Last Venezuela Post

Well looks like I am out of here in less than two days. Papers are done and over, and looks like I am here to wait out my time, so I might as well reflect on my time here in Venezuela. Needless to say, this trip has been easily the most life changing thing i have ever done. From my own experience and from others experiences, all programs are the same way. Where else can you be thrown on your own and survive all on your own. I came into this trip not knowing anyone here and have come out with some amazing friendships. I have learned to be open to all people, throw away the stereotypes because they are just not worth it. Even if some people might get a little under your skin, its not worth getting into it or throwing them out to the curb. Also i have learned to use the time you have to your advantage. You may think you have so much time somewhere but it can go so fast, so take advantage to every minute you are given. Also, just because you afraid or unsure of something, as the famous nike logo says, just do it. There have countless things here where i have gone into them(canyoning, ziplining, moutain trek, or simply trying out a new bar) where i was aprehensive about, but turned out to be some of the greatest decisions i have made.
Another thing is to keep your integrity in tact. Mine has been tested here countless times and its the decisions you make in those types of situations where your integrity is truly measured. Stand up and take a stand if something is not right. One of the most important lessons i have learned is to not care if something is not right on plan. The Venezuelan method here is to usually never go with the plan. At first i couldnt take this. I am used to my ridiculously structured life in the states, and if something doesnt go to plan, i would get a little upset. After time here though, i learned that sometimes the best times where just winging somthing or just being spontaneous and figuring out something to do. Also, i mentioned this in an earlier post but, just dance. Who cares if you are bad or look like an idiot. Have fun and let loose.
Well, thats it from this country. But there will be more to come. The travel bug has made its way into me. I have already grow to love South America and will be back. But anyways, for the next three weeks I am headed to Ecuador and Peru. Will try to blog there if i can.

Canyoning Fun

Well this past weekend I went on a really cool adventure called canyoning. Its this special extreme kind of sport that can only occur in certain places of the world. We trekked up in the mountains and reached this river. From there we geared up in full wetsuits and helmets and traversed down this river. From there we reached spots where we had to jump in the water from cliffs and also a couple of spots where we slid down rocks and waterfalls to reach the next point in the river. Thankfully this trip came after about 2 straight weeks of rain, so that the river was really flowing well and fast. The coolest part about my canyoning trip was the big waterfalls. There were three waterfalls in total we made our way down. The first was probably around 60 feet tall in which you repelled down. The second was probably around 80 feet and that one consisted of fast roping down it. You pretty much had to move your hands as fast as you could to get down without being completely smothered in the gushing water. Needless to say my ropes got caught but made it to the side while they adjusted. The last one was the highlight of the trip. A 120 foot waterfall in which you had to repel down. You go over the edge having no idea what lies below but you just have to do it. It was so amazing and terrifying at the same time. Adrenaline just pumping. Honestly one of the coolest things i have done here so far. Unfortunately going through all of this water makes it a little hard to take pictures, but here is a picture from the waterfall in merida of someone else repelling down the giant waterfall.

Anyways, after the trip we headed back to merida and were treated pizza and pop. Really great day.
Classes are winding down here. In both of my classes all i have left is the final paper. Shouldnt be all that tough but i still need to put in a lot of work in order to pull off the grades. Sad to believe I have 9 days left here.

