Sitting in the Airport

November 2, 2008

6:37 am

We are sitting in the airport doing nothing, looking at pictures on tagged. Earl is talking in my ear about his crystal skull, and Kelly is in her own little world dizzy from excitement her hands are shaking with enthusiasm, Jade is staring longingly into space yearning for more pee-ness. Don't ask. We woke up EARLY, right now it is 6:37am. I am so excited we are going to have an amazing time in Peru and my hopes are high for the great things that are to come. Earl wants to philander through the ruins!!!

Brazil

October 11-18 2008

In Brazil the main thing we did was hike up to see the waterfalls. Words cannot even begin to describe the wonder and the incredible Awesomeness that was created. I will let the pictures speak for themselves. The words I kept saying throughout the trip were the lyrics to How Great thou Art and Majesty. Those were really the only words I could think of to even begin to divulge the incredible blessing I felt being in such a wondrous place. I have been to Niagara Falls and the Iguazu makes it look like a High-school talent show in comparison. One of the most amazing things we got to do around the falls was go on a moonlight walk to the "Devils Throat" The largest fall in the entire park. All the girls minus Jade and I had decided to wear their cute little dresses and were consequently drenched. It was a very funny night. We also went on a boat beneath the falls and got soaked. That was probably one of my more memorable experiences

Majesty, worship his majesty;
Unto Jesus be all glory, honor, and praise.
Majesty, kingdom authority,
Flow from his throne unto his own, his anthem raise.
So exalt, lift up on high the name of Jesus.
Magnify, come glorify Christ Jesus, the King.
Majesty, worship his majesty,
Jesus who died, now glorified, King of all kings.

Some other highlights from the trip were our visit to a Guaraní village. The children sang a song for us and were able to see the way of life that they had persevered. We also went to a Samba show which was hilarious primarily because the Walkers freaked out at the "Samba" dancing which was done by girls whose only bare skin was their midsection. A really cool thing about Brazil that I was surprised about was the African influence. The traditional food was black beans and rice and served a dish similar to chitlins. The food was actually somewhat nostalgic and reminded me of soul food. The dancing was familiar as well. Previous to this I never made the connection between the famed Brazilian dance the Samba and the infamous American book "The Little Sambo". Women are also thicker and like to show more skin. I could have worn a bikini and would not have stood out as being weird.

We also went to Paraguay to Ciudad Del Este which is where the vast majority of revenue comes from and got some shopping done. I bought some sunglasses for $2 that I then broke before we left the country I guess you get what you pay for.

On the way back we went to a mission where the Guarani were protected by the Jesuits. Yet in the end they were all destroyed and the majority of its inhabitants were killed or dispersed back into the Jungle or the city. We went to visit one of the smallest yet most intact mission located in Argentina near the Paraguayan and Brazilian border

During this trip I can truly say a saw God. I question how one can doubt his existence when confronted with astronomical beauty that to me would leave one speechless. The fountain life bursting forth from the earth provided strength for so many creatures and humans. The mist from waves gives life miles away. There are animals and plants that can only grow in that in that environment they make up an ecosystem that enabled the indigenous peoples to survive in those areas for hundreds of years. Everywhere you looked there were thousands of butterflies landing on you without fear. Every-time I saw one I remembered my rebirth in Christ Jesus. How he is God of details in the smallest most fragile creature. He is a God of Power his Potency can be viewed in the thunderous echoes from the water crashing of the precipice. His wisdom in the master plan of the ecosystem that connects and protects, there are small birds that look like swallows that make their nest inside the waterfall. They make their nests near the thunderous falls so that the vultures can't attack their young. It's mind boggling to see these tiny little birds swimming so near such a powerful force. His mercy and Grace is exemplified by his acceptance of me, his willingness to transform me in his image. I am convinced he made nature for human beings, not just for our survival but to show his Love. He spoke to me through his creation and allowed me to see a glimpse of who he truly is.

