News from the Hughes

Something Different…..

So, this blog will be a bit different because there isn’t a whole lot about Bolivia.  The reason is that I was away from Bolivia for 1 month visiting Barcelona, Spain with Connor. So, this blog is mostly about my visit.  So much to tell, so little time....

When I was young (yes many, many moons ago), I really liked to travel and even got to visit Australia for a month with my good friend, Laura.  I use to love meeting the brothers and sisters and experiencing different cultures. But that was then.... You know how it goes, a gal gets married, has children, and that soon becomes the focus of your life.  So, I really hadn't had alot of opportunities to travel for 26 years before coming to Bolivia.  Now, it seems I'm going all over the place, and this was my very first time visiting Spain.  It was a really nice trip, for alot of reasons.   

We stayed in Spain (mostly Barcelona) for reasons that will become clear very soon.  Barcelona is a really cool city. The people tend to be more artsy and Bohemian and so there is this chill vibe about the city – WHICH IS THE SIZE OF CHICAGO!  Barcelona has the Mediterrean Sea on one side, and mountains on the other.  The friends we stayed with actually live in a town called, Segur De Calafel. This was a pretty common view of the sea from where they live.  Segur De Calafel is about a 40-minute drive from Barcelona, and the drive is beautiful and takes you all along the coast. YEP, I COULD DEFINITELY DIG THIS.

 
The people in Barcelona speak Catalan, a mixture of Spanish and French.  It’s a beautiful language and half the time our new friends sound like they're speaking French… then Spanish… French again.. Oh wait, now it’s Spanish.

Many of the streets are narrow, with little cute shops and cafes everywhere...  Of course it's Europe,  so you have amazing architecture everywhere ….  I promise to not fill this while blog with just pictures of buildings, but they are so stinkin’ cool to me.  

OK, just 1 more picture and a video and then I'll stop….FOR NOW!

Now for the real reason Connor and I were in Barcelona.  Who could this be you're wondering? Her name is Carla and she and Connor met in Bolivia about a year ago and became friends – and now they are a bit more than friends! I'M VERY HAPPY TO TELL YOU THAT CONNOR AND CARLA ARE ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED IN OCTOBER!

 This was my first time meeting Carla and her family  and it was a nice surprise to find she's a really nice person with a kind heart.  She has a fun personality that is both tranquil and spirited Spanish. Her whole family welcomed us as if we were long-time friends. 

I only spent 1 month with Carla and her family but during that time we all got very close and her parents came to love Connor just as much as I came to love Carla. SO, THAT'S MY BIG NEWS FOR THIS BLOG. The kids picked October because it's the cheapest time to visit Spain and we don't have an exact day yet but hope to soon.  The plan is for the kids to live in Barcelona for a year after they're married and then see where the wind takes them -- maybe it will blow them back to Bolivia!

OK, BACK TO SPAIN.... As I tour the city I learn that Barcelona definitely has had its’ share of excitement.  The city has many beautiful cathedrals and ancient buildings (of course it does, it’s Europe). But, behind each building we soon learn there is a story…. For example, this beautiful arch was once where they hung and tortured people during the Spanish Inquisition – YIKES! Talk about seeing an arch through different eyes.

Then, there was this interesting place with all holes in the wall – WHY THE HOLES YOU ASK?  It’s where they lined up and shot people during the Spanish Civil War.

 
There were a lot of really cute cafes/ restaurants on the street where they actually cook food outside, and then it was off to see a show….

A BIG SURPRISE AWAITS US…DANCE OF THE FLAMINGO!

During our visit Carla’s family surprised us with a show to watch Flamingo dancing.  Of course I learned it was also the theatre where they attacked Barcelona and set-off a bomb during the Spanish Revolt…. ALWAYS AN EXCITING STORY!  The theatre was amazing.  The Manager of this theatre is a Jehovah’s Witness and she got us really nice seats to see the show. 

You know what I realized in watching this video?  I say the word AMAZING way too many times! I've really got to work on my vocabulary skills!  Anyway, on with the show....

