Ok so it has rained a little EVERY DAY since I have been here...and Sergio's mom and him hate it...but let me tell you, I am in love with the rain. It is so nice to be somewhere it actually rains. I hope to bring some back with me....
Yesterday Sergio was supposed to have a baseball game, but it ended up getting rained out. So we went over to his Grandma's for a while. I love her. She reminds me so much of my Grandma Linda....it makes me really want to visit my Grandparents. Anyway, she speaks VERY little English, but last night she told me that I was like her son and she wanted me to stay in Venezuela. I felt so loved. She found out too that I was actually leaving this Sunday, I guess she forgot, and got really sad and said the time went by too fast and she wanted me to stay longer. She made me promise I would come back and visit, haha.
Last night Sergio's mom made Omelets. They were really good, and while we were eating she cleaned something on my glass and I said she was "such a mom" and she said something that was HILARIOUS, that I cannot repeat here....you will have to ask me in person, but it almost made all of wet our pants in laughter.
We watched "Angels and Demons" last night too....it was REALLY good. I was in shock. It freaked Sergio out, not sure why. He reminds me of Amanda in suspensful movies.
I also bought 6 movies yesterday...I got "Up", "The Proposal", "Push", "Gran Turino", "Changeling", and "17 Again"...I know, you're jealous since most of those technically aren't even out on DVD yet, but yeah I'm excited to have them. That's actually how the sell movies here surprisingly.
Today we've just been chilling and watching TV and playing Wii. Sergio is supposed to have a baseball game again tonight, but I think it's going to get rained out again. We shall see.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Te con Te
So last night we went to this new restaurant in town called "Te con Te". It was a fancy restaurant that served fast food type food. It was a really cool "American" feeling atmosphere and the food was REALLY good. Sergio's mom tried to tell this joke at dinner and it was so dumb it was funny. haha.
Today Sergio has a baseball game with his University team that randomly plays. According to him the games here are very different so it'll be interesting for me to get to watch a Venezuelan baseball game.
We also watched "Butterfly on a Wheel" last night. It had Pierce Brosnan in it. It was ok. Did you know that they don't actually buy any real movies in this country? Everyone buys all their movies from the back of peoples cars. And they're only $1.50. Crazy.
Today Sergio has a baseball game with his University team that randomly plays. According to him the games here are very different so it'll be interesting for me to get to watch a Venezuelan baseball game.
We also watched "Butterfly on a Wheel" last night. It had Pierce Brosnan in it. It was ok. Did you know that they don't actually buy any real movies in this country? Everyone buys all their movies from the back of peoples cars. And they're only $1.50. Crazy.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Birthday Party and Sambil
So yesterday was another really good. There really hasn't been a "terrible" day on this vacation yet!
We got up about 11:00 and headed over to Sergio's dad's house to celebrate Sergio's half-brother's birthday. He was turning 6. He is the cutest kid! He rode in the car with us and was hilarious. He was rapping along with the radio and showing me all of his dance moves. So funny. He didn't speak English, but when we were eating lunch he wanted to show me some English that his teacher had taught him, so he told me all his colors in English and he said 'hello'. He was hilarious. We had some really really good spaghetti for lunch. I figured out that here in Venezuela what they call bologna is actually ground beef. Interesting.
After lunch Sergio and I headed to the mall. Sergio's dad took us, but on the way he had to drop some other people off to....in another words another latino car ride. We fit 7 people in a four person car. Talk about an experience. haha.
Anyway the mall (Sambil) was HUGE. Like the Galleria. We first went to the movie theatre to see if any of the movies were playing in English and we ended up seeing "State of Play" (with Russell Crowe, Rachael McAdams, and Ben Affleck) it was REALLY good. But here's the thing, at theaters here in Venezuela they sell two kinds of movie tickets....the regular kind (like the US) and then "premium" theatre seats. The premium are like a dollar more, but you get an assigned seat number, and the seats are these really big nice recliners with foot stools and everything. It was SOO nice. Definietly the most comfortable theatre experience I've ever had.
Then we just chilled and walked around the mall. We went into a couple stores but I couldn't find too many things I loved. I ended up getting myself two really cool shirts that say Venezuela on them somewhere. I also ended up getting Sabrina (my "niece") something too. Then we ate some KFC and it was a nice reminder of home. It was REALLY good.
I'm not sure what we're doing today. I think for the first time in like a week, we're just going to relax at home!
We got up about 11:00 and headed over to Sergio's dad's house to celebrate Sergio's half-brother's birthday. He was turning 6. He is the cutest kid! He rode in the car with us and was hilarious. He was rapping along with the radio and showing me all of his dance moves. So funny. He didn't speak English, but when we were eating lunch he wanted to show me some English that his teacher had taught him, so he told me all his colors in English and he said 'hello'. He was hilarious. We had some really really good spaghetti for lunch. I figured out that here in Venezuela what they call bologna is actually ground beef. Interesting.
After lunch Sergio and I headed to the mall. Sergio's dad took us, but on the way he had to drop some other people off to....in another words another latino car ride. We fit 7 people in a four person car. Talk about an experience. haha.
