BRAZIL.

This will probably be my last blog post since I will be home in 3 weeks! I can't believe this semester is already almost over. Brazil was absolutely beautiful. The language barrier between spanish and portuguese was like day one all over again. We got so excited when someone spoke spanish. The week consisted of visiting Iguacu Falls on the Brazil and Argentina side. On the Brazil side we saw more of the falls and on the Argentine side we were up close to the falls. It was absolutely gorgeous. My pictures don't do any justice to what it actually looked like. Jaime, Hailey and I took a boat ride right up to the falls. It was so much fun! We were so close we couldn't look up at the falls without water pouring into our eyes. It was definitely worth it. We also visited a bird park. Normally I am not afraid of birds, but these birds were terrifying. They flew, jumped, and squacked at us. The birds were pretty though. We also visited the Itaipu Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric power dam (I think that's right). On our free day I went to Paraguay. Technically illegally. They don't have a border control from Brazil to Paraguay and I didn't have a visa to go to Paraguay. But of course we went anyway. The city we went to has the biggest black market in the world. There was so much to buy! Since I don't have a stamp to show I went to Paraguay I bought a blanket as a souvenir. Did I mention we ate at buffets? Every night. The problem with buffets is that you can go back for more. And more. We all ate like monsters. Let's just say our group can put the food away. Overall I had a great week with my best friends. I'm so blessed! It was a great last trip of the semester :)
Sorry for the scatterbrain thoughts!

                                       

More pictures on facebook!

CHILE.

I am obviously not cut out for the blog world. I haven't made a post in two months but I promised I would about Chile. I am warning you beforehand that this is super long. So if you want to skip it, pictures will be up soon!

Chile was absolutely amazing. Last Saturday night we flew into Santiago, got settled into our hostel, ate dinner at the restaurant next door and had the most delicious hamburger I have ever eaten. It was mouth savoring. (I think it only tasted so good because we were hungry) Sunday we took a tour called la bicicleta verde where we rode around the city on green bikes. It was so fun! We got to see more of the local and bohemian part of the city rather than the big touristy stuff. After the tour we took a glorious nap under a tree in the park. The park was beautiful. Everything was so green and clean. It was a great Sunday afternoon. After our nap we went to an art museum and later that night we climbed this death of hill called Cerro San Cristobal. At the top there’s this huge statue of the Virgin Mary. It was so hard to climb. It took about an hour and it was uphill the entire way zigzagging its way up and around the mountain (or I guess VERY large hill) I think I developed asthma just trying to climb the thing. Despite the hard climb it was a beautiful view at sunset. We got up there at sunset but didn't think about it being dark on the walk back. Yes. Pitch black. Downhill slope. I fell. A lot. I have a huge bruise on my knee to show for it. About 5 minutes into our walk this man started yelling at us to go a different way. It was kind of scary. From then on out we were paranoid. Hailey thought someone was after us. BUT a dog started walking with us from the top of the hill all the way out of the gates at the bottom. I have no doubt in my heart that it was Jesus in dog form. As silly as it sounds I believe it. It was such a comforting and peaceful feeling that came over me with the dog there. It was great. We ended the night with some yummy froyo, oh how I miss is. Monday we took a bus to Vina del Mar to visit our friend Jay from Harding. The ocean there is beautiful! It was so much prettier than Montevideo beaches. I'm jealous of Harding's study abroad program. They get to go everywhere! We got to meet all of Jay's friends from Harding, all of whom are so nice. We instantly became friends. I miss them. We ended up hanging out with them the entire time we were there. Tuesday we went to the sand dunes with them. We didn't have anything to slide down so it was kind of a fail but it was super fun to run down the dunes. Oh and some idiots drove their car in the dunes and got stuck so all the boys had to help them try to get out. Since the dunes were unsuccessful we went to the beach to lay out. We had a nice chat with the girls while the boys played frisbee and attempted doing back flips. Wednesday we went to a neighboring city called Valpraiso and just walked around. I wish we could of stayed there longer but it’s apparently dangerous at night. That night we had to say goodbye which ended up being super sad. I would have loved to stay longer. Thursday we went to the mountains! It took forever to get there but totally worth it. It went like this - bus, subway, subway, bus, taxi - total of 4.5 hours. No bueno. Anywho..we ended up meeting these Norwegians at our refugio that were at the same hostel as us in Santiago. Small world! They were so great and we hung out with them the whole time we were there. That night we had dinner..oh. my. goodness. We had spaghetti. I had the small porcion. It was the size of my dinner plate stacked about 3 or 4 inches. And yes I ate every single bite. I was a bit disgusted with myself but it was good :) Afterwards we played Phase10 with our Norwegian friends. I also learned some Norwegian words! Friday we hiked a mountain. A seven hour hike actually. As we started out I thought I was going to hate it but I actually ended up loving it! Who would of thought..me..the hiking type? It was the most incredible day. The entire time God was by my side. I felt God walking with me every step of the way pushing me further and showing me more of his beautiful creation. It was incredible. It was one of the best days I have ever had. I was apparently a really fast hiker according to Hailey. I wasn't afraid of falling or anything so I just kept on trekking. I knew God was with me so there was nothing to worry about. It was a lot of fun. After our day long hike I ended up eating the same huge plate of spaghetti. And yes..I ate every bite. But this day ended perfectly..we went to look at the stars. It was the most incredible thing I have ever seen. A million times better than the stars I see at camp. I could see the milky way so clearly. God's creation is so wild. The complexity of it all. It amazes me everyday. Saturday. I woke up SO sore. Every muscle in my body hurt. I’m still recovering. We travelled back to Santiago and just pittled around looking at markets and relaxing. The whole day was pretty chill playing cards and talking. I met a guy from Ireland in our hostel. He disappointed me with the news that Ireland only has 10% redheads. I was hoping for more. That's my people. We're dying out. That night we thought someone stole from us because Hailey woke up hearing someone moving around the hostel who wasn't staying there and another girl counting money saying "it's all uruguayan money" We’re from Uruguay..hence the scare. Luckily they didn't steal from us but we did worry for a bit. Sunday we climbed another hill. It was the hill where Santiago was founded. I signed my name on a brick there..to forever be in Santiago. We decided to go back to the delicious burger place from last time. Disappointment. It wasn't as heavenly as the first time. I have found out that everything tastes so much better when you're starving. We followed it by getting ice cream at this famous little place. Orange ginger ice cream is delicious. After we just sat in the park til it was time to go to the airport. We saw a commercial being shot while we were there. It was so amusing! One of the extras was awful. He was supposed to run into this table while looking at a beautiful girl but he kept knocking it to the ground. It was really fun to watch! Overall it was a fantastic week but by Sunday I was so ready to go back to casa. Now I’m back and I have school. In two weeks I’ll be in Brazil. Can’t wait! I think this is long enough and I’ll try to post more often!

