Frutillas con Leche

I tried a new route to the workshop where I work. Instead of taking the quiet side streets, I decided to go a block or two out of my way and go by the rotunda Tarija, which is the front door of the Catholic University of Bolivia. It figures that such a university would be literally four blocks from my house, which I take to be a sign of blessing.

Anyway, instead of being alone when I walk I'm surrounded by changing classes, university students hanging out, and... the small lunch counter which stands on the Avenida Reuben Dario literally ten steps from the University gates. Home to delicious empanadas, Bolivian breads, and... frutillas con leche, which the UD expatriates in Bolivia have translated as "Strawberry milk."

Take whole or sliced strawberries, whole milk, several tablespoons of sugar and put them in a blender. Blend until smooth. Serve in a soda glass.

The best ones are served cold. Very cold. And they are so wonderfully delicious I can't even begin to describe them. Plus, without ice cream they are healthier than a milkshake.

In other news, today was my interview for the documentary that Mike and Colleen are putting together. I'm the last of all the ETHOS people from Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Peru, among other places, to be interviewed. We conducted most of the interview in the Sobre la Roca workshop where myself and Braulio, the new engineer, were running tests on the plasma cutter to find the correct voltage and cutting speed to get decent quality cuts while cutting two sheets of material at once. Mike and Colleen were able to get footage of the cutter actually running, which is pretty cool. Then I got interviewed about my work and life in Bolivia. I gave my suggestion from my experience that no one go alone, which was well-received. Although that was no one's fault, really, just a terrible twist of circumstances. I feel that going alone has made me have to be more careful instead of going out all over Cochabamba, but there's still been some great opportunities. Plus, I think my Spanish has gotten at least halfway decent being practically alone here.

Lunchtime was spent at a vegetarian restaurant with Mike, Colleen, and Doña Mama Ruth, where we discussed the presence of a local farmers' market at UD next year and the advantages of eating local.

It's kind of a shame that the last two weeks I have in Cochabamba is finally when I start to see the city, but I'll take what I can get.

Finally, the package with my books arrived from home. The booty:

The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
Some book by Dave Barry. It doesn't really matter which one, because every book by Dave Barry is hilarious.

This care package came welcome, considering I calculated the total duration of my return journey. 6:30 AM from La Paz to 11:00 AM in Cincinnati on Monday, July 28th. 28 1/2 hours. Almost 12 taken up by one hell of a layover in Dallas. Thank God for those books.