you would have been proud i did not make as much of a scene as usual!
On monday i went to the cinema and for ice cream and then later for dinner with Luis because everyone else had to study. I suppppoossse you could call it a date. haha... joke....
Moving on!!!! Yesterday we went to the river.  (with maria, luis, their mum, aunt and cousin) I thought ohh nice, sit and watch the water, maybe some boats... Right this was not the case. In reference to a previous post about this being the hottest city ever... THE RIVER HAS DRIED OUT. i mean seriously is that some kind of joke?!! anyway it was actually awesome. there are like these hut restaurants selling the best local food (you have to try sonso... yuca and cheese on a long wooden stick) on the drive up, which is all sand and dirt track, and then over a mound (we were in a 4x4 obviously) and then theres this huge plaine which is the ´river´. i think maybe the word desert would be more appropriate bit never mind! there is a bit with water which is knee deep, we went from paddling in this to basically mud wrestling. then luis and i got a quadbike (HOW romantic... ha) and went across the river on it. again was such a good day.
apart from that we´ve been going out to markets, for dinners etc, i´ve been getting more into the local cuisine etc.. the stomach can just about handle it now! theres a market near by, which looks from the road like a few shops, and then as you go in suddenly becomes a maze of indoor lanes selling clothes, dvds and all sorts of apparent foods side by side. we went there the other night to get a film, and even at 10 at night there are young children, dogs and chickens all wondering around in the lanes for you to squeeze through, then it was a hectic array of sounds, smells, colours etc, but then we tried to go on the sunday and it is a genuine ghost town because obviously sunday being the holy day is taken more seriously here. crazy how much it changed in one day.
so then today... my ´last day´... i had my ticket booked for a 1.30 flight to la paz. i went to the market in the morning with maria and her mother, then came back and had a bbq with marcelos family and maria. then we set off to the airport, marias mother was driving, there were then a further 6 of us in the car, all good, wasnt much of a sweaty journey! got to the airport (10 minutes before my flight was due to take off.. these bolivians are fairly lax like i said!) and as we were approaching i said oohhh i dont want to leave, next thing i know marias mother has changed my ticket for me and i am here until monday. i never even got out of the car at the airport. anyway, i am very happy about this so i think we will maybe go to samipata this weekend where the family have another house in the countryside with marcelito, miguel, maria, luis, sergio and diego.
So heres to another week here! i hope everyone is well and enjoying the build up to christmas!

Day 25

Hola amigos!

