O Atlanta...I hear ya callin'....

Real quick here.

These past few months I have been working back in Buenos Aires and my sister came to visit for a whole month. How great to see this city with her and hear her observations of the culture.

After one of the best years of my life, in three hours I hop on a plane to.....the USA!

I will be in Atlanta, NYC, Charleston, and Chicago for the next few months.
Yes, I am coming back to South America.

Hit me up via email!

See you soon folks!

One Toe Still In Brazil....

This post is about two and half months late....hope you still enjoy.





After three weeks of working in Brazil and 8 days of traveling up the wondorous coast, I can say, that I mistakingly left a piece of my heart amongst the wonders of Brazil. We have all heard of Brazil, the South American country that pop culture would promote as having "the best beaches in the world", the exotic rainforest and of course, the best fruits. When you actually go to Brazil you witness a different level of preconception and reality. Before my travels to Brazil, I heard throughout the streets of Buenos Aires about this wondrous country that seems a world away in all aspects to Argentina. Brazil was a distant vision, a far-off land even though it rests right next to the South American country I live in, a false fairy-tale. Then, I got the opportunity to go.

For three weeks I worked with Concordia Language Villages teaching kids English in an English immersion camp. There were 11 counselors. Half from the States and half from Brazil.The camp was located in the mountains of Brazil with red dirt roads, green grass, and the nearest town requiring a two hour preparation time to figure out how to get there! What an interesting experience, to now live in South America then go and work for your own culture in a completely different world. Our daily schedule consisted of waking up at 7 and working activities with the kids until 10:30 at night. Yes, it is exhausting but so rewarding. All the counselors result in running off of pure energy from the kids. If we give them more, than they give us more and we can make it through the two weeks! Exhausting but obviously so rewarding to make these connections and see their English language progression.

After saying goodbye to the kids and the staff of Hometown Brazil, I put on my backpack and headed a little north where the weather was warmer and the beaches were calling. After a four hour bus ride (which is nothing compared to what I am used to in this huge continent!) I arrived in beautiful Buzios. A small beach town on the coast of Brazil. When I arrived I found a hostel that seemed more like a hotel with amazing character. This hostel was right on the beach and I passed 8 days in Buzios meeting new people (altough I travel alone alot, I dont think there was one night I was alone this whole year), walking on the beach with new friends and travelers, cooking in the outside kitchen, running on the beach at night, and falling asleep to the waves of a South American turqoise ocean.

Amongst this, I also met someone that held a heart that belonged to another. But he moved around me for 8 days in his daily manner. I watched as he connected to this beautiful part of the world that he was brought up in, laughed with him as we jumped in the water and he acted as if it was his first time in the ocean of his homeland, took notes as he taught me about natural remedies to cure someone when they are sick, connected to his actions as we cooked together, observed as he was open to everyone, took into consideration the confusion that I was causing him by being in each other intense presence when his heart is committed to someone else, and contemplated as he walked with a center of gravity that held a sensual flow. Things are all about timing and it was just a touch of something higher.....but you better believe....I won't forget Brazil.

Indo Para o BRASIL! Going to Brazil!

Tomorrow, I head off to Brazil for a whole month. I will be going to teach for a company
from the States se llama, Concordia Language Villages. They teach all around the world and happen to have a program in Brazil. A friend of mine knows the guy from L.A. who runs the program
and recommended me for the job. I have taught kids before but only for a few days at a time. This time I will be with them for two weeks and really get to know them. Very exciting.
After three weeks of working in the Brazilian countryside, I am going to travel for a week. First stop will be an historical beach town called Para Ty, followed by a swing through Rio de Janeiro, and quick hop up north to another beach. These past four month I have been living with a Brazilian and am so excited to see his culture first hand....music, fruits, beaches, teaching, new thoughts and ideas.....o and the best part....I am getting payed to do this. Crazy. Latin America continues to show it's magic.
Have a great July peeps.

