going places...

Poor timing.

2009-12-10T23:04:00.001-06:00

In the last two weeks, I have made my first thanksgiving turkey, run a 5K, read an entire book for book club, done strategic planning for 2010, packed and gotten ready for a trip, co-accepted a major award on behalf of my family, oh....and bought a company.

If you ask me, this was an ideal time to restart my blog...don't you think??

I already have that awful blogger's guilt of not updating often enough. That fear that I am losing readers (if I even have any at all). And that secret hope that people actually miss me.

Well, to add to the fabulous timing of when I decided to re-start this blog, I am now leaving the land of the connected world for eight GLORIOUS days. We are off to our cruise tomorrow morning and I'm sorry to any readers out there who get offended but I am so fucking excited that I can barely sit down to write this.

And for you very observant readers out there....yes...I said "we." This is the first trip that my incredibly brave boyfriend will be joining the entire Fiterman clan (little ones included) for a week of relaxation (and I'm sure some hilarious moments)

So goodbye to the land of not being able to touch my steering wheel because it is so ridiculously cold. Hello to the land of pools, pina coladas, snorkling and family fun.

Please keep Alex in your thoughts :-)

xoxo,
Debra

Wise words...

2009-12-05T08:19:00.000-06:00

One of my best friends from college is currently serving in the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa. To say what she is doing is amazing doesn't even come close to doing it justice. Anyway, I was reading her blog this morning and in one of her entries, she wrote this:

Yes. Whatever it is. Say yes now, get some moves toward action, and hopefully soon I'll understand. I can always say No later if I realize that's the better answer.

In her case, she was talking about milking a cow but really, these are words that I could definitely learn from. Earlier this week, I actually took a huge leap in my own life and started feeding my entrepreneurial spirit by buying ownership of the company I work for.

Was it exciting? Yes. Was it scary? Absolutely. But I've just learned to say yes now, move toward action and hope that soon, I will understand.

xoxo,
Debra

Thanksgiving Review....the sequel!

2009-12-01T20:38:00.000-06:00

As I said in my last blog, Thanksgiving was the last blog I wrote a year ago and the reason I picked it up again. So before the last leftover is either eaten or put in the garbage disposal, it's time to recap Thanksgiving Weekend 2009.

The weekend started on Wednesday when Alex and I went to our friends for dinner and wine (oh...for any of you readers who I haven't talked to since the last thanksgiving blog...Alex is my ridiculously wonderful boyfriend...he will be a main character in this blog...get to know him) So Alex and I ate pizza with the Franks and may have had a bit more wine than we had planned. Ok, I'm being kind. Let's just say that Alex was very happy :-)

So after this nice kick-off to the weekend, I thought "I have a great idea! How about I ask my drunk boyfriend to help me get ready for thanksgiving breakfast and roll the lox?" Well, let's just say, considering we weren't at 100%, it turned out pretty darn good! How 'bout these roses??

Well...a few short hours of sleep later and it was time for my favorite thanksgiving day tradition--the Turkey Day 5K. This is the third year I've run this with my amazing friend, mentor and colleague, David (you should all also get to know him....a VERY important character). Anyway, after three years, we thought it was time to up the ante and get HATS:

They were a huge hit. People actually stopped us to take pictures. We may not have been the fastest on the course but we were hands down the best looking.

Ok...onto the MAIN EVENT. So my family has never been super into Thanksgiving. It's just never been "our" holiday. So I decided this year to start a new tradition and host Alex's family (aka: The Arbits) at my place and I gotta say, if this was year one, watch out. It was DAMN good.

We did a "taste test" theme where we made two of almost everything and put them head to head:

My mom's Wonder Bread stuffing v. Judy Arbit's Doctored Stovetop
Classic sweet potatoes v. Red Curry Fiery sweet potatoes
Grilled v. steamed asparagus
Maple cranberry sauce v. Pinapple/Raisin Cranberry Sauce (aka: Dwight's Delight)
Turkey v. Tofu (Alex's sister is a vegetarian)
Pumpkin pie v. chocolate pie

Everyone had their favorites....no real disasters. But I gotta say, every other thanksgiving, I eat turkey out of obligation. It is only there so I can feel better about heaping 3 mountains of potatoes and gravy. But not this year. Nope. This was the best dang turkey I've ever had. Turns out, we found out the secret: THE BUTTER JACKET.

We had named our turkey Tabatha. And by the time we rubbed 1.5 sticks of butter underneath "Tabby's" skin, there was no way we could go wrong. We put her in the oven, closed the door...and waited.

We raced against the clock and decided to be ambitious and see if we could complete a 500 piece puzzle while Tabitha was roasting. We were so confident that we did the puzzle on the dining room table where we intended to eat. Well....it was a close call and the food may have been a few step away from piping hot but...we finished it! I don't have an actual picture of it but it followed the theme of the day...FOOD!

We cleared the table and Alex got a chance to carve his very first turkey. And it was a good first effort!

It was like any good thanksgiving should be. We ran. We cooked. We puzzled. We stuffed our faces. We regretted stuffing our faces. And above all....I was thankful. So very, very thankful.

xoxo,
Debra

Next post....My 10-year high school reunion!

I'm BAAAAACK!!

2009-11-29T21:46:00.000-06:00

Yes. It has officially been a year since I have written. I can't tell you how many times I've clicked on the link and even attempted to try to catch up but it just seemed impossible. As the months ticked by and milestones passed, it just never seemed like just the right time to restart my blog.

Well, if there are ANY readers still left out there, you've probably seen that for the last 365 days, the "Thanksgiving Weekend Review" has been the most recent post on this blog. So I figure, what better way to get back into the blogosphere than to start after this year's thanksgiving?? Watch for a full review of this weekend in a blog in the next day or so...

I must say that even as I type this, I feel very rusty. I forgot how fun, freeing, stressful, hilarious and just plain weird it is to write in complete stream of consciousness. Add to that, people are actually reading this! But I think I will get back in the swing of things here and hopefully keep the blog up.

When I got back from my traveling adventures, the best gift I had were all the memories and stories I captured here. And this simple url was my little way of bringing the most important people in my life with me on my journey. While I can't promise that I'll be climbing up canyons, repelling down a cave wall, teaching children in third world countries or even learning a new language, I do hope it'll still be an exciting ride.

Heeeeere we go!

xoxo,
Debra

Thanksgiving Weekend Review

2008-12-04T10:39:00.007-06:00

I guess I have never really understood all the hype around thanksgiving. Especially when you are an "in-towner" (aka...not going to go visit anyone) To me, it is like one big meal (which by the way my family does not need an excuse to have...this happens all the time) followed by 4 days of wondering what I am supposed to be doing.

I just kept feeling like, "it's thanksgiving weekend! I should be doing something. And I can't really call my friends because I'm sure THEY are doing something." If someone could please explain what you are all doing, that would be great.

But I did manage to have a pretty great Thanksgiving Weekend. Here are some highlights (ok fine, this is everything...any time holes you see, I was watching TV or taking a nap)

So Thursday morning has officially become my favorite part of tgiving weekend. My friend David and I started the tradition last year (not sure you can really call it a tradition yet but....we do) to runt eh Turkey Day 5K. Last year, I was very hard core about the training. THis year....not so much. But I managed to impress myself and run about 2.5 of the 3.2 miles.

The weather cooperated and it is seriously SO hard to believe that only one week ago today, I was running outside in a zip up and today, I can't feel my hands or cheeks after walking from my car to the coffee shop. It is FREEZING.

If one HUGE meal wasn't enough for my family, we decided to have a Thanksgiving Day brunch as a precursor to the Thanksgiving Day dinner (we like to eat....)
Dinner was delicious. I was in charge of sweet potatoes and gotta say, I did a DAMN fine job (thank you Food Network and Rachel...) My nephew was in charge of decorations...this was my favorite.

And we even started a new tradition of "What I'm thankful for Afikomen." Basically, we all wrote what we were thankful for, hid them around the house and my nephew had to find them and guess whose was whose. Very fun...next time, I would like a bit more competition. I liek to beat the pants off 6 year-olds.

Speaking of nephews, here is my moment to shamelessly show you two of THE cutest kids on earth....seriously. How is it possible that everyone thinks they have the cutest ones on earth?? Clearly, I do :)
After dinner, I burned off most of the calories laughing hysterically with my oldest friend in the world Alison...

Friday night was basically a huge high school reunion and it was actually really fun. Could have gone either way....you know...lots of room for "oh my god, it's X person. Ihaven't seen that kid since I burned his hair off on the bunsen burner in Chemistry." But it was good. Fun to see people and we are finally at an age where when there is someone you just don't really care about, you can just nod and wave from a distance. No more awkward "so what have you been up to for the last 10 years?" conversations which is a huge plus.

Saturday, I had a bunch of people over. Nothing too exciting...but very fun. I made a recipe that called to celery. But only like 3 stalks of celery. And did you know that you have to buy like 3 pounds of celery at a minimum?

Well, for any of you who don't know, I HATE celery. Everyone always asks me why and tries to convince me that it has no taste. I completly disagree. I hate it. So, I made bumps on a log. Seriously....when was the last time you had one of these suckers? They were very popular.
Sunday was a very dangerous day. My "friends" (and I put this in quotes because of the temptation they put before me) Jeremy and Kara thought it would be a good idea to just "look at some puppies."

Now I'm not crazy. I know this is a terrible time to buy a puppy. I don't even know what I'll be doing in the near future. Imean cmon...this is what Humane Society stories are made of.

Anyway, I was convinced and told that we were just looking.

Needless to say, I fell madly in love. I mean...cmon....are you for real?
I managed to resist and for now am staying far, far away from any breeder.

Sunday night, the ladies and I got decked otu in our purple and cheered the vikes on to an exciting win... Lindsay, a Bears fan got us the tickets. Probably not cool that we cheered very loudly every time the Bears through an interception in her ear. Too bad Lindsay. You've lived here 5 years. C'mon....get some purple on.

So, that is it! All around a great weekend...still not sure if that is what you are "supposed" to do during these mysterious 4 days of no activity but any time I get to go for a jog, eat ridiculous amounts of food, hug my nieces and nephews, look at puppies and get rid of excess celery, I'm all for it.

xoxo,
Debra

Tag....I'm it!

2008-11-21T09:45:00.002-06:00

Ok, so clearly from the lack of blogging, you can see that I am struggling to find topics that are interesting (it is hard to compare even a very interesting day here with climbing a canyon or scaling a mountain in south america...)

But...thankfully for my friend Greta and her blog (www.newtypeofnesting.blogspot.com), I have found my inspiration.

Essentially, it is a game of grown-up tag combined with a self-esteem boost all at once. Here are the rules:

1) Write 3 things about myself I like
2) Tag 3 more people
3) Go on in peace

Now I have always considered myself a pretty confident person. But seriously, thinking of 3 things about myself that I like and putting them into words has proven more dificult than I thought! Anyway, here goes...

1. I am a "do-er." Now of course I have been known to procrastinate from time to time but overall, I do what I say I'm going to do. When I decided that I missed school, I got my MBA. When I said I had always wanted to volunteer abroad, I traveled for 6 months teaching. I hope this is a trait I never lose.

2. I am optimistic. Now I'm sure I have been accused of being Polly Anna and that there have been many rolls of the eyes at my overly positive and shiny attitude but that is just how I am. I naturally think people a good, things will turn out well and if you work at it, absolutely ANY dream can come true. (ok....you can startyour eye-rolling now)

3. I am passionate. Everything from walking 60 miles, 6 times to fight breast cancer to fighting passionately over the color of next months Yoplait coupon, I don't think anyone has ever accused me of being complacent. When I decide something is a passion of mine, watch out. And I seem to find a new one everyday....

Ok. So the hard part os over. Whew!

Now it's time for me to tag 3 others! So some of you have blogs and others don't but if you do have a blog, post this on your blog! And if not...please try to do this as a comment on MY blog. It really is fun. It's a challenge but I promise you that you will go to your next meeting feeling a little bit more like you are an optimistic, passionate, do-er!

Ok Kara, Rachel, Michelle Peterson, Chris and Liz and Mom....go on....Tag....YOU'RE IT!

xoxo,
Debra

Shortest vacation recap of all time

2008-11-12T09:30:00.004-06:00

Ok...so for the last 5 days, I have been on our annual ladies trip to Naples, Florida. Now you would think that I would have all sorts of stories about swimming, roaming the beach, designer shopping, glamorous eating and nights out on the town.

Well, I just uploaded my camera after this “exciting” weekend and had a whopping total of 9 pictures (about 3 of which were just mishaps with the self timer)

So here we go...the shortest weekend recap ever:

Friday:
Fly to Naples. Lay down at the pool. Go to f*cking AMAZING dinner. Eat ourselves sick. Go to a bizarre club with even more bizarre characters “cuttin’ a rug” to a strange but very good DJ.
Saturday:
Walk (this was quite ambitious). Lay. Float. Lay. Listen to free CD from said DJ. Lay. Go to another dinner where we proceeded to stuff our faces once again.
Sunday:
Walk/jog (EXTREMELY ambitious). Lay. Float. Think we might possibly go see a movie. Decide that is WAY too much work. Instead, go to target to buy a movie and the very gourmet hot dogs and baked beans. Make dinner (whoa people...that almost put us out of commission). Drink beer. Take some GasX. Lose consciousness on the couch while watching the movie.
Monday:
Lay. Manicure (at a place with a FULL bar). Float. Lay. Drink a couple glasses of wine. Decide that leaving the house is just out of the question. Order Papa John’s. Profess our undying love for each other. Lose consciousness on the couch.

Tuesday:
Laundry. Gas up the van. Head to the airport. Wonder why on earth we are leaving this paradise??

So it may not have been action-packed but it was WONDERFUL. And I honestly can’t think of any other ladies I would like to be complete and utter lazy bums with (Abby and Lindsay...start asking for vacation now for next year...we missed you guys!)

xoxo,
Debra

Watching history in the making...

2008-11-05T13:47:00.004-06:00

All I can say is wow.

After 21 months, the day that everyone has been focusing on is now part of our history books and I can't imagine a better way to end the story.

I was at my polling booth at 7:00 am and after waiting in line for 3 blocks, I was outta there in just under 2 hours. Now I know that the lines would have been shorter at other times of the day. And I know I could have voted early. But I have to tell you that I really did love every minute of those 2 hours.

I loved that there was a line to vote and I didn't see a single person getting out of it. I loved that there were people in business suits and others in sweat pants. I loved marking my ballot. And I loved just being part of history.

Immediately after voting, I drove myself to the nearest Starbucks to redeem my free coffee (loved that almost as much as the whole "being part of history" thing...)

Last night, we had our very own election party complete with a secret ballot vote for Cindy McCain's favorite cookie v. Michelle Obama's favorite shortbread.

And at 10:01 when the next president was announced, I think it is safe to say that the entire country felt a sense of historic significance. Whether a democrat or republican, it was impossible to deny the magic of the night (although probably easier to deny it if you are a McCain fan... :)

From McCain's opening words to Obama's final wave, it really was a night to remember. And I'm just so glad I was able to be a small part of it.
YES WE CAN.

Debra

Halloween. Kid Tested. Adult Approved.

2008-11-03T07:21:00.005-06:00

Not too much to say today but I LOVE HALLOWEEN.

I don't know if I just had parents that weren't into Halloween as adults or if this is a generational difference but I was always under the impression that after the age of about 12, Halloween was just a time when Target's shelves were filled with candy.

Not correct.

I think I can safely say that Halloween has only gotten better with age. And this year was no exception! I went with the classic witch costume and was more than impressed with the creativity of costumes I saw this year...turns out that when the country's economy is in the toilet, business leaders are corrupt and election candidates are idiots, costumes improve greatly!

xoxo,
Debra

a GOLDEN day...

2008-10-30T08:19:00.007-05:00

How is it possible that I: a) don't have a job b) am not actively trying to save the world and c) can't think of anything of huge significance that I've done in the last 1.5 weeks and I still have not found time to update this blog??

I have all sorts of ideas I want to write about but before any further ado...I want to recap my big 28th birthday...

So I'm pretty sure at this point that if you have ever met me, you know that I am pretty big into birthdays (pretty big into them meaning completely and utterly obsessed) so when my GOLDEN 28th birthday was coming around, I was more than excited.

But...I have to say that as of about a week ago, I was pretty sure that while I'm sure the day was going to be nice, I wasn't convinced that it would be anything special. No big plans. No big parties. Just a random Tuesday and as it turns out, most people work on that day :)

But let me tell all of my readers that my family and friends did NOT disappoint. The day (and celebration leading up to the day) was simply just perfect.

The celebration "officially" began last Friday night...

So when I had just arrived in Peru, I got an email from my friend Kara informing me that I would be home soon and we needed to get restaurant reservations immediately on the calendar. By the way, at this point, I still had about 2.5 months left of my 6 month program....but trust me I didn't argue with her!

Especially when she told me that we were not just going to any restuarant but my favorite restaurant in the entire world (and I've been around the block a couple times people...) We were going to the new MANNY'S!!

There are just no words...this restaurant is the best. Where else can you go to get a steak the size of a small infant, double crispy hash browns loaded with onions, a stinky and amazing oversized clump of blue cheese and of course...TWO huge desserts with candles...Ok...so onto the big day. I woke up on Tuesday morning and discovered one of the best parts of having a lot of newly found international friends is that I got emails all through the night!

Then, just like clockwork the same as the last 28 years, I hear my door opening and lots of rustling going on in my condo. Now you'd think I'd want to check it out to make sure it wasn't a robber but nope...I stayed in bed like a good birthday girl.

My mom and great friend David walked into my room with bagels, yogurt, bananas, MY coffee and of course, lots of Happy Birthday decorations. Breakfast in bed...is there really a better way to start the day?
Then I walked out into my condo and on my table were a pile of ALL of my very favorite board games! Yep...we were having a morning of games complete with prizes...Pictionary, Balderdash and my mom and David were even kind enough to indulge me in Connect Four (although I remain the undisputed champion...)After kicking both of their asses in pretty much every competition, it was off to lunch (I mean come on, what's the point of a birthday if you can't be in a continuous state of eating??) We went to the Minneapolis "institution" Monte Carlo for the incredible wings and spicy beans...mmmm. My dad and brother met us and of course, another candle awaited (seriously, like 75% of my brithday pictures are either of me eating or me in front of a dessert...)After lunch, it was off to meet my friends to do some Halloween costume shopping. Normal shopping...not my thing. Halloween costume shopping? Fabulous.

Oops...it's been an entire paragraph...time to eat again.

All my friends came to dinner at another Minneapolis classic: Ike's. Simply cannot beat their burger (I think I'm hungry...) It was the first time I had ALL of my friends together since I've been back and it was great. I honestly looked around the table a few times and could hardly believe that we were actually all sitting together...
And after dinner? What tops off a fabulous birthday better than a chance to be on stage?? Yep. It was time for some karaoke.
Rachel and I headed off, rocked it out and even met an amazing a capella group who dedicate a song to me (oh...and bought me very unneeded drinks...)
Like I said...no big plans. No huge parties. Just my a day doing my favorite things, eating my favorite foods, singing my favorite songs and being with favorite people. And really, what more could a birthday girl wish for.
xoxo,
Debra

Frequently Asked Questions...

