home again

it's a little bittersweet to be writing this from raleigh. i am so excited to be back in raleigh with all my great friends - and the welcome home last night was amazing - but i already kinda miss latin america. you mean everyone speaks my language now so i cant talk about whatever i want anymore?
 you mean that i dont have to take public transportation so i have to drive myself everywhere?
a cheap meal is $5 or more when ive been paying that or less for quality mexican?
i can keep things in my pockets?
but dont worry, not matter where i go these days it seems to be rainy season! brings me back....

speaking of the final update about mexico - my new love.
southern mexico was absolutely amazing. the two colonial towns we had about 5 minutes to visit were beautiful. we stayed in san cristobal de las casas, chiapas and oaxaca, oaxaca. both of them had a great vibe and the best mexican food. i know that i need to go back to experience more of what both states have to offer because they are covered with natural beauty outside of the cities. so just one more reason to go back!

mexico city was actually a really cool city too. absolutely HUGE but not bad for a big city. we stayed near the center of down town for a pretty cheap price considering the location. the hostel we stayed in offered free dinner, breakfast and internet in the price and we ended up meeting some great people too!  one almost embarrassing but absolutely hilarious thing we did while in the city was go to a Luche Libre wrestling match with a group of 6 israelis, 1 australian and the two of us. wrestling was never something i have been into but it turned out to be kinda interesting, well entertaining anyway.

for our full day in the city we woke up without an agenda and started wandering around town to the main plaza and onto the park in the city. we ended up finding a diego rivera museum and wandered inside. we didnt really know what we were getting into but we knew of rivera and wanted to see his works in person. we ended up meetng this sweet old man name arturo who took it upon himself to inform us on everything about the mural in the museum and even offered to take us to the other museum that shows rivera's works. it was amazing to be able to listen to this retired accountant talk about this artwork because he could talk about the little details in the paintings and their real meanings behind them. diego rivera was a very controversial artist and this man knew all of the contreversies he intended to create. rivera's works are very powerful and beautifully done.  arturo even offered to take us to the major aztec ruins just outside the city because he said it is a major part of his history because he is half aztec and half mestizo but we didnt have time. he was just a genuine man who wanted someone to talk to. he was so excited that #1 as americans we spoke spanish and #2 we wanted to learn what he was passionate about.

our last thing to do in the city was to get a margarita because we are in mexico so what else would we look for? well it turns out, the restaurant we went to must have had an off night because i am almost certain they gave us a martini. i know margaritas, and i love them, and this was nothing like what we were hoping for. i was truly disappointed but we didnt find any alternative that evening. come on mexico, you should know better!

the next morning we got up at 4 am to catch our flight out of the city to tijuana to cross the border into san diego. it was actually a very simple border crossing and the airport was only about 15 minutes away from the border so it was perfect. we met up with taylor's aunt and uncle who whisked us off to go sailing around san diego! they had everything ready for us on the boat including lunch, drinks, snacks and dessert! that evening we were wined and dined - treated to a lobster dinner and a REAL margarita! we spent our first night back in the states in the hilton...you know, not exactly what we had been staying in...WAY BETTER! our room was on the top floor overlooking the pardre's stadium as well as the bay we had sailed on that day. the next day we wandered the city a little then went back on the boat for day 2 of sailing...rough life i know! that night we went to a local bar to watch the packers/bears game and eat a good ol' american cheese burger. taylor and i spent the night in the boat which had some of the most luxurious beds we had stayed in (comparable to our bed in the hilton even!). the next day they took me to airport in the morning and i started my journey home.

overall the trip was an absolutely amazing experience that i wouldn't trade for the world. now im back in the states trying to answer that daunting question of "what's next?" once i figure that out, i'll let you know.

viva mexico!