Familia and Family in Buenos Aires

Well I do believe that it has been about seven months since I have arrived in Buenos Aires. Que raro!!! This has been the fastest year of my life and everyday continues to fly. Could it be being at the age of 27 as opposed to 22? When I was fresh out of college with the new realization that there is huge world, nobody is going to make a plan for me but my own ambition, no classes to lay-out my path, a desire to see all that I can, and all the choices that I personally have to make and was determined to decide on my own to make sure I was being true to myself. Not to mention the necessary life pauses that I was forced to take right after college in hopes of breaking through some intense obstacles. Well, at 27 I feel such a diffence in focus, calmness, optismism, motivation, and self-assurance. My heart has softened and I feel confident in my direction. Buenos Aires continues to inspire me and the knowledge that I am amongst the international traveling club, where the travels and adventurous souls are not the exception but rather the rule, has become more evident. However, all is done with purpose and the goal of constant growth and knowledge.

I have been so lucky with a great group of friends here that offer constant support, laughter, conversation and basically....a home away from home. This group consists of Ramiro from Cordoba who is an artist, musician, and sign-language interpreter for the deaf. Javier from Buenos Aires, whom has a house here in San Telmo Buenos Aires, where we constantly gather to cook, eat for a few hours, and converse. Katrina from the US who started a yoga studio here, Meghan from the US who is another constant inspiration to me. Our nights consist of going back and forth from Spanish to English, but depending on who else comes to dinner, is mostly in Spanish. It's wonderful. They have introduced me to a great deal of people here and we have built an internatioal fellowship.

Besides that main family group, the other friends I spend time with always consists of an international table and gatheirng. Always. There is never just one culture surrounding me. French, Peruivians, Colombians, Argentines, North Americans, English, Spanish, Swedish....no exageration.....it is a constant mix of cultures. This has become the norm to me and I love it.

Great news! My mom and Aunt just passed through Buenos Aires for a week and are now on their way up to Peru. How amazing to have my mother and aunt here! The week was a hectic array of social gatherings so mama could meet my friends, Tango shows, dinners, taking her to meet my students, and of course, eating good food! My mother is an amazing woman whose strength constantly amazes me. How lucky that I come from a traveling family. It's not hard to get them to come see me and I know this is so fortunate. It feels normal to travel for the Barnes family and as hard as it is to be away, my parents have shown so much pride for what I am doing. My mom loved my friends, students, and life here.....and now that she saw it face-to-face she told me she can go home happy and know that I am where I am supposed to be.

We had a wonderful visit and there were many realizations that I detected within myself. One being....I have grown up.

A Day and the Life

As I was looking at my "agenda" this past week, I was thinking....wow....look at how busy life has gotten here....and I love it all. Check it out....The typical BA life as an English teacher, Spanish student, and social butterfly....

Monday, May 11th

10:45- Meet a student, Max, at a cafe for class. Decide to go to a different cafe this past week to mix things up. He is an advanced student.

12:00-12:00- Walk about ten blocks to next class.
1230-200- Teach group class of three students. Beginner English speakers.

230-400- Come home, eat, catch up on emails and freelance writing.

500-600- Class with Patricia in another cafe.
615-645- Hop on bus to head back to San Telmo, my area of the city.

700-800- Teach Alberto. We do class at his house which is down the street from me. Very beginner English.
800-845- Run home to get ready.

900- Head to a formal dinner that my student Max invited me to.

1000pm- 200 am- Eat food and try to speak Spanish. (dinner is late here.....obviously)

Tuesday, 12th

900- Wake up and work on freelance writing project.

12-200-Teach group class downtown
230-330- Priavate class with Juan right down the street from previous class.
330- Juan tells me that his father wants to start taking English class, great....go and meet him to talk.....who is the office over. Argentines are very close to there families in all things that they do.

430- Private class in Palermo. A different area of the city.

700-830- Yoga. My closest friends here have a yoga studio down the street from where I live.