So I will recap my week as usual...
On saturday we went go karting, and it turns out I am... awesome! It has to be my calling in life! Quite cringe though when I was giving banter the whole way there about how i would win then i did by 7 laps, the first few times i lapped them it was funny but by the 5th or 6th it was just awkward! Then on saturday night we went to the irish pub in the main plaza then to a club, i still find it strange how they do things differently, like only ordering shots, but not any drinks to sit and enjoy, so just every 15 minutes they do another shot and have nothing inbetween.On sunday i went to the park with luis, marias brother, he speaks english pretty much to the same level as my spanish, so it was a lot of bad spanglish, and giggling!
This week I have been at the orphanage every day, i´ve got to know the other volunteer, a german girl, quite well, as well as more of the other children. Like i said the older children seem a bit happier because they can play outside with each other. It is the babies i still feel so sorry for. People said working at an oprhange will be so great because all of the children are so happy to have you there, but its not as simple as this. When you see them sitting in a dusty room playing with old, broken, dirty toys and theyre ill and so are crying for hours on end and really whatever you do wont change anything in the long run, its not the romantic image people have. Sorry to sound so cynical! It was quite nice, one of the children; miguel, has gone because his aunt came to take him. she had been looking for 5 months since his parents died but hadnt known where he was, so everyone was really happy for him. i´ve been thinking about that all week, what it must be like having his first week at home, and also how forutnate that is, because he´ll have a totally diferent life now. although he was definitely one of the easiest to look after. feeding the 1 year olds is one of the most difficult things, they obviously need spoon feeding but some respond to this better than others. there is lots of dribbling the foot back out, knocking the bowl out of your hands, food throwing, falling asleep mid meal, crying, watching each other, throwing up, choking etc etc tec! we have to get them to finish their food though, so when it comes to feeding people do grab a ´good´child i.e. one that is easier. i actually saw another women eating the baby food when she thought no1 was looking to try and get rid of it as the child wouldnt eat it.. so funny. i´m literally inlove with millie, my favourite one, she is 7 months old, i found out she has 2 siblings but theyve been seperated and are in a different orphanage. please can someone say theyll adopt her.. ill be a fulltime aupair! tomorrow is my last day working there i cant believe it! i am going to write up about it properly with contact details and photos so to encourage other people to go there to work.
Apart from that this week, we have just done the usual i.e. lots of chicken dinners at this place we like. its like an authentic, outdoor, cheap nandos, so obviously i love it! every day we have lunch as a family, which is always home cooked and delicious. its really nice that whatever they are doing everyone comes home for lunch. they found it odd that i said we do this more for dinner; dinner isnt important here. on tuesday i had to go in to the city to go to the airline office and to the post office (for the 3rd time to colelct one package.. they dont make it easy), so after i sat in the main plaza and read for an hour, and then went into the cathedral, and then for an early evening beverage, was a nice afternoon with my fantastic own company as usual!
ive noticed the longer you spend somewhere the less things surprise you, and unfortunately, the more it wears away at your pity. when i used to see beggars, who are extremely crippled and are the worst case of poverty ive seen, i found it very sad and shocking, now it doesnt seem much of a shock to walk past a man with no limbs or a blind woman sitting in the road inches from traffic. the same with the children, you may remember i said i nearly cried when i saw they had the í love my mummy´bibs, well i found out quite afew of their first words is ´mama´ but now i dont feel as saddened by this when i think i probably should. I do feel bad for not spending christmas at the orpahange, but it didnt make sense to spend 2 months in santa cruz and no time in la paz or travelling on before my tour starts. for christmas i think i will be in mancora in peru, a beach town.
i am flying up to la paz on wednesday. i´m sure i will ahve a busy weekend to report on as it is my last in s.c, and then next week i will upload photos! sorry if i am sending people short emails or taking a long time to reply.. i am nearly always just on my phone when i read them and writing along email on my phone is not easy! lots of love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Day 20

It's official Santa cruz is the hottest city ever. And with no grass, beach, rivers, or basically any shade, I am officially melting!
I was on the bus to work the other day an thought that the experience I have 4 times a day needed explaining. So to hail the bus, which you can do anywhere, I stand on the side of a main road just out of the way of cars in the patch of sand that replaces need for pavement (beats me how there is sand in a landlocked country with no desserts), the sand is also a real pain when it sprays of a car in your face.. Anyway, so you stick you arm out hard and fast, ignoring all of te beeping cars, which when you are the only blonde in the entire city is frequent, the bus swerves in often straight at you, and you hop on and pass the driver the 1.80b's (about 15p) over his shoulder while he drives, of you need change it'll get passed to you from passenger to passenger about ten minutes later. The bus then hurtles along. Lanes, crossings, breaks and any form of rules are not a big feature on Bolivian roads. When you want to get off you then shout stop, this seems to be the one word I can never remember, so I just shout random Spanish words until he realises; he then swerves in and slows down, the door is already open so you sort of hang on and jump as it is slowing down and then run alongside still hanging on until youve steadied yourself an definitely before he starts speeding back up (I speak from experience). On my route home from work I then cross a very busy main road, a good fair distance to cross is normally when you have 2 cars doing about 40 and they still a good 10 metres away.. Ample time at this point, to go from standing into a sudden sprint to
cross the road. Anyway.. Just setting the scene!
The orphanage is going well. I think for the children who are age 3/4/5 it's quite nice because they are all together an get to play all day in a safe surroundings, unlike a lot of children you see in the city sitting on the streets in the markets, and it's sort of like they have lots of siblings and seek quite happy. It is the babies I feel really sad for because this is the age when you don't need or care for friends, but just need parental care and attention, and whilst they are adequately provided for, they don't get that love. It is very eye opening and really very sad.
Thankfully I am now better, yesterday i walked 6.5 km across the entire city, I stopped at a few cafes along the way as well as in plaza de septiembre, the main square. I really have seen most of the city now, although it's a shame not exploring it with anyone.. Lucky I am amused enough by my own company! I tried to sunbathe on a bench in the square but the sun had heated the bench so much that I actually burnt myself.. last night we went for dinner than just sat
in diegos garden drinking etc. Drinking games in a foreign language is almost a certain loss! We are off go karting now.. In this heat.. Wish me luck! Xxxxx