mexico is great. i think as americans, myself included, we overlook mexico and a lot of latin america when we think of places to travel but really it´s a great place to be! we made our way from guate to san cristobal de las casas, chiapas, mexico a few days ago and are already in oaxaca, mexico.  we dont have much time here which turns out to be a huge bummer because southern mexico is super cute! the colonial towns here are beautiful, the food is great and the people are fairly helpful as we wander the cities! tomorrow (friday) we will be on our last long bus trip to mexico city where we are planning on going to a soccer game (of course), hang out with a friend of mine, and then flying north on sunday.

i really can´t quite believe this trip is coming to an end but at the same time, the nomad lifestyle - living out of a backpack - gets a little tiring. it will be good to be back in the states but i have to admit, it may not last long! i want to start researching more programs for teaching english abroad (in latin america) when i get back. if you know of any good programs or anyone who has done anything along those lines, let me know! i am open to suggestions and have no set destination at this point. 

running on a little sleep makes me leave out the real details of mexico but just know, you should visit more than the yucatan/cancun areas because they are great and mexican food is delicious.

see you soon USA!
jen

found elvis in the guatemalan mountains

guatemala started out a bit rough with bus drivers/boat drivers charging us about 10 times the local price and people seeming annoyed by us for the way they had been treated in the states (as if we personally treated them poorly) but things have all turned around in the last few days.

we spent the first night in a town called Rio Dulce  in a cute little hostel that you had to take a boat on the river to get to and once you were there, you stayed. they had a restaurant, internet and even  their own local that handcrafted jewelry for the gringos to buy.  it was actually owned by some europeans (i believe switz/germans but im not sure) so there was a lot more german and such being spoken than english or even spanish so that was a bit of an experience but our room was nice enough and i even got a hot shower - the first in so long it was almost strange to me *the hot part not the shower*! after a short exploration in our own canoe we took the boat back to land to catch a bus to Flores.

the bus ride was actually pretty interesting because we ended up sitting in the back of the bus - 5 seats all the way across so we sat inbetween these 3 guys that we kinda figured out were all together and then confirmed it later. the most interesting part of it though was what they were doing on the bus...they had started the day before in honduras and were making their way to mexico and, yep you guessed it, ultimately to the US of A. by this point we all know illegal immigration happens all the time but it was really interesting to meet a group of (actually 5 all together) guys who had nothing more than an average school sized bookbag each moving their whole lives to another country...i have more than that with me for the 2 months that im gone and, of course, i have more than that to my name! putting a face and a means to illegal immigration struck me for some reason. that reminds me, it seemed that everyone we met in honduras had been to the states in one way or another and the majority of them had been deported but were not afraid to talk about it...again, strange to meet actual people.

back to my trip though...we made our way to Flores, in the northern part of guatemala to visit Tikal - a major mayan ruins.   we of course went the cheap route for the our visit to tikal and didnt get the tour guide. it was fun though to explore what was actually a pretty good amount of land in the jungle of guatemala. the pyramids were hidden by the trees and greenery - some pyramids are still being excavated so that was a cool process to see you.  we were told to be aware of monkeys who have a tendency to throw things at tourists (taylor was really excited because she loves monkeys but i dont like anything that is going to chuck things - potentially their own poo - at me from above) luckily, we saw some monkeys but nothing was thrown our way.

we left flores to what was intended to be a little town called Lanquin but had to take a detour to a town called Coban because of a protest near Lanquin.  we found out later that the government wants to put a dam in the area of one of the most spectacular things i have seen called Semuc Champey because there is a great forceful river that runs in the area and they want to use it to produce electricity. Semuc Champey is hard to describe with words but i will try...it is technically a limestone bridge that has these beautiful lagunes that are actually natural springs that come up from the ground but it is a bridge because the raging river runs below it. really, you should google it or better yet visit yourself because it was amazing. how we got from coban to semuc is a story for another time, this is getting lengthy (sorry!).

