9/11

Never, ever forget.

Never, ever.

Adams Morgan Day Festival...

was today. This annual festival has flourished since I have called this neck of the woods my hood. This is the 28th consecutive year, and it was well-worth the shoulder bumping, toe jamming, and massive amount of styrofoam waste (well, no, it was not worth the latter).

Where is he?

Rumor has it that "the one-and-only" has returned to the States. Was it really you on my voicemail? Can this be true?

Oh wait...do you still speak English?

Talk about...

impressive. This makes me eager to age.

Memories

South Sister:

My friend Jessica just shared some photos from her recent hike up to the top of South Sister. This area of Oregon is our old stomping ground, and hiking these exact hills was a daily activity. In fact, this particular mountain holds magical sisterly memories for me...My sister moved to Oregon when we lived there. So, I was surrounded my boyfriend, sister, one of my best high school friends, a friend from college, new friends from Oregon and the most incredible landscape. This just took me back to a warm-and-fuzzy place. Many thanks Jess!

Rhythmic?

How seriously should I take the word rhythm? Supposedly the human body longs for rhythmic patterns in food, exercise, breathing, sleep and many other bodily functions (What about sex? I am not sure…). But how literally should I take this longing? This has always been the essence of my existence: A weekly schedule of “practice” (be it track, softball, swim team, soccer—it depended on the season). But, change is good, right? Maybe spontaneity and surprise makes one more joyful and relaxed? Or, maybe even my love partnership should be based on a contrived schedule of “nights when we…”? I have battled with this concept every minute since I returned home, for my life has shifted to a rigid routine of agenda-ful ways for me to spend most waking hours.

Over the summer this was not true, in fact as we traveled in South America there were many days when we woke and decided to hike and see the sun (and that took us until the sun decided to call it a night), but there is no time to chase the sun now. In fact, there are not enough hours for me to even cross off more than one agenda-item. I find that my list jumps along the calendar as each day passes (figuratively for I refuse to own/use an agenda). So, back to the topic at hand…should I make each day of the week a “make-my-body-more-rhythmic” day? Meaning, should Monday night be yoga night, Tuesday be morning run and long walk, Wednesday be morning run and yoga, Thursday evening be peaceful run with Anna and Emily, Friday be THE DAY OF REST, Saturday be morning bike ride, Sunday be long run and then hit repeat.

Oh, and this is just the schedule I would use to organize my exercise rhythm. What about my personal rhythm? I could have Monday be yoga with Aaron and Jaime night, Tuesday be a long walk with as many peeps as possible, Wednesday night be just me time at yoga, Thursday evening with my life-long running partners with long slow meal afterwards (this is already confirmed for the duration of the school year), Friday will be when I make dates with my friend-circles, and then the weekend will include varied exercise times plus more than two days worth of desired activities.

Oh, but hold up one more time... We didn’t remember the fact that I am a teacher, thus I work about 15-20 hours a week at home (after the school day ends). So now, should we go back through the schedule again to add to the daily lists…no need, right? My inner conflict is obvious: What does one do when there is just too much to do everyday? I am battling with the letting go of my free spirit, giving the freedom up for days full of a basically unattainable schedule of events? Yet, I feel disappointment and regret when I do not accomplish all of the “things” that flutter around my mind constantly. Maybe I will start with a regular sleep schedule, for sleep really is the only needed body-rhythm…well, I should say, sleep is an all-too powerful rhythm at this point in time, for me…maybe we can get together between 2-4 am on Thursday morning, are you free then?
ZZ ZZZ Z Z Z Z z z z z z z z z z z!

Two Days Ago versus Today

The human body is an amazing invention. Not only did my body wake up on a different continent two days ago, but I was also in a TOTALLY different mindset back then. However, in a mere 48 hours, I have been able to morph back into my American life just as easily as I left it all behind two months ago. We woke in Lima, Peru on Sunday morning and headed to the airport at about 8am. Then, the adventure of inter-continental travel commenced and we flew from Lima to San Jose, Costa Rica, to Guatamala City then to the final destination of home-sweet-home. We landed, and after a tedious two-hour progression through Immigration, Customs, and the agony of waiting for international luggage to make its way around that circle-thingy, we finally were dropped off at the front of our apartment building.

We both stood in front of our building only able to stare, noticing how little has changed, commenting on the subtle changes we quickly saw, and sighing deeply as we remembered that we had to wake in 3 hours to start our teaching year! So, we held hands, walked up to our third floor pad and thankful were greeted by Mark, our wonderful neighbor. Thankfully we was wide-awake and even eager to hear some of our stories. There is nothing better than a warm welcome home!

