Lettuce, Cashiers & Microwave Potatoes

I had been warned by multiple people that the transition back into the USA often proved more difficult than the transition into a completely foreign country. When I returned from Mexico and especially Denmark, I found this to be quite true. Suddenly, my eyes were opened to all the negative or strange aspects of our culture that I had been previously blind to.

So I was expecting massive struggle for weeks upon returning from my 3-month South American voyage. 

But it didn’t come.

I realized that after traveling to such a wide variety of places and experiencing so many unusual things, nothing could possibly surprise me anymore. My journeys made me so adaptable to all varieties of life that I could easily pick up any variety of it and feel perfectly at home.

Although there was the lettuce incident.

I was at the grocery store casually strolling through the produce department when a woman unknowingly caused a head of iceberg lettuce to drop onto the floor. I picked it up, and when she realized what had happened, she said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

I was completely thrown off by this casual interaction because I had been outside of English-speaking regions for so long. My immediate thought process: OH MY GOSH WHAT COUNTRY AM I IN?? WHAT LANGUAGE DO THEY SPEAK HERE?? WHAT DO I WANT TO SAY AND HOW DO I SAY IT IN A LANGUAGE SHE WILL UNDERSTAND????? …..long awkward pause….. “Uh….It’s ok.” And then I walked away quickly.

I’m most definitely an awkward person in normal daily life… But that was abnormally awkward by even my standards!

I then proceeded to have a super long conversation with the cashier about nothing of importance just because I could do it effortlessly for the first time in three months.

It’s true that nothing really shocked me, but I did notice many new things. For example, I noticed that we as Americans have very overloaded schedules, which becomes especially obvious with the large quantity of pre-packaged food for sale, even within the produce department. Carrots and watermelon already washed, cut, and ready to go, “microwave-ready” potatoes (I thought normal potatoes were pretty much all set for that?)

A quick highly-opinionated theory: In my experiences abroad, a major difference I’ve seen is perception of relaxation. Many places respect the need to recharge one’s battery, be it through 1-2 months holiday time per year, shorter work days, or even just more reasonable expectations. Here in the USA though, or at least the midwest, I feel like everybody is simply expected to be running a constant relay race, and anyone who fulfills their need for downtime is looked upon as being lazy. In my time at the community college, I was taking 14-19 credit hours per semester, working two jobs, president of a campus club, and highly involved in four different church and community activities. On a good day, I could jam in maybe 5 hours of sleep; most days were closer to 3 though. Not because I procrastinated, but simply because I had such a large amount to do that sleep became optional. And the crazy thing about this lifestyle is that it’s 100% normal! I was not some rare overachieving college student, I was simply one of the crowd, rushing about in my busy life.

So if this is normal, it explains why fast food is so popular, why packaged food is the norm (if one can save time by not peeling carrots, by golly they’re going to do it). It explains why health problems are occurring at young ages (no sleep + stress = bad news for the body), why suicide rates are skyrocketing. It even helps explain the large number of traffic-related injuries and deaths, because sleep deprivation causes more traffic accidents than drunk driving. Plus, the person reading a newspaper at the wheel might have time to do so at home in a different culture, but in this one, they must either do it while driving or not at all.

And that’s the end of my highly-opinionated not-so-quick theory about all the problems we seem to encounter that many other countries magically don’t have.

That’s one of the many things I adore about experiencing daily life elsewhere: my own “normal” turns 3D, and suddenly I can see it from multiple angles I never even knew existed when it was flat.

How Has Bolivia Changed You?

Each time a volunteer is leaving Up Close Bolivia, a barbeque or tea party is thrown in their honor. At this celebration, the exiting volunteer is asked the following question: how has Bolivia changed you?

This question was not difficult for me, as I would be willing to confidently say that the six weeks I spent in Bolivia were the most transformational weeks of my life. 

For example, nothing phases me anymore. A bird pooped on my only towel and I don't have time to wash it before leaving on a 3-day trip? That's alright *brushes it off*. I've been left on a random street corner in an unknown area? That's cool. No toilet seats, nor toilet paper, nor running water, AND the walls are so short in the unisex bathroom that you make awkward eye contact with strangers while wiping? Just laugh. You mean there actually IS toilet paper?? AND soap!?!???? *Faints*. Brushing my teeth on the side of the road with a bottle of water? Just another day in the life.

Real dangers, such as sketchy strangers, people offering me free beverages on the street, people driving next to where I'm walking trying to convince me to get into their car, and persistent unmarked taxis still terrify me to the very core; don't worry, I haven't traded common sense for carelessness. But when it comes to things that I used to find disgusting or embarrassing, well, I simply consider them a part of life's great adventure now.

By the way, all of the terrifying things I mentioned above happened to me at some point during the 6 weeks. No worries: I'm still alive! Only by God's protective hand.

Super early on, I realized that if I wanted to do things, I was going to have to do them by myself. I arrived at Up Close during a dry spell of volunteers: I was the first new volunteer in 3 weeks, and nobody new arrived until 3 weeks later. Therefore, the people who were there had already done a lot of exciting things in the vicinity, so I was left to adventure on my own.

I went into town by myself on multiple occasions. I did hikes by myself, minibuses by myself, got lost by myself, everything. I was alone on that adventure to Tiwanaku. I even upped and took the night bus to Uyuni for 3 days by myself. Prior to this trip, I never ever could have imagined myself going that far into unknown territory, in a foreign country, independently. But now I can't imagine not being able to imagine it; it's just a part of me.

I also changed my career goals and all my future plans while in Bolivia, based on what I learned about myself. It was easy to differentiate real likes and dislikes based on what I would wake up dreading and what I would wake up excited for day after day. 

I also realized this: I love other countries, visiting and experiencing how people live in other parts of the world, but I don't want to live in a different country long-term. The USA is where my long-term home will remain, and that shift in thinking is absolutely HUGE in my life.

As an afterthought, I'll add that my Spanish skills have quintupled since I went to Bolivia. I can now have a conversation with anybody and it's not even a big deal anymore. I went to a Spanish-speaking church the other day and could understand the whole message!! I was so excited, as when I went to the Spanish service at La Fuente in Mexico 2 years ago, I couldn't understand the message at all. I've been without classes and have not been doing much of anything to improve my Spanish in the years since, so it's extraordinary to me that I've improved so much! I can definitely understand buckets more than I can speak though, and I know I have a strong accent and speak in very broken phrases.