our guide through Semuc Champey was elvis so i guess he really is alive...the whole tour consisted of a cave tour  which ended up being swimming and climbing with nothing but a candle to light the way. it was kind of crazy but the group we were in made it a good time all around. it turned out there were about 16 israelis, 4 americans and 2 british on the tour so a ton of hebrew was spoken! it was once again kinda crazy to be surrounded with a language that was not english or spanish but they all knew english too so we could communicate. the majority of them didnt even know each other so it was all a coincedence.  next on the tour was a short tubing ride down the river and a long hike up the side of a steep, muddy mountain. at the top was the outlook to see the actual semuc champey - beautiful! so then we trekked back down the mountain to get some time to swim in the pools! it was a great day all around. it ended with good ol elvis taking it upon himself to teach me to salsa. how many people can say they got dance lessons from elvis!?

the last day and a half have been spent in Antigua, a cute colonial town with a great market and beautiful churches. we are making our way to Lake Atilan tomorrow and then Xela for the weekend! be praying for guidance through what could be the aftermath of  hurrican karl in mexico since we will be heading there monday.  we have been very blessed on our journey so far and i pray for his guidance  to continue.

sorry this one got a little out of control on length, i will try to condense my thoughts next time!

hope all is well and GO WOLFPACK!
jen

its been a while

sorry kids, its been a while and i may not have much time to really fill you in on my life because internet is running low but i am going to try.

to say i saw a lot of honduras would be a lie. to even say i experienced honduran culture would be another lie because i went to this little island called utila where more english is spoken than spanish and the gringos have really taken over.  our scuba instructor, luke, was canadian, been in the bay islands for 6 months and didnt even know what ¨mas o menos¨ meant, just to give you an idea of how severe the gringo influence is there but overall a great experience.

scuba diving was amazing to say the least.  we started with homework and videos which were lame so we were a little bummed but it all paid off in the end.  we had to do some confined water and open water lessons to be certified so we swam off the dock in front of our hostel for the confined...not so confined but worked out anyway - and then went as far was 60 feet below for our open water! it was unreal to be able to breathe under water because everything in you says you shouldnt be able to see fish right in front of your face and still be breathing (unless in an aquarium). there were times where i had to almost pinch myself!  we got to swim with sea turtles, eagle rays, barracudas, and so many other crazy colored fish. 

i didnt personally take any photos but luke got a couple of us on our fun dives (after we were officially certified) so i cant wait to see those!  i am trying to do better about taking pictures because believe it or not i have been slacking (not to mention a little paranoid about having my flashy camera out in some areas).

we are currently in flores, guatemala where we took an EARLY (i mean left at 5 am early) to tikal (mayan ruins) and will be going to semuc champe tomorrow!

today is the 1 month of my travels and the 2 weeks until i am back on american soil. its kinda crazy it has already been a month but only been a month.  being a nomad is a challenge so i have to say i am looking foward to being in familiar places soon!

time is running out but know that i love you!
chao,
jen

just a short update to let everyone know i am alive.

we have made our way from nicaragua to el salvador and now in honduras.  el salvador wasn´t as sketchy as we had heard because we stayed out of the sketchiness for the most part.  we visited the Monseñor Romero memorial which was really interesting. i probably can´t do it justice to explain it very well but he was a Jesuit (bad spelling, sorry) priest who spoke out against the massacres that were happening around el salvador in the 1970s. really, you should google/wikipedia him because there is a lot history there that i cant even begin to explain.  the people we met in el salvador were very straightfoward and helpful unlike the nicaraguans who seemed to lead us in circles sometimes so that was a pleasant surprise.

 like i said, we made our way to honduras in the past few days. we had to stop in san pedro sula because the bus took forever and we couldnt catch a bus to the coast until this morning.  san pedro sula is probably where half of our clothes come from because it is a huge textiles industry kind of city so if you check your old navy/target tags and see honduras, it is likely it might be from there!  there wasnt much to see so we ate dinner, slept and made our way back to the bus station to come to the coast - ceiba.  we are spending the night here and catching a ferry to the bay islands tomorrow!  on the islands we are going to be taking scuba lessons! im a little nervous because snorkeling freaks me out but hey, its a good deal and a once in a lifetime opportunity so why let a little fear hold me back?