2008-10-22T22:51:00.002-05:00

See?? I haven't forgotten about you! And thank you all for your e-mails, comments, wall posts, phone calls, visits and HUGS over the last week. I'm telling you that they have made the re-entry period much less painful!

So I've been back a whopping 3 whole days and throughout that time, have hung out with friends, family, ran into old co-workers and caught up on the phone and internet with many "long-distance" friends. And throughout those conversations, I have noticed an ALARMING pattern of the questions I've been getting.

Add to that, I am about to attend the literal Superbowl of weddings this Sunday. It is like the perfect combination of family, friends, parents' friends and a whole bunch of people who I will have no idea who they are but somehow will know me. I am very excited for this wedding but am literally afraid of the questioning I may face at this event.

So, without further ado...here is my list of FAQs and Answers to the most popular "So, you've been gone for 6 months..." questions:

1. What was your favorite country?
This question is impossible. Impossible! But here is what I've come up with...

The overall winner? Peru. Great food, family, friends, project, city, weather...this place had it all.

My favorite school to teach at? Honduras. Amazing kids with a really structured program. It was awesome.

Closest to my heart? Guatemala. I think just being the first country with incredible people, indigenous students in arguably the most gorgeous city, it is a hard one to beat.

2. If you had to do it again, would you?
Abso-fucking-lutly. I have nothing more to add. Just a strong and defiant YES. The best decision I have ever made...

3. What was the food like?
Every country was VERY different but here is a quick run down...

Guatemala: Traditional food in the house...good cook...lots of chicken and meat with rice and beans. House specialty? Pepian...SOOO good.
Honduras: I actually lived in a restaurant. My house mom served and catered out of her home so every meal was a traditional Honduran delight! But beware...you better LOVE the beans in Honduras. And bananas. There are plenty of both. Bring the GasX.
Ecuador: Definitely the LOSER on a culinary front. This was my menu every single day:

Breakfast: Bread roll and tea

Lunch: Mystery sandwich (often bread and caramel) and 2 black bananas

Dinner: A plate cut down the center...half white rice, half french fries.

mmmm...Dr. Atkins would have loved this place

Peru: Great food. A really good mix of Peruvian and "American" food. She even made me blue box mac and cheese a couple times but the best part about my Peruvian family? First family to fully embrace dessert!

4. Favorite travel spots
So hard but topping the list are...Belize (paradise come true), Machu Picchu, the whole backpacking trip through Nicaragua and Costa Rica and Lake Titicaca. (there were so many others...Chile, Colca Canyon, Tikal...the list just goes on and on)

5. What were the low points?
Like I said in my last entry, this trip definitely had its ups and downs...but SO many more ups. But when I think about the low points...three come to mind...

Night number 2 in Guatemala (2nd day of the whole trip)...I just remember being on top of a crazy mountain and thinking to myself "I can't believe I just left behind the best friends and family in the whole world for this?" I had serious doubts on whether or not I would make it through.
When my grandfather died...very difficult to find out about it so far away
One "sniffly" night in Honduras..I had come down with a terrible cold, snot running down my face, terrible kleenex all over the bed, spiders and frogs on the floor, hard rain on my tin roof keeping me awake. I just remember thinking "I am SOOOO over this..."

6. High points?
Again, absolutely impossible question. Just way too many to count. But it really is the tiny, insignificant moments all piled on top of one another that added up to what was just an unbelievable ride.

7. (and the WORST one...) So...what now??
This is the question that we all learn to dread and hate from about February of senior year of college.

The short answer? I do not know yet!

The long answer? Well...first is that I have jury duty so I'm not jumping into anything too huge before that! But, I am definitely exploring some options and I am just trying to find a way to use all of the experience and knowledge I have gained over not just the last 6 months but the last 28 years and use those gifts in the best way I know how.

I know it's not the answer you are looking for and I know the wedding guests' eyes will glaze over at "exploring options" but looks like you are just going to have to keep reading the blog to find out!

xoxo,
Debra

P.S...wish me luck on Sunday. I'm thinking of making handouts...

How can sum up the most amazing experience of my entire life?

2008-10-20T16:18:00.004-05:00

I just re-read my very first blog entry from over 6 months ago and I just cannot believe that I am back on my big red couch in my downtown Minneapolis condo writing once again. It is so hard to believe that only 6 short months ago, I did not know Spanish, did not know the kids I would teach or the people I would meet, did not know how to live out of a suitcase for months and most importantly, did not know nearly as much about myself.

I have learned more in the last 6 months than through all the hours in a classroom or office cubicle combined. I have been more happy, more sad, more excited, more scared, more curious, more frustrated, more patient and more content than I can ever remember.

When I actually stop to think that the experience that I have wanted to do for a lifetime is now behind me, I really cannot believe it. In so many ways it seems like a blurry dream with photo flashes of some moments that are still clear in my mind.

Some of my most vivid memories are not what you might expect. It's not summiting Machu Picchu or swimming with sea turtles in the Galapagos. Some of the most vivid memories I have are the simple ones.

I can still remember my first Friday in Guatemala when a little girl tied a friendship bracelet onto my wrist. I didn't have a camera to capture the moment but for some reason, at that very moment when I looked at her hands on my hands, I knew that this would be an unforgettable ride.

But I could never, ever have imagined just how incredible it really would be.

Every single person I have met along the way has made the last six months extraordinary. I cannot thank you all individually here but to every volunteer, host family, student, teacher and friend...I thank you with my whole heart.

Throughout the last year, many of you and others have said to me that they have often thought about doing something like this. If you are serious about it I say DO IT. I can promise you it will never be a decision you will regret.

I completely understand that not everyone is in a position to take 6 months from their lives and do this journey. But I met so many people who are doing this work in other ways, for shorter times, with their families, with jobs waiting...the list goes on. If any of you, at any time want to talk to me about doing something like this...please do!!

When I started this blog, I thought it would simply be a place to capture my thoughts and experiences in a public forum. What I never expected was that it would become a huge part of the experience itself.

I know that sounds crazy but there were honestly times when I chose to do something a little crazier, a little funnier, with a little more spirit because of this electronic journal. Even when things got rough, I could usually smile and say, "at least it will make a good blog story!"

About half way through, I installed something on here so I could track how many "fans" I have. I have about 40 people or so that check this every day. Other than my mom, dad, sister and 3 friends, I have no idea who you are! I would LOVE it if as many people as possible could leave a quick comment or drop me an email just so I know who has been along with me on this ride.

You need to know that by you my reading my blog, I was inspired to keep writing in it and because of that, you have all given me the best souvenir that I could have ever, ever asked for. I will treasure these entries for a lifetime.

Also, I have enjoyed blogging so much that I think I'm going to keep it up! I know my stories will take a SERIOUS turn for the more mundane and boring but I hope I can still keep you guys interested! I'll probably blog a little less often but hopefully pretty regularly.

I hope the blog will continue to inspire me to do crazier, more outrageous, more passionate things and that you will all be there to join me on the ride (a bit of a preview?? I have JURY DUTY starting in about 3 weeks!! Yep...I was summoned while away...)

So how does it feel to be home? In a word...weird. In two words? Weird and wonderful.

In reading my very first journal entry, I realized how focussed I was on "figuring out what I wanted to do." I think I can honestly say I have made no miraculous discoveries. No big decisions. No life changing moments.

But I have learned something even more important about "figuring it out"...I'm not sure I ever will or ever actually want to.

Of course I will make career decisions and of course, I hope that I am happy, passionate, challenged and maybe even making some small difference in the world. But for me, the answer of what I want to be when I grow up has changed.

I want to be a person who cares about others. Who follows her passions and dreams. Who never stops being curious. Who always knows that everyone can teach you so much and the biggest lessons usually come from the smallest people. Who never stops learning. Who loves passionately.

I know this journey has brought me closer to that place.

Thank you all for coming with me on the ride.

Here's to the next chapter...

xoxo,
Debra

The long road home...

2008-10-18T16:16:00.007-05:00

Ok Debra...you can do this. You have written for 6 months straight...here we go.

Well, the last 8 days since I left Arequipa have been a whirlwind to say the least. But I just ate my very last Lomo Saltado (the most delicious dish in Peru...) and I think I am now ready to write about my last travel adventure (at least in this chapter...)
I basically have spent the last week working my way up from Arequipa to Lima to fly home.

So last Friday night, I boarded a bus in Arequipa. I said a very tearful goodbye to my host family in the terminal and climbed aboard Peru's Finest: Cruz del Sur bus line. Seriously...Northwest could learn a thing or two from these people.

Seats recline. TV screens like every 2 feet. Good snacks. All good. But there are a few things that Cruz del Sur lacks:

1. Heat (I have never been so freaking cold in my entire life)
2. Movies that were released post 1985 (we watched Explorers...Ethan Hawke when he was like 9 battling green aliens...oh...and in Spanish)
3. Oh, right...hire drivers that can drive!

So in reference to number 3, this ride was supposed to be about 9 hours give or take. About 3 hours into the ride as I was drifing off in my freezing seat, we hit something. At first I thought we just blew a tire or hit a speed bump (seriously, my frame of reference is so screwed up). I honestly almost just turned over and went back to sleep.

But then, I realized we were not moving again. Nope. Turns out...we hit...a TRUCK. Yep. Double decker bus meets truck. Not pretty.

So rather than press on to Cusco as planned, we turned back around to Arequipa! And this time, we were moving at a snail's pace. So at about 3:30 am...we rolled BACK into Arequipa. Dragged our half frozen asses into a NEW bus and again, headed to Cusco. Not exactly an ideal way to start a week long trip.

In any case, I arrived in Cusco, got my bag and started putting on my best "I look lost. Are you looking to pick up someone named Debra?" face and roamed around the terminal. I didn't have high hopes. It's not like these people who were going to pick me up can exactly check the flight schedule to see when I was supposed to come in.

But I just plopped down and waited. I honestly am not sure I was completely conscious at this point. After about 20 minutes...I was found. Hooray!

We headed to the hostal and was told that I had missed the tour I was supposed to take that morning but do not worry, there was another in about 2 hours. I did my best to stay awake, freshen up a bit, de-thaw and and I was off to the Land of the Tourists.

Now before this 6-month trip, I was a classic tourist. I liked hop-on hop-off bus rides. I liked iteneraries. Not so much anymore. As soon as I stepped on the bus and was surrounded by a Florida woman who didn't stop complaining and a family of like 6 kids, I was ready to be back in Arequipa.

But I put on my tourist hat and we were off. Church. Church. Ruin. Ruin. Debra had a bit of ADD during the tour but apparently, we saw some super famous ruins: Sacsayhuaman (pronounced Sexy Woman...not kidding) and went to a very stylish Alpaca outlet store.Needless to say...I then promply lost consciousness for like 11 hours.

I woke up the next day ready to HIKE. This whole trip was planned and included in my program so I had nothing to do with the planning. I pretty much had a 7 minute meeting about it about 2 hours before I left so I knew very little about what was going to happen.

But I was told that I had a full day of hiking Machu Pichu on Sunday. So I strapped on my hiking gear. Packed up my water, my snacks, my bandaids...I was ready.

So I got in the car with some other travellers and we were off. I looked at their gear and it just didn't look really "up to the task." Whatever...we'll see how it goes.

About 2 hours into the ride, I asked, "so do you know when we start hiking?"

"Hiking?? We aren't hiking! We are driving all the way to the bottom of Machu Picchu!"

Ok...so apparently the Arequipa people were misinformed. So with my hiking boots on and bandaids in hand, I was on a 9.5 hour car ride to Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu. The ride was beautiful...and terrifying! We were basically hanging off the edge of a cliff for the majority of it and when we had to pass another car, we had to drive on these cliffs in REVERSE. Basically I almost died several times but I would have died in good views.
Anyway, we arrived in Aguas Calientes in one piece and had to take a quick 40 minute train ride in. On the way, I had to use the train bathroom. So there I was and I looked up out the bathroom window...and caught my first glimpses of Macchu Pichu...I will NEVER forget that moment!

So we had one night in Aguas Calientes and we were up at 3:30a.m. to start our climb at 4:00. This was the hike part. ..and I was ready!
We climbed STRAIGHT up stairs for about 1.5 hours. It was hard but not nearly as hard as some other hikes I've done and I actually started to feel like a pro-hiker (ok...I mean, not a pro....but I really have come a long way since the says on Volcano Pecaya in Guatemala)

Our guide (who left us...not much of a guide) assured us it was a straight shot. But...we got lost.
Luckily for us, we got a new guide...a four-legged one! He guided us all the way up...and only on 3 good legs...thanks buddy!
At just a few minutes before 6, we arrived at the top...and it really was amazing. I was half -expecting to be underwhelmed just because there is SO much hype about it. But the hype is very well deserved. It is incredible...
After about 2 more hours of touring and hiking, I found a nice little mummies cave to seek some shade and hang out and just take the moment in for about an hour or so. It really was a time I will not soon forget.
(I promise that my pants are not actually this short...)

I went back down Machu Picchu in the afternoon and hung out in Aguas Calientes for the rest of the day. I was booked on the 10 hour bus ride back down but somehow doing the winding roads on a cliff at NIGHT, in the RAIN did not appeal.

So (dad...you will be proud), I bought a train ticket outta there and back to Cusco...money very well spent.

The next day was basically another travel day...hung out in Cusco for the morning. Left on a 2:00p.m. bus and got to Nasca at 5:00am..yes...13 hours. Seriously people, is this for real?

I arrived at the dodgy station in the dark...again...no one to greet me. But within about 10 minutes, the friendliest man in all of Nasca named Fernando met me with open arms. He took me to his hostal (which I think is pretty much his house...with a bunch of rooms) and I had about an hour nap before starting the day.

Nasca is famous for one thing and one thing only...the Nasca Lines. Ever seen the movie Signs with Mel Gibson with the crop signs? It's kind of like that but the signs are like 3000 times bigger and they are from the Incas.

So how do you see these amazing wonders of the world?? In a TEENY TINY plane of course!
So I got in the smallest plane I've ever gotten in in my life (4 people in total including the pilot) and we were off to see the Nasca lines.

The pictures do this NO justice whatsoever... Seriously...Google guys. Google.
But the ride was awesome. Our pilot Raul did not move on from a symbol until all of us had seen it. Even if it meant doing virtual 360s until we were all on the verge of losing our breakfasts.

So like I said, the only thing to do in Nasca are the Nasca lines. But that doesn't stop tours from trying to make money by taking you other places. So basically I spent the rest of the day being dragged around (again, half in a coma) to see skeletons buried places, a dry dessert, a guy who made phallic pottery and some overly excited gold miner dude. It was all quite thrilling.
Next day, off again to Paracas. This time only a 5-hour ride (remember when I used to think that 5 hours to Madison was long? Not anymore...) I got in in the late afternoon and this was my cab...
I decided to check out the beach...and found my own little nirvana: Me, the beach, a sunset, a good book, a beer and french fries. I was a happy girl.
Early the next morning, it was off to see the Ballastras Islands. After the Galapagos, it is hard to impress this girl but I'm telling you, these were amazing! We had about a 3 hour boat ride with sea lions, birds, waves and just unbelievable sights of these islands formed purely of volcanic rock. Sooo cool...
Guess what?? It was back on the bus but this time, for the last time. Off to Lima. Cruz del Sur even treated us with a movie from this century and the ride flew by.

Got to Lima...surprise, surprise...no one there. No big deal. Just wait...these people show up, right? Well...not this time. No one came.

Again, no problem. Just get in a cab. Tell the guy your hostel name. Well, three taxis later and no one knew of this hostel. One guy was willing to ride me around to look for it though.

After about an hour in the cab, I had had enough...just take me to ANY hotel with a bed. So he did...Percy came through and found me a somewhat dodgy, but more than acceptable hotel.

Let's just say I was a bit irratable when I arrived. Probably had nothing to do with the fact that I hadn't really slept in like a week and was just abandoned...nah. I actually went to check my email in the hotel's lobby and when a traveller tried to make small talk with me, I nearly lunged at his neck in frustration. Clearly, I was in no shape to be entering the outside world.

So I did what any good, tired, frustrated, hungry, American girl would do....order Domino's!

Yep...within 30 minutes of near melt-down, I was eating a pepperoni pizza and cinnastix in bed watching Dr. Phil...ahh...
The week had it's ups and downs but so many more ups than downs. It was a week of more long bus travels, more death defying experiences, more sweaty hikes, more unexpected turns...and more time to realize just how incredible this entire journey has been...

xoxo,
Debra

P.S...next (and probably last!) blog to come from stateside!

My kids...Peru Edition

2008-10-15T20:31:00.007-05:00

I have just reread my latest entry about Arequipa and have decided that it just doesn’t tell the whole story. Trying to describe the spirit of a city on a website is just so difficult.

But as difficult as that task was, trying to explain the spirit of the kids at my school is absolutely undo-able.

Every kid I have taught has had a unique personality and spark that just cannot be captured in pictures or with words. And my Peruvian kids may be the hardest to describe of all.

There were many times when I wanted to kill them (ok...maybe not kill them...but at least heavily sedate them or at least administer shock treatment) and other times when I was sure I wouldn’t be able to leave Peru without a few of them stuffed into my suitcase.

When I think about the incredible energy of each of these kids, I cant even believe the backgrounds they come from and the homes they live in...or maybe I just don’t want to.

Meet my kids...

Dayana
Before I even met Dayana, I was told that she was going to be the first female president of Peru. This girl has got some serious ‘tude...and I love it. She is absolutely incredible bossy, overly confident and the majority of the time, just pretty annoying...and I absolutely loved every bit of her.

She was always the first to say “I’m going to tell the teacher” when someone was out of line and even said it to me once when I told her how much homework she had. And ya know what? I was honestly scared of her!

Dayana—I can’t wait to see what you are going to do one day...Peru needs more strong women like you putting everyone back in line.

Cesar
Yes, yes...teachers aren’t supposed to pick favorites but I have and his name is Cesar. I think part of the reason this one stood out as my favorite is that he is a virtual hispanic replica of my nephew, Josh. And he even acts like him!

He is smart, a bit of a suck-up and scared shitless of Dayana...who, by the way, I’m sure he is going to marry one day. He loves climbing all over the volunteers and says “Monkey” in perfect English before he hitches a ride. He has the most contagious laugh I have ever heard. Once he started in, the whole class was done for.

Cesar—keep laughing, keep climbing...and please invite me to your wedding to Dayana.

Kevin
Kevin and I definitely had our ups and downs to start with. This kid can definitely put a teacher a bit over the edge. But one day, when Kevin was being particularly naughty, I sent him to see the “intern.”

Now this “intern” (who shall remain nameless) told him in the kindest way that if he didn’t shape up, he would be getting no birthday present this year. Well...let’s just say from that moment on, Kevin was a new man.

Kevin—stay sweet and please...don’t forget your glasses at home again.

Alex, Elizabeth and Pamela
I hate to lump three kids into one but honestly, these three have a lot in common.

One, they are all tiny. Easily half the size of the rest of the class which makes them beyond adorable.

Two, let’s just say none of them are the brightest bulbs on the Christmas tree. I honestly don’t think that Alex knows the difference between the letter A and the number 1. Elizabeth couldn’t spell her own name and Pamela...well, let’s just say that Pamela honestly doesn’t even know where she is half the time let alone that she is supposed to be learning.