Oh well, it's a start!

All in all, the purpose of this blog post is to show a truthful example of a life that has been drastically changed by a travel experience. I would like to encourage others to embark on journeys as well, not necessarily to a different continent or even a different state, but on some experience that will force the person to exit their comfort zone and learn about themself in a million new ways.

You, whoever you are, are a beautiful, intelligent, incredible person inside and out. Please never stop learning about the person God created you to be!

Transportation Blues

Transportation here in Bolivia never fails to be an adventure. Well, let's be honest... Public transport never fails to be an adventure anywhere (like the time the train door didn't open for me in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and I ended up in a taxi with four random strangers, and then was informed about the VERY SERIOUS impending alien attack by a man standing about 2 inches from my face in Grand Rapids).

Here in La Paz, we mostly use minibuses to get from point A to point B. Minibuses charge only 2 Bolivianos (about $0.30) per ride, and go practically anywhere in the city. Parents will send their kids to school on the minibus; cholitas (the indigenous Aymaran women) will get on with a baby on their backs. And the other day, a woman tucked a kitten under her shirt and boarded the minibus. It was only revealed that she had a kitten under her shirt when it began meowing profusely seconds later. 

I feel like a person could board the minibus naked and I would remain unphased at this point.

The gondolas here in La Paz, named Mi Teleférico, are incredible in every way, from the views to the simplicity. Unfortunately, there are only three lines at the moment, so one can only go to very specific places with them, however they are currently building several more lines that will be opening in the next few years! I might just have to come back to check them all out.

We also take taxis to many places, for added ease.

I decided to go to Uyuni a couple weeks ago, so I booked a spot on the overnight bus. The "good" bus was full, so I ended up on this other bus that had terrifying reviews online. Despite that, it was absolutely luxurious!! The seats reclined fully and were huge! It was one of the best night sleeps that I've had in South America. The only weird thing was that at around 10pm after everybody was asleep, they stopped the bus and a cholita entered yelling about her bread in Spanish, attempting to sell it.

The bus home though was not so great. It was the "good" bus, but each person had significantly less space. We stopped several times on the side of random roads for the driver to get out and take a leak. I myself decided to use the bathroom around 2am, and I pulled on the door but it seemed to be locked. Suddenly, I hear this voice coming out of nowhere, "MORE POWER! PULL! YOU CAN DO IT! MORE POWER!!" Imagine this being said in a very Chinese accent, too. Turns out, the bathroom door was just very hard to open. Those poor people sitting next to it - it was so loud, I'm sure they didn't sleep at all.

Nothing beats my transportation adventure on Saturday, though. I decided to go to Tiwanaku, a place with Inca ruins about an hour outside of the city center. It takes about an hour to get to the city center on the minibuses, so I figured it would take about 4 hours on the road to get to and from Tiwanaku.

FALSE. 9 hours. 11 different transportation devices.

I left in the morning and took two minibuses to the red line of Mi Teleférico, which I rode to the general cemetery. I met a woman on the gondola who was very nervous of my traveling alone there, as it turns out the cemetery area is not the safest. She was EXTREMELY kind and walked me to my bus, advising me when to put my backpack on the front to avoid thievery. I don't know what I would have done without her! God provides(:

Unfortunately, the minibuses go to Tiwanaku only when the bus is full, and I was attempting to go at an off time, so I had to wait a good hour before we started moving. But eventually, it happened!

The ruins were very interesting and beautiful; I admire the Incan style of art so much!

After about an hour and a half in Tiwanaku, I encountered a minibus heading back to La Paz, so I jumped on board. All was fine and dandy until somebody wanted to exit the bus in El Alto, and suddenly everybody on the bus exited with the exception of myself and a Swiss couple (who were in La Paz because the man's profession is making chocolate, so he was evaluating the chocolate farms here in Bolivia. BEST JOB EVER, RIGHT!?? He also said he gets to eat the chocolate). 

So suddenly the driver wanted to know where we were going, as it was bad business to drive a bus with only a couple people on board. We said we wanted to go to La Paz; it's what his sign promised after all. He decided to make us a deal and give a discounted price if we took a Trufi to La Paz, so we were dropped on a street corner in El Alto.

Now something that should be known about El Alto is that it's not the safest place to be. The red light district is absolutely popping, and twice a week they have a market where people are advised to come in large groups and take absolutely NOTHING due to pickpockets. So here we are on the side of the road...

We talked to the Trufi driver and requested transport to Calamacho, which he seemingly agreed to. So we're just casually going along when suddenly, he stops at a random street corner and says, "Well, I'm not legally allowed to go any further, so good luck." Back on the street again, still in El Alto. Great.

We decide to take a minibus going back to the cemetery - at least it's somewhere familiar.

But when we arrived at the cemetery, it was 5:30 and the cemetery had closed at 5. The police were herding the people out in masses, so we decided to continue on. But it was only a few minutes more before we stopped at yet another random street corner and were forced out of the vehicle. 

NOW WHAT?

I honestly owe the Swiss couple credit for my life, because I would have been very vulnerable and lost had I been alone. They stuck with me though!

We ended up getting a minibus to Calamacho (a full hour in the horrible traffic), where we caught a Puma (a full size bus) to the green line of Mi Teleférico, which took me to Irpavi, where it was only a 10 minute walk to Plaza Humbolt (at this point it's dark and I'm alone - something I always try to avoid!) Where I caught a minibus back to home base.

It was just one thing after another that day! So ridiculous.

Well, that's the transportation news from Bolivia. If you come - BUENA SUERTE! An adventure is sure to arrive.

That Volunteer Life...

It's a crazy time here at UP CLOSE Bolivia! Projects are evolving rapidly, volunteers are swiftly coming and going, and travel and adventure are always in the air.

It's beautiful here. We live in shared volunteer houses overlooking a campground, where interesting travelers from around the world are always coming and going.

...Unless they're waiting for a stove. When they're waiting for a stove, they never seem to leave...