But, back to reality. We have started working and I am still feeling the sting from this slap on the face. New students have started their Orientation, I taught one day, now I am working with my colleagues to complete a daunting but thoroughly interesting and needed task of curriculum design. The school year commences on Aug. 30th.

School starts, what!...ahhhh! This slap just crept back up and smacked me again. But, I am eager and ready for the year to start. Dealing with the anxiety and prep needed to get to that point can get into a bubble and fly, fly away!

Salar de Uyuni Bolivia

This natural hot spring was the beginning of our four day trek to Uyuni, Bolivia from San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. As you can tell from this picture, I was in awe of the mineral bath and the scenery. During this trek we peaked at just about 5000 meters above sea level and climbed 3000 meters in a matter of hours. The altitude change was hard on me (more so than for Aaron), but the landscape and seeing the largest salt flat (Salar de Uyuni) in the world was worth a little agony. We have many amazing photos, but here in the desert of San Pedro it is as it should be...few high speed connections with cyber space. We head south to Santiago in a couple of days. I will upload the amazingness of our four-day trek when we return to the modern world.

Bueno Tarde

¡No worries...we wore helmets all day, just not for the photo opportunities!

Today was a wonderful day in Mendoza, Argentina (we have been here for two days and will leave tomorrow for northern Chile). We rented bikes and cycled through the vineyards and olive tree farms of the arid land of Mendoza. We pedaled for a total of 40 km today in the sunshine and my gringa-ness is shining through my newly-sun-kissed skin. Biking and tasting varietals of wine made for a tired (yet very content) couple. So, tonight (now) we are hanging with the family and friends of our hostel (photos of this wonderful place and family soon) ordering food in and watching a movie. Mendoza is full of smiling people, incredible sunshine, some of the best wine in the world and bike trails...once again, enough to make a girl want to relocate!

¡Los Animales de Peninsula Valdes!

I wish I had the poetic words needed to describe our days on the Peninsula Valdes, but my feeble mind does not allow for such eloquence. These photos capture a mere glimpse of the amazingness living in this area of Patagonia. There are a few more photos on the Flickr site, and many many more still on our camera (when time permits I will upload all of them).
I was rendered speechless for hours when we docked the boat this day. This sensitive area has touched our hearts, for the people living here are serious about caring for the world, preserving its wonder, and educating the public about the animals living near their homes. We spent two nights in Puerto Madryn in an hostel run by three young women who take the whales and the sea seriously. They hooked us up with their friend for the boat ride pictured here. Then we ran away from the world and stayed right in Puerto Piramides for the next two nights. This town´s population of people is near 250 and the population of whales is near 600...the people are very proud of this ratio. We rented a small apartment where, at nightfall, we could hear the whales exhale and stare into the Southern Cross constellation. Need I say more?

Link to photos!

Muchas Gracias Jake!
Scroll down to the LINKS section and click to see some photos from the trip thus far. There will be more when there is more time to sit still...but this is not that time! Love from Esquel, Patagonia!

photos!

So, we are departing from this wondrous place in Patagonia in a few hours. It is going to be so hard to say goodbye to our new friends, but the rest of Sudamerica awaits. I have uploaded more pictures onto Flickr. If you know how to view them, my username is ibekb, and if you know tell me how to link Flickr to this blog! Ok, we are off to Puerto Madryn on an overnight bus and will awake to the Gulf and mating whales, sea lions, and more Patagonia splendor. We have a tentative plan to head to Puerto Madryn, Mendoza, Salta (all in Argentina), then to Bolivia for the salt flats, a mountain bike ride down the Worlds´s Most Dangerous Road (sorry mom!), and a trip into the amazon then into Peru and finally back to Chile for the Atacama Desert.
As always...this is tentative and we will try to keep in touch!
Mad love from a sore, smiling snowboarder and lover of Sudamerican culture!
Remind me to tell you the ¨You know you are in South America when...¨ stories sooner than later!
Hasta Pronto!

Learning Truco-Argentine Card Game

See more photos on our hostels website.
Sitting at the hostel, at about 4 am, trying (at least the two gringas (Kelly and I) in this photo are trying) to learn this tricky Argentine card game. The man sitting near me is the hostel owner and was extremely patient with our gringa-ness (a constant joke). The other smiling face is Sergio, a Mexican who speaks better English than Aaron (another reoccuring joke!). Since I descend from an avid card playing family where our bloodline contains Kem Card ink, I had no choice but to drink enough beer and yerba mate and to learn quickly.