But three...these kids are easily the sweetest kids in the class. I honestly think that any one of them would do anything for a sticker or even a “buen hecho” (good job) from the teacher.

Alex, Elizabeth and Pamela—stick together. You will need each other...

Jose Antonio
What can I say about this kid besides he is terrible and wonderful rolled into one child. He is bright...but beyond naughty. Sweet and probably one of the biggest bullies in the class.

I simply cannot get enough of this child.

Jose--I hope you never lose your "cheekiness"...that killer smile will take you far.

Alvaro
This child is intense with a capital I. He is easily motivated and easily frustrated. He is in 2nd grade and can rattle off his times tables from 1 to 12 but put a simple art project in front of him and the tears come easily.

Alvaro—I know there were times when you hated me for making you be creative but I promise...your paper plate fish was worth the effort!

Milagros
Milagros is a tough nut to crack. She comes from one of the toughest backgrounds of any of the kids which makes her very difficult to control. But once you have her wrapped around your finger, she is as sweet as they come.

She loves being hugged and tickled. But be warned...tickle her too hard and she farts. And usually directly in your face. It’s not good.

Milagros—I hope you stay strong and soft at the same time. It is a wonderful combination.

Julia
I think I can say that Julia is the smartest, “coolest” and just most beautiful girl at our school. She is in 6th grade and is at eye-level with most of the 2nd graders. She works hard, plays hard and has a fire in her that you can see from miles away.

Even with all the talent this girl has, she is humble and by looking in her eyes, you can see she has wisdom far beyond her years.

Julia—please don’t let that fire die. With it, you could light up the world.

I wish I could write about every single one of them and let me tell you, that for every one I have written about, there are at least 5 more amazing, smiling, farting, laughing and just plain, unforgettable kids that I have had the honor of teaching...and the honor of having them teach me.

xoxo,
Debra

P.S...For those of you who are wondering, I am currently traveling up through Peru for about a week (lots of good blog stories to come...) I will be home this Sunday...crazy!

I [Heart] Arequipa

2008-10-14T11:43:00.007-05:00

So I’ve fallen way behind but I have a few more things I have to write about before I wrap this blog up! For those of you who want a sneak preview...here is what is to come...

I [Heart] Arequipa
Even after 6 months, I still LOVE my kids
A week of travel (Machu Picchu and many, many more travel mishaps...I am actually writing this from just outside of Machu Picchu!)
Thank you and Goodbye...

Ok...so considering I have ANOTHER 14 hour bus ride in about 2 hours from now, let’s get down to business...

I left Arequipa officially 4 days ago and have literally not stopped thinking about it since. It is one of THE most magical, exciting, beautiful, loving, warm and just FUN cities I have ever been to. And unlike some other stops along the way, this one was definitely love at first sight.

If you remember, within 2 days of arriving here, I wrote a blog entry titled “Obsessed” and the feelings have only gotten stronger over the last 6 weeks.

I can hardly even begin to tell all of the tiny things that make this city so wonderful but I honestly think that if more people visited here, there would be more I {heart} Arequipa shirts in circulation than I {heart} NY.

So let’s just start with the physical surroundings. First of all, I have now spent a total of 45 days in Arequipa and have seen ZERO clouds. Yes. Zero. None. It is clear blue skies, about 75 to 80 degrees every day with a slight breeze. Just perfect.
Add to that, the city is watched over my 3 distinct mountain ranges. Some snow capped, others just perfect in their symmetry. Unbelievable...

The sights don’t disappoint either. Whether it’s wondering the borderline creepy hallways of Monastery Santa Catalina or roaming through the unparalleled Plaza de Armas by day or by night, the city is just unlike any other I have ever been in (have I said that already??)And of course there are plenty of opportunities to come close to killing yourself too. Our method of choice? White water rafting...

Now this didn’t even touch the danger levels of the white water tubing from Ecuador but it was no joke. And it was a freaking blast!
Ok...so we’ve talked about the history and the mountain ranges and natural beauty but let’s get down the business...these people can EAT! And they know how to do it in style too...
We may have the Minnesota State Fair but they have a festival that is actually called the “Gluttony Festival.” My first choice was this delicious looking meat on a grill. I ate it and it really was amazing. It wasn’t until afterwards that I found out I had just eaten a cow’s heart. Yum. (next year, cow heart on a stick??)

They also had in Arequipa the closest thing I have found to a Caribou Coffee...let’s just say I knew the staff of this place by the time I left.

And of course, how better to reward yourself after a day of teaching than with freshly fried street churros??
Another Arequipenan special and my personal favorite: Rocotto Relleno. Meat, cheese, raisins, nuts, all chopped up and stuffed into a HOT chili pepper and served alongside a delicious potato thingy...ugh. I’m drooling. Literally drooling right now.
And when not having fun rafting, touring, eating or sipping mochas, there was plenty of time to grab a Arequipeña (the local brew) or a Pisco Sour (the local cocktail) and have fun. And my favorite kind of fun? Karaoke! Yep....I am in two different outfits. There was more than one karaoke outing...

And this blog would no tbe complete without me mentioning the fact that I actually had a "neighborhood alpaca" named Leo that greeted me every time I came into the neighborhood.

And lastly, and absolutely most importantly, the people. I have never in my life met a more warm, inviting and just fun-loving city. And first in that line? My host family.

Giovanna, Jaime and Daniella. These three truly made me feel like I had a real Arequipeñan family. Whether we were having a fabulous ladies night out on the town or I was teaching them to grill smores over their stove, I have never laughed so much in my life.
After just a short weekend trip, I was always welcomed “home” to hugs and kisses. (ok mom, I hope you are getting your “But I raised you for 27 years!” comment ready!) But honestly...Giovanna, Jaime and Danielle...if you are reading this, thank you for absolutely everything.

I just could never have asked for a more wonderful family, more mouth watering food, more thrilling adventures, more beautiful sights or just a more incredible city to call home for the last 45 days. And I just can’t wait for the day I get to come back to visit and do it all again.

xoxo,
Debra

Blog entry #50...Lake Titicaca!

2008-10-03T17:46:00.008-05:00

It’s official. After 5.5 months of seriously enjoying and passionately writing in this blog, I am over it. I am so sick of telling you people about my experiences here :)

Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that my mom told me that she has been printing out my entire blog for when I get home and it is honestly as long as Pride and Prejudice, I would probably have quit weeks ago. I must say that keeping this blog will probably be the best souvenir I could ever hope for...

But I NEED to tell you (and I want to have this story for later) about my last weekend adventure...Lake Titicaca!

Don’t worry. If you are silently chuckling about the name Lake Titicaca, you are not alone.

So last Friday (yes...it has been a week), 6 of us boarded a private mini-bus to Puno, an equally unfortunately named town on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The ride was about 5 hours long but don’t worry, I came with lots of bus “get-to-know” you games and the ride was really great. Not to mention the fact that for 5 hours in a row, we ate Pringles, Combos, Cap’n Crunch and Doritos. Yum.

We rolled up to Puno at about 8ish and peered down a very dark, sketchy alley. Our bus driver informed us this was our hostel. Hmm. Interesting. So we kind of tiptoed down the alleyway and arrived at quite possibly one of the strangest hostels ever. Not the worst. Not the best. Just overall, really strange.

It can pretty much be summed up as I think that someone had this idea that they were going to build some high-class hotel in Puno and then either a) ran out of budget or b) realized that “hey, I live in Puno...no one here is high-class” and changed their plans.

The lobby leaves a bit to be desired but has a big aquarium with fish behind the front desk (although only half filled with water and with some pretty sad looking swimmers inside). It is also somehow decorated with a weird Chinese restaurant flair...

Then we go into our rooms. Again...not the best, but not horrible. Big room...tiny beds. Nice comforters...horrible pillows. And perhaps the weirdest bit of irony...the bathroom.

So the bathroom was also huge but it had definitely seen better days. Half the tiles on the floor were gone. No shower curtain. No toilet paper. Weirdest part: we had a bidet (prounounced: badai). For those of you out there who have no idea what a bidet is, it is basically an upside down sink that kind of looks like a toilet that you use to “clean-up” down “there” after using the toilet (for those of you who still don’t understand, that is what Google is for).

Usually these bidets are found in millionaires’ homes. I have seen one before in my life and it was when I stayed in Thailand at what is considered to be the nicest hotel in the world. So needless to say, to see this thing in the middle of my crumbling apart bathroom was more than hilarious.
So after we got some good pictures, we headed to dinner (we figured that we should probably eat something that wasn’t from a foil bag before bed). We went to a great little Peruvian restaurant and had what I have decided is my favorite Peruvian dish: Lomo Saltado (beef, french fries, onions, tomatoes, rice...pretty much every delicious food all mixed up...yum)

We went back to the hotel and although I now really could not tell you why, we just laughed and laughed for about 2 hours. Just one of those silly nights...Puno: the land of weird hostels and weird moods. Good times.

So the next morning bright and early, we were off to the main event: Lake Titicaca. We boarded a boat for our 3 hour journey.
Our first impression of the lake was amazing...we saw this crazy rainbow that encircled the sun. Not sure if you can tell what is going on in this picture but I tried..
So about half way through the ride, we made our first stop. So in Lake Titicaca, there are a whole bunch of what are called “floating islands.” (apparently these are super famous and pretty much the second most popular thing to visit in Peru after Macchu Picchu but I knew nothing about them).

They are MAN-MADE islands. As in people actually collect enough reeds to stack up and build islands that just float in the lake. It is amazing. Again, pictures are my only hope here.
We learned all about the islands: how they are built, how to cure hangovers (eating the weird reed you see me eating below...), how they settle disputes (basically, physically cut the island apart) and even got to take a boat ride from one floating island to another in a reed boat. We got to go inside of a hut and it turns out, there was a little tv...nuts...
It was a little “touristy” but guess what? I’m a tourist. So I loved it.

After visiting two of these islands, we were off to our island for the night called Amantani. It wasn’t a floating island but it was all indigenous people and we were able to spend the night in the home of an indigenous family.

So we got off the boat and were basically assigned to a family to live with (it was kind of like getting assigned to a cabin at camp...). We got our family and started walking up to our house. I can’t remember the exact altitude of this place but I think we were approaching the 5000 meter mark (again, if you need to know, please google...) So after about 5 minutes of walking, I definitely needed to pull over and sit down. But I popped a magical red and white altitude pill (discovered in Colca Canyon) and it was “no problema” from that moment on.
We got into our house and like most indigenous people down here, we are pretty much giants...and we felt that way in the house. It was like Goldilocks in Baby Bear’s bedroom. Not sure this picture completely does it justice but it was pretty funny.
After a nice lunch. Ok...”nice” as in everything these people probably had just boiled...boiled egg, boiled potato, boiled carrot, boiled onion...you get the picture but just in case... and then it was off to hike. I was almost scared away from this after my first 5 minutes on the island but was convinced and am so glad I was!
We hiked up for about 1.5 hours or so (with a few stops to hear from our guide about the history of the place...more on that in a bit) and made it up to the top just in time for an amazing sunset and take some really fun photos. I have quite a few pictures of the way up...pretty much just because I needed an excuse to stop and breathe many times...

And the way down was great. Completely dark and...well...downhill!

We got back home for another “nice” dinner and then it was time to get ready. So our host family (after some convincing) brought all of us indigenous clothing to wear to the big fiesta! Can I just say, these indigenous people could learn a thing or two about picking more flattering outfits?? These things were not only unflattering and made you look pregnant, but the belts were so tight, we could barely breathe!

But, in the name of our indigenous discoteca, we got decked out and danced the night away. It was amazing...

Definitely one of those moments where I literally had to ask myself if I was really doing this and having this experience but it’s a good thing I have the photos to prove it.
After a few hours of dancing, it was back to Baby Bear’s bedroom for a good night’s sleep (where I was told I talked in my sleep all night long...big surprise)

Sunday was basically a travel day with a few highlights. Woke up, got on a boat to another island called Tequille. Now I know I said I’d talk about our guide’s “lectures” so here we go.

This guy was about as interesting as watching an elementary school band concert. Seriously painful. I honestly could not understand his Spanish or his English. But at least it was long. No joke...guy went on for years. About what? No idea. Google it people.
We did manage to get a pretty awesome fresh trout lunch out of the deal which was by far the highlight.
Oh and of course went on another uphill hike to the top of the island (why do they not build things on the bottom??) But the views were incredible...
After stumbling our way back down, it was back on the boat for about 3 hours (where we pretty much were in a typhoon...ok...not true...but it was rough and the captain honestly looked terrified) and then back to the bus for another 5 hours.

Got back to Arequipa late Sunday night and crashed to face my smiling students’ faces early Monday morning.

Again...another awesome weekend. I just can hardly believe that I only have 2 of these left...

xoxo,
Debra

Happy 60th Mom!!

2008-09-29T23:04:00.004-05:00

So I have SO much to tell you all about this past weekend at Lake Titicaca (oh yeah...and about my students and about Peru in general...). I am planning on writing an entry tomorrow with some fun details and lots of amazing pictures.

But for now...

As many of you may now, my mom celebrated her 60th birthday this past weekend and she rung in 60 in style. For any of you who think that I am obsessed with birthdays, you have clearly not met my mother.

So because I couldn't be there to help in the celebration, I sent along a video message from not only me but from lots of my students, my host family and several fellow volunteers.

I thought you all might want to take a look! It's on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV_3Kp0f_N0

Enjoy and stay tuned for more soon...

xoxo,
Debra

Futbol...with a U

2008-09-26T07:07:00.004-05:00

I'm trying to redeem myself with two blog entries this week but don't get too excited...this one will be short! But I am leaving again for another "adventure" this weekend to Lake Titicaca and my only hope of catching up is to cut the chatter and just post some pictures...

So one thing that I have most definitely learned on this trip is that truthfully, the United States is probably THE only country that is not completely, utterly and entirely consumed by Futbol...or as us weirdos like to call it...soccer.

Even since I have arrived in Central and South America, I just have not ben able to avoid the sport. The kids play it all the time. I have walked through countless games in the middle of the streets. Even while I was in the Galapagos all the guides met on the beach to play one lazy afternoon.

So I won't say that 'm a "fan" quite yet but I have definitely found myself getting much more into futbol than I thought I would. When in Rome, right??

I have even been convinced to take to the pitch quite a number of times...here are the least unattractive photos I have of myself trying not to get hit in the nose by the ball...
My friends and I even went to a "real" futbol match a couple weeks ago and it really was fun. Completely with an upset win at the end and fans throwing garbage and yelling crude comments at the opposing team (it's amazing how "yo momma" jokes have crossed the borders...)And lastly (and most cutely), last week were the Olymics for our littlest students...only 4-6 years-old. One of the other volunteers, Daga, managed to snap some amazing photos...

Ok...well that's all for now. I'm off to Lake Titicaca (yep...Lake Titicaca...still funny) for the weekend and will give a full report when I get back...or at least within like 9 days of returning... :)

xoxo,
Debra

P.S...Happy 60th mom!! Hope you have a great party and no...I'm seriously not in town.

What goes down...must come UP

2008-09-24T07:04:00.007-05:00

So I’ve decided that the very ironic thing about keeping a blog is that when you have the MOST to write about, you have the LEAST time to write about it! I honestly do not know where to begin (which is probably why this has taken me so long to muster up the energy to write in the first place)

I want to tell you about my kids and about the city and just some fun adventures but I’m going to dedicate this entry to my experience this past weekend: Colca Canyon.

Just to give you a bit of background...

With the program I signed up for, many excursions were included. This was most definitely one of them. Let’s be clear. I’ve definitely had some changes but I still would not choose an entire of intense hiking on my own free will.

From where we started, Colca Canyon measures exactly equal to the depth of the Grand Canyon which puts it at a tie for the 2nd deepest canyon in the world (although there is another spot in Colca that if measured from there, puts it at the deepest canyon on earth). So needless to say, this sucker was deep.

Add to that, the top of the canyon is at about 3400 meters or so (10000 feet) so altitude can get very tricky. The altitude also makes it FREEZING here at night and BOILING during the day. So you have to pack for al types of weather. Oh...and you have to carry your pack with you the entire time.

And so the fun begins...

So Friday morning at 4:30 am (does that even count as morning??) we boarded the bus to Colca. After about 4 hours of head bopping in the van, we arrived at Cruz del Condor (Cross of the Condor) at about 4000 meters...highest point of the trip It was here we were supposed to see these amazing, enormous condors that spanned nearly 10 feet in length.

Somehow the condors must have gotten the message that we were coming and they slept in late. So no condors for us. But we decided to walk down a couple flights of stairs to get a better lookout point and take some nice photos.
Seemed like a great idea. Until we had to climb up the stairs. So there I went...climbing the stairs when suddenly, I couldn’t hear or see and my legs felt like they belonged to a different person. Yep. 10 minutes in and I was moments away from fainting.

Luckily, I managed to find a rock, sit down with my head between my legs and regain consciousness. It was at this point that I began to panic. Two flights of stairs...deepest canyon in the world...two flights of stairs...hmmm...you do the math.

Suddenly, our guide Luz showed up with a little sucking candy for me. Now I have no idea what were in these candies but let me tell you...do NOT leave home without these babies if you want to go to extreme altitude and NOT look at condors. Apparently, some people have some issues with blood sugar at altitude and I guess I am one of those people. But have no fear...I managed to remain conscious for the rest of the trip.

We left the non-condor look-out point and drove another couple hours to where we were starting our hike. We stopped at a place for a bite before the big descent. It was at this lunch that mishap number two happened.

Lucky for me, I was not the victim of this one but one of the girls, Jessica, asked if anyone had any ibiprofun (aka: Advil) to take for her headache. Dorothy, another volunteer, quickly came to the rescue and dispensed two pill for Jessica. Down the hatch. Well, as it turns out, Dorothy had mistaken Ibiprofun for Immodium (extreme anti-diarrheal pills). Let’s just say that Jessica wasn’t using too much of our toilet paper supply during this trip. It was hilarious.

Ok...so we filled our water bottles, got our walking sticks (aka...my lifesaver) and started on down the canyon.
Please do not be decieved. Yes this part of the hike was downhill but it was by no means easy. We were slipping and sliding down loose rocks on the edges of steep drop offs (sorry again mom) and this went on for about 5.5 hours. Yep. 5.5 hours of switchbacks down a canyon.

Again...I think I’m an ok writer but trying to explin this is impossible. And I never claim to be a photographer but I’m telling you that even Ansel Adams could not capture the depth and beauty of this place on the way down. But of course, I gave it a try...
After the 5.5. Hours down, we arrived at the basin of the canyon to the river. We were at the bridge that I had been aiming towards since about hour 3. I sat down, examined my blisters, bandaid-ed them, refilled my water and off we went again.
As it turns out, what goes down, must come up. So up we went for about 1.5 hours. It was tough. Again, no way to describe it.

My legs hurt, my ass hurt...but this was actually a really beautiful part of the hike. After spending 5+ hours looking at nothing but rocks slipping below my feet, it was nice to actually look around a bit and enjoy the view.