Below the campground is a raging river, and the mountains are abundant all around us.

On any given morning, a few select people rise early to go to the children's center or the zoo. The children's center consists of either helping in the kitchen (60+ kids eating 2 meals and 2 snacks each day, and dishwashers aren't exactly common in Bolivia! That kitchen sure keeps a person busy) or helping in one of the classrooms. The kids are a joy and shout "HOLA TIA!!" all the way across the center even before they've met you. And the tias are some of the friendliest and funniest people I've ever met!

We are currently building a greenhouse in the zoo out of empty pop bottles. After clearing away the raging weeds in the old greenhouse, we began to wash and chop off the bottoms of the bottles. It's a long, intense project and seems to be moving very slowly, but it's undeniable that progress is being made! We also get to wear these funky zoo outfits, which come in limited sizes so I always somehow end up with XXL. The zoo is a really nice project though, because it allows us time to really bond as volunteers. The only strategy necessary for the zoo - try and avoid thinking about the fact that the lions have to eat... Poor donkeys!!

The volunteers who don't have morning activities generally have planning of some kind in that time period. So nobody's snoozing the day away! (I may have accidentally done that once when the battery of the device with my alarm died in the middle of the night...oops!)

I'm part of the English teaching team, and I LOVE IT!! We currently have two different sets of classes going - Well, the second one starts tomorrow! We will be doing a six week class for teens and tweens in their school. 

We have been doing an evening class for the mother's club so far, and the people who attend are extremely fun and easygoing. Even when we fail miserably to express our point in Spanish, or say something terribly wrong, they laugh and communicate to each other what we intended to say, and it's great. Planning can be a challenge though, as the students range in age by about 50 years and range in English experience from never spoken a word to studied several years in school. They are always open to having fun though! We did a mock restaurant yesterday, and I brought legitimate food in... for some of the items. For example, a cookie was a real cookie, but pasta with sauce was an uncooked noodle with a drop of soy sauce. Hmmm....

And then there's everybody's favorite project - the albergue! "Albergue" means "shelter" in Spanish, and in this case it's a temporary home for children of all ages who have been rescued from some traumatic situation, be it trafficking or abuse or unsatisfactory care. We go for two hours three times a week and do activities with the 6 to 17-year-olds. On Tuesdays we do a project of some kind with the girls, Thursdays with the boys, and on Wednesdays we all go outside and have a big sports day! (Wednesdays are the BEST!) And these people aren't amateurs when it comes to sports. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm not playing in the World Cup, because that's what it feels like! Today we were playing futból 12 vs. 2, and the team with 2 was absolutely kicking butt! It was unbelievable. And, simply stated, every single person there is absolutely incredible and funny and sweet and wonderful in every way imaginable.

On weekends we have Fundación Porvenir, which is horse therapy for children with special needs. We play with the kids while they're not riding the horses, and they have SO MUCH ENERGY! I don't understand how anyone can have that much energy so early in the morning on a weekend, but somehow they manage it. We play on the little playground with them, or in whatever other creative way they come up with.

Many of us have elected to take Spanish lessons on top of our volunteer work, which take place down in the campground about 4 hours per week. Our teacher is SO nice and easily caters to every possible Spanish level. In the mere eight hours I've had so far, I've learned several varieties of past and future tense, many other technical details I had previously overlooked, and expanded my vocabulary immensely. It's so great!

There are currently 12 volunteers here and we come from 5 different countries - New Zealand, Germany, Holland, UK, and USA. We come from all different backgrounds and walks of life, but we're all here with one purpose: to create positive change in Bolivia while Bolivia creates positive change in us.

In the evenings we can often be found at the restaurant down the street that serves a complete delicious meal for just 10bs (about USD$1.50), at a café in San Miguel, bonding over a movie, or simply chatting and enjoying each other's company. We also have frequent barbeques, and the other day I bought supplies for s'mores and all the Americans gave a lesson to everybody else on how to make them.

People from other countries: (while staring skeptically) "Well, this is underwhelming..."

Americans: "Wait until it's in your mouth!!!"

However, Everybody ended up wanting some more s'mores (ha, get it? Hehe.)

Many people here, myself included, are recovering from a little bug caused by eating unsafe food, so not much weekend travel has occurred for me yet, but I'm excited for the weekends to come!

Also unfortunate is that half of the volunteers currently here are leaving this weekend! It's a sad coincidence that everyone is leaving at once, but I suppose we'll have to carry on.

So that's daily life here as seen through a window of words! Although i wish everyone could look out my actual bedroom window here - the view is absolutely stellar!

La Paz: First Impressions

I absolutely love it here. People are super friendly, greeting me always with a "buenas tardes, Señorita!" And the beauty in every direction at all times is absolutely breathtaking.

Now I want you to cement into your brain that I love it here, because it's 100% true, but the next few paragraphs may not support that statement.

The very first day I was here, I was asked to walk out to the main road to meet the person doing my orientation. Upon arrival to said road, I spotted a man shamelessly taking a leak in the street. And there were cars going by and everything. He then returned to the group of men he was with, sitting only about 8 feet from the spot he'd just relieved himself. What!?

A little down the street, I saw a stray dog tearing apart a dirty diaper and devouring the poop. Sorry if that's graphic, but better to read about it than see it in person...

And today, I found a random pair of dentures laying on the side of the road.

Congratulations, you have made it through the disgusting portion of this blog entry! No more grossness, I promise!

As we volunteers don't have vehicles and all have different schedules, we utilize public transportation. There are taxis, but they are expensive and not always completely safe. Minibuses are the preferred option. They are like giant vans that you just flag down and climb in. There is always such a wide variety of people onboard - men going to work, women with their children, families returning from the grocery store, kids going to school. There is no minibus "type."

I'm a giant. Even the Bolivian men are all shorter than me. It is for this reason that I occasionally run into problems in the minibus, because I'm either too giant to crouch enough to look out the window and figure out where we are, or there is an air freshener that hangs above the heads of most people but directly in mine. I sure hope I don't need to buy any clothes while I'm here, because I'll be out of luck!

It is very safe here, and even the people who aren't safe generally don't try to do anything violent to a person, they just take money and possessions. I'm already feeling comfortable going places on my own - although I'm very aware that I'm not invincible! (By human standards, anyway.)