930-100 am- Going away dinner party for Sophie.

Wednesday May 13th

1030- 1200- Private class

100-230- Group class

Run errands plan for Alberto's class, this week is object pronouns ( I really am not that technical of a teacher but sometimes you have to be)

700-830- Private class.

900-1200- write then sleep early!

Thursday, May 14th

700 AM- Wake up. Walk around dazed while getting ready.
800-930- Teach

1000-1130 Spanish class (sometimes when I can....I get the classes for free because I teach english for this same institute)

1200-200- Teach group classes

230-330- Teach Juan.

Write in the free time for freelance porject.

700-815- Yoga

900-1200- Dinner party at Chandani's.

Friday, May 15th

800-930- Teach

1000-1200- Spanish class

1200-100- Teach group classes

100- 230- Teach group classes

400-500- Teach my favorite student Carlos, to end the week.....

who knows....

Dinner

Saturday-

200-300 pm- Teach my youngest student who speaks three languages already.

400- Grocery shop in China town.

Dinner

900- Go see Ramiro in his play that is opening this weekend!


Sunday (last sunday)

Woke up and went to a cafe.

Lunch with friends.

Walked around the fair that is every Sunday in my neighborhood with Jaoquin.

Dinner at Meghans.

Prepare for class on Monday.


Start the week with a smile.....

Aprendiendo Spanish while teaching Ingles…a time me feel little-ita loca!!! Pero….me love it!

To learn another language while teaching your own native language can prove to be a rather challenging task….but as they say in Argentina, “vale la pena”. This literally means, “worth the sorrow” and it is simply implying, “it’s worth it!”. I don’t think there is a better way to give patience, enthusiasm, encouragement, focus, and understanding to my students, than being in the same position myself…learning another language!
There are some days where I may attend Spanish class early in the morning and then head down the street to one of my students offices and feel so out of it because my head is in Spanish and then I need to be an articulate teacher…wait, let me explain….

Here in Argentina I teach English to business men and women (yes ladies….Argentine business men ☺ in downtown Buenos Aires. My other students are private students that I have found by advertising myself as an English teacher on some websites down here that are very similar to Craigslist. I almost have a full schedule of private students and I absolutely love it. What an amazing cultural exchange. Teaching them English, while they tell me about Argentina. On top of that…people from Argentina have the best sense of humor, are so friendly, intelligent, and a pleasure to teach. One of my students, Ramiro, is a lawyer here and I think all we do in the hour and half of class that I teach…is laugh. Don’t worry, I am teaching them but definitely having a laugh in the process. Sometimes I feel bad for taking money at the end of class because it was so enjoyable. Ramiro and many other students I have are advanced English speakers but I also have others that hardly speak at all. Sometimes, I meet Alberto, a beginner speaker, at the end of my long day and have to concentrate so hard, focus, have patience and energy for him. But I can do that because he wants to learn so bad! He will tell me in Spanish that he doesn’t understand because in his language the sentences are constructed so different. In which I respond, “I know…but you must think of these two languages as exactly that…two separate languages”. I knew I would like teaching English, but I truly enjoy this more than a lot of things I have done. I want them to learn and am grateful they want me to teach them.

To go from one language to the next is challenging, and teaching English has of course, slowed down my Spanish language advancement….alot. But as I said before, it is worth it and I have time here in Argentina. My head consists of thoughts in Spanish and English, and then when I do speak English I find myself saying things like, “in this moment….”, for that is how you express “right now” in Spanish. It’s fascinating because you start interpreting things in a totally different way and seeing life in a different manner.

I have no idea why learning a language became a main focus so late in life (ok..I am still young, I know) what I mean is….I LOVE learning another language. For it is not only about the language, it is about another way of thinking and really diving into the culture. For the culture is the way they think, and they way the think is through their language. The idea that I will ever get there I mean REALLY get there and speak fluent Spanish is like a far off fog….but I can do it.