This picture shows how far we went up the first night to our little village where we slept. When we climbed over the last bit and realized we were “there”, our hard work was more than rewarded with an amazing sunset...
After the sun dropped behind the canyon, we were off to check out our digs for the night. I think I can officially say that this place was far and away the more “rustic” (aka...complete shithole) that I’ve ever stayed in. I don’t know how it’s possible but this picture somehow makes it look much nicer than it was.
But I wasn’t complaining...I was just happy to not be trembling while hanging on for dear life to my trusty walking stick. Immediately after arriving at this Hilton in the canyon, we were abondon by our guide and had no idea where she went (this was a reoccruing theme throughout the weekend...I think Luz had other plans than hanging out listening to our complaints of aching muscles)

After wondering around like the confused tourists we are for a while, we finally ate dinner and (surprise, surprise), went directly the bed. It may have been “rustic” but I was completely unconcious for the huge majority of my time there so it was fine.

Up bright and early the next morning...we had a canyon to haul our asses out of!

So we started going back downhill to the basin (whoever planned this down, up, down back up thing seriously needs counseling). On our way, we visited this little cultural museum in the middles of nowhere.

Nothing like trying bizarre fruits, local alcohol brews and sporting local fashion in the middle of the canyon...
After the museum, we made it down the the basin, went up for about 30 minutes and suddenly, it was like I was in a different world.

Apparently, there must have been other tourist hikers in the past like me who were thinking, “you know what this place needs? An amazing pool to swim in!” Enter the “Oasis.” So bizarre but in the middle of all this was the most amazing little place complete with aqua pools and palm trees...see the pictures...

After a dip and a great pasta lunch, I was feeling like I actually might have it in me to climb the 3000+ feet outta here.

Well, my body had different plans. I started off strong. Climbed for about 40 minutes. And then I realized it...I was just out of my league. I could barely breathe, I could barely push my butt up one more step.

It was then that I decided to call in for backup...I got a mule to take me the rest of the way up.

Just to show my readers...this is as far up as I went...

And this is as far as I had to go...

I have to say that as silly as it seems now, at the time, I was really upset that I couldn’t finish the canyon. I’m usually a person who would be dragged across a finish line with bloody knees rather than call it quits. So there I was, waiting for my mule, crying in the middle of a canyon.

It was definitely the low point of the weekend but again, a good experience. So my mule, Negra, came to save me along with 2 other volunteers who had already decided to ride the mules and off we went. And let me tell you, the mule experience was definitely an experience in itself.

Our mules for one, hated each other and bit each other at every opportunity. We were also completley out of control (no reigns) of these animals as they walked ridiculously close to the edge of steep cliffs slipping on rocks. Blood pressure was rising...

But we made it to the top. And it was a great feeling...
Back to the hostal, dinner, lose consciousness...etc. The next morning, we started our trip back to Arequipa.

Along the way, we went t an awesome outlook and visited some amazing hot springs and Luz completely redeemed herself by serving us ice cream pool side.
So overall, it was a difficult, inspiring, humbling, at times impossible, hilarious, horrible and wonderful experience all in one.
xoxo,
Debra

Chile!

2008-09-17T18:31:00.007-05:00

Ok, ok...this entry is a bit overdue but I’m working on it!

So this past weekend I went to Peru’s southern neighbor...CHILE! I went with 5 other volunteers (see mom? I have made friends...). I knew I was going to like these other volunteers when they said we were going to check out the airline prices rather than book a 10 hour journey each way for a weekend trip (not that that has stopped me in the past...)

Anyway, the airline gods were on our side and we booked a cheap and perfectly timed flight to Arica, Chile last Friday. And this trip that would have taken 10 hours via land was a whopping 21 MINUTES in the air! I barely had time to pretend to read and fall into a coma with my mouth wide open before we landed.

But land we did and it wasn’t exactly the landings out of textbooks. It was definitely a THUD...you knew you were in Arica. Apparently they didn’t want any passengers sleeping through the landing.

So upon waking, I look out my window expecting to see green trees, white sands and blue beaches. Instead, I was greeted with dessert. Flat, dry, brown dessert complete with sand dunes (another reason I didn’t have to stare at this scenery for the last 10 hours)

We walked into the airport expecting to be greeted by a $150 tax that only Americans have to pay (turns out, we are not exactly a favorite of Chile) but somehow manage to evade it...score. Find ourselves a taxi (which I’m sure we were completely ripped off for) and went to our hostel.

The hostel was great but clearly could use a bit of business consulting only because it was $15 to stay in this hotel. Period. It didn’t matter if you had a single room or in a dorm room, it was $15 a night. Hmmm...let me think...I’ll take the single. Another score.

So the 6 of us started walking into town to explore a bit and grab a bite to eat somewhere. Well, as soon as I saw the golden arches of McDonalds beaming down yellow light, I knew Arica was going to be a place I could really enjoy.

The city is really European feeling. People are pretty stylish and stores and restaurants were modern. I mean don’t get me wrong, the place definitely had it’s idiosyncracies...

For one, there are Chilean flags everywhere. EVERYWHERE.

Two, Jesus is big here. Literally and figuratively. Big statues, lots of memorabilia. He’s pretty much bigger than Michael Jordan in the 90s.

Three, people will tell you there are all sorts of restaurants in a certain direction or another and you look, and al you see are sand dunes.

So number three leads us to our first adventure. Where to eat? Like I said, we were pointed down the road by more than one group of people. A road that looked less than promising but we did it. What di we know, right? We started walking and walking...and walking. Nothing. Sand dunes.

One of the other volunteers, Francesca (lovingly called Frank) was brave enough to ask a woman in her car (ok..she basically stood in the middle of the road for the woman to stop and talk to her) for dinner advice.

After charming her with her Spanish and just overall “charming-ness”, the woman not only gave us a recommendation but offered us a ride!

Now she drove basically a car a bit smaller than a VW bug. And there were 6 of us and one of her...but we piled in. She drove us to this restaurant, we climbed a mountain (ok...just a big hill) to get there, had to confront two drooling street dogs just to find out that the restaurant was closed.

As it turns out, about 90% of the restaurants do not open until 9:30 in Chile...they eat LATE around here. But as most of you know, when I’m hungry, I’m HUNGRY. And the hunger panic was setting in...never good.

So we found another good place to eat with about 10,000 choices (imagine Cheesecake Factory in Chile) and were all promised by Chris (the only man of the group) that there was a Churros stand that we MUST go to for dessert.

So off we went, forgoing the delicious desserts at our own restaurant to find pretty much, NOT churros. They had a remote similarity in shape but were pretty much Styrofoam tubes filled with an unidentifiable caramel colored goo. Yum. Needless to say, Chris has still not heard the end of that one.
The next morning, it was off to find the beach and have a day of fun and sun. We woke up very disappointed to see a comletely grey sky. Damn.

But, the owner of the hostel assured us that at 12:00, things would be better. So we strapped on our beach gear and started walking. Again, walking and walking throuhg sand dunes, over railroad tracks, more sand and as of 11:57, the sky was still grey.

No joke...by about 12:11, the place was blue skies, nice sand beaches, slight breeze and sparkling waters. Probably the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.

There wasn’t too much to do around Arica so we made our own beach fun, played in the water, took silly pictures and found a great gelato place.

Overall...great beach day. Somehow (again, thanks to Frank´s charm), we found a bus to take us exactly where we needed to go and we went up to the top of a “mountain”...in the distance of this picture to get some more good pics, check out the big J-man and watch the sunset. Pretty awesome.

That night, after much convincing, I was persuaded to go to the Chilean club...Zonna. Basically, it’s 4 clubs in one. A latin room, a “retro” room, a weird room with tables for two and candles and basically, a “techno” club.

We sampled a few rooms and the demographics were as different as the music. And seriously, I think about 80% of Arica was within the walls of Zonna that night.

We danced and headed back to the hotel... We had to go to church int he morning.Yep...I went to not only just visit the famous church (built by Mr. Eiffel) but went to the entire mass. Like I said, Jesus is big around here.

After church, it was back to the airport and back to Peru.We all went out to dinner at a place that specializes in MEAT. So basically, I loved it. (back on meat by the way after the mishap in the Amazon...)

I had a plate of steak, ostrich and alpaca...yum.

So to sum it up...another great weekend, another beautiful beach, another chance to take fun pictures and another stamp in the passport.

xoxo,

Debra

Loyal Blog Readers...

2008-09-15T23:15:00.002-05:00

I have been a terrible blogger lately. I hope you have not all lost hope in me.

I promise there will be a new entry up here in less than 24 hours...and it'll be good.

I have a new passport stamp since I last blogged and some fun pictures too...

So moral of the story...STAY TUNED! Keep checking and commenting and I will do my best not to let you down...

24-hours starts now...

xoxo,
Debra

Obsessed.

2008-09-11T06:33:00.005-05:00

This blog entry will not be long. It does not have pictures. It is just a plain and simple check-in to say...I AM OBSESSED WITH PERU!

I arrived here on Sunday and since, have been falling in love with the city, the people, my host family, the school, the food...pretty much everything ever since I arrived.

I am living in Arequipa for my last leg of the journey. Arequipa is a big city of about 1 million people and I think I forgot how much I love living in a big city. The energy is amazing, the pace is awesome...and there is one cab for every 4 people here...SWEET!

The other volunteers are fabulous. Every one of them...just great. I have managed to find friends again and even make a fun weekend trip plan to visit the beaches of Chile (stay tuned...next entry...)

Ok...there are no words to describe my host family. Don't get me wrong, all of my host families have been amazing and all very different. It's been great to experience living with families so different than my own.

But here in Peru, it's like I could be living in my own house! I live in this modern neighborhood with THE most amazing people. My "mom" and "sister" are always pumping the tunes through the house, watching trashy VH1 reality TV, surfing the internet (yes...I have a computer in the house) and having fun dinners with their girlfriends. And the food is...ridiculously amazing.

Seriously...for any of you out there worried about my taste buds, they are seriously in taste bud rehabilitation right now. Meals are amazing and I even get dessert...this is a first in 5 months of travel.

In fact, the other night, dessert wasn't quite ready when I was done with dinner so what did she do? She served me warm sweet rice in milk with cinnamon IN BED. Are you kidding me??

Weather...about 75-80 degrees, clear blue skies and sunny every single day. Need I say more?

Oh..and the school...somehow I always forget why I came here once I start talking food. But the school is so wonderful. I am back to teaching the little ones (1st and 2nd graders). They are definitely much more "spunky" than any other country I've been in so far (for you non-teachers out there...spunky is code for little hellions) but they are so much fun.

So that about sums up Peru. In a word...I'm obsessed.

xoxo,
Debra

Galapagos...Are you freaking serious??

2008-09-06T11:37:00.016-05:00

Ok...so from the title of this blog, I think it's pretty clear that I had an unbelievable time. I mean unbelievable in the literal term...like I actually could not believe what I was seeing about 98% of the time of my 8 days.

So since I am officially an obsessed blogger, I now experience things and immediately think, "how am I going to capture this in the blog?" I came up with three conclusions on this one:

I can't. Plain and simple. Will NOT be able to capture this experience. I mean, I consider myself to be a pretty good writer and pretty darn verbal but seriously...this is impossible.
On the same note as number 1...pictures are my only hope here so there are a LOT on this blog...more pictures, less words. And remember, I'm traveling with a little digital camera. This is without a powerful zoom and no crazy tricks...I was actually this close to these animals.
Trying to do this day-by-day would probably take about 8 days to read and even longer to write. So I've decided to split it up into categories: The Boat, The People, The Animals, The Land and The Injuries

Here goes...

The Boat:
After much consideration, I decided to treat myself on the boat choice. After all, I've paid my dues in musky hostels, right? What have I got to prove. Plus, I figure it's one thing to take a chance on dry land...it's definitely another level of insanity to go on a "budget" boat.

So the Archipel II was my home for the last 8 days...
It was really nice but don't get me wrong...this was no Royal Carribbean. This boat held max 16 people (although I had a hard time imagining that) but we had 10 the first 4 days and only 5 of us the last 5 days (no...5 people did not fall overboard...you could choose how long of a cruise to take).

So despite the "luxury" class of this boat, I was still told that I would be sharing a cabin with a stranger. Now as many of you know, I have "People in my Room Induced Insomnia" so I was a bit nervous about this. But...I was blessed by the Galapagos Gods and I got my own room since the boat wasn't full.

Lucky for me because from this picture, I clearly needed one bed to sleep in and one to put my luggage on...
Next question coming from all the mothers out there...how was the food? Again, no Royal Caribbean but not too bad either. The problem? We were usually eating in the midst of some cross-ocean sail that was, to say the VERY least...ROCKY!

I managed to keep everything down but I think all of us looked very green at one point or another around this table...
And what review of the boat would be complete without a picutre of me driving the boat?The People:
Well, when you are on a boat for 8 days with only a few other passengers, you actually get to know people pretty well! During our first 4 days, there was a family on board of an older guy (who happened to be Israeli), his younger wife (who happened to be Ecuadorian) and their 10-year-old niece (who was from Spain).

Now I know I've metioned before that I grew up with a dad who took a LOT of pictures. But dad...I have met your match and beyond. This family must have walked off of this boat with more than 2000 pictures of this 10-year-old chick in front of everything. I mean not just animals..I mean like every single rock, cloud and raindrop. God help their family who has to live through that slideshow.
On board was also a great couple from Spain, a young couple from London and a fun couple from Australia joined us for the last 5 days. I was the only passenger who spoke both English and Spanish so I spent a good amount of time translating...and it was great!
The last person to mention here is our guide...Mauricio. As they say in Spanish, Mauricio had a large stick up his ass. I apologize to you younger readers but seriously, this guy smiled ONE time in 8 days and it was for this picture.
No joke...I asked him a question once and he literally was like "I already told you that Iguanas regulate their temperatures through their heads 3 days ago! You need to listen Debra." Needless to say, I was pretty scared of Mauricio and this wasn't the only time I was yelled at by him. One time, after snorkeling off the sandy beach, I had a bit of sand on my flip-flop when I boarded the boat. Let's just say it wasn't pretty.

The Animals:
So for any of you out there who haven't really heard much about the Galapagos before (kind of like my 9.5 days ago), the main attraction is deifnitely the animals. Honestly, this is the part that is aboslutely unbelievable and completly impossible to describe.

The animals let you walk right up to them and look at you just as annoying paparazzi. We saw iguanas, larger than life turtles, weirdest birds ever...I seriously have no idea how to describe it. Just look at some pictures, ok? Then multiply the coolness of these by about a million and you are somewhere close to getting it...

Crabs...these guys were EVERYWHERE:
Iguanas: Again...everywhere...and there are several types although I don't know the difference between them and trust me, I was not about to ask Mauricio twice...

Turtles:
These turtles are huge, super old (sme more than 150 years!) and freaking awesome...
This sign is from a turtle breeding center and I had to take a picture...in case you can't read it, it says: "It is not easy for giant tortoises to mate!" And then proceeds to show an animated depiction of the event...
This is a RIVOTTING video of a giant turtle...watch out Spielberg...

And yes...this is my IN an actual turtle shell:

Sea Lions:
I've decided that I need a pet Sea Lion. Here is one trying to steal some fish from a local fisherman...

Takin' a snooze with some sea lions...And here is a video of a Seal Lion learning how to waddle!
Birds: I'm not a fan of birds. But some of these were great. The most notable? The Blue-Footed Boobie (still funny at 27-years-old...a bird called Boobie...)
And yes, oddly enough, there are penguins on the Galapagos:
And flamingos...
Underwater: So I took 3 rolls of pictures with my underwater camera but those have to get developed the old fashioned way. But I did manage to snorkle a total of 9 times in 8 days and see everything from sting rays and sharks (yes mom...I swam with sharks...) to huge sea turtles and sea lions. Oh...and don't worry...I found Nemo too...
Here is a shark I got from land but seriously, I am counting on my $15 Kodak disposable camera...it really was an amazing and terrifying experience!

The land:
So I guess because I had been on other island cruises and because I've seen Gilligan's Island a few times, I had visions of lush tropical greenery and coconut trees. Wrong.

The Galapagos is some weird combination of landing on the moon and Mars...with a gorgeous beach...again...I'm going to rely on the photos here...
And another pretty cool thing on the Galapagos...Post Office Bay!

This crazy mailbox (seriously...off an episode of Gilligan's...) is a place where people can drop their postcards. BUT...they must get delievered by hand!
So basically, you drop postcards in and then look for postcards to people near to where you live and have to deliver them to their door. I mananged to find 3 Minnesota post cards and will deliever them when I get home!
And I sent a postcard to my parents (and you guys say I never write...) so we'll see how many years it takes to get there!

The Injuries:
Yep...what blog would be complete without a quick review of the injuries??

So I spent the last 8 days diving with sharks and climbing sharp rocks but none of those things took me down. What did you ask? A deck chair.

Yep. I was dragging a deck chair in an effort to find some shade and managed to drag it directly over my big toe. Let's just say that the Galapagos has captured my right big-toe nail. Ouch!

And one other injury...

Now I told this story to my friend Rachel this morning and her first words "Do NOT tell your parents this story." So parents...if you are reading this, this may be a good time to stop.

For the rest of you...

So I was on a snorkel and a strong current came along and shoved me into a pretty sharp rock. I felt a little scrape but was so mesmorized by the marine life that I didn't take too much notice. About 3 minutes later, I spotted my first of several sharks....WOW!

So when I boarded the dingy and looked down and say my leg was bleeding quite a bit, I realized that snorkling with sharks while bleeding...maybe not the smartest thing this girl has ever done, huh? Here's a picture of the leg after it was all cleaned up for the visualists...quite a few scratches though!
Ok...well that sums up the Galapagos. Actually, no it doesn't. But it is the best I can do.

And I definitely can't leave you with a picture of my scraped leg as a final impression of the Galapagos. So how is this...a rainbow on our final night...
Simply magical.

xoxo,
Debra

P.S...Next post from Peru!

Ecuador...the "leftovers"

2008-08-28T19:06:00.011-05:00

Even as I type this I cannot believe it...but I said goodbye to my 3rd school, my 3rd group of students and my 3rd country today. How is it possible that my time in Ecuador is already over?

Of course I'm sad about this because I will probably never see my adorable kids again, there are many volunteers I will never be able to compare crazy host family stories with and because I will no longer wake up in the middle of the Andes Mountains.

But is it sick and wrong that I'm less stressed out about those things and more stressed out about the fact that there was so much about Ecuador I never got to blog about?? Maybe, yes. But nonetheless, I am going to try to capture at least some of the "leftovers" of Ecuador or at the very least, post some very fun pictures.

So first off, I don't think I've even metioned my host family. I lived with a woman named Pilar and apparantly, I also lived with her husband although, I kid you not, I saw him a total of 2 times. So here is Pilar...
I also lived with two kids named Jorge and Maybel who were cute...yes. But annoying. Seriously, these children were up at all hours of the night (they were 7 and 9) and pretty much abused there housekeeper and their dog. But like I said, they were pretty darn cute...but apparently not cute enough for me to get a single picture of these hellions.

On the other hand, my dog, Mimi, was defiintely photo worthy.
This dog was the best. She was chained up for about 95% of the day but this dog would literally choke herself to say hello when I got home every day. Seriously...I need a dog. Maybe I should spend more than 10 consecutive days in a row first I suppose...