Anyway the mall (Sambil) was HUGE. Like the Galleria. We first went to the movie theatre to see if any of the movies were playing in English and we ended up seeing "State of Play" (with Russell Crowe, Rachael McAdams, and Ben Affleck) it was REALLY good. But here's the thing, at theaters here in Venezuela they sell two kinds of movie tickets....the regular kind (like the US) and then "premium" theatre seats. The premium are like a dollar more, but you get an assigned seat number, and the seats are these really big nice recliners with foot stools and everything. It was SOO nice. Definietly the most comfortable theatre experience I've ever had.
Then we just chilled and walked around the mall. We went into a couple stores but I couldn't find too many things I loved. I ended up getting myself two really cool shirts that say Venezuela on them somewhere. I also ended up getting Sabrina (my "niece") something too. Then we ate some KFC and it was a nice reminder of home. It was REALLY good.
I'm not sure what we're doing today. I think for the first time in like a week, we're just going to relax at home!
Monday, August 3, 2009
New Outlooks
So today was fun. I woke up late, but I have not been sleeping well so it didn't feel that refreshing. After lunch Sergio and I went to his orthodontist because he had to get spacers in. They do things so differently here. They don't make ortho appointments. Weird I know. So we just showed up at the office and sat in line until it was his turn. The waiting room was about 10ft by 2ft, no lie. It was SOO small. We acutally waited outside. And her office wasn't much bigger.
After we got done there we went to tell Tamara goodbye because she was going on vacation for the next week so I wouldn't get to see her again to say goodbye. I was sad because she was my only other English speaking friend, haha, but glad at the same time because now she could text Sergio a little less (they were texting 24/7)!
Then Sergio and I walked around San Cristobal. We checked out this little mall, which was really dumb. Then we had to go find 5 different ATM machines until we found one that would actually take Sergio's debit card. Then we went to this video game store where they burn copies of the wii games you want and sell them for like $1.50 each. I was jealous. You have to unlock your wii to make them work though and I don't want to unlock mine. Plus it's illegal. I like legal stuff.
Sergio's dad then picked us up to take his back to Sergio's place. I got a real Latino experience, haha, because we fit a ton of people into this tiny little car. Priceless.
Sergio's GF was leaving today too to go to France for 2 months so we went to the bus station to tell her goodbye (she was taking a bus to another city to get on a plane). When we got there her best friend was there too. Mariane. She spoke a little English and we talked. I was in love. haha. She was funny. And she told me she was going to come back to Texas with me and that we would have to think of some kind of story to tell my parents about how we were getting married so fast. If only. Oh well.
Tomorrow Sergio and I are going to the huge mall in town. We may go see a movie too, but we have to find out if it's in spanish or just with spanish subtitles. Fun stuff!
After we got done there we went to tell Tamara goodbye because she was going on vacation for the next week so I wouldn't get to see her again to say goodbye. I was sad because she was my only other English speaking friend, haha, but glad at the same time because now she could text Sergio a little less (they were texting 24/7)!
Then Sergio and I walked around San Cristobal. We checked out this little mall, which was really dumb. Then we had to go find 5 different ATM machines until we found one that would actually take Sergio's debit card. Then we went to this video game store where they burn copies of the wii games you want and sell them for like $1.50 each. I was jealous. You have to unlock your wii to make them work though and I don't want to unlock mine. Plus it's illegal. I like legal stuff.
Sergio's dad then picked us up to take his back to Sergio's place. I got a real Latino experience, haha, because we fit a ton of people into this tiny little car. Priceless.
Sergio's GF was leaving today too to go to France for 2 months so we went to the bus station to tell her goodbye (she was taking a bus to another city to get on a plane). When we got there her best friend was there too. Mariane. She spoke a little English and we talked. I was in love. haha. She was funny. And she told me she was going to come back to Texas with me and that we would have to think of some kind of story to tell my parents about how we were getting married so fast. If only. Oh well.
Tomorrow Sergio and I are going to the huge mall in town. We may go see a movie too, but we have to find out if it's in spanish or just with spanish subtitles. Fun stuff!
The Rest of the Weekend
So after I did para-gliding on Saturday, we all went over to Sergio's grandfather's house for dinner. His grandfather owns the apartment complex that he lives in so of course his grandfather has the nicest place. But oh man, I felt like I was in an episode of "MTV Latin Cribs". haha. It was sooo nice. They had a wrap around balcony that went around most of the apartment building. It was amazing.
We ate Arepas again for dinner. I really like them, but man they eat them way too much in this country, haha.
The next day (Sunday), Sergio's mom and Grandma wanted to take me to this little town about 20 min away where it's kind of like the "Bluebonnet Festival" or something. I can't really think of any other way to describe it. There were like 2 million people in a twenty foot space but it's the only place around here where I could actually buy souvenirs that say Venezuela on them. So that's why we went there.
It was so funny being there with all those people, because Sergio kept freaking out when he couldn't see me because he kept thinking I was going to get kidnapped. It was hilarious. I did find some pretty cool souvenirs though.
But man talking to Sergio when everyone else is around is almost impossible. He is like me, he likes to hear what everyone else is talking about in the car, but see I can multi-task. He can't. And when he's been talking in Spanish a while and then he tries to talk in English, sometimes his accent is so heavy I can barely understand him. It's a tad frustrating.
Today I think we're going to the mall and stuff. I'm excited to see the mall and feel a little more "American" finally, haha.
We ate Arepas again for dinner. I really like them, but man they eat them way too much in this country, haha.
