The Week in Brazil

Over a week ago we got back from our trip to Brazil. Better late than never to post, right?

After arriving at our hotel in Brazil, we spent the rest of the day exploring the grounds of the hotel (which were huge) and resting from the 22-hour bus ride. There was all sorts of stuff to see at the hotel. They had ostriches and cows and lots of peacocks running around. They had a pond with a small island in the middle with monkeys on it! Instead of being in a cage, they just lived on Monkey Island. The day we went out to explore the hotel, we were almost to Monkey Island when I tripped on the sidewalk and busted my knee open. I felt like I was 8 years old again. At first, I was afraid I had hit my camera on the ground when I fell, but it was fine. Whew!

The next day, we set out on our first adventure in Brazil, Parque do Aves. It was a bird park with tons of tropical birds like toucans and macaws. Instead of just having small cages for visitors to see the birds in, they had huge enclosed areas that we got to walk around in with the birds. That did actually end up being a bad thing though because I turned around on the pathway inside one of the bird cages one time and didn't see the little bird under my feet...yeah, I definitely kicked a toucan. He fluttered back down to the ground and looked up at me with this disgusted little bird look on his face. Sorry, little buddy.
Towards the end of the bird park, they had a parrot and a snake for people to hold, and, of course, I did both! The snake was rather large and I was NOT okay with it touching the back of my neck but whatever...And apparently I was holding my arm wrong when I held the parrot because he climbed up on my shoulder. I thought that was awesome (because I felt like a pirate) until he started pecking me on the head. Come to think of it, I bet that toucan I kicked had conspired against me with the parrot...

After the bird park, we went out to the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls National Park. (The falls are on a river that runs between Brazil and Argentina.) Just for fun, and to give you a better idea of what we saw, I looked up Iguazu Falls on the World Waterfall Database (bet you didn't even know there was one). Iguazu, although nowhere near the tallest waterfall in the world, ranked as one of WWD's Top Ten Waterfalls. Compared to Niagra Falls (which did NOT rank in the Top Ten) Iguazu is 100 feet taller and 5000 feet wider. Niagra's Scenic Rating, according to the Database is 67 out of 100. Iguazu's rating is 87.

So obviously, the falls at Iguazu were stunning. We spent hours there walking around the catwalks over the falls and even taking pictures from a elevated platform over the falls.

The next day, we drove across the border into Argentina to see their side of the Iguazu park. They have a saying in that area that "Argentina has the falls; Brazil has the view," and I agreed with it until we got to La Garganta del Diablo. The Devil's Throat is at the head of all the falls, and I'm pretty sure that's where most of the water falls (the first time, anyway). The river above the Throat was fairly calm and then it just dropped through a huge horseshoe-shaped hole that looked like a throat. Incredible!

The rest of the week included a moonlight dinner at the falls where we all got dressed up and then SOAKED from the high water and mist at the Devil's Throat.
We also spent a few hours in Paraguay at Ciudad del Este, shopping. I got a great deal on a Paraguay fútbol jersey and the pleasure of saying that I had been in three different countries in one day. We stopped at one place where the two river borders come together so you can see all three (Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay) at the same time.

One day Joanna, Lindsey, and I went walking around trying to find an artisan market for shopping. We eventually found Joanna some cool shoes, but also found a dancing donkey. What a surprise! This little excursion also gave Lindsey the chance to show off her clever Portugese skills. She interpreted a street sign that said "Bebeu? Não Dirija" as "Bebe...Need a Drink?" Which is especially funny since I'm pretty sure it mean "Don't drink and drive." Close enough, Linz.

Oh, we also took a tour of Itaipu Dam, the leading hydroelectric dam in the world in power production. There's not much to say about it except that...it's big. Really big.

And one day, we went into an actual village of the native people of those jungles, the Guaraní. It was amazing to see what all they do by hand. Not just crafts but animal traps, too. They dress fairly modern, but it was common for the small children to run around naked. The whole experience was really eye-opening because it looked just like the scenes from those dollar-a-day world help commercials in the way that the kids were sitting on the dirt (or maybe in or among the dirt is more accurate). But being there first-hand I got to see the things they don't show in those commercials. I saw their schools where they learned their own history and language in order to preserve their way of life. They also have a school where they learn Spanish or another widely-used language so they can grow to help their village to function in the world.