For those of you that don’t know what Flamingo dancing is, it’s this beautiful dance done in Spain.  It was honestly one of the coolest dances I’ve ever seen.  All in all it was a wonderful day full of memories that I’ll always treasure.  I made some new friends, and got to experience some beautiful Spanish culture. OLA!

Preaching in Barcelona…

So of course one of the highlights of the trip was being able to go preaching in Barcelona.  Carla's family belongs to the Catalan congregation and they have alot of territory in the country.  So, many times our preaching was done it little towns that looked like this…..

I wish I had some riveting tales of my preaching experience in Spain, but the thing is……. So what I’m trying to say is……  To be tactful…..  the preaching was a lot like the United States. As we head out that morning I’m told to keep it brief (well, that sounds very familiar).  Oh, the people were nice enough and let me muddle through my presentation in broken Catalan, but most of the people were not at home, and the few we did get were not interested.  I almost didn’t know what to do with myself. 

For the last 14 months I’ve been in a place where I can show videos, share scriptures, and pretty much just say what I want with the assured expectation that literature will be placed and a return visit obtained – all while only speaking a little Spanish!  To now have all these people tell me, “I’m not interested.”  Well, it sort of was a bit deflating.  There definitely seems to be a connection between how fluent a country is and their level of interest in spiritual things.  Oh well, onward and upward because after all, we do this work for Jehovah.  But still, couldn’t they let a gal read just 1 scripture? But, just like in the states, the preaching was enjoyable because of the association with the brothers and sisters.

Later that night Connor and I did get to visit the English congregation; a mixture of nationalities including African, Spanish, Columbian, and English. It was pretty cool!  They have about 30 Publishers and kept telling us what a huge need there is in English, and how we need to support them (says the congregation with 5 Elders). But, it was nice to be wanted and I really enjoyed this rare treat to get some spiritual food in English.  I know, I know I should have pictures but it had been a long day, the meeting was at night, and I just didn’t feel like taking pictures.  BUT NOW, I WISH I HAD….  I even tried to do my own recruiting to Bolivia -- telling everyone what a huge need there was for brothers.  Who knows, we might get a nibble or two.

A couple of days later we headed back into Barcelona for another day of fun sight-seeing, some much needed shopping for Tracy (yep, got myself some new clothes), and lunch at a café. Now, here’s something familiar. It was cool for me to see that no matter where you go, Jehovah’s people are working hard in preaching.  We came across these sisters involved in Cart witnessing.

OK, just a few more pictures of buildings – it’s a sickness!

The Kingdom Hall where the Catalan group meets is going through some remodeling, and on this day Connor went with Carla, her dad, and sisters to help serve food to the construction crew.  They really are a fun family!

Visiting the Catalan Congregation…..

Of course one of the highlights of any trip is getting to meet and make new friends in the congregation.  Carla’s family belongs to the Catalan congregation, and so their meetings are all held in Catalan (a mixture of Spanish and French).  But, what was nice is they also speak Spanish so I was able to still comment in my Spanish/Spanglesh (Spanish/English). The congregation has about 40 publishers and everyone was very nice.

IT’S OFF TO MADRID…..

Another surprise we had was a trip to Madrid.  Madrid is bigger than Barcelona and it’s definitely exciting.  I’m glad I got to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there.  It reminded me of New York.  Everywhere there are street performers (THAT WAS PRETTY COOL)!

AND AS ALWAYS, EVEN IN MADRID JEHOVAH’S PEOPLE ARE HARD AT WORK IN THE MINISTYRY. WELL – WE WEREN’T THIS DAY, BUT THEY WERE….

More Random Photos of Madrid….

Then, after a full day of visiting Madrid, we had dinner at a cute little place, and it was off to see another surprise....

LION KING THE MUSICAL.  




It was pretty amazing!  I’ve never seen the musical before and even though it was in Spanish, it was awesome.  We only spent a few days in Madrid and while I'm glad to say I got to vist -- I wouldn't want to live there. It was way to hectic for my taste. I'm a Barcelona gal! 

