Likes and Challenges

THE BEST THINGS ABOUT LIVING IN LA PAZ (From ACS Teachers)

• Relaxing environment
• Friendly people
• Lots of family time
• Quality, affordable domestic help
• Incredibly gorgeous landscape
• It’s easy to get around
• Fascinating indigenous culture surrounds us
• Downtown (called “Uptown”) is ALWAYS an adventure!
• Mountains near home
• Amazing hiking near home
• 8-hour drive to desert beach in Arica
• 3-hour drive to subtropical hotels in Las Yungas
• Climate (it’s always Fall!)
• Locals speak clear Spanish and are courteous
• Massages are inexpensive
• Students are well-behaved overall
• Weekly pedicures and manicures
• No humidity
• Very few bugs
• Busy social life
• Great support staff at ACS
• Close to same timezone as family in the States – this makes it nice for phone calls
• Lake Titicaca is a short drive away, as is the jungle
• One can walk to shopping and restaurants
• Taxis are abundant
• Food and beer are good!
• Reasonable bills for utilities (except Internet)
• Great, hilly runs
• Cost of living is cheaper than US
• Delicious fruits
• Tons of rock and ice climbing opportunities
• Biking The World’s Most Dangerous Road
• Being able to buy full seasons of American TV shows for cheap
• Can get beautiful, high-quality furniture made to your specifications
• Gemstones

CHALLENGES OF LIVING IN LA PAZ (From ACS Teachers)

• Communication is tricky if you don’t speak Spanish
• Gossip of a small town
• Not many options for teenage activities
• Some typical Latin American inefficiencies (ex. it takes longer to get things fixed)
• High altitude can cause constipation, headaches, dry skin and/or insomnia
• Diarrhea can be frequent
• Rainy season can be tedious (rain can postpone your plans!)
• Sometimes cold at night
• Carnival season means any pedestrian is fair game as far as getting hit by water balloons
• “Bolivian Time” – most events start at least 1 hour later than they’re supposed to
• Erratic driving
• Poverty—beggars on the streets
• Lack of clean tap water
• Students who feel entitled
• Political instability-blockades
• The expense of travel in South America- This is relatively cheap or a “benefit, “according to most