Chau!

Hace calor.

I have just finished my first whole week in South America! We started classes this week so it feels a little more real that I will be living here for the next 4 months. I'm still in vacation mode which isn't so great for getting homework done.. So I started my spanish classes at la Universidad Catolica. Yikes. Sitting in a classroom for 3 hours listening and speaking only spanish is exhausting. I have lots to learn. BUT I can roll my r's now. I just have to put it into a word..still working on it. On Wednesday we took a bus tour of Montevideo and saw a lot of historical landmarks..pictures below. We also made a stop to a bakery called Leon Dior. DELICIOUS. Pretty much any tiny dessert you can think of. Don't worry..we definitely indulged. Yesterday marked the beginning of Carnaval. Carnaval is the Mardi Gras of South America. It was insane. Kids were running around wild in the streets spraying silly string, shaving cream, and confetti. There were parades of musical groups with very interesting costumes. Some along the risque side. One group played "Ladies Choice" from Hairspray (in spanish of course). To see pictures look at Leigh or Catie's blog. Well my brain is pretty much on overload so I'm having trouble remembering details. Tootles.
OH and a piece of advice. Do NOT look Uruguayans in the eye..especially men. Oops.

Sunburned.

I love Montevideo. I'm kind of getting the hang of speaking spanish but I have MUCH to learn. I'm in the process of learning how to roll my r's. I can do it, but not consistently and rolling my r's in an actual word..bah. The Uruguayans teaching me think it's funny. I will be able to do it once this semester is over. Promise. Today I found the absolutely MOST precious kitten I have ever seen. It was tied up on leash! I looked at it and it started walking to me. I literally almost cried. Curtis told me not to touch it but I did anyway. El gatito was just so darn cute! :) Definitely worth getting rabies. After walking around town most of the day we finally got to go lay out at the beach! The beaches are nice, the water not so much. The "no littering" law does not exist in Uruguay. Therefore, there is trash all in the water. Yuck. Tomorrow we want to go to the beach in the next town over because they are more secluded and a lot cleaner. I definitely need to lay out because my legs are reflecting the sun. All in all I stick out like a sore thumb among all the tan locals. Ugh. The hardships of being a rehead. Instead of tanning I burned. No surprise. But hopefully it will turn into a tan :) Tonight we got to tour la iglesia de cristo which used to be a coffee shop. We got to go on the roof (I was waiting for this all week) and I got some really good pictures! The kids from the youth group ate dinner with us and afterwards we went to the park. At the park I got to experience zumba! Zumba is a bunch of music and dancing. I don't know how to describe it. Let's just say these dancers could shake it. We then made our way to a local pool hall and played with the guys from the youth group. It was so much fun! I love all the people of the youth group! They are all super nice and willing to help with my spanish. It's hard to understand sometimes but I'm picking it up. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Bienvenidos!

After a day and a half of driving, flying, delays, and more flying we finally made it to Montevideo, Uruguay Thursday afternoon. It's summer here so it is absolutely beautiful! We started off our afternoon with a "scavenger hunt" throughout the city. Let's just say I was a little overwhelmed. Being directionally challenged and knowing VERY little spanish is not a great combo. We ended the day by eating at Mercado de la Abundancia where I was able to experience the most amazing Uruguayan dish. Chivitos. Oh. My. Goodness. It was absolutely delicious. A chivito is a thin hamburger patty (sort of) topped with ham, bacon, and a fried egg. WOW. I also must say that Raquel and Mariela (our cooks at casa ACU) are incredible cooks. I may be gaining a few pounds while I'm here..oops. Today we got to explore the Plaza Independencia, which is la ciudad vieja (the old city). The architecture is amazing. Everything is so beautiful. We were able to spend all day exploring, taking pictures..courtesy of Leigh and Catie..going to museums, and walking..a lot. Unfortunately one of our professors (tia) got mugged! Tia is tough so she chased the boy down and finally got her purse back. It scared everyone though. Overall I have a lot of spanish to learn and I definitely need to be able to find my way around the city. But it's only the first day..