hope all is well in the states!
GO WOLFPACK!
jen

mariachi in the morning, mariachi in the evening.

we have definitely covered some ground in the last few days.  we made our way across the - craziest - nicaragua/costa rica border and even managed to fall in love with the country despite it all! 

the border was just insane because there didnt seem to be much organization to it. we had to go through like 2 or 3 check points just to get out of costa rica by walking around what looked like a huge truck stop.  then people kept pointing us in what seemed like a random direction to get to the entrance of nicaragua where there were people trying to SELL the immigration papers to the weary gringos.  they told us there was no system in nicaragua so the only way to get the papers was from them and we said if your country is stupid enough not to have a legal way to get in, we will enter illegally!  but of course, there were FREE immigration papers so there is SOME system - good or bad is still up for debate. we seemed to pay a lot of sucker fees that probably amounted to about $14 but its the principal of feeling suckered that really mattered.  oh well, after the border we had to find a bus that they told us was ´´afuera´´ (outside) but no real directions there either...gee thanks for the great welcoming! haha

eventually we made it to ometepe, the island in the middle of lake nicaragua with 2 volcanoes.  i remember flying over on my way to costa rica the first time and señor brand told me you could visit so i had to!  it was a really fun place that had a lot more to do than expected because it was larger than expected! you could hike the two volcanoes and do all sorts of tours but we didnt allot enough time for all that so we tried to explore on our own.  the exploring was a bit slow because of the bus system on the island.  although people have lived there for years they were just now paving the road around it. when i say paving i know what you are thinking but we are talking laying bricks, by hand on muddy roads...not the most efficient especially when riding in old run down buses!  we tried to walk to the ´´close´´ places but i realized no one wore a watch so their 10 minutes was truly like 30! oh well, we learned to just go with it.  one day after lunch we were waiting for the bus and these guys who were delivering milk and yogurt to the whole island offered us a ride.  knowing hitchhiking is normal and the bus wasnt really coming for a while we took it! i know what you´re thinking dad, but it was fine!  we really enjoyed the island but only spent 2 nights so no time for a long hike!

we made our way to granada via more random school buses but it kept things interesting and made the 3 hour trip seem short so who needs true organization!?  granada is SO CUTE!  it is a colonial town with old buildings and people still using horse carriages to get around as their main transportation (well we saw that on the island too but it seems to clash more in the city than it did on the island).  there are of course cars and motorcylces, taxis and buses here too but the horses get me every time!  the people here are spunkier than panama and costa rica. i feel like the other two are so much more used to tourists it doesnt phase them as much, but here, people notice!  we have mostly just wandered the city a bunch and found little cafes here or street food there - again, parents, nothing to worry about we are both still healthy and it was more in the budget!  we even found time for a $3.50 pedicure....living the life i tell you what!  we went out dancing with our toes newly painted the other night with a lady from our hostel.  when i say lady, i mean lady! haha she has a daughter my age and she was partying harder than most of my friends, but hey, to each his/her own.  we had a good time and thats all that matters. 

oh! about the title.  last night we went to dinner at a mexican restaurant and there was a mariachi band that came by and played for tips - completely normal and acceptable.  THIS MORNING - i mean right at 5 am ON THE DOT - there was a mariachi band that came in to sing about 5 FREAKING SONGS for someone´s birthday! taylor didnt wake up right away which surprised me but she told when she did wake up that she thought she was dreaming!...oh goodness. i was a little grouchy at the time but looking back now, it was funny.

we are off to matagalpa, nicaragua today. a small town north of here in the mountains (supposed to be ´´cold´´ but i dont believe them!) for a coffee tour.  we will be trying to make our way to el salvador wednesday.  i believe we will be spending 1 night in el salvador then off to honduras so there is a lot of travel in the future for us.  keep us in your prayers!  God has been so good to us this far and i pray for that to continue.  praise Jesus for directing those hurricanes away but i will be praying for NC!

