Mount Herb

Some of you might not know, but I'm not in the States right now. I'm in Bolivia. This is actually my second time visiting the county.

You see, I went to college with this fantastic person who decided to move to Bolivia to teach third graders. She arrived here over four years ago, and in 2009 I came down to visit her. We did an exciting trip around Argentina, Chile, and finally some things in Bolivia. When we got back to Bolivia, I got pretty sick so it severely limited what I could do the week I was here. Still, we managed to see Tiahuanaco (which was pretty sweet) and a little bit of La Paz. 

Flash forward to 2012 and another one of my lovely friends decides to move to Santa Cruz for a year and teach. Of all the places I would think my friends might decide to move, I would not have guessed Bolivia. But anyway, I thought to myself, "Self, I should visit Bolivia again." So here I am!

I'm currently in La Paz, which is always an adventure. It is Carnival season, which means school-aged people are often caught throwing water balloons at those walking down the street. And although I got hit with one last time I was here, I've managed to avoid it so far this time around. Of course, I intentionally haven't been out much during the times when the kids are out of school.

We also left the city over the weekend to spend some time in the jungle, which was super relaxing and fun. The drive to Coroico is simply amazing. Stunning. Spectacular. Breath-taking - you name it. The Andes Mountains are decently sized in these part, and wow! Pictures do not do them justice, but just in case...

The weird spots on the picture are because it was taken out of the window of the "Beast", an ancient Landcruiser. There was a lot clouds and mist action around the mountains, so naturally I had the song from the Hobbit stuck in my head the entire time.

Part of the trip we were driving through clouds. At one point the road went right along the mountain ridge and it just dropped off on either side. 

While we were there we ate some wonderful food (I ate llama with a fruit sauce and it was delicious), and we went ziplining! It was three platforms that stretched over a beautiful valley. So fun. We got back yesterday afternoon and just chilled for a while, then ate the most amazing French toast concoction. I'm going to try to make it when I get home, and I might just need to have a French toast party.

Today I went into the city to do a bit of grocery shopping. I may have mentioned before my fear of public transportation. Well, I still suffer from that, so I was super nervous, especially since my Spanish is sub par. I took a taxi to sort of where I needed to go (I think some things got lost in my butchering the language). Burger King was my reference point, so I walked up and down the street a couple times, until I gave up and decided I needed to decide which way I thought was the street I needed (yay for poorly marked streets). I found it! Finally. 

I was on a quest for Basil, brazil nuts, and milk. Milk - leche in Spanish. Totally got that. I was warned that Brazil nuts were called something closer to Almond-something-or-another. Got that. Basil? The other day they had shown me what the basil looked like and where it was. Four days later it was NOT in the same spot. And it is NOT called Basil here. No, it's called albahaca. This, I did not know. And since I don't ever cook anything that requires fresh herbs, I don't know what it looks like. Everything else I saw looked like lettuce, so I grabbed the closest thing I could find. Then I sucked it up and took a bus back to the house. 

Yeah...I'm pretty sure I just got a bunch of parsley. 

Two thousand twelve is done; bring it, thirteen!

I realize that it has been 2013 for three weeks now, but sometimes it is hard to get motivated to write anything. However, there is much to be thankful for because it was a really good year. Sure, it started a little slow, but by the end there was no denying that it was a year to remember.

I went to six weddings this year, one being my brother's. It's always fun to celebrate things like love and such. 

I read a ton this year, including some classics that have been sitting on my shelf waiting for me to read them (like the Complete Sherlock Holmes, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Man in the Iron Mask, and Robinson Crusoe). There is something very satisfying about reading a giant and/or challenging book that was written many many years ago. Sometimes I'm convinced I was born in the wrong era, but then I turn on my iPhone and am not so sure.

Speaking of different eras, I've been SLOWLY typing up letters from my great great grandmother's brother, my great grandfather, and my great grandmother. I love being able to peak into their world - a world of flowing script, socials, visiting friends for extended periods of time, and taking the wagon into town, etc. And my great grandmother addresses her husband as "dear boy" in all her letters, which I think is just adorable.

My sister and her little family were able to come to NJ for my bro's wedding and for Christmas. And they are moving back here, so that's exciting! 

Another big thing that happened this year that you MIGHT be aware of is traveling. It's always been a dream to see a good chunk of the world and I have. There is so much more to see, but it's been incredible so far. It's something that I'll remember forever, and those kinds of things just don't happen everyday. 

I'm continually thankful that I've had the courage to step out of my comfort zone and enjoy amazing experiences. And I'm thankful that God has protected me throughout the journeys and shown Himself to be so patient, kind, and faithful. Cheers to 2012!