Ok...so when you walk out of my house, right around the corner is the "gym." I know this does not seem noteworthy but for any of you who have ever seen the move Dodgeball, I am telling you, I lived next door to "Average Joe's." This picture doesn't really do it justice but here goes...
Moving onto cuisine. So if any of you have read my recent blog comments, my tastebuds have been severely desensitized. This comes as a result of eating a bread roll for breakfast, a bread roll (sometimes with butter on it) for lunch and a plate full of white rice and potatoes for dinner.

Let's just say that when I could, I ventured out of the house to seek out some more interesting options. Here is what I found...

The world's best french fries. I'm not kidding...amazing...
Chocolate pizza. You are probably imagining some dessert pizza with a pastry crust with chocolate and maybe even some ice cream. Nope, not in Ecuador. In Ecuador, they take a regular cheese pizza (imagine Tombstone) and just drench it in chocolate syrup. Bizarre...yes. Pretty decent? Yes!
Last food experience that I have to write about...So as many of you know, I love food. Love it. I have been known to search high and low to discover the new cuisines in a city. But if you truly know me, you would also know that as much as I love fine dining, there are very few foods that beat my classic favorite: Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

The plain blue box, flourescent orange powder, delicious Kraft Mac. So when I saw the Kraft blue box on the shelves of my neighborhood grocery store, my mouth was watering.

So for my last day of school with no students, I proposed to the other volunteers that I cook them this culinary delight. Well, I was faced with a look of disgust from my fellow volunteer Danai who claims that she does not eat food out of a box. I almost responded by saying "You mean that food does not grow on trees in boxes?"

Anyway, I threw down the gauntlet and said that she should make her "au natural" Mac and Cheese and I will compete head-to-head with my Kraft. Thus, the 1st Annual Mac-Off was born...
Let's just say the reviews were mixed (ok fine, everyone preferred hers, except me) but I was proud of my Americana lunch and honestly, I don't think there is anything I would have rather eaten at that moment.

Speaking of school, here are just some more "school leftovers"...

Here is the swing we eat lunch on and sometimes take a little siesta...
I think I've mentioned that Thursdays and Fridays are maintenance days at the school and my artist's hand has been put to the test. Check out my alphabet and our two amazing murals...
And lastly, I can't end this blog entry in any other way than with my incredible students. I know I haven't written much about them this time but that doesn't mean that they aren't amazing and I am not going to miss them so much!
(one day, the government sent doctors to the school for checkups...this was not our form of torture)

Well...there you have it. Even with this "catch-all" entry, it is hard to even imagine how much more I could write about this amazing country in the middle of the world. And again, as hard as it is to imagine, I know Peru will have even more adventures in store.

BUT...before I get to Peru, I am headed on an "intermission" adventure to the...GALAPAGOS ISLANDS!! I am leaving tomorrow morning for an 8-day cruise around the unparalleled islands that people say is literally like leaving this planet. I am heading onto a boat with 15 other strangers (yeah...this is no Royal Caribbean...we're talking small...) and am a little nervous and a LOT excited.

Yes blog readers...that means 8 days with no internet and no updates but come back next Saturday for a full report. I don't think I'll let you down...

xoxo,
Debra

P.S...FYI...I finally added those crazy white water tubing pictures to my Mindo trip from a few blogs ago and they are pretty fun if you want to scroll down a ways to the blog "Things you tell your parents AFTER you do them..."

It was the best of times…it was the worst of times…

2008-08-25T19:58:00.005-05:00

It’s Monday blog time and you know what that means…another crazy weekend adventure. And what trip to Ecuador would be complete without a weekend trip to the Amazon jungle??

Yep. So Friday directly after school, my friend Andi and I set off to the depths of the Amazon Jungle to see what it had in store for us…and let’s just say it had a LOT in store.

I packed up my usual “starvation food” of PB&Js, Ritz crackers and Ziplocs full of cereal and we were off.

We caught the bus from Otavalo to Quito right around 3pm (I am now an expert at hailing buses as they hurl down the PanAmerican highway and jumping in while they are still moving). The bus was pretty nice and like every other Otavalo-Quito bus ride I have been on, showed another Sylvester Stallone movie…gotta love watching Cliff Hanger in Spanish for the second time.

So we arrived in Quito and started wandering pretty aimlessly through the ridiculously overwhelming Quito bus terminal and from what we could tell, the next bus outta there to the Amazon didn’t leave until 10:00 p.m. Now considering it is a 6-hour bus ride, this was not good news.

Luckily for us, some extremely sketchy guy asked us where we were going and took us directly to the booth selling tickets to the jungle leaving in 10 minutes. Where did this guy come from? Is this a scam?? No time to ask questions…

We bought our tickets and were sent to this strange spot on the side of the road where we started to seriously think we had been conned out of our $6. But suddenly, a bus with the word Tena, the city where we were headed, rolled up and we hopped in.

Randomly, Andi got the window seat and I got the aisle. Let’s just say Andi won the seat-picking lottery on that one. About 10 minutes after “take-off”, the bus suddenly filled up to its brim. People completely lining the aisles, people sitting on armrests, you name it.

So, for the next 6 hours, there was a woman literally in my lap. Six hours of winding, dirt roads in the pitch dark. I wanted to complain but then I remembered that at least I had a seat, which was clearly a bonus.

We pulled into Tena around 11:30ish at night. Got off the bus and found ourselves in the midst of a rainstorm. And it was actually really fun! (I think at this point, just not having a woman falling into my lap was pretty fun…)

We tried to stay at a hostel that was recommended to us with no luck so just kind of stumbled into a place that said “HOTEL” and figured, great! We thought we were really living it up staying in a HOTEL and not a HOSTEL (it’s amazing how just one letter makes a pretty big difference). It was a bit more expensive than we had planned but there was free breakfast so we were happy campers.

We got up to our room and discovered that we also had…TV!! We immediately switched on CNN and I think that Andi and I were quite possibly the first people to know about the Obama-Biden ticket at 1:00 am. We felt “in-the-know” for the first time in a long time.

We went to bed and woke up excited to see what this breakfast had in store for us. Well, it wasn’t exactly the Las Vegas style hotel breakfast buffets. Choices included: weird eggs, weird hash thing, weird juice and pretty good croissants. But we ate it and were off to the jungle.

We hopped a taxi to the nearby town of Mishaulli. Before we left, past volunteers told us that here in Mishaulli, there are little boats all over just waiting to take you to the jungle. So we got out of the taxi and headed to the beach.

There at the beach we only found these huge, long canoe-boat things with a ton of locals. Looks good to us! So we went down the rocky beach headed to the boats. Of course, I fell and skinned both knees. Obviously. What is it with these people and their opposition to stairs and handrails??

Anyway, we boarded this boat with actually very little idea of where we were going but we knew we were not leaving here without riding down the Amazon River. So we did!

We rode about 20 minutes or so down the river and it was so awesome. To be honest, if I would have taken the same exact ride down Lake Minnetonka, it probably wouldn’t have been so noteworthy but to say we were on the Amazon River (or an offshoot of the Amazon River…turns out the real deal is in Brazil I think) in the middle of the jungle in Ecuador was pretty darn cool!
Our boat came to a stop at some place so we hopped off (when in Rome…). We went up the beach and suddenly, we were in this crazy little Amazon place where monkeys were EVERYWHERE! And not just monkeys! Other crazy animals too! We happily forked over our $1 and had our little tour.

We probably didn’t understand a thing about what the woman was saying about medicinal plants but we did manage to pick up huge turtles, cradle monkeys, shake hands with a very sad little monkey and watch a little anteater thing eat a sucker from a little kid. The pictures do it way more justice…and definitely check out the video of me with my monkey…crazy!

After our tour of the Amazon, it was back on the canoe to head back to Mishaulli. We grabbed a quick (and slightly strange) lunch and got on the bus back to Tena.

Within 8 seconds of being on this bus, we hit something. I still have no idea what, but this led to several minutes of people yelling at each other and fighting and then our bus going to some strange place (maybe the police station? Not so sure) and moral of the story, it took us quite a while to get back to Tena.

But we did get back and I managed to spend the afternoon doing something I haven’t done in months…hang out at a coffee shop! Andi and I found this place called Sticky Fingers in my guide book and we went there and proceeded to eat THE two biggest desserts known to man. And when Andi finished her banana split with no problem, I knew we had a good thing goin’…
We played cards for a couple hours and moseyed back to the Hotel (note: no “S”) and watched some more CNN. Shockingly, for the entire 3 days we were there, we learned nothing more about our world than the Obama-Biden ticket. If anything else has happened since I left, please let me know.

Then Andi and I went out to dinner to what is considered a very “upscale” restaurant in Tena called the Marquis. White table clothes, candles and even Starbucks coffee. So after looking at the menu, we both decided to get Filet Mignon for a whopping $5.50.
Andi, who is usually a vegetarian, got her steak and said it was a bit too red for her tastes. Mine was a little more well-done so we swapped plates. Now this is where the story goes straight downhill…

We went out for a drink (literally, one drink) and headed back to our lively hotel where we turned on CNN, turned off the light and went to bed.

At about 3:00 am…life went terribly wrong for this girl. I actually woke myself up because I was moaning. Yes. It was my first (and hopefully last) food poisoning experience in South America.

I spent quite a bit of time in that hoTel bathroom but that was definitely not the worst of it. Remember those 6 hours of winding roads that got us here to Tena? Turns out they are still winding and bumpy on the way back even with a plastic bag close at hand. Poor Andi just had to watch while I turned from ghost white to pale green. I just was on a rotation of wanting to throw up, wishing I was throwing up, or actually throwing up. Lovely, I know.

Even though there were some moments when I didn’t think I’d ever see my family or friends alive again, I have managed to pull through and have now held down two meals in a row and honestly feel like a new woman. It may be a while until I can look a rare steak in the face…or at least not one that only costs $5.50…but I have lived to tell the tale.

So, it was the best of times…it was the worst of times. Amazon Jungle…CHECK!

xoxo,
Debra

The Rosens do Ecuador...Part II

2008-08-21T21:48:00.003-05:00

So from the title of this entry, this is part 2 in a little blog mini-series. If you haven’t read up on part one yet, scroll down to get the whole story!

We last left off with Rachel stratling the gear shift and me falling out the door of the public bus from Quito to Otavalo. Let’s just say that after a day of nothing but driving, our level of happiness was about to sky-rocket.

We managed to hail ourselves a cab and arrive at our hotel: La Mirage. This may be the most aptly named hotel I have ever stayed at because I literally could not believe my eyes when we walked into our room.

Keep in mind that I have been living in the 3rd world for more than 4 months now and a set of dresser drawers is enogh to send me over the edge. So when we walked in and saw this…I was pretty much speechless:
Yep…champagne, robes with rose petals…and yes…even rose petals in the toilet bowl!
Were we seriously just jammed in the front of an overcrowded public bus being harassed by a slimy bus driver?? Somehow the rose petals in the toilet made the day from hell disappear.

After a lovely dinner, Rachel and I hit up the town. Now for any of you who have ever gone out on a weekend night (or really any night for that matter) with Rachel or I, you know that if we are put in charge of deciding what to do or where to go, we will 9 times out of 10 choose a karaoke bar. So why should Otavalo be any different??

Yep. That’s right ladies and gentlemen. Rachel and I stumbled into a local karaoke bar and showed off our stuff. We were the ONLY gringos in the place and out of about 5000 song choices, there were about 12 in English.

But we managed to find some oldies but goodies and wow the crowd with our vocal talent. Karaoke runs a bit differently here in Otavalo. Now I think I’ve mentioned before that this place is quite possibly one of the most laid back towns I‘ve ever been to. This is a place where people can’t even be bothered to stand while waiting for the bus but instead lay down at the stop.

Why should karaoke bars be any different? People do not have to get up to sing but instead, they just lazily pass a wireless mic around the bar for people to sing into. It was great…and I think that Rachel definitely garnered some Ecuadorian fans in the process.

After our musical debut, it was to bed. We had an early day at the market!

Now I know I’ve talked about the ridiculously amazing market here in Otavalo but there is another market that I had not yet been to that Rachel was fortunate enough to experience with me for the first time…the Animal Market.

I’m sure some of you out there have visions of a glorified butcher shop or maybe some of you well-traveled readers may envisions crates of chicken feet or pig snouts. Nope. Not in Otavalo. These animals are LIVE!

People come to the market bright and early every Saturday morning with animals in tow, ready to sell, trade or even cook their animals! Clearly, this is one of those “youhad to be there” experiences but it’s not every day that I can say I’ve seen a bag full of guinea pigs, a man wearing a backpack filled with baby lambs or woman carrying countless chickens by their strangely, oversized feet…here are some pictures…
We finished up the Animal Market and headed into the craft market where Rachel and I promptly began to boost the Ecuadorian economy. Somehow by the end of the day, we had walked away with Alpaca scarves, Alpaca sweaters, Alpaca hats, some jewelry that looks awesome now but I’m sure I will wonder what the hell I was thinking when I bought it when I get home…and a carved Ecuadorian band. How can you leave without one of those??
Well at this point, Rachel and I were seriously ready for a nap. But when we got back to the hotel, we discovered the one thing that is even better than a nap…a massage! Yep…we both completely indulged ourselves and had some pretty amazing…and incredibly strange treatments.

Both of our treatments started out basically with a sponge bath after the masseuse basically unrobed us. A bit awkward.

After the sponge bath, we were instructed to get into a thermal bed that was basically like getting into a Domino’s Heat Wave bag. Needless to say, it was hot!

But even with the awkwardness and almost cooking ourselves in our hot packs, it felt amazing.

So after that and another great dinner, we were ready to hit up the town…

We met us with some other volunteers and basically did a little Otavalan bar crawl complete with $16 bottle service (yep…$16 for all of us to drink all night), burning up the dance floor and of course, taking some ridiculous pictures in the process.
But perhaps we hit up Otavalo a bit too hard…because it hit back.

Let’s just say that Rachel got up close and personal with those rose petals in the toilet bowl. (Disclaimer…I was given outright permission to discuss this hangover on this blog…) And when Sam finally arrived in Otavalo mid-Sunday morning, let’s just say he wasn’t rushing to kiss his wife.

Needless to say, our original plans of visiting the hot springs were altered. (Somehow sitting in a local bus for an hour followed by soaking in boiling hot water that smells like rotten eggs didn’t appeal to Rachel at this exact moment)

So we left Rachel to bond further with the porcelain throne and Sam and I hit up the Otavalan market for another round.

It didn’t take us long to look like complete tourists. We got to take some good pictures in the main square while being stared at by locals and Sam bought a Panama hat that I personally think he looks fabulous in but his wife made him throw away as soon as she laid eyes on him (maybe this is why I am not married…).
Sam and I went back to the hotel and found that Rachel had survived the experience and we spent the rest of the evening just lazing around the hotel.

Monday morning and my last day with the Rosens…we were ready to take the town by storm. After a little convincing, I had persuaded Rachel and Sam that there was no need for a tour guide on our day to explore Otavalo. I just kept telling them that tazis are everywhere and so easy to find.

Well, wouldn’t you know that this Monday happened to be the day that the taxis decided to strike??

Yep. Not a single yellow cab in sight.

Ok. Solve the problem. We literally stumbled into a travel agency and I tried to explain to them our problem and all the places we wanted to visit. At this point, I was desperate and would have probably given all of my Alpaca purchases up to this guy for a ride to the “must-sees” of Otavalo.

The guy started explaining this amazing private tour that included everything we wanted to do and more. I was ready to warm up my credit card for the transaction when he informed us that for a 7-hour tour complete with Ecuadorian lunch and private guide would cost us $25 a piece. Um…let me think…DONE!

The day was awesome. The only problem with it was that it went so smoothly that I really don’t have too many funny things to write about…the good days just do not make for good blogging material…

We visited the Magic Tree, a waterfall and I even convinced Sam and Rachel to ride in the back of the pick-up with me.
We also visited an indigenous instrument workshop and an indigenous home to see how they spin yarn. Note the TINY size of this women…keep in mind that Rachel just barely surpasses the 5 foot mark…
After a great lunch, it was off to a beautiful lake. It is a four hour hike around…we took a short cut (aka, when up and down one set of stairs) and called it a hike after about 4 minutes.
I went back to the hotel with them to soak in my last minutes of pure luxury. We ate dinner that wasn’t just rice and potatoes, drank wine and I just tried to squeeze every last minute of being with them as I could.

It was hard to say goodbye but it was so amazing to see Rachel and Sam that I honestly can’t imagine now how I would have gone two more months without seeing them. It was hard to believe that it had been 5 days since our screaming hello hugs in front of the awkward bellhop in Quito. Five equator visiting, boring tour driving, karaoke singing, market shopping, self-indulging, hangover inducing, waterfall visiting and friend reuniting days.

And another five days of traveling with the Rosens I will never forget.

xoxo,
Debra

The Rosens do Ecuador...Part I

2008-08-20T14:54:00.009-05:00

After months of planning, weeks of waiting and hours on the phone plotting, the weekend that I had been anxiously waiting for had finally arrived...Rachel and Sam came to visit me!

For any of you out there who don't know, these two people are two of the most important people in my life and after months of spending lots of time with virtual strangers (great virtual strangers, but still strangers), I could hardly wait to be with people who actually know just how crazy I actually am and still love me anyway.

Now Rachel and Sam are of course, two of my most loyal blog readers. So on our last dinner together here in Ecuador, I was asking them how they were feeling about being the star subjects of my next blog entry.

Sam (the chronic "low profiler"): "Please...keep it short and the details to a minimum."
Rachel (the eternal lead role): "Ummm...I really think you need to make this entry two parts so you can fit in every detail. Feel free to share any and all embarrassing moments in full."

Well, unfortunately for Sam and fortunately for Rachel, this blog is full disclosure and you will be getting all the stories of our amazing time together in Ecuador.

And as Rachel wished, this will be a 2 part mini-series if you will. Just WAY too much to fit into one entry.

Ok...let's get started.

So last Wednesday, I boarded the bus to Quito to greet Rachel. Rachel was coming on Wednesday and Sam was joining us on Sunday in Otavalo (how many times is Sam going to use work as an excuse?? Seriously...)

I made it to the hotel about 3 hours before Rachel and let's just say...longest 3 hours ever.

Every time I heard a shuffle outside the door, a ring of the elevator or a slight breeze outside, I hopped up and raced to the peekhole on the hotel door. But finally, she arrived...and it was not a quiet reunion!

I think the bellhop that helped Rachel with her bags must have thought that I had just returned from war after 10 years of service with the amount of screaming and hugging that went on. It probably would have been awkward for a lot of people but we were not going to let a tall, Ecuadorian bellhop dampen our reunion.

Anyway, after about 10 minutes of excitement, we grabbed a quick bite (it was supposed to be a quick bite but somehow our bowl of soup turned into a 1.5 hour affair) and hit the hay.

Well...actually, before bed, I was able to completely indulge myself in digital, cable television. And after months of not catching a single piece of news, you would think that I would have opted for CNN. Nope...it was E!...watching The Girls Next Door. Nothing like a little Hugh Hefner to make you feel like you are back in the 21st century.