let me know whats going on in your life!
adios,
jen

west side

so i think i mentioned that we weren´t going to make it to the west side of costa rica but after realizing that our former travel plans would take us extra time in the bus we have found ourselves in playa del coco, costa rica.  we are probably going to be here for the next day or two and then head north to nicaragua.  we are hoping nicaragua is a little cheaper than costa rica because really, we haven´t found it to be much cheaper than the states - which seems bizarre being in latin america but somehow it´s true.

the last two nights were spent in a small town called tortuguero where we got to see sea turtles come up from the ocean and lay their eggs. there were a ton of turtles as we were out there for about 30 minutes or so.  it was a guided tour but our guide, once again, was a little abrassive and intimidating but nonetheless knew what he was talking about.  overall it was a good experience because we had made friends with people on the bus/boat ride to the town so we all had a good laugh afterwards. 

the next morning we went on a canoe ride where we got to see 3 types of monkeys - pretty close - some caiman, a sloth, and a lot of birds.  it was bright and early - started at 6 am so we went to breakfast with our new friends and then took a good nap.  there wasnt much to do during the day but we just took it as a chance to relax and go for a nice walk to see more wild life.  really all we saw was a ton of spiders and some lizards but still a good walk. 

today we spent about 10 hours on a boat, 2 taxis and 4 buses so we are grateful for a day or two at the beach.  by about wednesday we plan to be in nicaragua looking for our next adventure.

hope all is well back home! feel free to update me on your life too!

pura vida.
jen

5th best river for rafting in the world

im not sure if i mentioned it or not but last night when we got to this small town of turrialba, costa rica it was pouring down rain.  im not talking brisk summer shower, i mean buckets of water falling what seemed like constantly so that only filled the "5th best river in the world" even more. 

*side note* we went looking for something to eat last night after a long day of buses and we found a place called 24 horas pizza BUT THEY DIDNT SELL PIZZA...we were a bit confused and slightly bummed but ate a sandwich anyway...i guess it´s the same?

so back to the overflowing river.  today we went rafting through a company that our hotel hooked us up with.  we somehow got $10 off the original price and im still not sure how but i wont argue if you want to save me money!  the guy came to our hotel and gave a short presentation with pictures and everything - how conveinent - so how could we resist?

the morning started kinda early, about 7:45 to get up and get ready. the guides came to get us around 8:45 and we were off.  it was about 45 mins in a van to get from town to the river and of course we had our crash course in how to raft but really, the guide didnt give us much practice and was a little more serious than seemed necessary so he got a little frustrated at the beginning - eventually we learned and he relaxed so it turned out grand!  we were accompanied by 3 spaniards who are also staying in our hotel - imagine that - so the whole day was filled with spanish (and i loved it). taylor and i were having trouble speaking in just english once we got back - from being too tired and only spanish, it messes with you!  the river was CRAZY! they said it was at least a meter deeper than it had been yesterday due to the rain so the rapids and waves were even bigger.  our super intense guide was from chile (he came here for work and will return to patagonia soon to guide more rafting there - like i said, super intense). it turned out to be good though because we took things more seriously and all survived! haha i cant even beging to explain these rapids.  to say the least, the entire boat - 2 guides, 3 spaniards and 2 chicas (us) - flipped out of the boat at the same time. how it happened and how we all got back in is still fuzzy to me but like i said, we lived!  they said the rapids were class 3 and 4 but they were constant.  i mean i have been rafting in other places and it seems like there is about 5 big rapids and the rest in fairly easy this was more like 5 easy spots and the rest was pretty intense.  but in the end we all loved it.

pura vida.