Los Llanos and beyond! pt. 2

So we get back to Merida and go out to this really nice restaurant. We each had fish which was really great. For an excellent meal and beer it was less than 9 dollars! The next few days I showed my parents around the city so that they could get an idea of what my life is like here. We went to my favorite places to eat and hang out, and spent alot of time in the plazas. The plazas here are great, surrounded by vendors and a great place to people watch. Our posada just happened to be really close to the two main plazas in the city. The days went on as we caught up and ate alot! My parents had a venezuelan burger (complete with ham and chips and absolutely huge) and ate at the famous guiness book of world records ice cream shop (that being for having the most ice cream flavors in the world). Something very cool was that on Thursday and Friday we attended the passion of christ play right in my neighborhood. I later found out that these are popular for holy week but the one we attended is the most popular in the country. That is for good reason because the plaza was packed with people and the production quality of the play was excellent. Great costumes and actors! On friday my parents got to meet my host mom here and see what shes like. That was fun even though the language barrier makes everything a little more difficult.
I really got to practice my spanish while they were here. Being a constant translator can really improve your Spanish! My parents headed out Sunday afternoon. We went to the airport to find that their flight was canceled. They couldnt help them out because my parents had to catch a flight in caracas at 8 in the morning. So...I had to work quick and arrange a 10 hour cab ride to caracas. Not a very easy thing to do especially late at night. But, they made it there fine and all was good. I really enjoyed having my parents here. It was great to catch up and for them to see how i live here.
Anyways, I have only 3 weeks left in Venezuela. Really sad stuff. I am gonna miss it here so much but do look forward to being back in the US of A again. Next weekend we have a four days weekend so i might go to the beach or take some kind of trip. Oh yes, and the rainy season has oficially started here. It rains like 3 hours a day now.
Well thats all i have for now.

Los Llanos and beyond! pt. 1

Well my parents came for a nice long week visit over easter break. Soo i took a taxi down to the airport to meet them in the airport about an hour and a half away. The plane of course was 2 hours late. Welcome to Venezuela Mom and Dad, haha. We took a taxi back to Merida, and arrived at our posada. It was called Posada la montana. Really nice place with plants all around and with a beautiful courtyard and balcony. From there we walked around the city and got some dinner down the block. Typical meal of rice, beef, and tostones(fried plantains). From there we headed back early because we had to wake up early the next morning.
The next day we headed to a place in Venezuela called Los Llanos (in spanish means the plains). We headed out of the mountains on a 10 hour drive to the camp. The transition between the mountains and los llanos was amazing. As soon as we left the mountains, the land was completely flat all around and not many trees. As we got farther into the countryside, the vegetation became more and more sparse and it seemed like you could see forever in all directions. It was very pretty and almost looked like the Savannah in Africa. Los llanos is known for their cattle industry, so we saw many cattle farms with thousands of cows there. On the way to camp, our guide spotted an anaconda, and got to hold it and learn all about them. We then got to camp which was really nice. Showers and good food, but really hot! During the day, it was probably 95 degrees out! I got to sleep in a hammock every night which was surprisingly comfortable. Mom and Dad had some troubles sleeping with the heat because of the extreme climate change from the cold of Wisconsin.
I dont exactly remember the order of the events of days so I will just give events. One day we headed out on horses and spotted a giant anteater. Very cool looking animal and we were quite lucky to have spotted it. Really fun to ride around on horses on over 500 acres of land! Another day we headed out on a canoe ride. Really amazing to see caiman (similar to alligators) all around us (sometimes a little too close!). Caiman are all over los llanos which is so cool because obviously in Wisconsin we dont have anything like them. Another day we toured around in a jeep and I got to sit on top of the jeep which was really cool! We saw foxes, deer, and some really cool burrowing owls. My favorite part of the trip was the long boat tour. We headed out on this river(which are actually hard to come by because it is the dry season. Everything was so dry but made it easier for us to get around) and saw over 40 species of tropical birds, freshwater dolphins, caiman, iguanas, and a really cool sidenecked turtle. Our tour guide was sitting in the front of the boat and all of a sudden he just jumped into the river. He came out with this huge prehistoric looking turtle! Also he caught a pirana and stuck it on a stick. He then tossed the fish in the water and a huge hawk came down and snatched it as soon as it hit the water! We also saw this owl that blended in so well with a tree that you could barely even see it! Photos will be up soon!
Anyways, los llanos was great. We went to this huge party that only happens once every three months with a famous Venezuelan singer (he just happened to stop by our camp). He really liked my dad and came to the party and bought beers for everyone. The party was fun. Typical Venezuelan drinking and dancing, but was different because there is a specific type of music that comes from los llanos called jorropo. It includes a hard, maracas, bass, and a four stringed guitar. They sing about the hard life on the farms and tending cattle and such. We left los llanos after our 4 day 3 night tour exhausted and headed back to Merida on another 10 hour jeep ride.