Here in Buenos Aires, in this International mecca, the majority of people I know from Europe, Argentina, and other parts of the world speak at LEAST two languages. It is amazing. I understand that English is the main language you need to know, but I strongly believe that the USA needs to pick up the emphases on learning a second language. I know my kids will be starting young…that is for sure.

Anyone that knows me is aware of my ancy and adventurous nature. In the sense that, when I feel like I am NOT learning or growing….well, I don’t like it.
Folks, when learning another language and teaching various people from another country….there is always something to learn and grow in. O, and I think it helps also that I live in a magical place such as Buenos Aires. My thoughts on this city and country are for another blog-post for I am about to meet a friend and speak some Spanish…..need to warm up that muscle.

Paz.

Feriado

In a culture that believes that you don’t live to work, you work to live, there may by many holidays to take off work throughout the year in Argentina. However, yesterday, was a holiday, not to celebrate but to remember people…..10,000-30,000 to be a little more accurate. “The disappeared” are the people I am referring to, and the thousands that were lost,truly dissapeared without a trace. From 1976-1983, Argentina’s government engaged themselves in what is called “the dirty war”. It was a war to stop left wing activists, anyone against the government, and as war does, resulted in the killings of thousands of innocent people due to mis-information and false conclusions. This military junta, would kidnap people at random times and places and send them to secret governmental detention centers for torture and eventual death. To this day, it is still yet to be determined the exact reason why, and now many were lost…. never to be heard from again. There are groups and rally's that still go on, from mothers and other family members, that want to know where their loved ones went.....
The presence of this history is still dominant today, and I noticed it in the privilege spot of standing in the middle of the crowd at a Radiohead concert. Thom Yorke took a moment on this day to remember the disappeared and say a few words in his thick American Spanish. I looked around a crowd of macho Argentine men, and saw eyes glaze over and their eyes wonder to a far-off place. Mentioning The Dissapeared creates a silence amongst this culture, and as always, the history of Argentina is not even close to forgotten by it’s people.

Read More About It: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_War#US_involvement

Off the Beaten Path....Bolivia

A country that holds 36 native tribes with each group communicating in their own language (Spanish based) and existing within their own culture and traditions, Bolivia proved to be one of the most fascinating countries I have ever been to. Mountain after mountain is all my eyes saw for three weeks, complimented by bodies of water such as Lake Titicaca and natural geysers that revealed themselves in Southern Bolivia. I never said it was easy, but it was an adventure and a completely different growing experience from Argentina. From the breathtaking landscapes to the spiritual indigenous culture of the people that walk those hills, my three weeks in Bolivia showed me the true heart of South America.

Let’s start from the beginning….

Of course, my automatic response is to grip my backpack even tighter….
He is not holding a pack, wearing travel clothes, possessing the expression of someone that is dreading the long bus-ride ahead of him or smiling with the knowledge that he is about to go see a new part of South America….So I don’t know why he takes a seat next to me at Retiro Bus Station in Buenos Aires, Argentina. But still, he sits as I wait for my bus to take me thirty hours up to a part of the world I have never been to. “….donde sos?”, he says, the common question I hear about five times a day and have mastered my response to this in Spanish.
“From the United States….but I live here in Buenos Aires….teaching English….I have been here for 3 ½ months….yes, I came alone….yes, I love it”, I respond.
He then asks, “Where are you going?”.
The grip on my pack starts to loosen as I gain trust in this curious 40-something year old man. I tell him I was waiting for a bus up to Bolivia where I would be doing some traveling and volunteer work. I then search the line of about 80 buses wondering where mine was, but still totally sure I was in the correct spot.
“Let me see your ticket”, he says reaching for the piece of paper that I was fumbling with in my hand.
A pause, a look at his watch, and I knew it…. Of course there is a different section of the bus station for International Departures!!
“Vamos”, he said as he stood up and started sprinting through the bus station. I started running behind this random man who was trying his hardest to get this young women to a part of the world that I am sure he didn’t understand why I wanted to travel alone in. But nonetheless, he was running me across the station in hopes of getting me there. I saw my bus loading on the last passengers and all I had time to say was,
“Muchas gracias!”
In which, he responded with one of my favorite phrases….
“No, por nada!”.
Which means “no, for nothing”. I flew onto the bus and immediately entered a different world. There was no longer European styled, Argentines around me. I had entered Bolivia from the first moment I stepped on that bus. All eyes were on this clean, traveling gringa, that wanted to see their country, because I have the privilege of thinking that it is fascinating. I sat down, and started catching my breath after my sprint through the station….and realized….I guess that is why he sat next to me.

