I am really starting to love Bolivia!

Today, I received my first letter from 17 year old Samuel. He lives near Cochabamba, Bolivia. My other sponsored child from Bolivia, Cesia, also lives near that town! Here is his letter..

"Dear friend Donna...
I greet you with the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am very happy because you accepted to help me. I will be asking God every day to bless you. I am happy and I like being very friendly; I dream about being a good politic leader but I also like soccer; every day I am learning a lot. All this time I am reading. I like very much eating pique, a traditional food of my town and I have my dog Coqui and I spend my time with it when I am bored. Sometimes I go with my mother to the church services, it is very nice to serve God. I have lots of curiosity about knowing you. I would like you send me a photo of you. Love, Samuel"

He also drew me a really nice drawing. I can tell he is very proud of his country. Maybe someday he will be president of Bolivia and I can say, "That's my boy!"

Both he and Cesia mention Pique, so I had to look it up. According to Wikopedia, Pique macho (pronounced pee-kay maacho) is a typical Bolivian food said to come from Cochabamba. It is a mountain of marinated beef strips mixed with fried potatoes, onions, and peppers with a few sausage links for flavoring. A single portion is often enough for two people.