In Truco you use this wacky Argentine deck of cards. There are 4 suits like our traditional deck, yet the suits are extremely different from my well-known clubs, hearts, spades, and diamonds (one is supposedly a ¨branch¨ but it clearly resembles a strangely colored and skinned animal leg). Regardless, this game is all about table-talk, cheating, and lying. Needless to say we had a blast this evening, and when the alarmn went off the next morning, a mere 3 hours after I found my way to bed, I was up and chipper to head the mountain for a day of snowboarding with newfound backpacking friends.

Speaking of the mountain, yesterday was EPIC! I have become extremely fond of the sport of snowboarding and we found ourselves riding jar-dropping powder (no joke, waist deep at parts) at the biggest, most impressive resort I have ever seen. We (Amy, Cam, Miguel, Aaron and I) rode all day...well, until our legs were shaking from the incredibly long runs, and our arms exhausted from unburying ourselves from the deepness. Wow, being in Patagonia is everything I have hope, and more.

¡yerba mate!

I just have to write quickly about the past twenty four hours. We are settled in the best hostel in Patagonia (just typing the words ¨we¨, ïn¨, and ¨Patagonia¨ makes my heart smile) and we made some memories last night...in fact, this has to be quick because more memories are being made right behind me in the living room of this, the best hostel in Patagonia. But, we (Kelly, my friend from grad school, Aaron and I) are all staying in the same hostel and we sat with the owner, his girlfriend and a few other cohorts and drank yerba mate for 3 (if not more) hours before we collectively dined over homemade pizza. Turko, the hostel owner, and our newfound friend, taught us the Argentine tradition of drinking mate. I was even fortunate enough to gain the honor of being the ¨server¨. I was only criticized once when the water was a bit too cold (even the temperature of the water has to be precise for acceptance from the Argentines). I will recount this entire tradition when there isn´t so much interesting chatter behind me. Truly, being in Bariloche has been magical every moment, even despite today´s constant rain. I will tackle the photo chore tomorrow, just so we can share in the magic that is Patagonia!

¡Fresh air!

So, after two long bus rides (departed Santiago at 10pm, arrived in Osorno, Chile about 9 am, then to Bariloche...where we arrived about 5 pm) we are settled in a wonderful hostel in the quaint, slightly European ski town of Bariloche, Argentina. Even though we have only been here for 6 hours (mas o meños) I have fallen for this town. As Aaron stated earlier, most ski towns have a familiar feel. And, since we have been to most of the hot ski towns in the states, and even though we are a continent away, we have been able to easily soak in the jive of this place. Bariloche is notorious for its chocolate and Saint Bernards dogs (oh, plus the world class mountain resorts). I can´t wait to see a real working Saint Bernand when we head to the mountain. There are few memories from my elementary school years, but those fleeting memories are what tend to drive me daily. For instance, I vividly remember watching a film strip (wow, just typing ¨film strip¨ sure does date me) about Thai elephants. To be honest, I can´t remember why we were watching this film strip (more or less for which class) but seeing those elephants and a beautiful Thai man working with them, motivated our trip to South East Asia. Similarly, I remember seeing many pictures of Saint Bernards carrying Brandy in their barrels at ski resorts. AND NOW, I get to see these real majestic dogs in action. No worries, I will surely take the classic touristy shot of these wondrous animals with a big smile on my face. Oh, now I wholeheartedly miss my puppy!
Well, we are heading to bed. The lack of sleep from the overnight bus ride, and viño con cena will put a girl out for the night. I will be sure to write more in the morning. Plus, I think I can upload pictures here, keep your fingers crossed... The owner of this hostel is super wonderful. He drove us all over town this evening and also runs a computer jig on the side. His computer room is the best I have seen and I will ask for his help tomorrow to try to get some pictures up here! oh, and I also have to say that we had an incredible vegetarian meal this evening (cena = dinner). Since Argentina is the world´s destination spot for carne (meat), I persevered and convinced Aaron to comer (eat) dinner at this veggie spot. He was happily fed with the meal and we will surely return. The menu is a fixed plate with delicate pumpkin, beets, fried zucchini, crepes, gnocchi, and salad...to die for in the meat capital of South America. I did have to promise Aaron that we will go out with the crowd from our hostel tomorrow night as we head to the locals´ restaurant of choice (even I can´t hide from carnivorous Argentine men at a local dining spot! In fact, I am as eager for the adventure as the carnivores!). The hostel owner, Turko, assured me that I can eat a huge plate of pasta while the restaurant owner makes jokes at my vegetarianism...fair enough, eh?! PLUS, we are meeting Kelly (my friend from grad school) tomorrow. We are taking a week of Spanish classes together here in Bariloche. I am very excited to have another traveling partner. Oh, the fun just keeps going...
Hasta manaña!