The next morning, Rachel and I were off to explore Quito on our own. After being slightly overwhelmed by the hotel's breakfast buffet (which wasn't even that elaborate...it was just the first time I've had a choice of what to eat for breakfast in 4 months) we hopped in a cab and headed to the TeleFérrico.

The TeleFérrico (no idea if tht is spelled right) is a cable car that takes you to about 4,100 meters altitude to get some AMAZING views of Quito. But when we arrived, it looked like we would probably be spending more time getting views of the back of the person in front of us in the ridiculously long line. Let's just say I hadn't seen a line this long since the Dumbo ride at Disney.

Luckily, I spotted the "Express Line" and thanks to my greatly improved Spanish, learned that for just $3, we could actually bypass this endless line. And let's just say, best $3 spent of the trip.

Other than a few fleeting moments of panic from Rachel, the ride up was amazing!
And at the top, what more could you want than a bizarre man singing to pre-recorded Ecuadorian music and a place to buy hot cheesy croissants?

After taking in the view and fully enjoying our $3 splurge, it was back down.

Now through the years, Rachel and I have had some amazing travel adventures together. We've seen the lowest point on earth (the Dead Sea), what some consider to be the center of the earth (The Temple of Heaven in Beijing), perhaps the hottest place on earth (Michigan Breast Cancer 3-day Walk) and arguably the magical place on earth (Masai Mara, Kenya).

But until last week, we had not been to the Center of the World. Yep...Mitad del Mundo (the center of the world) is located just outside of Quito and we actually go to strattle the equator!

On our way, we somehow got conned into visitng this science center with a guy who explained the science of the Equator and mixed in a bit of Ecuadorian propaganda. So after his very scientific lecture, we asked him where the museum was where you could do the fun equator experiments.

He made a terrible face and said, "You should know that it is all just tricks. They aren't real scientists like us. It is only a tourist trap."

We responded, "So, um, where is this place and how do you get there as quickly as possible??"

We finally got to the equator line and after Rachel tried to convince me that there was no way this was actually on the Equator (thanks for ruining the magic Rachel), I chose to live in my fantasy world and believe that due to the wonders of GPS, we were in fact in the center of the world.

We proceeded to be shown some amazing tricks, I mean experiments, that you can only do on the equator. We watched water spin down a drain to the left on the left of the line, to the right on the right of the line and directly down the middle on the equator.

We even got a chance to earn a certificate if we could balance an egg on the head of a nail...
Now it may have been a bit cheesy but I didn´t see Mr. Scientist handing out certificates with his propoganda. We need prizes. Plain and simple. Prizes.

So after we were complete experts on the gravitational properties of the equator, we headed to Old Quito. Thanks to my travel guide (which I honestly have no idea how I have traveled before without) we managed to see all of the cool churches, pretty plazas and even local cuisines in the area.

The place was like pages of my high school Spanish book coming to life. And even after being scolded by the church police, we managed to get a couple good pictures of the place...
We headed back to the hotel and got ready for a traditional Ecuadorian dinner. I ordered some kind of meat (surprising I know) and Rachel basically ordered the equivalent of Denny's Grand Slam breakfast. Steak, eggs, avocados, potatoes, rice, salad, veggies...it really was ridiculous. But according to her, ridiculously delicious.

After dinner, we innocently asked the host if there was a place nearby to grab a drink. He said there was a place in the parking lot. What? Was my Spanish failing me? A dance club in a parking lot?

Let's just say our expectations were not exactly high. But behind the doors of this unassuming bar was probably one of the most unexpected scenes on the trip.

So we stroll in wearing basically t-shirts, jeans and our hiking shoes and get seated ON the dance floor (yes ON...not near to, but ON). Suddenly, we are surrounded by latin women in stilletto heels, hip shaking latin men and in front of us is the amazing live entertainment of a 5 piece band!

Let's just say that the combination of tunes ranging from Whitney Houston to Selena, a couple cocktails, watching some amazing dancing and some delicious popcorn, Rachel and I were more than "feelin' the love" by the end of the night. It was incredible.

But, we had to cut the fun a little short because we had a VERY exciting, pre-planned tour early the next morning. So off to the hotel for us to get ready for this VERY exciting all-day tour.

So Friday morning rolls around and it is time for our VERY exciting tour. Just to set the stage, this is word for word what this tour was described as:

Drive South of Quito to Sangolqui and continue via Pintag to Antisana. The reserve has an extensión of 120,000 hectares and comprises several eco-systems that go from the high mountain habitats to the rainforest. Some of the hightlights of this natural reserve that you will see along the way are the Antisanilla lava flow, which left behind spectacular rocky waves, which are worth seeing. The Isco rocky walls are still home to the Andean condor and the vegetation in the bottom attracts hummingbirds. As you drive towards the Micacocha lake, you will be able to observe Andean gulls, cara-caras, ducks and other bird species. The Micacocha lake is the biggest in the reserve and is located right at the bottom of the Antisana peak. A picnic lunch will be offered for you to enjoy the reserve a little longer before returning to Quito.

Sounds cool, right? Ok...now this is truly what how the day should have been described:

Board a van at 9:00 am. Be greeted by an overly friendly guide named Lucy who knows nothing about the area you are about to enter into. Drive 3 hours seeing nothing more than a few grassy hills and some fog. See one bird. Arrive at a small pondish-lake thing. Get told that no tourists ever come here and that really, the only reason this lake is important is because IF Quito ran out of water, this is where they would get water from. Ask to go to the bathroom, no bathroom. Squat in a bush. Get fed some weird fried plantains. Drive 2 more hours to stop for an ice cream bar out of a cooler in a convenience store. See one more bird. See a statue of a bird. Drive another hour. Get to a BIZARRE house where you will proceed to have THE most awkward lunch with people you do not know in a house filled with flies. Get told by these people that you really should have come to ride the horses. Get shown the horses that we do not have time to ride. Get back in the van. An hour and a half later, get dropped off.

So needless to say, the day was not exactly as it had been billed. But we did manage to shift from annoyance to pure hysterics by the end and the ironic part? I'm sure that in 5 years, this day will be the only part we will still laugh about and actually remember!

Now this FABULOUS tour was led by a pretty classy travel agency. So I'm pretty sure that most of their clientele do not request to be dropped off at the bus stop to be taken from Quito to Otavalo. In fact, Lucy looked terrified at the fact that the two of us gringos were going to board the local bus line.

But these gringos didn´t want to spend $80 on a cab when the bus was $2. And we are always up for a little adventure...

So we were basically dropped roadside to catch the bus to Otavalo. Now we climbed on the bus and there were no seats left. Hmm...2.5 hours standing on a bus. Not excited about this.

Luckily, the bus driver quickly ushered us into the front of the bus where Rachel and I snuggled up right next to the driver. Rachel was basically strattling the gear shift the entire time and I was about a foot from falling out the door but we were in it for the long haul now...there was no backing out.

So, for the next two hours, our bus driver proceeded to hawk some serious loogies (aka: spit very grossly) out the window and make inappropriate sexual jokes towards us. And when he wasn't spitting or asking us about our love lives, he was making remarkably realistic cat noises. Good times. Very good times.

Ok...well this is where I have to leave you all with a cliffhanger ending. (either that or you are all going to fall asleep anyway because this is too long!)

Will we get off the bus alive? Will we have more VERY exciting tour days? Will we find Sam in Ecuador?

Next entry...the adventure continues in Otavalo...I promise, there is some good stuff...I mean, you take three Minnesotans and put them in a 3rd world country and you are bound for good times.

TO BE CONTINUED!

xoxo,

Debra

Welcome to Huayrapungo...

2008-08-12T20:36:00.008-05:00

It’s happened again. Somehow, I’ve managed to be here in Ecuador for 3 weeks and I still haven’t mentioned the kids I am here to teach (yes…I am actually teaching here and not just ziplining upside-down!)

So, without further ado…I’d like to introduce you to Huayrapungo, my school in Ecuador.

A few days before I left Guatemala, the project director, Dom, gave me a warning: Do not try to compare one project with the next. They are all completely different and that is what makes them all wonderful.

So of course, I nodded just as any good volunteer would do but to be honest, I was thinking “how different can they be? All kids who I can just barely understand. All adorable. All school.” Right? Wrong. Definitely should have listened to Dom.

Honduras was world’s away from Guatemala and sometimes, it feels like Ecuador is in a different galaxy altogether. And it is apparent even before you arrive.

So I have a 1.5 hour drive up to the school every day. They key word there being UP. We drive straight up the Andes mountains and to say the view is incredible almost feels insulting. On a clear day, I can see a snow covered volcano that is more that 5 hours away. That would be like being able to see from Minneapolis to Madison on a clear day. Can you imagine?

Of course, I’ve tried to take some pictures and of course, they do it no justice whatsoever…

About 20 minutes before we arrive at the school, we stop at this little house on the side of the mountain. Suddenly, about 9 kids from age 1 to 13 come racing out and pile into our van. And guess what. They are ALL siblings!

The big ones carry the little ones. The middle ones fight for the best seat on the van. And within 30 seconds, the entire van smells like a campfire.

Surprise, surprise, the view from the school is BEAUTIFUL.

But for any of you out there who have visions of Ecuador being warm, think again. It is freezing. Freezing. I mean like two long sleeve shirts, scarf, polar fleece, long underwear, jeans and sometimes a hat and mittens freezing. Huayapungo actually means “Door to the wind” (or something very close to that!). Moral of the story: If you ever decide to teach high up in the Andes mountains, bring a coat.

Now one thing that makes this school very different from the others is that it is a) tiny and b) it’s actually summer school right now so it’s even tinier! The entire enrollment of the school from 5-years-old to 14 is about 26 kids and during summer school, we average right around 15.

Also, for the last two schools, I have been teaching 2^nd graders. Sweet little second graders who still think their teachers are cool and learning is fun.

Now? I am faced with 5^th, 6^th and 7^th graders! Lucky for me, these kids are really great. But don’t get me wrong, attitude with pre-teens is universal and trust me when I tell you, I am SO not cool to these kids.

Teaching 6^th graders has had its challenges and it’s benefits.

Challenges:

I think they are actually more advanced than I am at math. We are talking angles in a triangle, Algebra, the works. And it doesn’t help that it’s all in Spanish.

My only real reinforcement tool I brought with me are little stickers from the Target sticker books. Now they're are worth their weight in gold for 2^nd graders. Not so much for these kids. Gotta figure something out there…

Benefits:

It really is so fun to see that these kids are so smart! Sometimes I forget that they aren’t 8 and I can’t believe what they can do. It’s amazing.

Every Wednesday is computer day. Now as a HUGE computer nerd myself, I cannot tell you how amazing it is to show these kids how to use a computer. Last week was the 4^th time any of my kids had ever even seen a computer in their lives. We have one, old computer that they all gather around. Just doing simple things like changing the color of a font or drawing a smiley face sends them over the edge. I seriously think if you showed these kids the internet or YouTube, they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves!

During the regular school year, local mother’s come up to cook for the kids. But during summer, the responsibility has been put in the hands of us volunteers.

Now while I was growing up, I had very reasonable parents. I didn’t have too many weird rules to follow. So when there were rules, I took them seriously. From what I can remember there were two rules in my household:

Never use a knife

Never play with matches

Now these seem to be good rules, right? But the problem is that as a 27-year-old adult, I still cannot cut a bagel or light a fire. This is a slight problem at the school considering we use manually lit gas stoves and big knives.

So, I am on “colada” duty every day. Colada is basically a hot, geletin drink we make for the kids every day with Tang. Imagine hot, Tang-flavored pudding. Anyway, that is my job and I make one mean Colada.

Also because it’s summer school, we actually only teach Monday-Wednesday. Thursday and Friday are maintenance days. We scrub walls, paint, paint more, we are working on a mural and clean the school. Thanks in large part to my iPod speakers, these are actually very fun days! Usually it’s just us volunteers but now and then, the kids help out…

So, there is a very basic overview of the school. Of course I will write soon about my amazing students and why they are all incredible. But for now, here are just some adorable pictures that I couldn’t resist posting…

xoxo,

Debra

Things you tell your parents about AFTER they are done…

2008-08-11T17:30:00.013-05:00

Ok…so from the title of this entry, I’m sure you can all tell that I had quite an adventurous weekend that I’m not so sure my parents would have exactly signed the permission slip for. But here’s the thing…there are no permission slips here in Ecuador. Nope. No permission slips. No warning signs. No waivers. Just pure crazy adventure and I’m still here to tell about it!

So this weekend a group of 8 of us went about 3 hours away from Otavalo to a city called Mindo. Now this trip had always been described as really “chill.” I’ll leave it to you all to judge but somehow, ziplining and white water rafting don’t fall into the “chill” category. Ok…let’s back up to Saturday.

We boarded the bus at 8 in Otavalo. I had packed my backpack and a snack bag for the rides (which for any of you who have ever traveled with me, know that this is my most important piece of luggage…my “starvation food”)

Anyway, in the hustle of boarding the bus, I left my starvation food behind at the bus. Just to be clear, despite the fact that during the next two days, I would be flying among sharp rocks and jumping off cliffs tethered to a thin cable, realizing that I had forgotten my snack bag was possibly the most traumatic moment of the trip.

Somehow I made it to Mindo without starving to death (it was a close call). We checked in to our adorable hostel (I am really becoming a hostel connoisseur at this point and this one was great) and grabbed a bite to eat (thank god!).

After about 5 minutes to digest, it was off to zipline on teh back of a pick-up.

I’m sure for some of you, this feels like déjà vu. This is my 3rd ziplining experience since I started this trip but this one was definitely a bit different!

It started out the same. Strap on the “oh-so-fetching” gear, fit on your highly attractive helmet and laugh at the boys who are moaning and groaning about their gear and how it just doesn’t leave much room for error if you know what I mean.

For those of you who don’t…here are some pictures…
So we started on the first line and it was absolutely gorgeous. A long trip across the valley, above the cloud forest of Ecuador…amazing.

On the 2nd zip, the guides asked if anyone wanted to do the “Mariposa.” Mariposa means butterfly in Spanish so I figured, “That sounds nice…sure!” So I march to the front of the line and suddenly, they are switching my straps around, rehooking things, I have no idea what’s going on.

Before I know it, I am completely upside down. Yep…legs in the air, arms hanging below my head and off I went flying, tandem with a guide, across the clouds of Mindo. I think we need a visual here…
Needless to say, it was incredible. I’m not sure if it was the pure fear or the blood rushing to my head but I loved it…and even did it again on the last cable! Here’s a video…

Sorry Mom and Dad…I know that was probably scary to see…but there is more.

Usually, ziplining upside-down would be enough adventure for one weekend for this girl but nope, Sunday was still ahead of us.

But first, after recovering from the afternoon, we all went out to a great dinner in Mindo. After opting NOT to go to one restaurant that was just called "Burger":
As I was sitting there eating with the 7 other volunteers and our driver, I looked over at our driver (who is an Ecuadorian native) and took a serious double take…was this guy honestly wearing a University of Wisconsin-Madison t-shirt? YES!!

Crazy. Set off with the others and the most random Badger fan and set off for a night of salsa with the locals. One of the other volunteers is only 18 and this was a very big night for her…her first beer! Go Amanda…
Not too long after, the beer turned to water and after that, it was a piggy back ride home for Amanda.
We all headed back to the hostel for a quick few hours of sleep before our next big adventure. So morning came sooner than any of us wanted but we definitely didn’t have to worry about feeling tired on this trip.

We shoved some eggs down and off to “White Water Tubing.” Now I mentioned this earlier but Ecuador does not believe in waivers. Now for a girl who grew up having to sign away her life before playing on the Tanglen Elementry school playground, I always just figure, no waiver, no real risk. Wrong.

Basically white water tubing is when the strap together about 7 innertubes together with twine and send it down a CRAZY river of rapids full of huge sharp rocks, enormous turns and drops…oh and a waterfall.

So we strapped on our helmets (seriously, I have never spent so much time wearing a helmet in my life) and had our “lesson.” This “lesson” went something like this (in Spanish):

Ok…you sit here, yes? (we nod) Hold on to these ropes, yes? (nod) And if we say “fuerte”, hold on tight, yes? (we look terrified). Ok, let’s go!

Now hopefully you are getting a picture of this in your mind. So there are 7 of us (one stayed back…probably the wise one of the crew), sitting precariously in this tube contraption, we have two guides wearing boots, we are wearing stretch gloves and we are sitting among some insane rapids. Got the picture? Great.
Now…to that image, make the water about 3 degrees above freezing, absolutely no sun and a pretty substantial breeze. We were freezing! But I’m not even sure we realized how cold we were because at this point, we were all just pretty scared.
But off we went! And it really was AWESOME! Terrifying..completely and utterly terrifying…but awesome! There were times when I was either flying in the air holding on by nothing more than the pinky of my stretch gloves and there were other times when I was completely under the icy water but it was amazing!
The ride was great. But it was LONG! We were actually navigating these insane rapids in the freezing water for just under 3 hours!! So, when it was all over, let’s just say, other than just being happy to be alive, I was very happy to have some dry clothing waiting for me in the truck.

So we crawled out of our tubes on our very shaky legs and up to find this truck that was supposed to be waiting. But we had another surprise waiting for us…no truck! So there we are, soaking wet, freezing cold, still with no sun and plenty of chilly breeze and no truck.

After waiting for about an hour, one of the guides thought it was a good idea to go pick us some fruit to eat. Seriously, am I on Survivor right now? And as long as he was picking fruit, he picked a fruit that is essentially war paint inside and painted on all of us.
After about another 45 minutes of hypothermia, the truck appeared! We managed to change (not so discreetly) behind a towel into dry clothes and head back to the hostel.

We grabbed some pizza on the way out and back to Otavalo.

I realized on the ride that it was exactly one year ago from Sunday that was my last day at General Mills. One full year. I remember as I left my cubicle last year thinking that for the first time in my life, I honestly had no idea where I would be or what I would be doing one year from that date.

Well, I’m not sure I would have been able to imagine flying down icy waters in Ecuador with 7 complete strangers.

And you know what? I think I can say for the 2nd time in my life, I again have no idea where I will be one year from now. Let’s just hope it’s something that doesn’t require a parent’s permission slip!

xoxo,
Debra

What Debra misses most...

2008-08-08T15:00:00.004-05:00

Ok...so I´m pretty sure that this contest was one of my worst ideas ever. Because rather than guesing correctly, most of you just made me realize all of the things I really do miss but hadn´t even thought about!

Anyway, only have a minute to blog so without further ado...here are the top 5 things Debra misses most:

1. TiVo/TV...if you didn´t get this one right, you either have never met me, have never talked to me or have recently had a bout with amnesia. Oh TiVo...I miss you so. Somehow my two channels (one of which only plays Spanish Telenovelas and the other, only Spanish game shows) just have not made the cut. I think the first time I hear that little boing sound of my TiVo, I may faint.

2. Coffee shops...somehow this trend has not caught on down here. I miss everything about my coffee shops. Sitting and reading in them, people watching in them...and perhaps most of all, the ridiculously, oversized cup of coffee they all serve in the US. Here, you get a real mug (who wants that?) that is about the size of a child´s play set. I think when I get home, I am going to carry around a large Caribou cup with a java jacket all day long just because I can.