Within the village, there were government-built houses. They told us that it was not uncommon for them to use the government houses as storage and live in the mud-brick houses they've used for centuries. It's not that they're not grateful, but that mud houses are cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. What I realized was that just because their kids are dirty doesn't mean they're poor or underdeveloped. They live that way because it's more practical to them and because they WANT to. That's what makes sense to them. This trip helped strengthen the idea in my mind that, although there are people in the world who need physical help, we should not be so quick to decide who needs it based on the way they live.

Ok, suffer the rant no longer. I apologize for this post being so late, but it's been a busy week. In more recent news, 6 of us are headed for the bottom of the world this weekend: Ushuaia. There'll be penguins and glaciers and incredible views and (yes, Don) Tierra del Fuego souvenirs.

Going to Brazil

Well things have really picked up down here. That's why you haven't heard from me in a while. We've started our Message of the Old Testament short course, which we're having to do online. That's been taking up a majority of my time lately, but I'm really enjoying the material.

I would take this time to update you all the more fun things we've been doing, but I have less than an hour before we head to Brazil. It's about a 24-hour bus ride up through Uruguay and into Brazil. We're spending a week at Iguazu Falls, which is right where Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay meet corners. It'll be an amazing place to take pictures! And it's pretty hot and humid there this time of year. I hope everyone is having fun waiting for winter to come. Keep it cold up there till we come home!

The Zoo and Colonia

Hey everybody!

Last week most of us got to go to the Montevideo Zoo. It was not very big compared to the size of the city but it was still really neat. They a lion that roared while we standing right in front of him and a tiger that paced in his cage and glared at everyone. There were giraffes and llamas, too. The saddest thing we saw was the pool were the penguins and seals live. It was completely drained except for one little part, which was fenced off from the animals. They still looked healthy (as far as I could tell). I never figured out if the pool had been drained for cleaning or if it had been dry for a long time. All in all, though, it was a fun trip to the zoo, and I got to practice my animal vocabulary with Ameila, our Spanish teacher.

On Saturday we had another day trip. We got on a small charter bus and rode about an hour and a half to Colonia, which is the next department (like a state or province) over from Montevideo. There's a lot of history in Colonia, so that was fun. We spent a lot of time around an old lighthouse on a hill right by the coast. I got some decent pictures; be sure to check em out.

On the way through town down to the lighthouse, I saw a Uruguay soccer jersey hanging in the window of a small store. We had to at least check them out because jerseys like that are $35 in Montevideo. But if they were cheaper here in Colonia, I would definitely have to get one. And they were! I got this jersey for $25 bucks. My favorite part is the Uruguay flag over the left shoulder.

Our next big adventure is going to be our trip to Brazil. I'm sure what all we have planned for that trip, but I know we're going to Iguazu Falls. We've also started looking at our options for our ten-day travel excursion. Although nothing is set in stone, there are several of us with our eyes set on going down to Patagonia, specifically to Ushuia, the southernmost city in the world. It's as far south as any highways go. Everything past that is either an island, a glacier, or Antarctica. If I go, Don will definitely get his "Tierra del Fuego" souvenir...

Catch-Up Post

Hey everyone,
I realize it's been a while since I last posted. Did you know they make us do homework down here? Imagine that. I've also been busy trying to organize the hundreds of pictures I've taken so far. More on that later.

Last weekend our whole group went to Buenos Aires. We've spent quite a bit of time learning about the history of Argentina and its current issues. One of the issues that has only come up in the past year directly effected us. Apparently, Buenos Aires has recently developed a shortage of coins in their currency. It was hard for us because it took 1 peso to ride the bus (about the equivalent of 33 cents) and the ticket machines only take coins. So anytime we were about to go somewhere on a public bus, we had to make sure everyone had some combination of coins that added up to a peso. Most of the time we ended up buying gum just to get change.