We head back to Barcelona and I got to see the old bullfighter stadium where they use to have bullfights.  They’ve turned it into a Shopping Mall and I’m glad to say that Bull Fighting is now a thing of the past in Spain (tye finally realized what a horrible and inhumane activity that was.  I’LL GET OFF MY ANIMAL CRUELTY SOAP BOX NOW!

We visit yet another palace…. I never get tired of doing that.

So, that was my trip to Spain.  I had a wonderful time, made some really good friends, and can’t wait to go back – which looks like will be in October for Connor's special day.  

Until Next Time – Love Tracy!

News from the Hughes

Has It Been One Year Already?

I can’t believe that October 18^th marked our one-year anniversary here in Bolivia.  WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT I COULD DO IT?

So much has happened the last 12 months, and time has really flown by.  This last year has taught me a lot about myself, and I must admit that coming to Bolivia helped me find an inner-strength I thought had been lost. It also helped to heal some deep emotional hurts.  This last year I've watched Jehovah’s care of our family, including the friends he's put into our path here; and saw him take our family situation and turn it around.  Life feels positive again, full of promise and wonderful things to come.  And it reminded me how Jehovah gives you courage and strength to handle even the most terrible of situations (you know what I'm talking about).  But what was really nice to learn was that not only did he help me to have courage, but he then put us in a situation to help my family have joy and move on with our lives.

AND MOVE ON WE HAVE -- But, I digress… HAS IT REALLY BEEN 1 YEAR?

This past year I have come to like Bolivia including its natural beauty, the love of the brothers & sisters, and the quiet and tranquil life here.  I see myself staying here for at least one more year.  But long-term, I’m just not sure yet.  There are still many challenges for me with living in Bolivia (including the difficulty of learning Spanish and my health), but I want to give it another year (at least). So just to recap our year in South America….

We moved into a house in Tomatitas.  The rain has finally started and we have peach trees flowering with buds in the front yard. All sorts of flowers are springing to life, the trees are green and lush, and I really enjoy my garden (who would have thought I’d become one of those garden-loving ladies -- I always hated gardening).

We joined the group in San Lorenzo...  

AND.... Just 2 weeks ago we became an independent group which means we now have both of our meetings in San Lorenzo and no longer meet with the Tomatitas congregation.  The San Lorenzo group had been having our own Sunday meetings, but as you can see we had out-grown this space and needed more room.  Half the group had to sit ouside and peer into the meeting.

So, the brothers found us a larger place to meet for both the meetings that's really nice. We still unexpectedly lose water sometimes, which makes the bathroom situation very interesting. But overall, we're very happy with our new meeting place.  It’s been really exciting to be part of a group that hopefully someday will be its own congregation and to watch the group grow and evolve.   

We saved/adopted two Bolivian puppies who went from barely surviving to becoming two very healthy and mischievous dogs.

 The girls got to visit their friends in Indy for 2 months …

We’ve met so many wonderful brothers & sisters in Bolivia, and I started learning to read, write and speak a new language.

WHEW!

As you can tell it’s been getting harder and harder for me to find the time I would like to update the Blog.  I really do enjoy working on it, but time just seems to be in short supply these days.  But, I’m really determined to try and do an update at least every 2 months. So, here’s what we’ve been up to the last few weeks. …

Some Visitors from the States --Jeremy, Rebecca & Rachel….

During the month of October we had the visit of not 1 not 2, but 3 wonderful visitors.  It was really nice having them all here at the same time because Jeremy was actually the son of some friends of some friends and Rebecca & Rachel we knew from Dayton.  They all came to Bolivia for 1-month.  What was really cool is that all 3 of them speak fluent Spanish.

The kids quickly adjust to preaching in the mountains of Bolivia…. 

BUT.... WALKING SO MUCH IN SUCH A HIGH ALTITUDE DEFINITELY TAKE IT'S TOLL....

The girls were only here for 1 month but during that time the group in San Lorenzo got really attached to them… Everyone hopes they come back again! 