From this point on, my trip took the same format. Challenging moments followed by realization. At the border between Bolivia and Argentina, after 25 hours on a bus, I was told that I am not allowed in because they just made the law that all people from the United States have to have a visa for their country. ONLY people from the United States. It is sad to say, but I have gotten used to this and will continue to acknowledge the fact that it is not easy to be from North America and travel in other countries right now. But that is a whole other story and soapbox that I don’t care to slip around on at this moment. Hopefully, and I have faith in this, things will start to change and some messes that were made will be cleaned up.

Luckily, I met a few guys from Bolivia on the bus that happened to have some US dollars on them (don’t ask me why) and offered to pay for my Visa into the country and I would pay them later when we arrived in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Again, I am reminded at how in travel, there always seems to be someone willing to help you out. Well maybe not always, but enough to remind you that it will work out one way or another. I got into Bolivia, and after 30 hours on a bus, I caught another 8 hour bus to Cochabamba. By this point, I basically decided that I can’t believe the things I do for travel….and also acknowledged that fact that, to me, it’s always worth it.

The Rainforest/ Jungle- Bolivia

Observing nights such as this is why I am allowing my legs to be infested with bumps that may hold disease (not really…..I got my shots before the jungle), my clothes to smell like a used sock, sweat constantly explode from all pores on my body while mosquitos latch to their humidity, while other bugs desire to investigate parts of my skin. However, there are always balances in travel, and the struggles always even out. Tonight I sat around a wood table with 6 men from an indigenous tribe in a Rainforest of South America. Attempting to be part of their comfort, I still listened as they talked of things in their tribal Spanish that I did not understand. Eventually, It was realized that they were talking about indigenous politics. Who grows the best coca? Who buys the best coca? Etc. As we all passed around their homemade “cocktail”, I listened and thought about how no matter where I am in the world, politics reaches everyone. Rules and realizations of the United States have also traveled to the depths of the Rainforest and opinions have been formed….. I was a figure of those opinions, and that is all they knew of me. Regardless, this group was welcoming, curious, and in general…open to talk to me.
The women sat towards the fire while the men chewed coca leaves, drank, and talked. Once in a while you would hear the women giggle with one-another and other times, they just sat and listened.

This is the Yuracare tribe, and even before the Spanish conquest, this tribe lived at the foot of the Bolivian Amazon and some still remain today….but not all. The number of families in this tribe are reducing and now only 150-200 Yuracare families exist.


