After a stressful but worthwhile visit to Uyuni, I came back to more travel worries. Not exactly how I wanted to spend my last two days in Bolivia. I was told that my 3am flight leaving Cochabamba, which was the only flight that didn't involve me sleeping in the airport before my flight out of La Paz, probably didn't exist and was a mistake on the part of the airline. A previous volunteer had booked a flight at the same time only to arrive to the airport and find it closed. This is where my mini panic attack ensued.
I could book an earlier flight for the night before, but I didn't want to sleep in the airport with all of my stuff, and as a woman traveling alone I wasn't too keen on trying to make my way to a hostel in the middle of the night in a sketchy part of town. I couldn't risk the airport being closed at 1am and just take the next flight out because the next flight didn't leave until 10am which would be when my third flight of the trip, from Lima, Peru, would already be leaving. I was torn on what to do and wasn't sure what the right route would be.
When I get stressed or am put under pressure my Spanish doesn't work too well. I can't find the right words, I can't understand other people, it's just one more problem on top of a bad situation. I knew that my Spanish wasn't up to par on the phone already and the worrying wasn't going to help, but the only thing I could do was call the airline. Fortunately I live with a native Bolivian and a young woman from Texas who is fluent in Spanish. After a few stressful (and some unconnected) phone calls to the airport and the airline to confirm that they would indeed be open and my flight would leave at 3am, I still wasn't completely convinced. I was too worried that the Bolivian way of life, which is one of patience and "go with the flow" would still yield a problem for me. It's only been a month, I haven't quite accepted that attitude just yet. Needless to say, my habit of worrying was in full force, and it seemed like it would stay around for the next two days until I stepped foot on that plane.
Then we went on our daily trip to the community center in Tackaloma. There was nothing out of the ordinary today, but it was still just what I needed. The children were friendly, playful, and well behaved (ok, so maybe one thing was out of the ordinary today). I had Jolina and Christian caught in a tickle fight, I had Dania sitting on my lap while we watched videos to teach them about helping others and appreciating family, I got a crying Jessica to smile if only for a moment, and a great group of fun and curious kids to play frisbee with. I could feel the stress lift. I figured running around a bit would help, but I didn't expect that the loving attitudes, smiling faces, and sincere hugs would make me quite so happy today. They inadvertently created a new stress, but a welcomed one. One where I know I will miss this place. 
Just two weeks ago I was counting the days until I could be home because I missed it, but knew that I wanted to experience my trip too. Now I am lamenting each minute that passes, but still allowing myself to be excited for home. It's a good problem to have. I've grown to appreciate Cocha for what it is. It may be different than LA, but it has it's own charm. While riding in on a bus last night I could only see pieces of the city and I thought to myself how much it reminded me of any other city in the U.S. The differences were obscured and when I thought about how I just wanted to get home, I pictured my room in Cochabamba. I'm still a little skeptical about my flight, but at least now I will be able to enjoy my last two days with my makeshift family at Bolivia Digna.
It's amazing what kids can do.