The coolest thing we did in BA was a tango show. We all got dressed up and went to a place where they served us an AMAZING dinner. After dinner, they served out espresso and started a tango performance that encompassed all the different styles of the Latin dance from its beginning. Here's a clip:

The next day we took a tour of BA which included somewhere that I've always wanted to go: La Boca. This neighborhood is at the mouth of the River Plata and draws tourism. Every building on Caminito street is painted all sorts of different colors, which makes for an awesome place to take pictures. There were also lots of touristy things to do there...like pay to have a tango dancer pose for pictures with me!

On Saturday night we went to the church there in BA and met some of the Porteño youth. They were absolutely hilarious and walking through the streets of Buenos Aires with them was a trip. We walked a good ways to a fútbol complex and played around for a good long while (even though it was FREEZING).

Yesterday we went out to an estancia (ranch) a went canoeing, horseback riding and swimming in an indoor pool. Well, we didn't canoe or ride horses in the indoor pool, but I'm sure you figured that out already.

Our next big trip will be to Brazil. The other day we had to start the preparations for it by getting vaccinated for yellow fever. We took taxis to a clinic, which ended up being a little sketchy. Everything was fine and safe, but the clinic was way out by the docks and shipping yards...yikes.

Ok, I know you all want to see more pictures. And I wanted to put them somewhere you could all see them. So I did. I have a Shutterfly site set up that already has hundreds of pictures on it, and there are plenty more to come from this weekend. The site houses all my pictures, and also imports feed directly from this blog at the bottom of the main page so it'll be easier to get to one site from the other. If you want to see what I mean, here's the link: http://jehovaprovee.shutterfly.com Enjoy!

Un Día de la Aventura

Well today has definitely been a day of adventure. Last night, I was extremely tire from walking all over town, so I went to bed around 9 o'clock. Well, this morning, I wake up and go downstairs for breakfast. The food was great, but I had just starting eating when I looked down and noticed hives on my arms. YIKES! So I told Rosalinda, our director and house mom, and she called the doctor.

While waiting for the doctor to come, I noticed the hives were even worse on my legs. Let me show you what I mean...(Click on it for a bigger picture.)

Not the way I wanted to start my day, as you can imagine. The doctor came and did all his doctor things, sticking the say-ah down my throat and whatnot.
Then the fun started. He tried to give me a shot in my arm, but he couldn't find a vein. (Thanks, Dad.) So we had to resort to other measures. AKA, taking the shot in the butt.

All in all, it was quick and virtually painless, but the medicine has made me sssshaky all day.

We've been here for a week now, so this is the beginning of many adventures, I'm sure. As soon as the needle went in, I was thinking, "I'm going to have to write on my blog about this."

Salúdense Unos a Otros con un Beso Santo

Already we have met a lot of people here in Uruguay. However, we have not shook near as many hands. That's because they don't really shake hands in Uruguay. No, they kiss. When I first heard this, I thought it was going to take a lot of getting used to but it really hasn't been that bad. It's real simple, just touch cheek to cheek and make a little kissing sound. We've had to do it a lot, especially yesterday at church. In fact, (probably because of the verse in I Corinthians) you're not supposed to leave church until you've kissed everyone there. Luckily, the congregation next door is not that big.
So whether you're going or coming, in church, or just meeting friends on the street, you better be ready to pucker up.

Our First Outing - Success!

Well Tanner, Erin, Lindsey, and I all just got back from our first time on the streets without a guide. ¡Que emocionado! (How exciting!) We were going to go shopping for some little things that we needed, but we needed some pesos first. We walked to Tres Cruces, the nearby shopping mall. There's a cambio (money changer) and ATM across the corner that's open on Saturdays, so we each made sure we had enough money to buy what we needed. Lindsey even used both the ATM and the cambio because the ATM gave her a large bill, so she asked for "mas pequeño dinero" from the man at the cambio. He broke it up into smaller bills and we went into a store called TaTa (like a big Dollar General) to buy snacks, soap, shampoo, etc.

The only mix up we had was that we didn't know you're not supposed to walk into TaTa with bags, so we had to figure out how to get a locker at the front of the store. Other than that, it was a smooth trip to the store. We walked all the way there and back to the Casa without getting lost, and everything. I think Lindsey even knew where we were most of the time!

Well, I gotta go take pictures of the house, Chao!