¿My Brother?

This is torture!
What is the big news?
I am going crazy making guesses with Aaron! Mom, you can´t leave comments like that when I have no way to contact him (or anyone for that matter)! Someone give me a clue, or just tell me what I need to do to find out his ¨Big News¨!
I am dying down here!

Hitting the Andean slopes

¡Hola!
So, last Sunday we went to El Colorado. Not only did we spend the day snowboarding in the Andes, but this was the final game of the World Cup... So, we were able to take runs in between the championship game. Watching futbol with Latinos has topped my ¨favorites¨ list so far. Every Chilean rooted for Italy, for the French are as popular here as they are in the States. Needless to say, the game was a nail-biter and the ending was full of cheers, screaming, tears, and many joyful last runs on the mountain. The snow was incredibly fluffy powder and it snowed all day. We are headed back tomorrow with other students from school, tomorrow will be memorable without a doubt. The ride to-and-from the resort is SCARY! Imagine a shaky bus without chains, climbing switchbacks that outline heart-pounding drops. We did see the most incredible sunset on the way down. The rays peaking through the clouds under the jutting tips of the Andes...oh my...my words fail.

¿los baños?

I just learned the hard way that it is not common to have toilet paper in the bathrooms...chalk this up on the lessons learned chart. I have been trying earnestly to speak Spanish by trying to order food and drinks, asking for directions, repeating the cost of items and my change, and getting into conversations deeper than the ¨hello, how are you, what is your name...¨ This has been very fun, especially when my normal apprenhensions are surpressed by a few pisco sours. Aaron and I met a couple of amazing Chileans two nights ago. Clarita, Rodolfo, and ummm...I forgot the other guy´s name, but we are going to meet up and they will take us out and about in Santiago. Clarita and Rodolfo are photographers and speak enough English to make our funny circle of friends more than simply smiles and nods. I only brought one pair of pants with me, so it is time to make a purchase (oh, no need to worry, we can do laundry at our homestay!) and Clarita is just the person to take me out shopping.

Today it is raining and chilly. We were going to go on a trip with our school to the Concha y Toro vineyard, but with the rain we decided to wander around the city and watch the futbol game in a few hours. Oh yeah, I had no idea how crazy this area was about their soccer (futbol). A local Chilean team, ColoColo, just won a championship and there were parties in the streets to top all other parties in the world. I have many pictures...but imagine streets being forced to close because of the number of people chanting and dancing in the roads, young men climbing atop the street lights, well-known chats ringing throughout the country (no exaggeration)...it is was quite the cultural experience, for I can´t think of anything in the States that would get Americans that excited. Confetti, chants, songs, dances, smiles...it was a beautiful site!

Oh more thing...today is Anna and Ben´s wedding. Here is a virtual toss to the two of you: May your wedding day be beautifully full of smiles and laughter, and may you both have many, many beautiful years together. I can´t wait to see you both and to hear all about the wedding when I return! I love you!

¡HOLA! de Chile

Ok, this must be short and to the point, for Aaron and our peers are waiting for me amidst muchas cervecas, but...¡CHILE has exceeded expectations so far! We are taking Spanish classes in Santiago. Our classes full of learning, great teachers, fantastic new friends and the best homestay in the world. We are staying in the Provedencia neighborhood of Santiago, and our homestay is a true dream. She speaks English (whew), Spanish and French. So, I am brushing up on the little French I learned in high school, plus we have a private tutor for our Spanish homework. Her boyfriend is a famous Chilean sculptor and he uses recycled materials to create brilliance. ¡Plus! they go to their "farm" for every long weekend. Meaning, we have our own departimento in Santiago for 4 days each week.

It is amazingly difficult to learn a new language. I had a bad day in class today-- a bit tired, a bit frustrated, and I am lagging behind my peers. But, no need to worry I will study tonight (after the party with classmates) and will catch up (keep your fingers crossed for me!)

Ok...I am being happily summoned away from the internet cafe! More soon...please leave comments if you are checking here, for I am not sure if I should send out emails or just post on the blog!
We love and miss you!

South for the Summer

This is our last day in the United States. Tomorrow morning we fly down to South America, landing in Santiago, Chile. From there it will be a wonderous 7 week adventure. Please check here often for updates and pictures, I will try to post frequently!