Full House

So over the past two weeks, the family dynamics in the house have changed. Usually at any given point I live with with 5 others in the house: Sra. Lilian (Bolivian mother), Pablo (Bolivian bother), Jessi (Pablo’s wife), Natalia (their daughter), and Don Victor (Sra. Lilian’s dad).

What has changed is now there are currently four other people who are living in the house. The first to arrive was Don Teddy (Bolivian father). Don Teddy works in Santa Cruz, and is usually gone for months at a time. However, when he doesn’t have any contract, he is allowed to come back home, until his company settles the contracts. Sometimes he is able to finish the work quick and returns in a few days, or sometimes the contacts are long and tedious and take months to finish. So he is back, which is a good thing.

The next person to move back into the house was Andrea (my Bolivian sister). Andrea is married to Javi and they live just a few houses down the street. However, currently Javi is in Minnesota for a month at some work conference. So instead of Andrea staying in her home by herself and her two girls, they moved in. Carolina (9) and Ceci (4) are a hoot. The only downfall to this whole thing, is that when I want to take a nap in the mid-afternoon (after my elephant portioned lunch), I can’t. I usually make my way to my bed, only to get attacked by all my “nieces.” I swear that they think that I am huge toy, some along the “My Buddy” but life-size and real. This is actually really cool and makes me feel like I am at home playing with my cousins.

The surprise guest who moved in was Shirley (my youngest Bolivian sister). Shirley is married to Gonzalo, and she moved in with us for a short period. It sounded like she had a lot of homework to do, and was using the computer and stuff in our house. The second advantage was that “our house” is closer to her university, which is why she will be living with us for a short while.

With all these people living in the house, patience is key. Fighting for the shower in the morning, chairs at the table, and the TV are fun. When we all go to bed, I can’t help but feel like the Bolivian equivalent of the Waltons.