La Primavera Ya Viene!

Dear all,

A couple of Fridays ago, I came home to find rose petals strewn across my front steps. I was puzzled to say the least. I cocked my head to one side, furrowed my brow, and leaned a little closer, when another petal landed on the step directly above the other. When I tilted my head back, I couldn't help but laugh at what I saw.

After months of Cochabamba's dry season, the earth has begun to warm up. I no longer need my jacket after the sun goes down. We have been planting new seedlings and sprouting plants in the windowboxes on the balcony at work. And the tall rose bush that stands guard outside the front door to my house has begun to sprout buds and bloom.

Within three days, the thorny, thick-stemmed bush that I had never paid much attention to went from green and pink buds - to dropping velvety rose petals onto the steps leading to my front door. When I looked up on that Friday night, what I saw was the bright red and almost orangey pink rose flowers, illuminated by streetlamps and silouetted against the deep blue sky of dusk. Absolutely beautiful.

The next stage of spring comes with the rains. In the last week, clouds have begun appearing, entering the Cochabamba valley over the highest nearby peak, Mt. Tunari, which sits northeast of the city. I can't wait for a true, good rain, but we did get a few drops this evening. I can't believe the entire month of August went by without a single thunderstorm. Where am I!?

The temperature difference between winter and summer here is not nearly as bad as in DC (in Cochabamba, mid-day temperatures in the sun get up to t-shirt weather - even in the middle of winter). Still though, I've gotten into it. In the spirit of "spring cleaning", I got my hair cut (see photo) and decided to move to a sunnier, more peaceful spot further away from the center of the city. (Though Jose Miguel is back from Chile, so I'm no longer the only one in the house.) I move in to the new place next week, and I'll send another update once I do.

In the meantime, to all of you who are still suffering from the end of a hot, muggy summer - cheer up - the sun's coming this way these days.

Spanish words of the day
la primavera - spring
el verano - summer
epoca de lluvia - rainy season
húmedo - humid
las plantas - plants
las flores - flowers
la rosa - rose
el pétalo - petal
trasladarse - to move (from one house to another) - also mudarse
moverse - (more general) to move, to make an effort (to do something), also - to move it/dance "muévete muévete"

labor day - dia del trabajador - which we have on May 1 in Bolivia
in labor - de parto
birth - el parto (delivery), el nacimiento (birth)
to give birth - dar a luz (literally, give to light)
to be born - nacer
It's a boy - Es hombrecito/Es varoncito!
Congratulations! - Felicidades!
(these are in honor of both labor day and Cheryl and Eric's upcoming big day... when it comes)