Day 17

The rest of last week at the orphanage was interesting. Some of the women are quite lazy and impatient, they spend the morning watching tv lying on a bed which is supposed to be for the babies to play on and not talking to me or the children much, however the nuns who run the orphanage are very kind which made me feel a lot happier to see. The children are adorable, I spend most of my time just going from baby to baby stopping them crying and playing, apart from this I help with feeding them and cleaning.
On Thursday I also had another Spanish lesson so I'm improving a bit! On Friday I made a fairly spontaneous decision to go to sucre with the other travellers I met in the hostel. There were 2 English guys and 3 Scottish guys, then obviously we met other people in the hostel, like a german girl who had been travelling for 20 months!! We got the bus on Friday afternoon and it was without a doubt the worst bus possible! So after the longest journey through the mountains of Bolivia (obviously I was the only one terrified) we got to sucre on Saturday morning. We spent 2 nights in one hostel which was basically like having our own house and the third night in a really busy hostel run by some crazy Dutch guy. Really liked Sucre, it's smaller and more chilled than Santa cruz, it's supposed to be colder but we were lucky and had sun. So mainly did sightseeing, looked around the markets, sunbathed in the park, big meals and a few nights out. I ten had my first money disaster as my card wouldnt work to book my flight back to Santa cruz so I had to make the first crisis call home! After visiting sucre I've decided I want to do more travelling around so I think I'll head to la Paz in about 2 weeks.
Apart from that I've been just going out for dinners and shopping with Maria, Marcelo jr, Diego, Paola and luis. Unfortunately I'm now bedridden and ill with some kind of infection so I'm pretty bored and feeling rough. I think this weekend we may go gokarting and maybe to aqualand again. The lifestyle here is much more slow pace and chilled out, people don't tend to make plans in advance but I get a bit more restless which is also why I think travelling around a bit more would be a good idea.
Probably will upload some pictures in the next few days.
Lots of love xxxxx

Day 9

Where to begin?!!

So I had a busy weekend. On friday night I went to the cinema in the Plaza de Septiembre (the main historic square) with Marcelo jnr., maria and Diego (another guy on the street, who speaks fluent english) and after we went for drinks. This is where i discovered their love for tequila.. it is the first thing they want to order! On saturday I went to aqualand with Paola (Marcelos daughter), Macelo jnr, Luiz (marias brother) and julio (maria and luiz´s cousin). On arrival I realised again little cultural differences; I headed straight for the wave pool then the highest slide (such a lad..), which they thought was totally crazy. It was the first day I started to really chill out, and of course, got horifically sunburnt. On saturday night we hit the town; Maria, Paola, Diego, Luiz, marias boyfriend and I. Again, Bolivian clubbing is different to in london or newcastle! People wait to be asked to dance and then dance, very closely, in pairs. No crap throwing your arms around in a group like in england. Obviously I knew I would look a fool if I attempted some latino grinding so instead I taught them the sprinkler, the shopping trolley, the shakey-face game, and of course soldier boy. On Sunday I visited the cemetery with Paola; this was very moving and we bonded a lot, I was pleased she took me with her. Then on sunday evening I went to the cinema with Diego, and on the journey back he gave me some of the history of Santa Cruz.

On Monday morning I started work at the orphange. I am helping to look after the babies. This I have found extremely saddening. There is so much help and money required. The women who look after the babies are maybe just overworked or to them it has become a job, but whilst they look after the babies, they do not coo over them, sometimes they are quite impatient with them. I have made it my job to go around playing with them and showing them some motherly love! And it seems I have found my calling! On arrival to the orphange today there were about 15 babies crying like I´ve never heard. I moved between each working out what was wrong and found I soon had a nearly silent room! There are about 20 in the room, 4 of which are new borns, then about 6 6-8 month olds i.e. gurgling and rolling around and can acknowledge you are there but no real movement or awareness of each other, then 10 who are about a year old, who all buzz around in little baby-movers.  Obviously the oprhange has other chldren but I am just with the babies for now (probably because of my crap spanish!). It makes me very sad to see things like they are all getting ill and have a (contageous...) eye infection, that they have flies and mosies buzzing around their faces, the rudimentary accomodation (like 2 of the babies share a cot until they can get another) and what made me really sad was that one of them was wearing a bib that said "i love my mummy"... i know they cant read it but i nearly cried when i saw that. I find it a shame that they will in the future be unaware of me being there and all of the attention and love i give them, but now I have seen them I definitely want to keep doing it regardless of whether they will remember it. When they cry it is so heartbraking because they dont have anyone scooping them up and giving them a kiss or twirling them round like I did as a baby. I do urge anyone who has ever contimplated working or donating to an orphanage to do so.. aside from being nice for oneself, it is so needed.