The next day (Sunday), Sergio's mom and Grandma wanted to take me to this little town about 20 min away where it's kind of like the "Bluebonnet Festival" or something. I can't really think of any other way to describe it. There were like 2 million people in a twenty foot space but it's the only place around here where I could actually buy souvenirs that say Venezuela on them. So that's why we went there.
It was so funny being there with all those people, because Sergio kept freaking out when he couldn't see me because he kept thinking I was going to get kidnapped. It was hilarious. I did find some pretty cool souvenirs though.
But man talking to Sergio when everyone else is around is almost impossible. He is like me, he likes to hear what everyone else is talking about in the car, but see I can multi-task. He can't. And when he's been talking in Spanish a while and then he tries to talk in English, sometimes his accent is so heavy I can barely understand him. It's a tad frustrating.
Today I think we're going to the mall and stuff. I'm excited to see the mall and feel a little more "American" finally, haha.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Lost in Translation
Ok, so as Americans, when we hear the word zip-line we know that that it is when a professional hooks you to a wire and you slide from somewhere high up to somewhere down low. It's fun, but a little scary. Everyone knows that that is a zip-line, right? Well Venezuelans don't know what a zip-line is. I tried explaining it to Sergio and his mom before I even got here and they had me under the impression that they understood what it was, and had booked me a trip on a zip-line through the forest.
So we headed out today to go on what I thought was a zip-line through the forest. We drove up this mountain for like 20 mintues (about 5 miles) to the very tip top of the mountain. It was soooooo high and by far the most beautiful view on the trip that I have seen so far. As we're driving up to the top of the mountain, Sergio informs me that he is deathly afraid of heights and is no longer doing it with me. So I was bummed.
Anyway, as we're driving up to the top I notice one of the signs and it has a picture that doesn't exactly look like a person on a zip-line. So I ask Sergio to explain to me exactly what we're doing. Well come to find out, once we get to the top of the mountain, we are NOT zip-lining. We are PARA-GLIDING!!!!!!!!! I freaked out.
A zip-line is one thing. You are hooked on to a cord. I felt somewhat safe. When I found out I was going to be flying through the air hooked on to nothing but some leader guy and a parachute I kinda started freaking out. In fact, after we parked the car and walked the rest of the way to the tip top of the mountain I started having panic attacks. I just knew that I was going to die and I had not told any of my family or friends goodbye.
After we got to the tip top, we met the flight instructors and the guy that would be leading my flight. THANK GOD they spoke English. That began to make me feel a lot more comfortable. It also made me feel better when I found out that Sergio's girlfriend would be riding one too, and that she was going first.
So after the hooked me in and everything and explained what I was going to do, I began to calm down a lot. To give you a picture, at this time I had stopped shaking....haha.
They guy explained to me that he's been doing this for 12 years and that he's never had any problems. He stood behind me and hooked me into his stuff and I felt kinda like we were going to be sky-diving. So then I started to get a little excited to be doing this because I have always wanted to sky-dive.
He explained to me that all I had to was run, when he told me, until we ran off the edge of the cliff. Scary thought, I know. And then he said all I had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride.
So the wind pulled the parachute into the air, and we ran straight off the cliff into nothing, and the wind picked us up and we were flying. Let me tell you that that was probably the coolest feeling in the world. I sat back like I was in a recliner and just enjoyed the ride. I have never felt anything so exhilarating and calming. I would do it again in a SECOND! In fact, I'm going to look for places to do it in Texas.
Anyway, so as we were flying I was trying to film a little for Stacey. I wanted to make sure she could feel like she was there too. Even though I was beyond nervous that I was going to drop the camera and have to end up paying for it. (I am posting vids on Facebook)
As we got near the landing the guy (Ronald) told me to just walk to the ground. The landing was SO easy. We seriously just stepped onto the ground from the sky.
After we landed my guide packed all the stuff (parachute, helmets, and backpacks) and we walked to the road where a truck picked us up to take us back up to the top of the mountain.
This in my opinion was probably the scariest part. The truck looked to be 50 years old, rusty, and about to fall apart. Andreina (Sergio's GF) and I got into the truck, and right away I thought the driver was drunk. He tried to drive off THREE times before all the guides were situated in the back. The kept yelling at him to WAIT. So one of the guides came up, pulled him out of the inside of hte truck, and he drove instead.
The drive back up to the top felt like it took forever. But the driver played English music the whole time for me, haha. When we got back up to the top we told Sergio and his mom all about it.
That was probably the coolest thing I've ever done in my ENTIRE life. Sky-diving is sooo next.
So we headed out today to go on what I thought was a zip-line through the forest. We drove up this mountain for like 20 mintues (about 5 miles) to the very tip top of the mountain. It was soooooo high and by far the most beautiful view on the trip that I have seen so far. As we're driving up to the top of the mountain, Sergio informs me that he is deathly afraid of heights and is no longer doing it with me. So I was bummed.
Anyway, as we're driving up to the top I notice one of the signs and it has a picture that doesn't exactly look like a person on a zip-line. So I ask Sergio to explain to me exactly what we're doing. Well come to find out, once we get to the top of the mountain, we are NOT zip-lining. We are PARA-GLIDING!!!!!!!!! I freaked out.