You know those photos of traditional Bolivian women that are seen whenever images of Bolivia come about? With the big skirts, blanket shawls, and top hats? Well, I always thought they were just photos of a few select people who happened to be dressed that way. But it's totally reality - there are SO MANY women dressed like that everywhere!! It's incredible.

The elevation here in Jupapina is 10,187 feet, but the airport is at a whopping 13,615 feet. Yes, there is over 3000 feet worth of elevation changes just within the city itself. Some people experience altitude sickness when they first arrive, or at least difficulty breathing due to the thin air. I personally have not noticed any difference at all while dormant, but the second I do anything even the slightest bit athletic (like walking up a small flight of stairs, for instance), I get completely out of breath, heart beating out of my chest, and it takes several minutes to recover.

I'm going to end here, despite there being so much more to say. I'll just add one more thing before I go: I met a family staying at the campground here who is from California and DROVE here to Bolivia. They have been on a road trip for 3 1/2 years now. And they legitimately have a California license plate on their van. 

That is all.

¡Buenas Noches!

Salvador!

I wrote this blog last week on paper, but I didn't get a chance to transfer it to an electronic device until now. So, let's take a quick time travel back to last weekend when we went to Salvador, Brazil!

We were all SO EXCITED to go! As it is about 25 hours driving from Campinas to Salvador, we flew. The kids we're thrilled about the idea of flying, and it was extremely entertaining to watch their reactions to the take off.

Upon arrival, I was informed that it is necessary to always drive with the windows closed and doors locked for safety, so that was a little shocking! I was also struck by the amount of graffiti covering every wall – never before had I seen so much graffiti in one place.

We stayed in a hotel right near Farol de Itapuã (farol = lighthouse). The hotel was great, with an awesome breakfast complete with a multitude of fruits, cakes, breads, and juices – and one day, I even had a quesadilla-style tapioca with condensed milk and corn. Best breakfast EVER!!! One of the people who worked at the hotel spoke English, so I asked him how he learned. Turns out, he spent a year as an exchange student in DENMARK! And he can even say rødgrød med fløde!!!!!!! I've never been so starstruck.

Salvador is known for its partying. Apparently most cities in Brazil celebrate carnival for four days – well, in Salvador, they celebrate for eleven. This culture of partying was very evident in the amount I saw people drinking, and how empty everyplace was in the mornings (literally nobody on the beach… Methinks everybody was out too late partying!)

We went to many beaches over the course of our time there. The water was warm like a bathtub (not surprising considering the intense heat in Salvador – it hits like a brick and sucks out all the energy a person once possessed.) There were always waves of a pretty decent size. People were surfing where we were swimming, and we took to the sport of attempted amateur bodyboarding – which is honestly the funnest thing I can imagine. I don't recall the last time I was so giddy with glee, and there is a small possibility that I shed a few tears when it didn't look like we would go back. (But we did!) :D

I am so in love with the ocean.

Its majesty is so great, it is home to so many creatures, it has so much strength and power over everything on earth. It is vast; unending it seems. And God is present in every inch. I am awestruck.

We went to Projeto Tamar, a marine wildlife conservation project with a special focus on sea turtles. We got to see critically endangered sharks, many exotic fish, and of course the turtles! The best part came at the end of the day when we saw the newly hatched turtles emerge from where they had been laid, and then journey into the ocean!

The trek from the nest to the ocean is the most dangerous time of the turtles life, and after seeing the release I understand why! If there is a sandcastle, the turtle gets stuck. There is a hole, the turtle gets stuck. And the waves are so intense that many turtles get flipped over by them, and they will quickly be buried in the sand by the proceeding waves. Additionally, the turtles are programmed to head towards the light emitted over the ocean by either the sun or the moon. However, if a human-made light source is greater than that of the sun or moon, the turtles will head towards that instead, leading them into great danger and minimizing their possibility of ever returning to the ocean.

Salvador is interesting in that everyone and everything lives together. There are vast preserved natural areas right next to apartment buildings. There are favelas (the poorest and usually most dangerous areas in Brazil) right next to huge, fancy, rich houses and apartments that have personal gondolas to the beach. There are no boundaries.

One day we went to Pelourinho, which is where Brazil ultimately began. The cobblestone streets are bumpy and windy, and there is literally a church on every corner. Apparently they used to have a different church for each day of the year - all Catholic, I might add.

When we arrived, it was a little scary as there were many men pointing to parking spaces and attempting to convince people that they were in fact the real parking people, and it was difficult to tell who was legit and who just wanted to rob us upon exiting the vehicle. We had to make sure nothing was sticking out of our bags or pockets; there were people approaching from all directions trying to sell us things. I will fully admit to being terrified. However, the old town was very beautiful and worth it. It was quiet (because again, it was morning), bursting with tourists and street drummers as well. In the summer, they have tons of drummers who come together for huge concerts. Michael Jackson even recorded a music video with the drummers there in Pelouronho (for his song "They Don't Care About Us").

We spent a great deal of time visiting with André's family and friends. They were all so wonderful! And it was interesting to see how home lives differ between Campinas and Salvador.

Then, all too soon, the time came to return to Campinas. I saw the southern star out the plane window while over the ocean, which was pretty exciting because it's nearly impossible to see it from lower elevations, especially with the city lights. At that moment though, I could see galaxies. I've never seen such a pitch black, unobstructed sky in my life. A great end to a great trip!

From Campinas to La Paz is 1435 Miles

Today is the day I voyage from Brazil to Bolivia! As something new, I'm going to write an ongoing blog throughout the day. By the time this is published, the day will be in the rearview mirror and everything will be known. But as of now, it's all questionable! Will I make my short connection? Will my taxi be there when I arrive? Will I be kidnapped and killed? Stay tuned!

11:02am - The day began early at 7am with an unwelcome alarm after a whopping 3 1/2 hours of sleep. I ate a delicious breakfast with Carol and André, and played with the kids who were heartwarmingly opposed to my departure. 

Oh no! Lost track of time, we're running late! I nicknamed Carol the "wolf driver" as we sped to the bus. Luckily, the bus was late too so we made it just in time!