Yesterday after work I went for a run (determined not to be one of those people who come back from travelling fat!) and then out for dinner with Maria, Marcelo jnr, Diego, Luiz and another friend of theres. Its definitely better now having a group of people to do things with.
Today I went to a hostel which is designed for engish speaking backpackers for a spanish lesson. I then have another on thursday. After the lesson I met a whole load of English and Australian guys who were hilarious. This is the first time I´ve met any travellers or English people. Obviously being with the locals is a much better and real experience, but its good to sometimes talk to people doing similiar things. They´ve invited me out with them, also their hostel regularly throws bbqs plus it has a pool (surprisingly rare in such a hot country!) so will head down there again at some point. They´re heading to Lima next then B.A so it seems i´ll probably bump in to them every step around south america!

Tomorrow I am doing a full day at the orphanage then I think we´re heading to an Irish pub where they have live music in the evening.

Still undecided when to go to La Paz, and where to be for Xmas!

So much love to everyone, please please keep in contact etc! xxxxxxx

Day 6

So I still have not started work.. There is admin needed and it seems the Bolivians take things at a more leisurely pace!! However I have decided that first I will work at an orphanage for young boys and girls which is a bus ride away (I'm a pro on the buses, and that's saying something!) because that is was I always intended to do plus they need the most help. To think.. A week ago I was deciding between embargo and maremoto and now I'm deciding this!! Maybe after I will work at the other places though. I have also been trying to convince some of the young generation here to join me!
My Spanish is slowly getting there. I am learning simply by having people talk to me in Spanish and having to attempt to understand and reply, and wheneet I learn a new word I write it in my little pocket notebook (thank you Janie Lou!!) however obviously conversations I have are still very slow and probably painful for them! I had been trying to show enthusiasm to everything by saying I love it, so anything I am given, see, eat or people ask about I was saying 'si, te amo!'..... I then found out I'd actually been telling everyone 'i love you'.. Which is, by and large, really embaressing.
Maria, a friend of the family who is my age an lives opposite, took me yesterday with her to university for the afternoon, obviously not into lectures (why only start going to them now!!) but to see and meet her friends. And this morning I went with Marcelo and Marcelo jnr. To the huge, out-of-town market, which was crazy! Its good as these are things the usual tourist often would not see.
The weather is not so sunny now, more just muggy!! So I am not tanned but still looking sweaty and vile!!
Texts, emails, facebooks, letters all welcome!! Missing everyone xx

Day 4

Hola mis amigos y mi familia. After a very stressful transfer which included so much turbulence I grabbed the old argentian woman in the night and woke her, sitting in the jump seat for land so I could sprint to the gate for my follow on flight and discovering the stupidity in not packing a book, I made it to Santa cruz!
The family are lovely, however I am rapidly learning Spanish as only Marcelo and his son speak English. I am sharing the daughters bedroom but we have a giggle attempting to chat!
Yesterday I met with the governors wife and we visited a home for malnourished children; here they said there is a siniliar but bigger home in the countryside I could live and work at. we then visited a home run by nuns for girls up to age 18 who have been abandoned or abused, I also could work here and it is very close to marcelos home. Then today we visited another orphanage simply for children with no parents; I think I will be working here first and then maybe at the other places.
Today I went to the wildlife park with marcelos son; Marcelo and then with marcelos daughter, Paola, to her friends house, where I had my first wine of the trip!! This evening I am going with Marcelo (jr) and his friends for dinner. Although speaking with people is tough I feel happier today feeling more part of the action!!
I have been eating fresh fruit for breakfast, meat and veg for lunch and no wine or fags!!! What a healthy, virtuous lifestyle I now have!! The weather is scorching but being in a city there's not much sunbathing! On Saturday I think we're headed to a pool (my idea!!) to soak up the rays!!
I'm missing everyone terribly, please email me all news!!!! xxxxxxxx

Day 1

I am in the process of finishing my packing before we head to the airport... My flight departs at 9 this evening directly to Buenes Aires, so I can only hope BA decide to upgrade me!
I should be with Marcelo and his family in Santa Cruz by midday tomorrow.