A zip-line is one thing. You are hooked on to a cord. I felt somewhat safe. When I found out I was going to be flying through the air hooked on to nothing but some leader guy and a parachute I kinda started freaking out. In fact, after we parked the car and walked the rest of the way to the tip top of the mountain I started having panic attacks. I just knew that I was going to die and I had not told any of my family or friends goodbye.
After we got to the tip top, we met the flight instructors and the guy that would be leading my flight. THANK GOD they spoke English. That began to make me feel a lot more comfortable. It also made me feel better when I found out that Sergio's girlfriend would be riding one too, and that she was going first.
So after the hooked me in and everything and explained what I was going to do, I began to calm down a lot. To give you a picture, at this time I had stopped shaking....haha.
They guy explained to me that he's been doing this for 12 years and that he's never had any problems. He stood behind me and hooked me into his stuff and I felt kinda like we were going to be sky-diving. So then I started to get a little excited to be doing this because I have always wanted to sky-dive.
He explained to me that all I had to was run, when he told me, until we ran off the edge of the cliff. Scary thought, I know. And then he said all I had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride.
So the wind pulled the parachute into the air, and we ran straight off the cliff into nothing, and the wind picked us up and we were flying. Let me tell you that that was probably the coolest feeling in the world. I sat back like I was in a recliner and just enjoyed the ride. I have never felt anything so exhilarating and calming. I would do it again in a SECOND! In fact, I'm going to look for places to do it in Texas.
Anyway, so as we were flying I was trying to film a little for Stacey. I wanted to make sure she could feel like she was there too. Even though I was beyond nervous that I was going to drop the camera and have to end up paying for it. (I am posting vids on Facebook)
As we got near the landing the guy (Ronald) told me to just walk to the ground. The landing was SO easy. We seriously just stepped onto the ground from the sky.
After we landed my guide packed all the stuff (parachute, helmets, and backpacks) and we walked to the road where a truck picked us up to take us back up to the top of the mountain.
This in my opinion was probably the scariest part. The truck looked to be 50 years old, rusty, and about to fall apart. Andreina (Sergio's GF) and I got into the truck, and right away I thought the driver was drunk. He tried to drive off THREE times before all the guides were situated in the back. The kept yelling at him to WAIT. So one of the guides came up, pulled him out of the inside of hte truck, and he drove instead.
The drive back up to the top felt like it took forever. But the driver played English music the whole time for me, haha. When we got back up to the top we told Sergio and his mom all about it.
That was probably the coolest thing I've ever done in my ENTIRE life. Sky-diving is sooo next.
oh. dear. God.
Ok so I went to the dance/party last night and it was....a trip.
So Sergio and I got ready and left the house at abut 9:20 to go pick up this girl. We all had to wear white shirts because it was a "White" party (fitting right?) We walked outside and got into the car with this guy and girl I didn't know. About 20 minutes into the ride I realize that it's Sergio's dad and step-mom. Good job for him for never telling me that! So we pick up Tamara and head to the party, which is like 20 minutes away. We drove up to this HUGE country club, and I was reminded of Texas right away, haha. There were horses, and and it was very country-fied. So Sergio's dad dropped us all off and we headed into the "fun".
Right away I was nervous because I don't like big crowds. Period. But we went in and right away headed to where all of Tamara's friends where. Sergio knew a couple so right away he felt comfortable, and right away I felt WAY out of place. They introduced me to some people. Already I could tell that most everyone was drunk. And this drunk guy who I met spoke no English but he kept wanting to try to tell me things in English because he was going to live in Canada for a year. He was pretty wasted and pretty entertaining. Then Sergio left me to go dance, and I was freaking out but before he left me he introduced me to a guy who spoke English! YAY!
The guy is getting his degree in English, so he spoke it pretty well. But of course, he was wasted to so what he had to talk about was pretty interesting. That guy (can't remember the name) introduced me to another guy and girl who spoke English as well, so I had people to talk to a little. The other guy I met had just come back from spending a year in New York so he spoke English real well. They kept trying to get me to dance and I told them I DON'T dance. And then the guy was like "come on, it's just like having sex standing up!", and I had to hold back a laugh.
They also told me that they would have never guessed I was American. They all thought I was Venezuelan at first! COOL FOR ME!
Then Sergio came back and we just chilled in the crowd. I got feeling really claustrophobic and pretty much everyone was smoking too....and we all know I can't stand smoke. But anyway, then this girl came up and wanted to talk to Sergio and me, she was drunk too. She just kept telling me how handsome I was....hahahaha.....and she asked if i had a girlfriend, and so on and so on. But then I got really uncomfortable when I found out she was 17!!!! She looked 25!!! So then things just got weird for me, haha.
After sitting in the group for a couple hours, I had to go sit outside the building on the balcony because the smoke was just becoming too much. Two of the guys I met came out for a while to smoke some more and chatted up about New York and their University. Then Sergio came out to chill for a while because he was getting really tired too and he doesn't really like to dance or drink either.
Sergio went back inside to dance one last time, and this waiter guy came up to me on the balcony and asked me something, and I said "No habla Espanol" and he just kept talking to me! He wouldn't stop! I kept telling him "I don't understand" or "I don't know spanish" and he just kept talking. It was hilarious afterwards but i just kept begging God to send Sergio back to translate, but he didn't come! So finally the guy gave up and walked away. FRUSTRATING haha.
