Less-Than-Wonderful Things about Cochabamba

While most of Cochabamba is wonderful, to present a truly honest picture of it, I need to mention a few less awesome details.  Here are my least favorite things about the city:

1. Germs

There are so many germs here.  The tap water is full of bacteria and amebas, so everyone coming from other countries has to boil it before drinking it.  This is kind of a pain, but wouldn't be so bad, except that people here drink it and use it without problems.  This means foreigners have to be really careful about food here - I can't eat fresh fruits and vegetables, for example, because they're washed in tap water (I miss salads so much!).

Picture of giant cow tongues borrowed from
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7082/6945822754_c7a254c515_z.jpg

There are also very questionable food safety practices throughout the city.  In the markets, for example, unrefrigerated, uncovered raw meat just sits on counters until someone buys it, and even bread comes in wheelbarrows with flies buzzing around them.  There are tons of street vendors selling roasted meat and empanadas and ice cream all over the city, but no one seems to have a reliable way to keep food at the right temperature (or to wash their hands).

It gets even worse, though, if you're working at an under-resourced orphanage, where none of the bathrooms have soap, fruits and vegetables are stored on the floor underneath the stairs, and all of the girls have lice.  I think, all things considered, I've been pretty healthy, but for a hypochondriac like me, it's been a little tough to adjust.  And I got lice for the first time in my life at age 24.  On the plus side, when I get back to the US, I should have an immune system of steal.

2. Terrible Internet

It is almost impossible to find good internet here.  Apparently, every company you can buy internet from in Cochabamba actually contracts it back to the same provider - and that provider is terrible.  Every once in awhile you'll luck out and get decent speeds for a few minutes, but no matter where you go, the internet is constantly going out or slowing way down.  It's not that big a deal most of the time, but it makes it super frustrating to Skype and FaceTime with people from home.  There are a million free ways to talk online, but the only way I can talk to anyone for longer than five minutes at a time is to pay to use an international call booth.

I didn't take a picture of the actual scorpion,
so this is borrowed from http://4.bp.
blogspot.com/-lAKrQJMoLHQ/
ToXWtJgUixI/AAAAAAAABlM/
puKOgOBUtfc/s1600/escorpion.jpg

3. Scorpions

I have never lived in a place with scorpions.  I had no idea there were scorpions in Bolivia.  Then one night, about two weeks after I arrived, I walked over to the sink to wash a dish - and there was a little scorpion crawling around inside it!  Everyone I have asked says that they are pretty rare, so I keep telling myself they are not a huge threat, but I still hate them.

4. Laundry

We do not have a clothes washer here.  We have a big pot and a sink.  So, once a week on laundry day, I fill up the pot with laundry detergent and boiling water, and do my best to scrub my clothes with a little brush before rinsing them out on the other side of the sink.  It's not that bad for things like shirts, but washing jeans or sweaters or sheets is a mess, and the whole process takes about two hours.  Maybe I'll get better at it as time goes on, but for now, it is my least favorite chore.

Two hours of this every week

5. No Chipotle

Not even a three hour's drive away in Tallahassee.  

And...that's all I can think of.  As I said, it's a wonderful city overall.  I just wish there was a little more soap.