tomorrow we travel to another beach town on the carribean coast called tortuguero. from the name you might gather that there are turtles but if you didnt, there are turtles there.  i dont think we´ll see the pacific side of costa rica this trip but we already saw it in panama and will be seeing it again in nicaragua so im not too worried. 

i´ll keep you posted.
jen

¿why are you traveling during rainy season?

as we crossed the panama/costa rican border, a swiss guy asked us that because it was pouring down rain as it has been more often than not.  we didnt really have a reason for traveling in the rainy season, it just worked out this way so we´ll go with it and get soaked along the way. 

since the last update we have put some miles behind us and even a whole country.  we had a great time in boquete, panama scootering around for the day and even found the waterfall.  it was a nice place to be but unless we wanted to hike to a volcano in the middle of the night (which we didnt) there wasn´t much else there for us so we made our way to the border.  we took a school bus (local transportation in panama to use american school buses) to a town called david, about an hour away then  found the smallest bus possible to the border - changuinola.  this bus probably fit about 25 people comfortably but why not fulfill a stereotype by filling it with about twice that amount along the way?  once we made it to town we had to get a taxi to the border which we ended up sharing with some european guys - no worries for those who`ve seen Taken, they were gringos too!  the border was a funny place because we had to pay for a sticker to cross this bridge - in the rain, walking and then we had to have proof of onward travel - which i didnt - so i had to buy a bus ticket back to panama that will be good for a year even though we all know i won´t use it - really they just wanted my moneys!

crossed the border $12 poorer and on we go.  we caught a bus to a beach town about 2 hours north of the border called talamanca de puerto viejo (o algo asi) only to realize we had just stepped into jamaica!  there was more bob marley than che guavera if that tells you anything.  the hostel we found from the book and the first we saw off the bus turned out to fit the town - a ton of rastas, fixing each others dreads and rolling joints.  im not really sure if any of them ever left the hostel because they were ALWAYS there...oh well it was a cute place and a good price so we stayed two nights.  our full day at the beach (on the carribean coast) was spent on bicycles riding from one beach town to the next, stopping wherever we pleased.  it was cool because one of the beaches is well known for its surf - called salsa brava - so we watched the surfers for a little while.  it was all around a good day.  it ended pretty early because we had ridden 26 km on bikes and just wanted to rest.

today we made our way to turrialba, costa rica - about 6 hours in buses - so that we can go rafting tomorrow! i kinda like the day of travel because we can kinda rest but i kinda hate to waste a day and spend the whole day in the bus....it is all a part of the travel so i will take the good with the bad and enjoy my time here!

ill try to keep you posted!
jen

ps we somehow gained an hour by crossing the border. i bought a bus ticket and thought it was wrong but turned out i was wrong because i didnt realize i had changed time zones!  we are now 2 hours behind NC, just so you know.

middle school band practice

we made it to a small mountain town in panama called boquete bright - nope it was still dark - and early in the morning.  we took a night bus last night that was actually pretty cool because it was a double decker bus and we sat in the front seat. it was as if we had shotgun on the top floor so we had extra foot room and no one bumped us getting on and off so it was pretty nice.  sleeping on buses used to not be such a problem for me but for some reason i was struggling last night so today once we finally found a hostel in town we slept from 9 am to 3 pm.  it was awesome.  it was great to have a day of rest not to mention it was raining pretty hard when we woke up and gave us an excuse to stay in bed.  eventually we wandered around town and got some food - dinner of chicken, rice and beans plus an apple juice for 2.60, and tasty too! really from there we just came back and hung out but all around a good day.

the title comes from what seems to be in every town the trumpets and drums are played out of rhythm and seriously loud for HOURS! it seems like we´re in the middle of band practice and it is awful.  eventually tonight there was rhythm to it but really, still just loud and annoying.  it seriously lasted for at least 4 hours today and i dont know what the occasion was.