Saying Good-bye to Friends…

During the month of October we had to say good-bye to Amado & Maria, a couple from PA that have been in Bolivia for a year.  Amado was our Field Service Overseer and then later the congregation Coordinator.  But, Maria has had a lot of health issues since coming to Bolivia and so they decided after serving here for a year that it was time to head back home.  But in the year they were here they gave a lot of themselves to the congregation, and the friends here were really sad to see them leave.

But, in true Bolivian fashion they made sure they got a send-off full of love and well wishes.  The Tomatitas Congregation/San Lorenzo group threw one big Fiesta to say GOOD BYE – including good food and some really fun entertainment.  We had the party on our patio and it was nice because the friends did all the work in getting our house set-up for such a large event (120 people came). My kids, along with Jeremy, Rachel, Rebecca and two Bolivian sisters from San Lorenzo put on a traditional dance as part of the entertainment.

But there were other really nice Bolivian traditional dances...

I don't know if you can tell from the video, but ths dance was realy cool!

And this dance by Frabby and Javier was really somthing...

There was even a dance where everyone joined in....

And of course what event would be complete without at least one Swing Dance?

Attending the English Regional Convention  in Santa Cruz….

I don’t know how many of you remember my blog from last October, and my description of the first English-speaking convention in Bolivia.  We had only been in the country for two weeks, and were feeling a bit like a fish out of water and then we met up with Connor in Cochabamba for the convention.  For me, it took what was an over-whelming change and made it wonderful.  This year’s convention did not disappoint!

The Bolivian Bethel hosted this second English-speaking convention for Need Greaters, which was held in the city of Santa Cruz.  I’ve described this city before (it reminds me of Miami).  For us it feels a bit surreal.  Santa Cruz has shopping malls, large grocery stores similar to Wal-mart, and all the other comforts of western living.  It’s a wonderful place to visit for a vacation and to buy little nicessities you can’t get elsewhere.  They even have a TGI Friday’s and Hard Rock Café. BUT ENOUGH OF THAT, WE CAME FOR THE CONVENTION…

As I mentioned above, the Bolivia Bethel branch hosted this year’s English convention (the 2^nd one in Bolivia), and it was so wonderful.  Getting spiritual food in Spanish is different than the spiritual food you get in English. To sit and have 3 days of spiritual encouragement in English was a real treat! The convention has the feel of a small International Convention because we had 32 countries in attendance.  The brothers giving the talks came from all over the world, and there is a relaxed and fun atmosphere that just rejuvenates you.  The friends all act like we’ve known each other for years and years.

I got to meet friends I hadn’t seen since the last convention and met some amazing new friends.  This night a group of us decide to go to TGI Friday’s for dinner.  The group included friends from Australia, England, Bolivia, and the U.S.  But, that’s pretty normal in Bolivia.  

I had attended the convention in Spanish and knew about the videos and releases, but to now get that same information in English – well, I got teary more than a few times. I left the convention feeling reassured regarding my decision to come to Bolivia and being re-energized for the year to come.

SMILING IN THE FACE OF TRAGEDY….

I wanted to tell you this story of the sister on the right (in the plum dress).  At our last English convention her family had a demonstration including herself, her husband, and two children.  On their way home from the convention, they had a terrible car crash and her whole family died including a good friend of Aubri’s that was travelling with their family.  While driving home from Cochabamba to their home in La Paz, they were driving at night and the road was under construction, and the bridge was out.  But, there were no signs to tell them and so they drove off a cliff. It was sad and tragic. 

We later heard that there were rumors that people in the mountains had deliberately taken down the warning signs that the bridge was out for the very purpose of making people crash so they could rob them. While she still feels the heartache of her loss, she didn’t let it stop her.  Each day she misses her husband and children but she moved to Santa Cruz, joined the English group there, and look at her beautiful smile.  She knows my son really well and when he introduced us, she gave me a big hug. There is nothing like hearing another person’s loss to put your own challenges into perspective.  I’ve invited her to come and visit us in Tarija and I hope she does…

So, that's all the news for now.  Oh wait, did I mention that Connor and I are leaving for Barcelona, Spain on December 1st?  But you'll have to read the next blog for the rest of that story...

Love Tracy