The bus went directly from Campinas to the airport terminal, and it was very nice. However, if you've ever thought using the restroom onboard an airplane or train was difficult, try using it in the back of a bus while driving on the bumpy and hilly roads of Brazil! Luckily, I didn't fall in.

After embarrassingly going to the check-in desk of the wrong airline, I made it to the right place! I'm currently standing in an indefinite line, waiting for the invisible airline workers (who aren't actually invisible, but haven't shown up yet) to check in my baggage.

12:18pm - I made it to the gate! 2 hours early - the perfect amount of time to explore the airport and [hopefully] not get lost!

Not going to lie, the last hour has been pretty rough. 

After the not-invisible workers finally arrived, I went to check my luggage. They promptly weighed my carry-on bag (one of my great fears as I'm about 2kg over the 7kg weight limit. Luckily, they didn't say anything!) Next they asked for the address of the place I'm staying, which totally threw me off because I've never before been asked to produce such documentation at the check-in desk. 

After what felt like 15 minutes but was probably closer to 3, I determined that the email which contained the address was sent on Jan. 13th, but my email app only went back to Jan. 28th. I would have to exit the vicinity and call my parents, thus requiring me to get in the very back of the now football-field-sized line. 

Epiphany - they probably want the address so they can issue me a visa... But I already have my visa! BINGO. Documents copied, boarding pass in hand, off to find the gate.

Next I went through about 3 different security checks, in one of which I accidentally went through the Brazilian-citizens-only line and it took several failed passport scan attempts as well as a woman talking to me in a few different languages before I figured this out. I may have also accidentally gotten on the elevator to the VIP lounge, pressed the button a few times, determined the elevator was broken and exited, and then realized I was already in the floor I wanted to go to.

Oh my gosh, I'm a wreck. 

3:46pm - I'm currently on the plane headed to Cochabamba. We're scheduled to land at 4:15, but the plane is showing no sign of decent. I have no idea why.

After my last entry, I went in search of the wide variety of cuisine usually available in airports. I didn't find it. What I did find was a Starbucks, a baguette place, and a couple vending machines. Guess it's pão de queijo (cheese bread) and a blueberry muffin for lunch today!

While waiting in line at Starbucks, a man asked me if I spoke English. He was from Iran (what is it with running into Iranian people in the airport!?) living in Italy, just passing through GRU on a layover. He was very interesting to talk to. And I felt pretty macho about being able to help him communicate with the worker who only spoke Portuguese - it was refreshing after being the ONLY person who didn't speak perfect Portuguese for so long.

Then it was time to board the plane. And that, folks, is when the transition from Portuguese to Spanish officially took place.

And I'm flunking.

The flight attendant greeted me with the standard: "Hola, ¿cómo estás?" The answer to this question has been natural instinct for me since 7th grade. Yet I responded with the Portuguese "muito bem," realized my mistake, took a few seconds, sputtered a few random Spanish words, and continued on defeated. 

I didn't know it was possible to have a conversation and have no idea what language it's in, but it happened. I couldn't tell what language the man sitting next to me was speaking (THAT'S how similar Spanish and Portuguese are) so I was being careful to only use words that are the same in both languages. I finally discovered that he is Bolivian, but he's been in Brazil so he knows a decent amount of Portuguese. He's the perfect person to speak to, because I can try to speak Spanish but he will still understand when I accidentally say a Portuguese word. There's some intense "Portañol" (as the ladies at NAS called it) going on right here!

4:10 now and still no sign of decent. Hmmm this is getting curious... Well, at least I'm on the same exact plane for the next leg of the flight, so it can't exactly leave without me! Although I remain unsure about whether I'm supposed to exit the plane or not. I read someplace that they make everybody get off, go through customs, full on exit the airport, then reenter from the outside (all in the 1hr 20min layover). But the woman working for the airline full on admitted that she had no idea what I'd do upon arrival to Cochabamba. So that's frightening. I guess I'll have to wait and follow the crowd!

4:52pm local time (5:52pm according to time schedule of last update) - So I figured out why the plane wasn't descending on time.... Because the flight arrival times are always written in local time, but my phone clock still had Brazil time. That explains it! So we actually arrived rather early.

I can't even express how beautiful Cochabamba was flying in. It's a stormy day, and the clouds and the mountains seemed to dance together, becoming one. 

We landed and exited through the REAR of the plane onto the tarmac. This totally threw me off as I don't recall ever exiting a plane from the rear, so I jumped up and went and was about halfway to the door of the airport when I realized I had forgotten my suitcase in the overhead compartment. Oh the walk of shame as I reentered the now empty plane and grabbed my suitcase!

There was a long line at "migración," but it was super quick. I still can't get over going to a country and not even having to speak to the customs official, or present baggage in any capacity.

I began to stalk the people in front of me, as I knew they were going to La Paz as well and I honestly had no idea where to go. To my surprise, they spoke English too, so that was a bonus! I honestly don't think I ever would've figured out where to go or what to do without them, as our flight wasn't listed on the board yet. After it showed up, we went through security again and I'm now sitting at the gate with a whole hour to spare! And I was scared about not making my connection....

By the way, I went through security with two full bottles of water, and they said OH THAT'S FINE! So here I am sitting at the gate with my waters in hand. Talk about culture shock!!!

10:14pm - I MADE IT!!!!! AND I'M NOT EVEN DEAD OR KIDNAPPED!!!

The flight from Cochabamba to La Paz only lasted 35 minutes, but it was 35 minutes of some of the most incredible sights I've ever seen. We flew right next to some thunderheads and it seriously felt like I was on a train in Heaven. And the snow-capped mountains peeking through the clouds all the time - I took so many photos, but they don't come close to capturing what it was truly like.

We landed in La Paz, which is nothing like I expected it to be (but that's good, because how boring if everything is exactly the way it's expected!) We went through a final document check, and they also double checked to make sure that each person picked up the correct luggage.

I walked through a door and was so surprised to almost run into my name, as the taxi driver was holding a sign. We headed towards the taxi and he said he'd pull it up while I waited at the door. SCARY MOMENT, I looked away and then saw a cab pulling up and I thought it was him. So I started heading towards it and almost got in. Luckily the right one pulled up just then, and I realized my mistake! It made me very insecure though - what if this wasn't the right one either!? Taxis can be very dangerous here...