tomorrow the exploration of boquete starts! we are going to be scooting around town to see waterfalls and possibly the hot springs.  the only problem with the hot springs is that we got a little too much sun on the island yesterday so the hot springs may not feel so good.  plus we have other opportunities to go to hot springs that it wont matter if we miss out on this one or not.

i´ll try to keep you posted!
jen

panama city day 2

we made it to the canal via a ferry to a small island where we soaked up the sun.  the water was a little gross and i couldn't see the bottom (like a lake but it's the ocean) so i got in once because i was melting and then just let myself melt from there.  we never made it to see the actual locks of the canal but we saw some HUGE ships going through it including (what i think was) a US military ship...also huge.  it was a good day of just hanging out and enjoying our time here but i have to say, i never thought there could be a place more hot and humid than raleigh, nc and i have found it.

we are traveling to the mountains tomorrow where we've heard it's "frio" but i don't believe it.  i feel like, no offense of course, that some if not most latinos are whimps when it comes to the cold so im excited.  raleigh has been freakin hot and so has panama, a little frio in my life will do me good!!

side note: i bought an ipod shuffle today for $22.  they told me straight up it's an imitation so i have low expectations but hey $22, i'll live if it dies. the best part about it is that it came with 2 songs - "hit me baby one more time" britney spears and "barbie girl"...who sings that? i don't even know but hilarious.  im not sure exactly how i will get more music on it but i can guarantee i will know those by the time i return (if i don't throw it out the window first).

i'll try to keep you posted!
jen

panama city!

hola de la ciudad de panama, panama,

we made it. yesterday was a day of travel and rest and today has been a day of outdoor adventures (mas o menos).  we started the day wandering the city a little. this city is a lot like miami which is crazy.  there are HUGE - like taller than i have ever seen anywhere else - skyscrapers that are mostly apartments for the rich and then there's the part of the city we are staying in that is a little more local and what to be expected in central america.  our hostel is nice and fairly cheap and the people here are pretty cool too. we met an italian who lost his job so decided to travel south and central america instead.  he is going all the way to mexico too so we might meet up with him again later. 

random event - we stopped at a bench overlooking the ocean after walking around a lot and there was some kind of band practice (like marching band kinda music) and they started playing the star spangle banner...i thought we were in panama, why do they play/know our anthem? 

thanks for your prayers along the way!
i'll try to keep you posted!
jen

tomorrow - the canal. you can't stay in panama city and NOT go to the canal so we're gonna take a ferry to this island where you seen the whole canal and hang out on the beach - perfection. plus it's the cheapest way to see it! even better!

here goes nothing

it seems like it has been a crazy road to get to this trip but it is finally here.  i will now only be meeting taylor in panama as lauren (and taylor) got into an accident in colombia and lauren's foot is now broken in two places and in a cast.  she is returning to the states thursday, the same day i am leaving for panama!  pray for her healthy recovery and high spirits.  she is a girl of great spirits and we know God's plans are bigger than our own but she will be greatly missed on this adventure. 

i will be sure to take tons of pictures but i probably won't post them until i get back in october. i hope you enjoy following our adventures and feel free to send up a few prayers for our travels!

cuidate.
jen

new adventure on the horizon

my next adventure is fast approaching!

2 friends from study abroad - lauren and taylor - and i will be trekking through central america together! i join the trip in panama city, panama on august 12th and continue through to california by the first week of october.  i'm getting a little anxious about traveling through mexico these days but we are praying for God's guidance through our whole trip, especially through mexico, and wisdom in how to discern his path for us.  if you wouldn't mind joining us in that prayer we would greatly appreciate it!

so i have about 2 weeks to pack up everything here in raleigh and get ready for the big adventure!  i will do my best throughout the trip to keep you updated on here and promise to take hundreds, if not thousands, of pictures while i'm gone to share! 

vaya con dios.