As we left we saw a Llama too.....i thought he was going to charge us and attack. but he didn't thank goodness!
We decided to leave the party/dance at 3am and went to get a taxi only to find out there were none. So thank God sergio had a number of a taxi driver who we called to come pick us up. Let me tell you, Taxi drivers in Venezuela = SCAREY. I saw my life flash before my eyes several times.
And that was the end of the fun.
Supposedly today we're going to the zip-line. We'll see if that acutally pans out.
So Sergio and I got ready and left the house at abut 9:20 to go pick up this girl. We all had to wear white shirts because it was a "White" party (fitting right?) We walked outside and got into the car with this guy and girl I didn't know. About 20 minutes into the ride I realize that it's Sergio's dad and step-mom. Good job for him for never telling me that! So we pick up Tamara and head to the party, which is like 20 minutes away. We drove up to this HUGE country club, and I was reminded of Texas right away, haha. There were horses, and and it was very country-fied. So Sergio's dad dropped us all off and we headed into the "fun".
Right away I was nervous because I don't like big crowds. Period. But we went in and right away headed to where all of Tamara's friends where. Sergio knew a couple so right away he felt comfortable, and right away I felt WAY out of place. They introduced me to some people. Already I could tell that most everyone was drunk. And this drunk guy who I met spoke no English but he kept wanting to try to tell me things in English because he was going to live in Canada for a year. He was pretty wasted and pretty entertaining. Then Sergio left me to go dance, and I was freaking out but before he left me he introduced me to a guy who spoke English! YAY!
The guy is getting his degree in English, so he spoke it pretty well. But of course, he was wasted to so what he had to talk about was pretty interesting. That guy (can't remember the name) introduced me to another guy and girl who spoke English as well, so I had people to talk to a little. The other guy I met had just come back from spending a year in New York so he spoke English real well. They kept trying to get me to dance and I told them I DON'T dance. And then the guy was like "come on, it's just like having sex standing up!", and I had to hold back a laugh.
They also told me that they would have never guessed I was American. They all thought I was Venezuelan at first! COOL FOR ME!
Then Sergio came back and we just chilled in the crowd. I got feeling really claustrophobic and pretty much everyone was smoking too....and we all know I can't stand smoke. But anyway, then this girl came up and wanted to talk to Sergio and me, she was drunk too. She just kept telling me how handsome I was....hahahaha.....and she asked if i had a girlfriend, and so on and so on. But then I got really uncomfortable when I found out she was 17!!!! She looked 25!!! So then things just got weird for me, haha.
After sitting in the group for a couple hours, I had to go sit outside the building on the balcony because the smoke was just becoming too much. Two of the guys I met came out for a while to smoke some more and chatted up about New York and their University. Then Sergio came out to chill for a while because he was getting really tired too and he doesn't really like to dance or drink either.
Sergio went back inside to dance one last time, and this waiter guy came up to me on the balcony and asked me something, and I said "No habla Espanol" and he just kept talking to me! He wouldn't stop! I kept telling him "I don't understand" or "I don't know spanish" and he just kept talking. It was hilarious afterwards but i just kept begging God to send Sergio back to translate, but he didn't come! So finally the guy gave up and walked away. FRUSTRATING haha.
As we left we saw a Llama too.....i thought he was going to charge us and attack. but he didn't thank goodness!
We decided to leave the party/dance at 3am and went to get a taxi only to find out there were none. So thank God sergio had a number of a taxi driver who we called to come pick us up. Let me tell you, Taxi drivers in Venezuela = SCAREY. I saw my life flash before my eyes several times.
And that was the end of the fun.
Supposedly today we're going to the zip-line. We'll see if that acutally pans out.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Another day, another story
So today was...interesting.
Today is the last day that Sergio will have to study for any classes so that's really exciting! I spent the day watching the 3rd and final Lord of the Rings movie (LOVED IT), and reading. I'm now reading Robin Parish's trilogy and I'm on book two "Fearless". I love his books too!
Sergio's mom came home early from work with his girlfriend and asked if I wanted to to go shopping with them. Little did I know they would spend most of the next hour shopping for bras. That was something else I've never done before. haha. I was slightly uncomfortable.
We then went to a little supermarket and did some grocery shopping. That was weird too. I really miss all the things the US has to offer. I know that the major thing I've learned from this trip is how thankful I am to live in a country like the USA.
We almost got hit by a bus, again, today. That's the third time this week! Driving here really stresses me out. I could never do it.
I'm starting to get a tad homesick only because I miss my freedom and the ability to speak to many people and go wherever I want whenever I want. I am so grateful for this experience and loving it, but at the same time I still miss a lot of the freedoms that the US has to offer. Oh well!
Tomorrow is the party that we have to go to and I am NOT looking forward to it. Ugh. I do NOT want to go, but Sergio is making me. I am not the "party" type. So tomorrow evening should be a long evening
We go to do the zip-line on Saturday and I am super stoked about that!
Today is the last day that Sergio will have to study for any classes so that's really exciting! I spent the day watching the 3rd and final Lord of the Rings movie (LOVED IT), and reading. I'm now reading Robin Parish's trilogy and I'm on book two "Fearless". I love his books too!
Sergio's mom came home early from work with his girlfriend and asked if I wanted to to go shopping with them. Little did I know they would spend most of the next hour shopping for bras. That was something else I've never done before. haha. I was slightly uncomfortable.