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
and see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou a

Day to day life

Every day….September-December 2008

A lot of people have asked what life is like here every day when I am not traveling somewhere. I do actually go to school although it's hard to believe. .For my Latin America and the Arts class we usually visit a museum or historic site and have to write a 500 word essay sometime before the next Wednesday. This class is actually the hardest because the museum and tours are often in Spanish and therefore I rarely learn any more about the museum by the time I leave then when I entered. For Latin American Studies we have had to do different projects.

We also take weekly quizzes of a book called "Born in Blood and Fire" and sometimes watch a movie. We saw Evita and The Mission; one was to acquaint us with Argentina and the other with Brazil. We also went to a Ballet at the Teatro Solis. The experience was pretty cool. The theatre is spectacular as well as world famous.

Spanish is 8 - 10 hours a week. For class, sometimes our homework assignment is to go out and have a conversation with a local about something. We have had some worksheets to do and about 2 tests so far. We are taking 2 semesters of Spanish in one. I think we would have learned a little more than mike... LOL

We are doing Bible online. It is a short course because the professor who was supposed to teach it stayed home to be with his wife who was diagnosed with cancer 10 days before we left. That class will be online and will be split in half by our trip to Brazil and free travel.

I also volunteer 1-2 times a week at the Alianza which is an English language teaching institute that is associated with the United States. They teach English and classes on American culture, history, etc and they are looking for volunteers to teach their conversation clubs and to be interviewed for classes. So far it's been a lot of fun just to talk about who I am and my culture. Sometimes though it just reminds me of how un-stereotypical American I am sometimes. AND finally my favorite p

art of Montevideo…My aerobics class. I don't think I have had as much fun working out as I have had in that class. Overall that has been one of my most positive experiences and I would strongly encourage everyone to participate in a workout class at that gym or another one.

With the rest of our time we usually go to the beach, walk to Ciudad Vieja and just sit the like the locals in a park on a bench, or watch movies up in the loft. The latter has become the procrastination vice of the entire casa. I think I have seen every episode of the office at least twice by this point. For dinner we usually cook, eat left over, or go to Las Palmas, if we are really broke we will go get pizza for about 2.50 for a half of a meter or a hamburger for a 1.50. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday we have a chapel/announcement service. We sing praise songs, and lift up prayer requests.

Our favorite part of everyday is lunch because Raquel and Mariella are the most amazing cooks ever. I am a pretty picky eater when it comes to flavor of food. They have never made anything I have not liked. And they bake a new cake, cookies, donuts, or some amazing dessert every single day. It great living in community with others, sometimes it annoys the heck out of me and other times my heart aches when I realize how different next semester will be. So…basically day to day life here rocks! Even when we are really bored we always find something fun to do :)

Dia Del Patrimonio

October 4^th 2008

This is the day when Montevideo finally gets transformed into a tourist city by its native inhabitants. Its so cool because we can walk around with our cameras and suddenly we blended in with the inhabitants. I really enjoyed the Dia del Patriomonio; it was a great opportunity to see a lot of different sides of Uruguayan culture at once. I thought it was cool how everyone in the city went out acted like tourist taking pictures going to museums and celebrating their culture. As a foreigner I was able to experience the various aspects of the culture. I loved the enthusiasm showed by everyone. I visited the Teatro Solis on Saturday. It was beautiful and actually much smaller than I expected but the inside was nothing like what I imagined. It reminded of Phantom of the Opera the way the box seats went up the stairs and the designs were out of this world. I got to go inside of Club Uruguay, it was really neat they had a bunch of the students' and the professors' art displayed inside. The top floor consisted of several ballroom floors, which were absolutely beautiful. Also on the top floor was a balcony, which overlooked the plaza, the view of the festivities, the feria, and the cathedral was stunning. Overall this was a great

weekend. I was able to buy a lot of presents for people back at ACU and practice my Spanish a bit. It was great how everyone got louder and celebrated their history by having ferias and performances in the street. I felt like was able to see a whole new side of Uruguay.