3. Feeling pretty...so for the last 3.5 months, I have not warmed up a hair straightener, my fanciest shoes are flip-flops and I judge the cleanliness of my clothes by smelling them. THis is a far cry from the pretty darn fashionable, blown-out hair, high-heel wearing business woman of just one year ago. Don´t get me wrong, it is nice to just wear comfy clothes every day, but I do miss just feeling anywhere close to pretty. So while I carry my Caribou coffee cup all around town, expect to see me dressed up.

4. Walking around wihtout shoes in my house...actually, walking around without socks in my house...ok, fine...walking around completely naked in my house. Need I say more?

5. Having any say whatsoever in what I eat...So again, for any of you who know me at all know that I LOVE food...love it. Maybe even more than Tivo. And I´m also a "craver." Now I´m really not complaining. The food has been just fine...but I just miss being able to say, "You know what I´m really in the mood for?? (Fill in the blank)" And then going and getting it. Whether it´s Manny´s or McDonald´s, BBQ or Mac and Cheese...I have a lot of cravings to catch up on when I get back...

So there you have it. But like I said, thanks to all of you, I am now missing the State Fair, unlimited internet access, my iPhone...and, oh yeah...all of YOU!

So if you want to find me after I get home, just look for the naked girl with straightened hair, Tivo remote in one hand, Caribou cup in the other under a pile of take-out menus.

xoxo,
Debra

Just your "average" weekend...

2008-08-05T15:43:00.006-05:00

I really don´t know what my problem is since I´ve been in Ecuador but blogging just seems like so much work! I´m sorry I´ve been a bit MIA...I will try to be better...let´s just blame it on the altitude and call it a day, shall we??

Ok, so another reason I haven´t blogged is that I just keep thinking, "Well, nothing that amazing has really happened." But today, I started scanning through my pictures of the last 5 days and realize that I seriously need to gain my perspective back. Over the last 5 days I have probably done more than I had for a years with of 5 days before this crazy adventure began.

Seriously...I need to adjust my idea of exciting or a weekend at home in Mpls could send me into a coma.

Alright, so rather than try to tackle all of the last 5 days at once, I´m just going to write about my weekend...and next entry will introduce my 3rd amazing project.

So the first piece of huge news is that I have friends! Yes...it took a few days but I have officially met the other volunteers and we managed to hit up Otavalo this weekend and have a great time.

On Thursday I visited an amazing waterfall with my Spanish teacher (this was clearly pre-friends Debra!) She made it sound like the place was just around the block...not exactly. After about 45 minutes of huffing and puffing, I could finally hear the faint sound of a water fall and it really was incredible.
We sat and enjoyed the tranquil waterfall and tried to catch my breath (still not totally used to this altitude...or at least using that as an excuse for the fact that I´m just out of shape...)

Breathe in, out...enjoy the waterfall...and then...about 150 kids showed up at the place on a field trip! So much for our relaxing Spanish lesson at a natural wonder...back down to Otavalo we went.
Friday night we hit up the town to say goodbye to some volunteers and also to celebrate another´s birthday. Well let´s just say that this birthday girl had one too many $1 shots (a side effect of everything being so ridiculously cheap here...).

Needless to say, I wasn´t thinking that this birthday girl would follow through on her plan to meet me on Saturday morning to do some touring around...but she stayed true to her name and this girl was ready to tour (more or less...)

So we hopped in a cab up to El Lechero which is a tree in Otavalo that is considered magical. Why? I have no idea. But we were going to see this magical tree. I brought along my trusty Lonely Planet Guide Book and looked to see what you are supposed to do once you get to this "magical" place...no such luck.

Caroline remembered something about seeing other people having pictures hugging the tree so we just decided to do that, snap a few pictures of the amazing view and scoot outta there...how magical huh??
Then Caroline and I headed to the market. Now if any of you have ever heard of Otavalo or have ever mentioned it to someone who has heard of it, it is unlikely that you have gone more than one sentence without hearing about the market. And it truly lives up to its reputation.

It goes on for blocks and blocks and literally swallows up the city every Saturday. It is a rainbow of necklaces, vegatables, alpaca scarves, traditional paintings and of course, people! It is amazing...
Feeling brave, Caroline even braved eating some street food...despite the fact that in less than 12 hours she was embarking on a 36 hour plane ride back to Austrailia...crazy Aussies...

Now this is not your ordinary street food. At least I know on my street I don´t often see an entire pig sitting on a spit and the person just cutting away chunks of it´s behind to serve to unknowing tourists and locals...had to pull out the kosher card on that one.

But Caroline did seem to live through the experience...or at least I think so!

So Saturday night was another fun night with my brand new friends (I seriously do feel like a military brat that just keeps having to move and meet all new people!) We classed it WAY up and bought ourselves some Coke and booze and made ourselves some lovely cocktails right in the central plaza in Otavalo...now that is class people.

On Sunday, Danai (yes...my friends even have names...) went to a nearby lake. It really was beautiful...
We took in the scenery and somehow managed to chat away the afternoon. We headed back to Otavalo and I think Caroline´s bravery had worn off on me...

No, I didn´t eat a pig´s ass. But I did partake in some street corn. This is no Minnesota State Fair corn (no...nothing can be as good as that...) but it was quite amazing. Big corn covered in butter and then topped with cheese...and I still am alive to talk about it!

So basically, it wasn´t climbing a volcano or tubing in a cave in Belize...but it was a great weekend. The first of many more I hope...

xoxo,
Debra

P.S...feel free to keep the "What Debra Misses" guesses coming...the contest is still open...and I´m loving the responses...

Smooth sailing in Ecuador…and another GAME!

2008-07-31T08:07:00.003-05:00

Hola from Ecuador!

So I know it’s been awhile since I checked in and I can’t even use the excuse that I haven’t had time...I’ve actually had more time on my hands than usual. The problem you ask? Everything is going so smoothly here so far that I have no funny, crazy mishaps to tell you all about yet!

But, I thought I should give a quick update on my first few days from a NEW continent in country number 3: Otavalo, Ecuador.

Ok, so first of all, for the last 2 weeks, I have been dreading the actual travel day to Ecuador. I had visions of overweight luggage, lost baggage lines, confused taxi drivers and no host family to greet me. Instead I had two amazing flights, luggage first off the carousel, nice cabbie and amazing new host family!

Of course there has been the “usual” adjustment period. I do miss the familiarity of Antigua and Copan. I miss knowing where to buy water, where to do laundry...um...having friends... :)

It’s been kind of a weird week because I only have Spanish school this week and don’t start on the school project until Monday (stay tuned for good stories from there). So I haven’t really gotten to know the other volunteers too much yet but they all seem really nice and I’m sure before long, I’ll be exploring the Amazon jungle with these perfect strangers.

But overall, Ecuador has been great. Other than the fact that I can’t breathe after climbing two flights of stairs (I am at 10,000+ ft. altitude...), I have no internet or TV and I don’t really know anything or anyone...I am doing great! I thought I’d do a quick run-down of the top 10 simple pleasures that I love about Ecuador so far...

10. I have drawers. This is a HUGE deal. This is the first time that I haven’t just had stacks of clothes around my room in 3 months. Huge.

9. I have a maid. Yep. That’s right. There is a maid in my house and she makes my bed and cleans my room every day. A little strange but quite nice!

8. I am not sweating. It is actually pretty darn cold here! Every day I’ve worn at least two or three layers and my North Face fleece...think very cold fall day in Minnesota. Seriously a nice change from sweltering Honduras...and I get to crack out my scarf collection which I love.

7. Related to number 8 but because it’s not humid, I no longer have the hair of an INSANE person. Gotta love the thin air up here.

6. Again, related to 7 and 8 but I actually get to use blankets here. Again, a first in 3 months.

5. They use American Dollars here. Strange but true. Really nice that every shopping venture is no longer a math quiz of converting whatever currency it is into dollars (the problem? Cash machines only give $20s...I have yet to find a store that can break them...)

4. I’m in the same time zone as Minnesota. Not really sure why this is a good thing but it just feels like I’m closer somehow!

3. There are no mosquitoes...none. Need I say more?

2. My Spanish teacher speaks pretty good English. This is probably actually a bad thing but it is really nice when I have no idea what she is talking about.

1. Have I mentioned that it is cool, there are no mosquitos and that I have a maid? I thought so.

Ok...so as you can see, Ecuador is pretty great and I’m sure there will be even more things I will discover to love about it soon (like maybe the 20-something kids that I am supposed to teach at some point??)

So...without further ado...the game:

After some requests for another game (ok...just from David) and a less-numbered focussed game (again, by request of David), here is the deal:

Clearly there are many wonderful simple pleasures here in Ecuador. BUT...don’t get me wrong, there are many simple pleasures and little things that I still miss from the good ole U.S. of A.

Your job?

What are these simple pleasures that I miss the most?? Keep in mind...this is coming from a girl who is very excited about a set of dresser drawers.

I already have my list of FIVE simple pleasures that I am missing most. You are all allowed to guess up to 5 (but if you want, you can just guess 1 or 2...). You get one point for every one you get right...and possibly additional points for creativity (I’ll be the judge of that...).

Don’t let the pressure get to you...just guess! You all know the only reason I am doing this is just to boost my comment statistics...

Answers and winners will be posted soon...

xoxo,
Debra

P.S...I promise pictures soon for you visualists out there...

Return from Paradise...

2008-07-26T14:44:00.013-05:00

The last week has (again), been nothing short of amazing!

If any of you have ever considered visiting Belize, thought of what it would be like to Belize or have ever heard of Belize...GO TO BELIZE!

So the adventure started last Saturday morning...and Saturday was a FULL day of travel and so of course, came with lots of funny travel mishaps and crazy rides. Alison and I were picked up in Antigua at 430 and the day began...

After a 5 or 7 hour journey (seriously...these bus rides are starting to all blend together) we arrived in Livingston. From there is where the ride began. We boarded a boat that looked like it would be a nice smooth ride across to Belize. Wrong.

We had about an hour of whiplash, getting soaked and thinking more than once that our boat was going to shatter into about a million pieces in the middle of the Carribean Sea! But it really was a blast! We laughed for about an hour straight...who needs 8-minute abs?

So I really wanted to capture this moment on camera so I strapped my camera to my wrist and tried to take a shot of ourselves being blown around in the middle of the sea. Really, I thought this would be impossible. My arm was wildly jerking up and down and I was ramming into Alison's side the entire time but I snapped and Voila! A picture that is as close to ever caturing this crazy experience as will ever be...
Ok...so we stumbled off the lightning speed boat and into a town called Punta Gorda. Ok...so to set the scene, Punta Gorda literally translated means Fat Whore.

Yep...as in:
Q: Where do you live?
A: Oh, I live in Fat Whore.

Let's just say that this place lived up to it's title. It was definitely not the vision I had of Belize in my mind. But we got through "customs" (aka...guy behind a card table in a shack) and looked for the FIRST bus outta there. But...we weren´t going anywhere too fast.

It turned out we had missed the last bus to the coast. Ok...don't panic, I though. Just get out your Belize guide book (which by the way was my bible for the last week without which I'm sure I would have had to move to Fat Whore permanently) and find a hostel. So there were very sparse hostel choices but we found one and took a look around.

So for any of you out there who read my last backpacker adventure journey know that I have no problem staying in less than 5-star hotels. In fact, I have really grown to love this kind of travel. But I do have standards...and let's just say, Punta Gorda was not meeting them.

Luckily, Alison was on the same page as me as we decided, we were GOING to get OUT of Punta Gorda! So we found a taxi and asked him how much to drive us the 1.5 hours to Independence. Well, I'm sure he saw the desparation in our faces and completely overcharged us but you know what? He got us out of there and we weren't shedding any tears to say goodbye to the Fat Whore...

Ok...so we were off to Independence. A TINY town that is really only a boat and bus station to get to where you are really going. We arrived and of course, we were 10 minutes past the last boat to Placencia. But again, the boat drivers must have seen the look of desperation and defeat in our faces and again, SPED us across a small lagoon in about a 20 minte boat ride.

So after one long bus ride, one crazy boat ride, one encounter with an unfortunate town with an even more unfortunate name, one god-sent taxi ride and another crazy boat ride, we made it to Placencia...and let me tell you...it was worth the trip.

We got to this little piece of heaven, cracked open the "bible" and found ourselves an adorable little beach house hostel called Dave and Deb´s Last Resort. We had our own little house and it was fabulous...and only $12 a night each. Done.

We were supposed to be meeting up with two other volunteers, Ross and Moli, here in Plancencia but no one's phone worked and we didn´t make such an airtight plan before we left but we just headed off to dinner and that's right, you guessed it, we just ran into them!

This wonderful coincidence was pretty much a great sign of things to come for us in Placencia. It really was one of THE most beautiful places I have ever seen. Sunday, the four of us did nothing more than lay on the beach, drink smoothies, eat gelato (honestly THE best gelato I have ever eaten...we went there every day we were in Placencia and I am still wondering why we only went once daily...), read, swim, repeat. I highly doubt that any of our heart rates rose about about 18 beats per minute the entire day.
This town also had a couple really funny signs that I had to capture...
Monday morning we decided it was time to remove ourselves from our pool chairs and go snorkling. We went to a caye (pronounced Key but for some reason, not how they spell it...) called Laughing Bird Caye.

Sometimes I can't even believe these places actually exist. This teeny tiny, uninhabited island was no bigger than the size of a small cul-de-sac. Before this, I thought these places only existed in stories and for Mark Burnett reality TV shows. Enough trying to explain...see pictures...

We snorkled and I took some pictures with an underwater camera that I can't upload but we saw everything from flourescent corals to lobsters and rainbow of fish to Nemo himself. Here is a picture of us...I opted for a t-shirt considering I was so white that the sun actually just reflected off of my skin...somehow I didn't think that floating towards the top of the open ocean baring my glowing white back was such a good idea...
After an amazing day of snorkling, we all decided, there was NO way we were leaving the beach. Our originaly plan was to head out on Tuesday but nope...we just "couldn't be asked to leave" (can you tell these brits are rubbing off on me?)

So Tuesday was another day of beach, gelato, you get the picture...but just in case...here are a few more...
So despite the fact that we actually considered staying yet another day in Placencia, we decided we probably should see a bit more of Belize...bad, bad idea. Listen to me...if you have found utopia on earth, do NOT leave...

But, we did. We were off to the inland of Belize to go to San Ignacio. On the way, our bus broke down several times, we inhaled the smell of burning rubber for a few hours and people actually tried to sell us rice and beans on board...but we made it.

Now San Ignacio was nowhere near as bad as Punta Gorda (aka...Fat Whore) but it was also miles away from the heavenly beach. We arrived in this place around lunch time, found ourselves a "passable" hostel and went to grab a bite.

We are all pretty sure that our chicken strips were drugged. Not 20 minutes after we had all finished, we went back up to the room and promply lost consciousness for about 3.5 hours, left the hotel for dinner, tried to go out (to a bar where we were the only souls inside), got eaten alive by mosquitoes (although my guidebook assured us there were no biting insects in San Ignoacio) and went back to bed.
Needless to say, we were all missing the beach.

But the next morning, we tried to make the most of our San Ignacio experience and went to go tubing through caves! Now this sounds very cool and actually would have been very cool had it not been for one thing...TWO massive cruise ships had arrived that day and the caves were jammed with these people!

Alison quickly dubbed the experience "A Parade of Unattractive Swimwear." It was a little annoying, pretty darn funny and actually really cool. We had only head lamps to navigate our way through the caves. Again, the pictures of this are on my waterproof camera so you will have to use your imaginations a bit...
After the caves and swimwear show, it was off to the Guatemalan border heading to Flores. It was a bit of a rude awakening to have to speak Spanish again after a week in English-speaking Belize but it was good to be back in good old Guatemala. We had our last dinner together and watched a beautiful sunset over the lake surrounding the island of Flores.
For you loyal readers, you may remember Flores because that is where I flew into when I went to Tikal to see the ruins. Alison hadn't seen the ruins yet so she spent Friday there while I has a very relaxing last day of my vacation doing a bit of souvenier shopping, a bit of reading and then heading to the airport to catch my flight back to Antigua.

I have today in Antigua to rearrange my overstuffed lugage, get a new guidebook, eat at my favorite Antigua places and get ready for ECUADOR!!

Yep...I'm off to Ecuador tomorrow AM and am so excited. I'm sure as I start the next three months, I will have more crazy rides, more insane encounters, grungy hostels, beautiful beaches, amazing friends and incredible kids. But for now, Belize was the most perfect intermission I could have ever asked for.

More from south of the Equator...

xoxo,
Debra

Three months.

2008-07-18T17:45:00.004-05:00

Yep...I have already been gone 3 whole months. I´m sure some of you out there reading this cannot believe how fast the time has gone. While others of you feel like I have been gone about 17 years. And to be completely honest, I do not know which group I fall into!

Anyway, so despite the fact that I have been here for 3 months and have definitely grown accustom to some of the weirdest things imaginable (i.e, not being able to flush toilet paper down the toilet, all of the symbols on the keyboard being in different places, the list goes on...), there have been some very simple pleasures I have missed dearly...and today I got to enjoy some of those favorite things!

Let´s not forget people...this is a girl who´s favorite restaurant is Manny´s, who loves spa treatments and who spends more money on hair treatments than on groceries. I may be far away but I have not forgotten that girl...

So today I took the 5am shuttle from Honduras back to Antigua. It was strange but it almost felt like returning home! The town felt huge...not exactly sure what Mpls will feel like once I get there.

Anyway, I took full advantage of my afternoon and indulged two of my weaknesses...a manicure-pedicure and SUSHI!

Yes...it has actualy been 3 plus months since I have had ANY Asian cuisine and for a Jewish girl...let´s just say I was getting the shakes. I think the waiter thought I was crazy as I was moaning after every edemame pod and each sushi piece....it was definitely a When Harry Met Sally moment.

After sushi...it was off to the manicure. Now just to be clear, this is no Twin Cities Nails. You sit on a little futon and stick your feet into a pail of water while another girl does your finger nails on a fold out TV tray in a cereal bowl...all the while getting eaten alive by mosquitos but you know what? It still felt AMAZING!

So needless to say, it was an awesome day...so where to next you ask?

Ok blog fans...a little bit of sad news...I am heading on another backpacking adventure! (sorry mom and dad...I´ll be careful I promise!) So I´m leaving tomorrow morning for Belize for about a week before heading to the next project in Ecuador. It´s so crazy but I´m really excited.

Anyway...don´t forget about the blog and I´ll do my best to post either next Friday or Saturday to tell you all about my adventures! (I promise, no novels this time...)

Three months down, three to go...

Sometimes the days of vegging on my couch, watching TiVoed episodes of American Idol drinking water that is actually cold and out of the tap feels like an absolute lifetime ago. And other times, I just cannot believe that half of my adventure is already over. Time is flying...and I´m just doing my best to enjoy every moment rather than worry about how fast the next 3 months will go and then will only exist in pictures and blog entires.

Signing off for a bit...

xoxo,
Debra

A picture is worth 1000 words...

2008-07-17T06:17:00.010-05:00

A little background...

So I have a father who has never once seen a dance recital, a tennis match, a USY play or even a trip to the grocery store with his naked eye. He has only seen these MAJOR life events through the viewfinder of his camera or camcorder.

