My first day on the job

Today I went to work at a Deaf school. I was surprised to find out that the teachers are only paid for three days a week. Therefore, they do not show up sometimes the other two days of the week. Of course, this might be because they need to earn a living by having another job. I also was shocked to find that there are only two Deaf schools in the entire country of Bolivia. There appears to be a negative sentiment among the Bolivian people towards the President. I do not really know enough about the matter, but he may be causing more problems than he is helping. For instance, today I saw many disabled people on strike stopping traffic on the main avenue of the city. They would literally sit down in the middle of the road so that cars could not utilize the road. From my perspective, I did not necessarily see this as the most productive way of protesting, but then again there may not be other productive ways to get the President’s attention if he does nothing.

I helped assist in teaching the Deaf students today only to find out I would be teaching them by myself tomorrow. If you feel like jumping in, I guess you could say that is exactly what I am doing. I am very pleased to find that American Sign Language is very similar to Bolivian sign language. Therefore the transition to speak with the students has been much less difficult than I anticipated. In addition to working in the Deaf school, I shadowed and/or attended a yoga session for people with disabilities this morning. I am going to join the yoga session once more on Wednesday. I have never really done yoga before, but I think it would be useful in improving one’s relationship with God. Perhaps that is something to think about if you are seeking some new physical activity to practice breathing and relax a little bit.

Listen in to find out more specifics about my journey thus far in Bolivia.

Click here to hear the beginning of my tour in Bolivia!