We then went to a little supermarket and did some grocery shopping. That was weird too. I really miss all the things the US has to offer. I know that the major thing I've learned from this trip is how thankful I am to live in a country like the USA.
We almost got hit by a bus, again, today. That's the third time this week! Driving here really stresses me out. I could never do it.
I'm starting to get a tad homesick only because I miss my freedom and the ability to speak to many people and go wherever I want whenever I want. I am so grateful for this experience and loving it, but at the same time I still miss a lot of the freedoms that the US has to offer. Oh well!
Tomorrow is the party that we have to go to and I am NOT looking forward to it. Ugh. I do NOT want to go, but Sergio is making me. I am not the "party" type. So tomorrow evening should be a long evening
We go to do the zip-line on Saturday and I am super stoked about that!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
New Peeps
So I got to meet a friend of Sergio's last night. AND she spoke English. Quite well I might add. All 3 of us went to McDonald's for dinner. Let me just let you know that McDonalds in Venezuela is NOT near as good as McDonalds in the US. And Sergio agrees with me.
But it was great getting to sit and talk with someone who spoke english almost as good as Sergio! Her graduation party is the one that we're going to on Friday. The party that I'm freaking out about because I do NOT dance. I have only danced one time in public, and that was because French was singing and she had me do "ballet" haha, that was quite a sight.
But Tamara (the chick who speaks some English) told me that I didn't have to dance at her party if I didn't want to! haha, so that definitely makes me feel a little better. I already told Sergio I am only going to support him and that I will just sit and chill at a table the whole night becuase it's not like anyone else is going to speak English to me.
Sergio's mom told me that I need to learn more spanish. I told her that I am not good at learning other languages!! She had a foreign exchange student here a couple months ago and I think she thinks that I am going to want to learn spanish as fast as he did. Oh well.
The food here is pretty good, but they have very bland taste buds. Our flavors and spices in the US are MUCH stronger than here. And they don't add much salt to anything! haha. Plus their butter and their milk taste very different than what I am used to. I add a lot of butter to bread and stuff and when I first did that here I thought I was going to throw up! hahahahaha.
They also drink a lot of "homemade" drinks. Like fresh squeezed or mixed drinks. We've had these madarin drinks and today we had this strawberry type smoothie thingy. I keep asking for a glass of water also because I love my water! haha.
Sergio's math final is Friday and he is spending a lot of time studying for it becuase he has to make a really good grade to end up passing the class. So I've been making my way through the Lord of the Rings movies again. I finished the first one yesterday and the second one today. I had forgotten how good and moving those movies are. I LOVE them!
But it was great getting to sit and talk with someone who spoke english almost as good as Sergio! Her graduation party is the one that we're going to on Friday. The party that I'm freaking out about because I do NOT dance. I have only danced one time in public, and that was because French was singing and she had me do "ballet" haha, that was quite a sight.
But Tamara (the chick who speaks some English) told me that I didn't have to dance at her party if I didn't want to! haha, so that definitely makes me feel a little better. I already told Sergio I am only going to support him and that I will just sit and chill at a table the whole night becuase it's not like anyone else is going to speak English to me.
Sergio's mom told me that I need to learn more spanish. I told her that I am not good at learning other languages!! She had a foreign exchange student here a couple months ago and I think she thinks that I am going to want to learn spanish as fast as he did. Oh well.
The food here is pretty good, but they have very bland taste buds. Our flavors and spices in the US are MUCH stronger than here. And they don't add much salt to anything! haha. Plus their butter and their milk taste very different than what I am used to. I add a lot of butter to bread and stuff and when I first did that here I thought I was going to throw up! hahahahaha.
They also drink a lot of "homemade" drinks. Like fresh squeezed or mixed drinks. We've had these madarin drinks and today we had this strawberry type smoothie thingy. I keep asking for a glass of water also because I love my water! haha.
Sergio's math final is Friday and he is spending a lot of time studying for it becuase he has to make a really good grade to end up passing the class. So I've been making my way through the Lord of the Rings movies again. I finished the first one yesterday and the second one today. I had forgotten how good and moving those movies are. I LOVE them!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Relaxation
So, yesterday was very interesting. For the simple fact that all I did was relax and lay around yesterday, haha.
Sergio is in his final week of classes and has his Chemistry final today, so he had to spend the whole day yesterday studying with a group of his classmates. So I technically didn't even get to see/hang out with him until like 7:30pm, and then he went to bed at 10:30, haha.
So I finished my latest Ted Dekker book yesterday. "BoneMan's Daughters" was very good. I think it was Ted's creepiest yet, but I was a little under-whelmed by the quick wrap up at the end. But it was still amazing. That guy can write one heck of a suspense novel.
I also FINALLY beat Sergio in two different sets on Mario Kart. He couldn't believe it, and frankly it was about time, haha.
Yesterday the maid came into my room to ask me to help her with something but i had no idea what she was saying, so I just sat there staring at her while she kept doing these motions and stuff.....and I was like "I don't know what you're saying..." and the she just grabbed my arm and dragged me where she needed help, haha.
Sergio's mom found this picture of sergio when he was 9 and playing baseball and she gave it to me and said she wanted me to have it. hahahaha.