“During the Spanish conquest, the Yuracaré region was hardly affected by lootings and expeditions. This was on the one hand because the region didn`t have the wealth/resources (gold, spices) the Spanish were looking for; on the other hand the region was little accessible. It wasn`t until the middle of the 18th century that the first Jesuit missionaries arrived in the region and tried to christianize the Yuracaré systematically. Not even 50 years later the Jesuits were followed by the Franciscans. With the missions, the Yuracaré started to settle down and to dedicate more time to agriculture. New products like chocolate and cotton were introduced in the region and the production of coca for the first time became important. Other consequences were that the Yuracaré didn`t dress in the traditional way anymore, started to give themselves European names and changed their nutrition. Little changed for the Yuracaré after Bolivia became a Republic in 1825. Bigger was the influence of the rubber boom at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, when the Yuracaré men were forced to work in the rubber plantations and production. Many Yuracaré fled from this forced labour and settled deeper in the forest.
This retreat deeper into the forest increased after the revolution of 1952. As a result of the revolution, free migration and settlement became possible and many peasants migrated and settled in rainforest areas. The consequence of this process, which still is ongoing, is not only the retreat into areas deeper in the forest, but also the cultural and social assimilation of those that stay closer to the peasants´ settlements. This process of colonization has generated serious conflicts about landrights. The encounter of the Andean cultures and the Indigenous cultures of the rainforest demonstrate the two completely different perspectives on property: Whilst the Aymara and Quechua have the expectation that land belongs to a family, for the Yuracaré land belongs to a whole community. Thus, fixed land titles were neither necessary nor available. Only a few years after the revolution evangelical groups arrived and started again missionizing the Yuracaré. In the seventies, the trading of exotic skins peaked. The deforestation taking place in this period also contributed to a reduced territory of the Yuracaré. In the nineties, the indigenous movement in Bolivia reached its zenith. The Yuracaré population also participated in the “Indigenous Marches” demanding the autonomous management of their territories. In 1996, the Yuracaré’s territory in the Isiboro Securé National Park was named TCO (Tierras Comunitarias de Origen=communal indigenous territory).”


Observations, Food, Traditions


Food:

“Yuca”. This comes from the root of trees in this part of Bolivia and is actually delicious! It is usually boiled and has a similar texture and taste as potatoes. I enjoyed it greatly.
Hecho, was another type of food I ate. Except this time it was an animal. The men hunt for their food in the morning, and Hecho is considered one of the better meats…..especially the heart. I watched the mother of the family that I was spending time with, take the heart out, cook it, and offer it to me….and of course, I ate it.
Plantanos, were also very popular amongst meals. Plantains are basically large bananas prepared in whatever fashion you desire.
Tea. I drank the most interesting teas from all different types of leaves and fruits from all over the rainforest. Some of the tea had a thicker consistency and they were probably my favorite food discovery in the rainforest.

Needless to say, five days in the rainforest of South America was a fascinating experience. Being one of few volunteers to walk through this part of the world, and spend time with these indigenous people put me in the middle of a curiosity I have always wanted to touch and observe in person. Never in my life, had I seen such primitive existence and authentic indigenous culture. Amazing.


After the rainforest, I headed up to La Paz Bolivia which was another interesting town. This town exists at almost 12,000 feet and holds a chaos that makes Buenos Aires look calm. From La Paz, I ventured to Lago Titicaca for three days. A beautiful lake with a history of spiritual and indigenous stories. A part of the lake called, “isle del sol”, is a monumental spot for many due to the fact that the first two Incas migrated from this spot up to Peru. After three days, I set back to La Paz to arrange my trip down to southern Bolivia, Uyuni.

On my bus from La Paz to Uyuni I met a guy from Australia by the name of Anthony. We ended up traveling together for a week, and proved to be great travel companions. Both of us had similar interests, goals, and views about traveling. We both wanted to seek out new food constantly, be as good to our bodies as Bolivia would allow us, get rest, and make sure we covered as much ground as possible. We ended up doing the three day tour of the salt deserts from southern Bolivia into Chile. Let me say a little about that….

UYUNI- Southern Bolivia

The more time I spend in South America the more I realize that this continent is an endless tunnel of beauty…and right when you get to the end of one landscape, you hear about another path that must be traveled. The salt deserts of Bolivia, contained some of the most amazing landscapes I have ever seen. I had no idea that the earth held these colors, vastness, and contrasting land formations. The tour leaves from Uyuni Bolivia, and travels through the middle of nowhere weaving on road-less earth through these landscapes….Hopefully my pictures can tell the story.