GRADUATION!!!!!

so i've been trying to figure out how i'm supposed to feel on this day of graduation...

a part of me thinks i am somehow supposed to be considered an accomplished adult--i'll take the first part, accomplished.  sure i studied the spanish language for 4 years now and (supposedly) am equipped to mold young minds (k-12) and help them advance in their language skills.  i know people say i'll always know more than the students but what about that one kid who transfers in from some ridiculous spanish program and could probably speak better than me? not to mention the natives or heritage learners who definitely speak better than me (but are taking the class for an easy A)...i mean there's always something right? but hey, i'll still take accomplished - i've done some sweet stuff these past few years.

the part i have trouble with is the A-D-U-L-T part.  that will take time. 

¡dreams do come true!

this week i decided to quit waiting and just start doing.

one of my favorite things at the mall are those soft pretzels. i'm pretty sure every time i go to a mall and walk by auntie ann's or what have you, i get tempted to buy a pretzel EVEN WHEN I'M NOT HUNGRY! so this week after my experiments with different breads lately i wanted to make my own soft pretzels.  it turned out to be more of a challenge than one may expect from such a delicious treat.  first you knead the dough like bread (one of my favorite parts of bread making) and then you let it rise. now comes the tricky part - you have to bring water and baking soda to a boil and the drop each pretzel in individually and boil for just the right amount of time so they don't get too chewy or soggy.  somehow this helps to brown the pretzel. then you salt and bake them for about 15 minutes.  ours were all different sizes and boiled at different times so it came out funky not to mention the shrivelness that occurred but we did get a few that tasted pretty delicious.  i have challenged myself to try again to perfect what i know realize is an art form! next time you walk by that pretzel stand you should probably applaud them for such perfection nearly every time and ask them their secret because i need to know!

here's the recipe i used: recipe

next dream that came true was taking a pottery class. it is technically my second because when i was like 4 me and my siblings took a wheel class and somehow mine all came out to be the best, proud moment as the youngest in the family! so i'm just hoping my natural talent comes back!  i definitely enjoyed playing in what turned out to be mud and a shout out to asheville - we are using clay from asheville (whatever that means) so it brings me closer to home.   

i just love making things with my hands that bread/pretzels and clay bring me great joy lately. 

next baking extravaganza possibly sunflower wheat bread or garlic knots. i'll keep you posted. 

next dream to come true would be winning the frommer's photo contest to support these dreams! *fingers crossed*

things i've realized about me

i don't even know if anyone reads this anymore but i figure, if i have a blog i might as well write on it even when i'm not gallivanting through the foreign world.

it seems that recently i have learned, or better yet, realized a lot of fun things about myself that make me me.

the main thing i have learned is that i LOVE cooking/baking/being in the kitchen. i wouldn't say my culinary skills are much to brag about at this point but somehow being in the kitchen, listening to good music and making something for people that i love brings me a great joy. this weekend i experimented with a dinner rolls recipe that i found online and it turned out to be DELICIOUS! even better, i got to make them with my good friend which only made the experience all the better.

here's the link if you are looking for a rolls recipe: recipe

i have to say though, somehow mine didn't come out as fluffy or shiny like those in the pictures so maybe sifting the flour is more important that i thought. plus the "pastry cloth" that i have no clue about might make a difference...

also, one thing i've finally admitted to myself is that i LOVE watching tv. i'm trying to give it up for Lent to have more time to be productive but i keep making excuses which shows my need for Jesus because i fall short in everything without Him. that brings me to my next learning point, i am learning more about who i am in Him and that rocks. i am hoping and praying about what the future brings because may 16th is turning into a great post-graduation/dreadful day.

one more thing i'm admitting more than i am learning is that i LOVE to sleep in. it's just a fact. no matter what time i go to bed, be it midnight or 2 am i still want to and probably could sleep until at least 11 if not noon. i used to be embarrassed by this fact but now i just embrace it. plus i am a night owl so sleeping in just comes with the territory. might as well enjoy it for the time being because i know that being a teacher (in the distant future) i will have to get up before the sun so i might as well sleep while i can.