Holi-Daze 2008

I have been at home for the past two weeks and must say this Holiday
season was grand. A visit to Chicago for a few days, to re-connect with
some friends, then back here in Georgia where I have spent non-stop
quality time with family.
Moments can be a rather challenging for the Barnes family, with
the lack of my brothers physical presence, but my family never
fails to amaze me at how strong and optimistic they are. Thank
goodness....

Seeing old friends, and learning new lessons has also been
a characteristic of this season. Life in Georgia is home,
and a beautiful foundation, but life for me now is different.
I feel the affects of the individual choices I have made
to travel, adventure, pursue, and live a life that may
look a little different to people. I would not have it any other
way, but there are some things you must let slip to a distance
to continue to move forward. However, I can see that just because
I am a continent away, so many of you are right by my side. Gracias.

UPDATE:

My Brazil job has been canceled. Sadly. Due to the economy
right now, they could not fund the program.
It's all good....
I believe I am going to spend some time working on a farm in Patagonia
to escape the city for the South American summer. No complaints.

Keep in touch.

ash

Atlanta....y despues...BRAZIL!!!

Just a quick little post here.


Heading home on Tuesday and shall be in the United States
until the 3rd of January.

After that....

I AM GOING TO WORK IN BRAZIL FOR ONE MONTH!!
Wahoo!
A friend of someone that I worked with here in Argentina,
has a friend that lives in L.A. doing production but also
runs language camps in Brazil and China.
Concordia Language Villages is the name of the
program.
Check them out.

http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/newsite/.

So, I will be working with them in January, a little
Brazil travel in February...and then....who knows!
Still going to be in South America but may head up
to Peru or a smaller town in Argentina. I love
Buenos Aires...but....ya know. Gotta see this continent if I can!

See you folks soon,

ash



A few pictures from Cordoba...finally up!

http://picasaweb.google.com/barnes.ashley/Cordoba#

Actions Speak Louder than Words

Four girls from four cultural perspectives, that share similar passions, with the desire to be people of the world, apply creativity, and hold an ambitious nature to continue to learn and grow....I am reminded that sometimes, “all good things must come to an end”. We are hugging each other goodbye on a high note, and sending kisses as we all move on to our next planned lesson. Moving forward to other adventures, lessons, and growth…I imagine it would be impossible to stay in our house on Bolivar Street in Buenos Aires, Argentina forever. The four girls in this house, were able to connect and care even through a language barrier. By looking inside and seeing their true heart. One story to tell could take a great deal of energy, or one heavy thought that needed to be shared in the midst of travel....but we wanted to share what we could. I laughed so much with these girls, even when it took everything in me to understand the joke at hand....I guess actions really do speak louder than words.

This morning we said good-bye to Marion with fresh tears that could have only formed two months ago, for that is all the time we have had together. There are certain times in our lives, where individuals come together at the exact right time, with the same thoughts and passions, combined with the same attitude. Just like finding a love, the right timing can also be a catalyst to forming lasting friendships. If we were to all meet another time, maybe one of us would have been in a different place with a different connection. This time though, all four of us...were one.

A challenging aspect of travel, is saying goodbye to some of the people that you shared this experience with. You embrace the hope that your paths will cross again and the knowledge that you know the time you spent was unique and rare. Not just in travel but in life….

Chau chicas, suerte y gracias!


And of course we went out in style! We had a fiesta at our house, and by three in the morning (which is the time a party starts here), we had about fifty people in our house. Wahoo.
Here are some pics of our fiesta.

Despedida de 4 chicas locas!!


http://picasaweb.google.com/barnes.ashley/DespedidaDe4ChicasLocas#