Eight months in Bolivia on the other side of our planet !

Myself, I stayed in the village of Buenavista for eight months. I was welcomed by two Portuguese confreres who are in charge of a parish and about twenty chapels. The place is beautiful, we are on the edge of a natural park that covers 4424 square kilometers. The climate is tropical but less hot than in Vietnam. Nature is charming. In the morning, we are woken up by the parrots. A little worried about the Spanish language, I actually got used to it very quickly, already fluent in Portuguese. I gradually switched from portunhol (a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish) to a more correct Spanish. I immediately appreciated the pastoral work, happy to go by 4×4 jeep or motorcycle to celebrate in the outstations, even if my work was often limited to night celebrations only.  During the day, I gave some catechesis in one outstation, visited the sick, prisoners, and grieving families, and on several occasions, I found myself alone in the parish, which gave me more work. During these eight months, I also collaborated with two ecclesial movements, the neocatechumenate, and a Catholic radio station, by preaching a retreat and participating in radio broadcasts. I took advantage of my free time to get to know the country and at the end of my stay, I spent three weeks on holiday in Peru where my cousin lives.