So I found out yesterday too that when we do the zip line through the forest on Saturday, we're gonna have to do it was an instructor (like when you sky dive for the first time). So that kind of sucks, but oh well, I'm just super excited to get to do it period. Sergio said he can't understand why I'm super excited about that but yet I was terrified to ride the boat through the ocean or even think about riding the banana in the ocean. I told him because I feel a lot safer hanging from a wire in the sky, haha.
Sergio is in his final week of classes and has his Chemistry final today, so he had to spend the whole day yesterday studying with a group of his classmates. So I technically didn't even get to see/hang out with him until like 7:30pm, and then he went to bed at 10:30, haha.
So I finished my latest Ted Dekker book yesterday. "BoneMan's Daughters" was very good. I think it was Ted's creepiest yet, but I was a little under-whelmed by the quick wrap up at the end. But it was still amazing. That guy can write one heck of a suspense novel.
I also FINALLY beat Sergio in two different sets on Mario Kart. He couldn't believe it, and frankly it was about time, haha.
Yesterday the maid came into my room to ask me to help her with something but i had no idea what she was saying, so I just sat there staring at her while she kept doing these motions and stuff.....and I was like "I don't know what you're saying..." and the she just grabbed my arm and dragged me where she needed help, haha.
Sergio's mom found this picture of sergio when he was 9 and playing baseball and she gave it to me and said she wanted me to have it. hahahaha.
So I found out yesterday too that when we do the zip line through the forest on Saturday, we're gonna have to do it was an instructor (like when you sky dive for the first time). So that kind of sucks, but oh well, I'm just super excited to get to do it period. Sergio said he can't understand why I'm super excited about that but yet I was terrified to ride the boat through the ocean or even think about riding the banana in the ocean. I told him because I feel a lot safer hanging from a wire in the sky, haha.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Cuatro Latinos, un Gringo, y una cucaracha
Ok so here goes, probably the longest update of my life haha....
So we left on Thursday. We were supposed to leave at about 10:30am. That's when Sergio and his mom were supposed to get back from work/school. Well they didn't get back until 12:30 and then we went to lunch because they people we were riding with were also late. So we actually didn't end up leaving the apartment until about 1:30pm. I was so nervous going into this trip because all I could think about was how long the car ride was going to be, and with no one to speak English with me except Sergio.
Sergio also made me carry a fanny-pack to keep my wallet, cameras, and passport in. He said everyone here carries these (which is kinda true) but I told him that in the US we consider people who carry these "nerdy tourists".
Sergio's girlfriend's mom was the one who drove our whole trip. She was a crazy driver, but surprisingly I felt really safe with her behind the wheel. I can't tell you insane these Venezuelan drivers are. Before I continue there are 3 things you have to understand about Venezuela:
1. There are no traffic laws. Well at least there is literally no one who enforces the traffic laws, so people drive wherever they want, however fast they want, and so on.
2. The roads are in TERRIBLE condition. There are potholes everywhere, and parts of the road even missing in some places. Also, on all the roads that aren't major highways, there are speedbumps about every 5 miles. YES, every 5 miles.
3. Because of the drugs and stuff in this country, there are police check-points about every 30 miles or so where they glance into your car and decide if it needs further inspection or if you can continue on your journey.
So anyway, back to the trip, as we started our trip, Senora Eddy (Sergio's Girlfriend's mom) stopped the car about 5 times to buy things from people either standing in the road selling it, or sitting by the side of the road. We bought some kind of chocolate thingy, a mandarin, and some other little fruit that looked sorta like a tough grape. That's the one they made me try. I was so terrified of eating something right off a person from the street because all I could think about was how I would end up getting sick and ruining my whole weekend. But after MUCH prodding from the people in the car, I tried it. You had to bite the skin off, and then put what was inside in your mouth and just suck on it until you got all the juice off and then you threw what was left out the window. It wasn't that bad but the fear of sickness just ruined it for me! (Even though I never did get sick, haha). About an hour into our trip I got to see the place where Andrina (his girlfriend) and I are going to do the zip-lining through the forest this upcoming weekend! SO EXCITED! Sergio is absolutely terrified and swore he couldn't do it with me. But then last night he told me that since i begged so much, if he actually passes his math final this upcoming friday, then he will do the zip-line with me! YAY!
Anyway, as we continued our trip we were never getting stopped at the checkpoints. Which was good for me because I had this vision of us getting stopped and then I show my passport and they don't believe it's real and they arrest me! Scary, I know. But anyway, at like the 6th checkpoint, we finally got stopped. I wasn't too nervous until he wouldn't give my passport back. He studied it for what felt like 5 minutes and just kept looking at each and every page. After shining the flashlight in my face 3 times I guess he finally decided that my passport was legit, and he let us pass through. Whew!
The other funny thing that happened is that at about the 11th checkpoint we were stopped again, but this time the officer told us that he was hungry, and if we gave him money so he could buy chicken, then he wouldn't need to look at our IDs. Everyone in the car found that so funny (after we left him of course). But it is kind of funny that a officer would ask for money for some chicken! haha. So the whole weekend everytime we saw a police officer we would say to ourselves in the car, "pollo?, pollo?" thinking maybe he needed some chicken too! haha.
