Lost in Translation

So it's official. I know I bought my ticket over a week ago, but I think today it really set in for real...this is happening. Today I spoke with my new boss on the phone for the first time and it went really well. It was a short conversation, but when I hung up it hit me - this is it. This is real. You are going to be in Cochabamba in 10 days! Intense.

So here is the plan: I leave Toronto on Saturday January 27th and I will arrive in Cochabamba on Sunday morning. It will be about 21 hours of travelling, including 5 different airports and 4 countries. Fun stuff.

I will be working at the Centro Boliviano Americano in Cochabamba teaching english. I don't have a lot of details yet (big surprise) but I know that it's a leap of faith and I am ready for anything.

There is so much I need to get done in the next month or so - find an apartment, get trained, start work - basically organizing my life. It's a big challenge but I'm ready for it. I know, if nothing else, it will be a wild adventure.

So here goes nothing...

So most people who have talked to me in, oh say, the last 7 years know that I love travelling to Bolivia and I love my home away from home, Cochabamba. I first visited in 1999 to do volunteer work and I have since returned five times. The people are great, the scenery is amazing and the culture is incredible. So for all these reasons and more, I have decided to take a job teaching english there for the next year or so.

Since very few people know much about Cochabamba or Bolivia, I thought I'd give a basic run down:

Bolivia is located in the heart of South America, right between 5 countries - Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile. There is no access to the ocean from Bolivia but they do in fact have a navy which guards Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world and a shared body of water between Peru and Bolivia. So basically, if Peru decides to invade by water, they better watch out cause these boys are well-rested...

The capital city is La Paz, which is the highest capital city in the world at an altitude of 3600 meters (11811 feet). Cochabamba is the 3rd largest city in the country and it's located in a valley of the Andes at about 2500 meters (8350 feet). It is also called the City of Eternal Spring because of it's year-round spring like weather. The days are usually warm and sunny and the evenings are cool but comfortable.

So that's my new home for the next year or so...I'll have some more updates and info as the trip comes together and I finally arrive.

For now, the tickets are bought and I'll be on my way January 27th. Here we go again...

As I prepare for my 6th trip to Cochabamba, Bolivia, I have decided to start this travel blog so that anyone who is interested can check in on me while I am away. Hopefully I will figure this thing out and I will be able to post pictures and share my many crazy stories about life in Cochabamba. Hope you all enjoy it...