Chile

At the end of my three weeks of adventure, dirt, constant outdoor activity, hostels, a few showers, bumpy bus rides through the night on some of the most dangerous roads in the world….I got to see my dad in Santiago. He happened to have business down there and it was great hanging out with Renny Barnes in South America, where I have heard so many stories from his mouth about this continent.
There is more to see, and I haven’t even scratched the surface of this part of the world. I am now back in Buenos Aires, in a new apartment living with a Brazilian economist….rather interesting experience. At the moment, I am setting up things for the school year to start, and true to form, have taken on numerous random projects. I still love Buenos Aires, and am starting to form another home.

Non-Stop Buses

Let me tell you about my bus journey these three weeks.

Buenos Aires to Santa Cruz Bolivia- 30 hours
Santa Crus to Cochabamba- 8 hours
Cochabamba to the jungle- 7 hours
The jungle back to Cochabamba- 7 hours
Cochabamba to La Paz- 8 hours
La Paz to Lago Titicaca- 3 hours
Lago Titcaca to La Paz- 3 hours
La Paz to Uyuni- 10 hours
Uyuni tour into Chile- 3 days
San Pedro Chile to Santiago- 24 hours
Santiago to Valparaiso- 3 hours
Valparaiso back to Santiago- 3 hours
The experience.....timeless

Ok, by the end of it, I decided to dodge another
25 hour bus ride back to Buenos Aires, and I hopped
on a cheap 2 hour flight.


There will be a link to pictures....I took over a thousand.
If you are on Facebook, a bunch are there. At this moment, I am working
on a website, but for now.....good ole' Picassa albums will have to do.

Much love friends.

Jane of the Jungle

Since being back in Buenos Aires, this past week has consisted of new faces and planning my South American summer travels. Although I am sad that Brazil did not work out, I have to remember that I am in South America and there is a great deal to take advantage of.

On my flight back from the United States to Buenos Aires, I met a guy my age by the name of Adam. He has previously lived in Peru and Honduras and was heading to Argentina to meet up with a travel companion to explore Argentina for three weeks. Well, I love this part of being a traveler…helping out other travelers. When we landed, Adam and I waited for his friend Grant and then I proceeded to show them to what I believe to be the best area of Buenos Aires….San Telmo. That same day we went to my favorite “hole in the wall” restaurant so they could get a local feel. As I skipped off to sleep through a little jet-lag and then meet with another “friend”, Adam and Grant ran into a girl Grant had met in Uruguay a few months back. It’s amazing how small this world is sometimes. Devorah from the UK, is this girls name, and she is one interesting lady. At the age of 34, her travels have just begun and she has already been everywhere. The next thing I know (and this is my first day back), I am spending time with two new travelers and another cool girl that lives right down the street from me. As the day went on, we made our way to Devorah’s house, which is right on the famous and beautiful Plaza Darrego. If you have not caught this name yet, everyone should know that this Plaza is one of my favorite places for reasons that are to long to explain. We go up to Devorahs roof with a blanket, bottle of Argentine red wine, and an amazing sunset view of Buenos Aires. By the end of the night, it was Devorah, Adam ,Grant, my friend Jody, and I. All exchanging conversation and of course travel and culture talk.

Since then, I have passed my time with the new and old faces and planning my travels. Tomorrow I will be taking off to the Bolivian Rainforest. It is a thirty hour bus ride from Buenos Aires and I am doing it alone. Eeeek. I will then take another 10 hour bus-ride to the part of the Rainforest I am working in. I am volunteering with an organization for two weeks and then traveling around Bolivia a little more. Mid-February, I will be back in Buenos Aires to start interviewing for teaching positions come March ( the start of the school year)

This is the organization that I will be volunteering with. Take a look:

http://www.fundacion-delpia.org/index.php?file=inicio

I am a little nervous for this journey of the unknown but the Amazon Rainforest has been calling my name for quite some time now….to work against deforestation with an indigenous tribe…..what’s there to think about? VAMOS!!

See you all in February.

Ashley