Colonia

September 27.2008

Our visit to Colonia was the first time that we had been out of Montevideo while still in Uruguay. We were all prepared for a boring little town made up of museums. For such was the reputation of the smallest and oldest city in Uruguay. It was about a two hour bus ride and we were all pleasantly surprised. The town was small and quaint and beautiful. I would love to live in a town like that for the rest of my life. It was much more acquainted to tourist then Montevideo was. The people were much more patient and everything there was just "cute". We were able to climb to the top of the lighthouse and view the entire city as well the Rio de la Plata. Later we went down to the beach ( where I broke my camera) There were little marsh islands and the water felt great. The town was full of historical and cultural significance that I was able to relate back to many things we had been learning in History class. The city was founded by the Portuguese and used for many years as a smuggling point. You can almost envision the pirates going through the town with its hanging signs and antique items displayed on every street corner.

Estancia

September 27, 2008

We went to ranch called an Estancia. It was crazy fun. My hopes for the day were not particularly high considering that it was raining the night before. However, its all about what you make of it. We rented bikes and soon decided to dub them "rape bikes" because the seats were angled perversely and painfully.

We then went horse-back riding,

for some reason I got the devil's horse which wouldn't do anything I told it to. EVER!

We also went canoeing. That was probably the most funJ. We were constantly pretending to ram the other canoe just like in Ben-Hur. We tried to go around an island and got stuck in the mud then had to push our way back out. Overall our silliness made it a very enjoyable and memorable experience.

I Wanna Be a part of B.A., Buenos Aires, Big Apple!!

This past weekend we went to Buenos Aires. We left around 3pm on Wednesday caught a charter bus at Tres Cruces then rode for about 3 hours till we got to Colonia. After we arrived there we immediately got on a ferry for about an hour to Buenos Aires. Then we caught a bus to our hotel the Posta Carretas. We then went out on the town and got dinner late that night around midnight. It's so crazy how everyone eats late and the restaurants stay up late. That night Jade and I were so excited we didn't go to sleep till about 4am. Bright and early the next morning we woke up and went on a bus tour of Buenos Aires. It was pretty much awesome and actually very interesting. As part of the art class and INTS we went to a museum. We visited the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires it had a lot of abstract art. Afterward a few of us walked back, and took pictures of the sights. Later that evening we went to a tango show. We learned about the history of tango and the dance was dramatized. The next day we went to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Fine Art Museum) for our art class again. Then we went out to lunch with everyone paid for by ACU. Earl and I decided to share our meals. He got the Ultimate Lasagna and I got a Carbonara pasta, but the actual pasta was made fresh that morning from…dun dun dun…squid ink! Both were delicious and one of the best meals I have had in South America besides what Raquel makes. That evening we met with some students from the youth group and after singing some songs and have a devotional we went to play soccer. It was funny because everyone was like oh its right down the street. We ended up walking about an hour and half to a recreational center where they had a bunch of indoor soccer fields. It was a lot a fun and I realized how much I miss playing. Later that night Brandon, Abby, Meg, Jade, and I went to a Thai restaurant yes THAI!!!! It was absolute heaven in Buenos Aires. I ordered curry and Jade got Phad Thai we split the two. The level of spiciness was perfect. We didn't get back to the hotel till about 2. The next day was Sunday and we got up bright and early for church. While we were there about 30 study abroad students from Pepperdine University there are about 60 students studying abroad for a year in Buenos Aires from the school. The music was excellent and the Sunday school/ Bible Study afterwards was so encouraging. I think mostly because it was the first English sermon or message I have heard in several weeks. I met these two very sweet girls Maria Laura and Marissa; they took us to an arcade. There we played DDR which is a universal game of FUN! After rushing back to the hotel we began our journey back home. Yes, Home because even though we are so far away from our families walking into the casa felt "right".