After almost 24 hours of travel, I finally made it to my home in La Paz for the next 5 weeks! The journey from Portland to Los Angeles to Miami to La Paz went relatively smoothly, and we were landing in the tiny airport before I knew it. While waiting in the gate in Miami for my last flight, I looked around to see if I could tell which of the other travelers were part of my program. Sometime between waiting in line to board and going through baggage claim we found each other by overhearing conversations and scoping out the non-Bolivians. Everyone in the group seems great! All premedical students, all excited to be here and anxious to start our rotations.

Upon landing I immediately felt the altitude difference. It was intense. Walking through the airport I had to stop often to catch my breath and even sit down once because I felt faintish and weak. It's getting better already, and I hope that within the first couple of days I will get used to it.

There was a young man waiting for us at the airport, holding a sign with our names on it. We walked outside into the chilly night and loaded our luggage into a couple of taxis that were waiting for us.

La Paz is shaped like a bowl - the airport is at the very top, in a city called El Alto, which is the poorest neighborhood in the region. As we drove down into the valley the urban slums turned into more industrial-looking areas, then more organized parts of town and as we arrived at the bottom (and city-center) we were surrounded by nicer houses, apartment buildings, and what clearly is the more affluent part of town.

The sun rose over the surrounding mountains as we got out of the car - an impressive welcoming to the city. Myself and one other girl - Sarah from Boston - were escorted to our home-stay. We squeezed into the tiny elevator of our apartment building and arrived at the 3rd floor, where a sleepy but sweet woman (Isabel) and her fluffy white lapdog (Estrella) welcomed us enthusiastically.

We were shown to our room and Sarah and I laid in our beds for a couple hours, talking and looking out of our window at the already busy city, in complete disbelief.

When we woke up a couple hours later, we found the table set for breakfast and Isabel was gone, but her live-in maid, Sonya, was busy cleaning the house.

She sat with us and told us about her family, dreams to move to America, and previous volunteers. The now 21 year old has been working here for 4 years. It is unfathomable how different our lives are from hers at almost the same age.

After unpacking, eating some chicken soup for lunch, meeting our third roommate - Carolyn from Alaska- and spending some time with the fascinating Senora Isabel (our host), we went back to bed for a few hours.

We woke up and decided to get some fresh air and find a place to eat dinner. Sarah, Carolyn and I walked out of the building into the central plaza, and found a small internet café called "Blueberry," recommended to me by a previous intern of the program - Ann. We walked around the plaza, with cars (mostly taxis) racing around us, typical South American atmosphere.

Back at the apartment we hung out and watched a movie with Isabel.

I cannot believe how fortunate I am to be here - this unique city, generous hosts, roommates that share my interests and passions, and so much excitement for the upcoming days.