On the other hand, I have a mother who gets bored VERY easily looking at other people's pictures and hearing "travel logs." (this is some serious pressure to make this blog fun and interesting people...)

So the moral of the story is that I take a TON of pictures but struggle not to put too many up for fear that I will bore you all (ok...actually, just bore my mom).

Also, I have been travelling with another volunteer whose dream job is to be a photographer for National Geographic and came with some pretty serious camera equipment...and happens to be fascinated by bugs and plants (and has even managed to rub off on me a little bit!)

Anyway...combine a snap happy dad, en easily bored mom and a new found photographer friend and I have a bunch of really cool pictures and videos that I haven't posted. So with that, here are just some of those amazing things I've seen...

Last weekend, we went to the naturally occurring hot springs here in Honduras...other than the fact that we smalled like hard boiled eggs after is was over (LOTS of sulfer...) we had a great time and even had a picnic in the hot springs!(this pool was half hot and half cold...i hope our acting skills can tell you who was in which side)

The next day, Logan went on some crazy nature hike (while I found a shady place to read my book....c'mon people, I'm still ME) and came backwith some crazy fruit. Despite MANY attempts, he never convinced me to eat it...
After the hot springs it was off to do some ziplining. 2 of the cables were longer than 1 km long! Other than pretty much breaking my toe on a tree, it was incredible...
And here are just some AMAZING pictures from Logan's camera...

(these are catepillars...and they are EVERYWHERE!)

Another crazy caterpillar:
Logan also happened to find these crazy plants that when you touch them, they close up. I became quickly obsessed with finding these plants...ok, I'm officially losing my mom here...this is just more flora than she can handle...

In case some of you didn't follow the link to the CRAZY rain here in Honduras, this is a shot outside my window and this is the story 9 nights out of ten. Welcome to Copan's rainy season!

And here is a good video of the school that gives a really good iea of what it's like!

And when I'm not teaching, I'm usually just goofing around with the kids...

Well...that is probably the last post from Copan, Honduras...another incredible, unbelievable, amazing place that I will never forget..and if I do, I have these pictures to remind me of every amazing moment.

xoxo, Debra

And the winner is...

2008-07-14T22:05:00.002-05:00

Ok...the time has come to announce the big winner of the Price is Right: Backpacker’s Edition. So I have to say that I was actually very disappointed with the guesses. Now I understand that I stayed in cheap hostels and didn’t exactly eat at Manny’s...but c’mon people...I didn’t sleep on the street and eat rice and beans out of the garbage either!

Ok...so without further ado...here’s the breakdown (all in US$)

Bus to Tegucigalpa: $24.50
Subway Sandwich (that I risked my life to eat): $4.25
Bus to Esteli: $20
Border crossing into Nicaragua: $11.30
Taxi: $4.70
Hostel: $6.50
Food: $9
Internet: $1
Hostel night 2: $.650
Food: $11.12
Random busses: $2
Food: $8.20
Lunch: $4.21 (why these two things were on two line items I cannot remember)
Dinner: $10.30 (I did a lot of eating in Granada apparently)
Bus: $2.30
Taxis: $11.76
Border crossing that nearly killed me: $5
Bus after we narrowly escaped death at said border: $3.50
Supermarket run in Costa Rica: $3.50
Hotel for two nights in Costa Rica (we splurged...): $30
Meal: $6
Smoothie: $2.40
Beach chair: $4
Snacks: $5
Supermarket trip #2: $6
Meal: $10
Transport: $16
Border from hell crossover #2: $8
Hostel complete with swarm of mosquitoes and pillow of potatoes: $7
Ice Cream (very needed): $1.50
Meal: $10
Bus back to Tegucigalpa: $36
Coffee (again...needed): $1.58
Mickie D’s (mmmm...): $3.79
Subway (good way to bookend the trip): $3.68
Taxi: $0.80
Border back into Honduras: $6
Bus back “home”: $19.75

GRAND TOTAL: $329.21

Yep...that’s 10 days, 9 nights...about $33 a day...not bad in my book. But apparently many of you guys think otherwise!

Anyway...playing by the “real” Price is Right rules...the BIG winner is MR. SAM ROSEN!! (although closest was actually Ms. Stephanie Culp with a VERY close guess as well...) I suppose it’s good that the winner’s actual job is to make big financial decisions for a company that I happen to care a bit about....

Ok...well thus ends this blogs first (and hopefully not last!) interactive guessing game!

I’ll blog again soon and again, if there is anything else you guys want to know about Honduras, let me know...this is my last week!

Congrats to the winner and as for the rest of you, you will have to come to Honduras yourself to get some priceless souvenir...

xoxo,
Debra

More amazing kids...

2008-07-12T09:20:00.006-05:00

Where is the time going? I don’t know how this happened but I only have one more week here in Honduras and I just realized that I still haven’t written about “my kids” here. Do not think for even a second it is because they are any less amazing...because let me tell you, it’s possible that I’ve fallen even harder for these kids than the first.

When I first got here to Honduras I was sure that I would never love a group of 8, 9 and 10 year olds as much as I loved them. It took a total of about 3 days for me to realize that these new 20 2nd graders were able to steal my heart even faster than the first group.

Unlike Guatemala, I only have one group of kids a day for the whole day. That means I spend twice as much time with this class, twice as much lesson planning and twice as much room to be amazed by each and every one of them.

The two projects are really different and as much as I try not to compare them, it really is impossible not to. This school, even though it is MUCH more rural (for many of these kids, our pick up truck is probably one of the only vehicles they see), it is definitel more of a “real” school. The classrooms are brightly painted with bug dioramas on the shelves, alphabets painted on the board, birthday calendars plastering the walls and solar systems on the ceiling. But the kids are of course, remarkably similar (how many times will I have to rediscover this before I realize it’s a universal truth?)

So rather than just telling you about my kids like last time, I am going to tell you “what kind of kid they would be” if they weren’t at San Raphael school. This is one of our favorite games up at the school...who is the jock? Who si the nerd? Who is president of the National Honor’s Society?

So with that...meet my kids:

Kevin: Homecoming King (much to the teacher’s dismay)
Kevin and I have a bit of a love hate relationship. Actually, I really just love him but sometimes I WANT to hate him. First off, this kid could seriously use a giant dose of Ritalin. He is constantly drumming on his desk and just cannot help himself from grabbing the kid’s hat in front of him.

But despite some “extra energy”, Kevin is truly awesome. He’s just one of those really cool kids that clearly has mesmerized the entire class. And just when his incessant drumming gets on my last nerve, he flashes me a deep dimpled smile from under his frayed baseball hat and he’s got me mesmerized too.

Freddy: Homecoming King Runner-Up
It is a wide known fact that the runner up for Homecoming King is usually far more liked than the actual king himself. Usually this person is some pretty cool band kid...enter Freddy. Everyone just plain likes Freddy. He goes with the flow, gets excited about every activity, pretty smart but not too smart, pretty cute but not too cute, outgoing but not annoying...just overall a great kid.

Aura: Brownnoser Extraordinaire
So Aura is my little suck up. Seriously, that girl would honestly sell her soul for a little star sticker in her notebook. This child tries so desperately for just a little smile or “muy bien” from me that it is hard not to just melt when her eyes light up when I draw a smiley face on her paper in red pen.

She is always the first to volunteer to help and you can almost see the eyes rolling (although kids here have not discovered this gesture yet. Good thing since I’m sure there would be a lot of that going on with my Spanish...) But I still love her...because what is a teacher without a pet?

Manuel: Druggy
Manuel sits in the back corner of my class and 50% of the time looks genuinely confused and the other 50% just looks stoned. He moseys up to me to show me his work and it’s just not done. It’s like he started walking up to show me something but by the time he got there, he completely forgot what he was even supposed to be showing me.

Seriously though, this kid is adorable. And actually, when his “high” wears off, every now and then, he shows signs of pure brilliance (again...just like all druggies) This is probably the kid who would show up at the high school reunion and completely shock everyone with the fact that he is some really successful businessman. Either that or he’d be there to sell some weed in the sports equipment shed.

Elsa Maribel: The super quiet genius
Of course I could not get this girl to smile for a picture. Elsa sits in the back near to Manuel but don’t let that fool you...this girl has got brains. You know the one. That girl who never really opens her mouth but then when the teacher finally calls on her, she says something brilliant that makes even the teacher drop their jaw in awe? That is Elsa Maribel. Every time she opens her tiny mouth out of her even tinier body (she is about half the size of everyone else), I am always surprised. This is the girl that will be some chief advisor to some president...never in the spotlight but definitely the brains of the operation.

Vilma: The Girl that everyone thinks is her best friend
Vilma is freaking awesome. She is smart, fun, funny, sweet, edgy, stylish, independent...this girl has it going on. She’d definitely be the girl who was the the captain of the cross-country team, the star of the school play, a peer tutor and best friend to 80% of the class. She is part tomboy and part irresistible cutie.

Her options would be endless...and you know what? I still think they are.

Dilcia: The Really Hot Dumb Chick
I think the title explains it all with this girl. It’s unbelievable how there is one of these in every school. This girl is seriously pretty and even in 2nd grade, the boys have learned that this one is cootie free. She is elegant and sweet. A little shy and pretty mysterious. But get her up to that board for her multiplication tables and she is not the brightest bulb...good thing is that a) she doesn’t know and b) the boys could care less if she knows what 7x9 is!

Orlin: The “Good” Guy
First thing I have to tell you is that Orlin is my favorite. Yeah, yeah...you aren’t supposed to pick a favorite but with this kid front and center in the class, it is impossible not to. Orlin is that kid that every girl would have a crush on and he would genuinely have no idea. He is so adorable, really smart, super hard worker, easy to laugh, easy to tear up and just plain sweet.

Every time he flashed me one of his gap toothed smiles that is always accompanied by an irresistible giggle, I can’t help but just mirror his expression exactly. Orlin has something about him. Like the world is just a perfect place in his mind...and I can only hope that will never, ever change.

I can’t even start to think about saying goodbye again but as hard as it is to believe, there will be 20 something more kids to meet in Ecuador. But for now, I’m just going to enjoy every minute I have with these ones!

xoxo,
Debra

P.S...I added photos to the "fashion" and "food" report and finally added the pictures of the crazy hostel from my backpacking trip so check 'em out. Next entry...the winner will be announced!

E! News...reporting live from Copan, Honduras

2008-07-10T14:40:00.004-05:00

So I was Skyping with my friend Rachel the other day and just started telling her a couple things about Copan. After I mentioned a couple things about very strange fashion, bizarre music and “unique” cuisine, I realized that even though all of these things really do feel like the “norm” around here for me, there really are some strange “trends” here in Copan that I thought I should report on...

So..in light of Rachel’s request and in an effort to remind myself that I am living in the twilight zone, here is a quick report on the fashion, the music and the food!

FASHION REPORT

So I have to split this part into 2 parts because let’s just say that men and women have very different senses of fashion around here.

Ok..the guys. In short, guys do not like to wear clothing. Yep that’s right. Men are everywhere walking in the street with no shirts on and many of them sitting on their front step with only their (very small) towels wrapped very low around their waists. I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen my host “dad” with a shirt on. Every dinner is me and shirtless Jesus (that is his name).

When the men DO bother to put a shirt on, it is almost always a wife beater and it is ALWAYS rolled up to show off the midriff area. See picture...

Ok...now for any of you ladies out there who have fantasies of walking among gorgeous, shirtless, latin lovers, don’t book your plane ticket just yet. Not exactly sure where this hot Hispanic guy stereotype came from but it definitely was NOT Copan. Pretty much everyone here could afford to lose about 30 pounds. Let’s just say if any of you out there are looking to open a Weight Watchers franchise, this would be an excellent market.

Onto the women...so I have never been a history buff but bear with me. Apparently, there was a big civil war here throughout the 80s (and maybe 90s??) Anyway...we all have a theory that because of this, there are many 80s trends that the Hondurans are just now discovering and enjoying (more on this in the Music Report). But let’s just say, neon is alive and well down here in Copan with the young folk. So I have tried to discreetly take some pictures of this trend VERY unsuccessfully (I need the paparazzi down here...). I managed to catch my waitress one time from the back...seriously, the things I do for this blog...

Anyway, the BIG trend is very bright colored shirts with EXACTLY matching earrings. Also, I think I mentioned this before but all of Copan is cobblestones and very hilly. So how these chicks walk around in stilettos is beyond me but anything in the name of fashion, huh?

Another resounding fashion trend is people wearing shirts in English that they clearly have no idea what they mean. So far, I have seen the following:

A Hispanic woman wearing a shirt that said “Boys Prefer Blondes”
A very cool student of mind (a boy) wearing a “Beauty School Graduate” shirt
A 1st grade girl who is so sweet wearing a shirt that said “Sex Goddess”

Just for the record, I am definitely in no position to be critiquing anyone’s fashion at this point considering I’ve been wearing one of 8 t-shirts for the last 3 months. Truthfully, I could probably learn a thing or two from these people...

MUSIC REPORT

Like I mentioned before, music here is very 80s inspired. But somehow, a few current hits have managed to slip in. So basically, every time you go to a restaurant, it is like someone took the Saved by the Bell soundtrack, Enrique Inglesia’s Greatest Hits, Top 40 from like 2 years ago and WLTE radio station play list and put it on shuffle.

I seriously find myself laughing out loud every time I spend any length of time in a restaurant or a coffee shop. The play list goes like this:

Eye of the Tiger (always on), Enrique Inglesia, Dust in the Wind, Like a Prayer, Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy, Enrique Inglesia, Bryan Adams (LOVE him around here), Dancin’ on the Ceilin’, Ricky Martin, Eye of the Tiger (at least twice in an hour), Enrique Inglesia

Stay tuned...apparently there is a Karaoke place in town that I may check out this weekend.

FOOD REPORT

Any of you out there who have ideas that a person would come to a third world country for 6 months and lose weight, throw them out the window. If my Weight Watcher leader is reading this right now, please stop.

Last week, my house mom asked me if I wanted a cooking lesson to learn how to make the traditional Hondurean dish Baleadas. YES! I love them. Basically a tortilla filled with beans and eggs and cheese...oh and as it turns out...OIL!! Learning this was a very bad idea. Now I am fully aware of exactly just how bad these things are for you.
Basically this is an average day in the life of eating in Honduras:

Breakfast...pancakes fried in lard (sooooo good)
Lunch...Fried chicken, beans covered in cheese, tortilla fried in oil, rice (I’m sure made in oil of some kind...)
Dinner...Baleadas (or something equally as terrible for you and delicious tasting), more beans with cheese, and yes...plantains. FRIED plantains...so good.

So basically I’m going to have to have a triple bypass when I get home. Either that or just roll my shirt up like the rest of the people here...and be proud of my new Honduran belly. So long as my earrings match my shirt (that says something completely inappropriate) and I’m rockin’ out to Enrique, I’m sure no one will notice!

xoxo,
Debra

P.S...check back soon! I already have the next post ready to go because I have had some serious internet issues...that's right, two blogs two days in a row!

The adventure continues...A-CHOO!!!

2008-07-06T19:42:00.013-05:00

How has it already been 4 days since my last blog post?? I keep thinking that somehow I'll have more time to blog but I never know where that time goes.

Well anyway, I promise that this blog entry will be pretty short...1) Looking back I can't even believe how long my last entry was and I promise I won't make you read that much all at once again and 2) I have officially come down with a horrible cold and the mixture of heavy doses of cold medicine mixed with a weekend of doing more than I should have doesn't exactly make a brilliant writer...

But I do want to talk a little about the adventures of living in my house (there have been quite a few adventures lately!) and a few fun things I managed to do this weekend despite going through 2 entire rolls of toilet paper to blow my nose in the process.

Ok...so we are in rainy season here in Honduras and the Honduran rainy season does not f*ck around people. Every day for the last week at around 5ish, it starts monsooning. Within about an hour, the streets have turned into rivers! It's nuts.

For any of you out there who have Facebook, check out this video that another volunteer took just outside my house:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61601190&ref=ts#/video/video.php?v=506487403637

So I guess it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that there are a few problems that come with the rain...namely leaks in my room, a VERY smelly bathroom due to backed up sewage, lots of wet clothing, power outages and water outages...fun stuff...

On top of some leaky roofs in my room, my room has made quite a nice little shelter for a few "creatures"! The other night, I came back to my room (luckily with two other volunteers) and waiting for me in my room was a big tree frog on my laundry bag and the biggest spider I have ever seen (I'm telling you, this picture doesn't do it any justice whatsoever.
The worst part? So after my saving grace and fellow volunteer took my flip flop and killed the spider, it was just sitting on the floor (trust me...it was dead...many legs were no longer attached...). Then we all hung out for a while to watch a movie, etc. Afterwards, we came back to take a couple more pictures of the dead spider and it was GONE!

Yep...you got it. That means that I am probably still currently living with an even larger creature that ate it! Seriously...it's a good thing these kids are damn cute or I would seriously wonder what I was doing here sometimes...

Anyway, this weekend I had a fun visitor from my days in Antigua. Alison (you loyal blog followers may remember her as the girl I shared the "matrimonial bed" with) came up for a weekend of fun in Copan. So, despite the fact that I came down with the plague, we still managed to have some fun.

Friday night was fourth of July and I happened to mention to my house mom in the morning that I usually like to wear red, white and blue on the 4th but didn't have anything red to wear. Anyway, later that evening before we went out to dinner, she gave me a present...a bright red tank top that said "Copan, Honduras" across it. It was so hilarious and ironic that I had to wear it out.

So out we went to the only "american-ish" place in town for beer and burgers and Alison, being English, was forced to drink an American beer and eat a burger with us Yankees. So after trying for Miller or Bud with no success, we went with the only American option they had...Old Milwaukee! It was pretty hilarious...

After dinner, we had a sweet tooth but no place was open for dessert. So what did we do? Raid the convenience store of course and buy every American candy bar we could find! It was awesome...

Saturday morning we headed to the bird park and it was really fun...complete with crazy plants, insane bugs and of course, the classic "parrot on your head" picture...
We were all set to go out on Saturday night when we remembered that we are in the rainy season here in Honduras. Have I said that it rains like CRAZY here? Anyway, rather than go out, Alison and I turned my little house into a beauty salon for the night...ok, a little background...

So before I left for my 6 month adventure I told my hair guy that I had to go back to my natural color so I wouldn't have to worry about dying it out here. Basically, he refused. But he sent me fully equipped with his own hair dye, bottles, brushes and potions for me to dye my hair myself!

Now I have many talents but I knew that dying my hair would not be one of them so while Alison was here, I hired her on as my temporary "color-specialist" and it turned out pretty darn good! Here are some pictures of the process...(I actually don't have any "after" shots because my hair was wet...but you will see them....I promise my hair is not green....)
Sunday morning we went out on the horses (again) and I think I almost scared them all away with the amount of sneezing that was going on. Needless to say, after Alison loaded on the shuttle back to Antigua, it was straight to bed for me and I seriously haven't moved much since!

I'm hoping to kick this cold in the tush before long and start discovering more crazy adventures here...so long as they don't include giant insects.

xoxo,
Debra

P.S...Keep the guesses from the last entry coming! I will reveal the winner later this week...