Then we were immersed in the crazy city traffic, followed by 3000ft worth of elevation drops in the next half hour. And then I was left at the door of UP CLOSE, where a multitude of very friendly and welcoming people greeted me. And the rest of the night has been spent talking to them!

I'm so excited to wake up tomorrow and see where I am! I see the silhouette of the mountains behind the house, but I really have no idea what sights surround me.

My battery is completely dead - The battery of my mental and physical functions, that is. Methinks it's bedtime! Goodnight(: Thanks for following my journey today! <3 

My Daily Life in Brazil

I have had many people ask me what my daily life consists of here, so I thought I would share a little bit about that. Granted, I'm a bit tardy as I have less than one week remaining before I head to Bolivia, but I'll write about it anyway!

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I wake up early and go with Carol to drop the kids off at preschool (a really cool preschool by the way, where everything is outside, the kids learn fully through play, and they even have a random tortoise who wanders around the school). She then drops me off at NAS, where I spend 3-4 hours interacting with the awesome kids.

NAS is an incredible organization. They provide a safe place for kids aged 5-13 to come before or after school while their parents generally work. Every day consists of different activities - sometimes it's origami, sometimes it's capoeira (a Brazilian martial art), sometimes it's reading in the library, and sometimes it's free play outside (during which time the soccer balls emerge, the swing set becomes overcrowded, and several varieties of tag are brought to the forefront). 

At first it was difficult for me there, as the kids at NAS were very curious about this strange new person and would bombard me with questions in Portuguese, and I really couldn't understand and it was very awkward. However, since then, the kids have figured out how to communicate with me (plus also my Portuguese has improved immensely, but mostly they have figured things out). The most common form of communication involves taking me to the place and demonstrating what they want me to do. Also common are drawings. The most popular of all, however, are the games that require little to no language at all. Like the high five game that goes "up high, on the side, on the other side, down low, TOO SLOW!" Except everybody is getting way too fast... There's also a game where people will tell me to look at the giant 3-headed butterfly (or something equally bizarre) then tap me on the shoulder when I look and tell me, "Foi uma fantasma!" (It was a ghost!)

I can't even express how much I love each and every kid there. It's incredible. I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to say goodbye.

Tuesday and Thursday mornings are reserved for rest, studying Portuguese, communication with my family, and often organizing photos or chipping away at blog entries.

Around 12:30pm, everybody returns to the house. Lunch (which is the biggest meal of  the day) is served both at the kids' preschool and at NAS, but anybody who hasn't eaten does so upon return to the house. The kids bathe, and Isabela prepares for her nap.

After 2pm, everything varies. Sometimes there are swimming lessons, sometimes I wander a new safe area while someone has an appointment, sometimes we go grocery shopping, frequently we go on miscellaneous adventures, and sometimes the afternoon is simply spent at the house playing.

I didn't actually notice this until I read it somewhere, but dinner is generally later in Brazil because the lunch is bigger. (I didn't notice because my family at home generally eats on the later side - I recall once eating LUNCH at 9pm). In the USA, I'd estimate that the average dinnertime is between 5 and 7. Here, I'd say it's between 7 and 9 (judging not just from the one family, but from what I've observed as a whole). 

Nights consist of Carol's incredibly creative games outside, random dancing with the kids, and a few tv episodes. Very popular here is Tom and Jerry, Mr. Bean the cartoon, and Masha e o Urso (Masha and the Bear - a Russian kids' show).

Alas, it's time for bed. Snore snore!

Weekends are my favorite, as they involve many miscellaneous adventures! One weekend we went to Ubatuba (a GORGEOUS coastal town), one weekend we went to an awesome lake, some weekends we went to kids' parties of various varieties, and most recently we spent an extended weekend in Salvador! More about that later.

So that's life here! It's pretty awesome. The people make it that way(: (and I mean, the warm weather doesn't hurt anything either...)

Food - The Brazilian Way

I'll tell you a secret: I'm a food junkie. Especially when it comes to fruit and sweets, I lose all control.

I've come to the right place. 

The produce department at the grocery store here is easily double or triple the size of the average Michigan one, bursting with unfamiliar fruits and vegetables, or unfamiliar varieties of familiar ones (did you know there are several different varieties of avocado and broccoli?) Brazilians also know how to do sweets the right way, making them not mildly sweet but fully, richly delicious.

I have tried such a great number of interesting new foods that I could probably write a blog entry every single day solely about the cuisine encountered. It's THAT good. However, for the sake of not filling this website with pages upon pages of banana descriptions (by the way, even average bananas are SO flavorful here), I'll spill all the beans here.

Speaking of beans, they're absolutely the staple of a typical Brazil diet, along with rice. Almost every meal includes these two foods in some capacity. Brazilians know how to cook these to be delicious.

I'll break it down into some food categories for easy navigating! Hope you have some food handy, because you will likely be hungry by the end of this.

BY THE WAY: this blog is very long, I'm sorry. I just couldn't keep anything out. Please skip around as desired, but know that the beverages, fruit, and corn categories probably contain the most unique information.

Beverages

Juice. It is THE beverage. At the house, we make fresh juice 2 or 3 times a day. At restaurants, at food stands, at parties, juice is usually the only option available, and there are some weird ones! Cashew juice, strawberry juice, mango juice. Watermelon juice is my favorite, and I recall asking throughout my childhood why watermelon juice wasn't widely popular when watermelons are so juicy. The question hasn't dissipated here. It's divine. Passion fruit-mango juice is incredibly refreshing, and we had orange-apple-lime juice the other day which I feel should become queen of the universe.

Pop is available here, but not widely popular. 

Also, something I find odd is that meals are eaten without beverages. The thought is that the liquid takes up room where the food could have been, so people will feel full prematurely. Immediately after the meal, the juice is served. 

Here's a quick recipe to make juice in a regular blender! (That's how they do it here.)
1. Take away undesired peels, rinds, or shells. Seeds can stay.
2. Put the fruit in the blender, and add water until it's almost covered.
3. Blend until liquefied.
4. Pour it through a strainer into a pitcher. The tiny strainers with the handle and metal mesh work best.
5. Add sugar (because the water takes away some of the natural sweetness).
6. Enjoy!

Fruits

I've tried so many new fruits; my absolute favorite is called caqui (persimmon in English, but I didn't know that so to me it will always be caqui!) It looks like a tomato, but it's very sweet and slimy and very fun to eat. Another very delicious fruit is called pinha - cherimoya in English (why do we have so many long, complicated names for these foreign fruits??) Despite it's ginormous seeds, it is dreamy, though I fail to find the words necessary to describe its taste.

Passion fruit and goiaba (guava) are also fruits that are very popular here that are a bit more difficult to encounter in my end on the world.

Oranges are green, but they taste very similar to the orange ones. And oddly enough, they are still called oranges despite their greenness. 

There is great confusion when speaking about lemons and limes, as there is only one word for them in Portuguese - limão (pronounced lee-moan, more or less). Unfortunately, the fruit that is called simply limão happens to be what we call a lime. Regular lemons are called Sicilian limes. And what they call lemon juice, I call limeade. All conversations I have tried to have about either of these fruits has resulted in mass confusion.

It has been surprising how many things I dislike in the USA that are delicious here! For example, pineapple. I can force it down, though it's never my favorite. Here though - oh my goodness!!! A civil war broke out in the house over the last piece, and there was a very good reason for that war! It's beyond delicious. There are little saws on the leaves of the pineapples, which I don't recall in the USA, so maybe they're a different variety. (But then again, I've never bought a pineapple in the USA, so I may be very wrong about this).

Fruits can be dangerous, too! There may not be flying snakes here (contrary to André's persuasions), but there are attacker fruits. I. Am. Now. Terrified. Of. Cashews. Cashews grow attached to a giant fruit. Each individual nut is attached to it's own fruit the size of a small apple (no wonder cashews are so expensive!) The fruit is popular for juice here, and we bought some to try. Naturally, I had to get the cashew out of the shell, so I took a knife and started sawing away. A white oil emerged, covering my hands. Turns out this oil is related to poison ivy, and 4 weeks later, it continues to be a very bad experience. And I never did get to the cashew...

Veggies

Vegetables are pretty similar to those in the USA. The only huge difference I can note is that there are several varieties of a few vegetables I didn't know had several varieties. Like cucumbers and zucchini. Sure, I knew of salad cucumbers vs. pickle cucumbers (or maybe those are the same?) Here, they come in every possible shade of green.

Broccoli also has several varieties. And there is a very spicy lettuce variety called rucola (arugula in English) that takes me by surprise whenever I accidentally encounter it in a salad.

Squash is also popular, and is used in a variety of delicious desserts!

Corn 

Yes, corn gets its own subtitle. 

I always knew and loved corn on the cob and corn muffins, but here they take corn to a whole new level. 

Like corn juice. Seriously the most delicious beverage that has ever touched my lips. It is creamy, made with milk, and oh so sweet. We even made our own the other day, and it was so easy and good!

Corn popsicles are heavenly. Pamonha is delicious (cheese covered in this warm cakey corn stuff). And corn cookies are now my preference to the traditional flour-made ones. 

I never would have expected corn stuff to be good, but I found myself craving it every second of every day after I tried it. 

Dairy

Milk tastes different here. It is sweeter and has a totally different flare to it. As milk containers differ around the world, I'll also mention that it comes in small bottles or cartons, and is not kept in the refrigerator until after it is opened.

Cheddar cheese is very difficult to find here, and is very expensive when it is encountered. Several types of parmesan and mozzarella are easily found here. And grilled string cheese is a thing!

There is one type of cheese that comes in big half-moon chunks and is "the" cheese. I don't know if it has a widely known name, and the only thing I can compare it to is Mexican cheese. White liquid cheese is also common, and a delicious addition to tomato sauces and goiaba desserts.

Bread

Fresh potato bread is the best!! And their form of cinnamon raisin bread is far softer than ours. Warm egg and cheese between the raisin bread is simply the best! We also bought fresh French-style bread to eat with our cheese fondue on International Women's Day, and there is nothing like it.

An interesting sidenote is that I have not yet encountered a toaster here. I should probably ask about that.

Cheese bread, a traditional Brazilian favorite, consists of bread in the shape of a ball filled with cheese. And pastels, which technically aren't bread but I don't know what they would be considered, are cheese-filled thin pastries that are deep fried. They are even awesomer when paired with the corn juice.

Meat

Meat is an integral part of the Brazilian diet, and it looks to be very tender and delicious all the time. Octopus was included in a seafood dish the other day, but other than that it's pretty standard. I'm a vegetarian though, so I don't really have the authority to comment!

Sweets

Nothing else matters. Skip the rest of the blog. Read here.

My sweet tooth has tripled in size, and any self-control I had before coming here has flown out the window.

Mostly due to the widespread use of condensed milk. It had its own layer in the birthday cake. It is the staple ingredient in the peanut candy we had. It is in donuts. And... Guys, I'm in love.

Ice cream is always self-serve, so a person can try as many types as they want to each visit. The only problem with this, as I've discovered, is that they all melt together and it becomes difficult to distinguish one from another. Truffle ice cream is my favorite, with corn ice cream making a close second. There is also papaya, blackberry, passion fruit, coconut, and several varieties of chocolate and vanilla.

Fried bananas, tapioca cakes, churros with doce de leite, carolinas... The deliciousness never stops.

P.S. McFlurries here are the same as Mexican ones, which I once ate while walking through a thunderstorm and didn't even care if I got struck by lightning.

To be an American Abroad

I'm famous.

And I don't say that in some self-centered way. I mean I have legitimately had people hiding their faces and freaking out as if they just met their favorite celebrity. 

It's pretty bizarre, actually.

Before I started traveling to different countries, I thought every country produced all their own music, movies, and TV shows. I believed this because I had not known of any media that was popular in the USA that wasn't created in the USA, so I figured every other country was the same way. False. The USA is absolutely the media capitol of the world, and almost everybody watches and listens to American media that may or may not be translated (or have voice overs) in their language. Disney channel with the actors' and actresses' mouths moving to English but with strange voices speaking Portuguese? It's odd indeed.

Unfortunately, I'm a pretty terrible person to be representing the USA in a foreign country, because I'm not up on the media at all.

Excited children: WE KNOW AMERICAN MUSIC!!! *starts singing songs I don't know*
Guys, I listen to Spanish reggae.....

Excited children: WE KNOW AMERICAN MOVIES TOO!!!! *starts listing movies I've never heard of*
Guys, I watched Tarzan for the first time ever here with you, in Portuguese, yesterday.....

And then of course everyone is disappointed. I'm sorry!

And then there was the guy who was SO excited to meet me and after several hours he finally came over to talk to me, and his question was this: Do Americans drink tea like the British? Haha I love it.

Eu Não Falo Português (I do not speak Portuguese)

How to pretend to speak Portuguese:
1. Translate desired phrase into Portuguese as much as possible
2. If a word is unknown in Portuguese, say the Spanish word and hope it's close enough to be understood (9 times out of 10 it is)
3. If a word is unknown in both Portuguese and Spanish, either say it in English or leave it out completely
4. Speak slowly and in an accent that is supposed to be Brazilian but is in reality more like Kermit the Frog
5. Add charades

Like I said, I don't speak Portuguese. But surprisingly, this method works 99% of the time.

Although the other day I needed to convey that one of the kids was pooping, but I didn't know the word for it so I was stuck with charades. That was something I certainly never expected to check off my bucket list! Haha.

I've never been in a place where I needed a language so much. In Mexico, we had translators with us at all times. In Denmark, I encountered a grand total of one person who didn't speak English. Here in Brazil though, I've only met a total of 7 people who can speak English, so it's kind of necessary to know it to talk with anyone outside of that.

I've started volunteering at a place where NOBODY speaks English. There are tons of kids there, and they are all super curious and will bombard me with questions. Sometimes I understand and can answer, but sometimes I simply don't know a word that is vital to the question, so I can't. It's interesting to see how different people respond to this. Some people laugh and hug me; some people just give up and go do something else; some people speak louder and louder because that's probably why I can't understand; some people repeat the question 15 times even after I have expressed in multiple ways that I don't have the necessary knowledge to answer; some people get this very disappointed look and just stare at me while my heart breaks.

I've discovered that there is nothing in this world that physically hurts my brain more than spending 3 hours having multiple kids talk to me rapidly and in a foreign language at the same time. My brain just fries. It would be a challenge even if they were speaking English, but in Portuguese I don't stand a chance!

There are many people, though, who are willing to slow down their speech and act out their words to converse with me. I am SO appreciative of these people! It's so much better than remaining strangers! 

Something that really surprised me about Portuguese is that things are said very differently than in English, so a direct translation often makes no sense. Somebody asked me a question the other day and I understood every single word individually, but the question still made no sense to me at all. I never imagined that could happen! For example, "everybody" is said as "todo mundo," which directly translates to "all world." I guess this is logical, but it would be bizarre to say in English "all the world danced" referring to the 20 people at the party...

Questions are hard, because I have to make sure I understand completely so as to not give any drastically false information (after accidentally telling somebody the other day that I have kids, I'm a bit more wary!) Statements are easier though, because I can generally grasp the main idea, then use the tone to decide in what manner I should respond.

It's definitely a journey, and I'm so appreciative that the people I encounter here are happy that I'm trying, rather than frustrated by my mistakes (although I'm sure they're frustrated on the inside!)

I hope you are all having wonderful days! And if you have time, start learning a foreign language, it'll be very worth it someday!

Tchau Todo Mundo(:

Pools, Cows, and Other Adventures

Yesterday consisted of watching older men swimming in their underwear and being put in prison by a witch.

Just another normal day...

OK, maybe not. I should explain. After a morning of independently studying Portuguese, I went with Carol to watch Luca's swimming lesson. There were so many cute little kids already swimming better than I could ever dream to, and it looked like such fun. Afterwards, Carol gave Luca a shower while I went back to the viewing area so as to not overcrowd the locker room. I was by myself sitting there watching the pool, when all of a sudden these men came and got in the pool. And male swimsuits in Brazil are the equivalent of underwear, by the way. So that was an experience.

And later, Isabela (almost 3) told me that I was a princess and she was an evil witch, and she promptly imprisoned me. There were only 4 unlocked doors leading to the room, so there was no hope of escape! 

We also spent a significant amount of time throwing flip flops at a bush and trying to get them stuck, which is actually a ton of fun. Unfortunately, Luca got his stuck on top of the carport, so I tried to knock it down with my flip flop, which went over the beam and landed....well, I wish I knew where. We haven't actually found it yet.

I'm fairly certain a cow was giving birth outside my window last night. There was some intense mooing going on. And every once in a while, a chicken gave a screech so loud and sudden that my body left the bed for a minute, and my heart would have won gold if there was an Olympic category for heart speed. 

I closed the window because I didn't want to win gold, but I forgot about that this morning and promptly slammed my face into the glass. Luckily, it now has a nice nose print so that shouldn't be happening again anytime soon.

I took a walk around the neighborhood this morning. It is beautiful. Due to safety concerns, most of the subdivisions are gated with someone manning the gate at all times and a special card required for entry. The rest of the subdivision is surrounded by a tall wall, topped with barbed wire and security cameras. This makes them incredibly safe.

This afternoon we visited a community center that hosts a before/after school program (most kids here only attend school for half the day until they reach high school). The center reminded me very much of the centers we volunteered at in Washington D C. The kids are ages 5-12, and I'll be volunteering there starting Monday. Everybody there is SO nice, but I'm a bit nervous because not a single person there speaks English!!

I'm currently sitting in a beauty parlor and Carol is getting a massage that consists of having the hair on her head pulled. Apparently it's very painful, but it really relaxes the muscles. 

There is a thunderstorm going on outside, but I wish there was a stronger word for it. I've never experienced thunderstorms as intense as the ones here. The skies just open and it's like there are faucets coming from every inch of cloud. The streets become river-like in a matter of minutes, and the thunder is absolutely ear-piercing.

Well, that's the news from Brazil. Hope everything is going wonderfully wherever you may be!