In Chichiravichi (the beach) we were staying in kind of this apartment thingy. We arrived there at about 1:30 in the morning. I thought the drive would NEVER end, but thank goodness Sergio talked to me almost the whole way, so it could have been a lot worse. He did make me leave my iPhone and iPod at home though because he claimed they would get stolen.....except that later he told me it was just cause he wouldn't have one and he would feel bad if I could listen to an iPod and he couldn't! GRR!! Let me just tell you, a 12 hour road trip will all Latino music, makes for one LONG road trip. Anyway, when we got to the apartment, we found out the airconditioning was broke. I thought I was going to die. So we went up to the apartment and sure enough it wasn't working, but the good thing was is that it was unbearably hot, and the people claimed they would fix it in the morning, which was good. As we were all sitting in the apartment (which by the way was smaller than my bedroom back in brenham), everyone was fixing beds and stuff and I saw a roach. Yes, a roach. So I whispered to Sergio that I saw one, and he didn't believe me, because then I couldn't see it to show him. So him and I went for a walk to cool-off before bed and we started singing "La Cucaracha, La Cucaracha" and it was hilarious. Then we went back up to the steaming bedroom and all got ready for bed. As we were laying there, sergio and his mom both had matresses on the floor and all of a sudden Sergio's mom saw the roach and started screaming and stuff. It was hilarious! Senora Eddy had to get up and kill the roach for her. Then I opened my big mouth and said "See Sergio, I told you I saw one!" and his mom couldn't believe I didn't tell her there was a roach. So then she was nervous the whole rest of the night.
The first night wasn't too bad sleeping. I thought I would sweat a lot and stuff, but after not getting any sleep until about 3, we all ended up sleeping pretty well in a steamy bedroom with a small fan (We couldn't open the windows because of bugs). So we got up later than expected that next day, and missed our chance to do the Banana thing in the water. Oh well, I say. haha. But we got in the car and drove to the beach. Actually what you have to do here, is drive to a dock where there are about 50 small boats waiting, rent a boat from a guy, and be driven to the island of your choice. So we got in a boat and were off. I was terrified. For those of you that don't know, the ocean really scares me. Mainly thanks to the movie Jaws. And we were in this tiny boat flying through huge waves, I was shaking. And everyone was laughing at me. haha. After about a 25 minute boat road we ended up at the furthest Island we could go to. It was sooooo beautiful. The water was crystal clear and amazingly blue. we got the last umbrella on the beach and laid down to relax a little. Sergio's mom told me I had to put a TON of sun lotion on, so I put a lot of my face and my shoulders....forgetting to do my back....and I'm sure you can guess what happened...I have a very interesting tan line from about 4 inches below my neck down I am BURNED! But anyway. After being at the beach for about 45 minutes Sergio and Andrina noticed that some of their friends were there too! Small world! So I met them and one of them could speak a little english and TRIED to talk to me haha.
We got in the water and just relaxed and enjoyed the day. It was just ok for me, because it was really hard for me to have an amazing time because I had no one to talk to too much. I mean when all six of us (sergio and his friends) went in the water and stuff, the whole conversation was in Spanish so that was a little uncomfortable.
But anyway, after a long nice day we got back in the boat (which i started to feel a little more comfortable with) and headed back to the mainland.
When we got back to the apartment, the manager told us they had fixed our airconditioning, so we were very excited! So instead of going straight up to the room, we went down to the apartment pool where everyone swam again while I read my Ted Dekker book :) . Funny enough, as I am the only freaking white guy on this continent, as I was reading my book, some Latin guy came up to me saw the book and spoke to me in perfect english about that was one of his favorite authors too! He said he was from Texas too and he was a traveling pastor who was spending a few months in Venezuela. How cool is that?!? Anyway, after swimming/reading for about an hour we headed up to our supposedly cool room. When we got there the air was NOT working still, and it was even MORE steaming hot.
So we went out to dinner hoping that maybe it just hadn't been on long enough and it would be cool when we got back. But it wasn't. And let me just tell you. That night sleeping was the worst night of my whole life. I was already even more hot because of my sunburn, and i sweated the whole night, and I had panic attacks most of the night, and I was getting claustrophobic on top of it all! It was bad. Really bad. But the good thing was that everyone else had just as horrible of a night so it wasn't just me!
The next morning we got up and went to a different dock/port so that we could try a different island. This boat ride was a lot shorter and a lot less scary. haha. We got to the island and there ended up being like 5 million people on this island. There were people EVERYWHERE. So as soon as we got there and found a spot under a tree in the shade, the two parents went swimming while us young-uns took a nice nap. After we woke up from our nap, Sergio, Andrina and I went out to relax in the water. There were a lot more people here than the day before at the other island. Andrina is actually allergic to salt water so she cant stay in it very long, so we got back out and chilled on the beach some more, until Andrina fell asleep. Then Sergio and I went back out into the water and relaxed for like an hour. To me, that was the best part of the beach trip. Because I finally just got to hang out with my friend and speak all English, haha. It was just cool to be with my best friend in some foreign country at a beautiful beach, relaxing and stuff. After swimming and napping all day we got back on the boat at about 4 and decided that we could stay at the apartment NO MORE. So we got back, packed our stuff up and headed to the mountains earlier than expected.
We decided we would drive all night until about 1 and find a hotel, rest in air-conditioning, and then drive the rest of the way to the mountains in the morning. And that's just what we did. BUT this was the best part of the ENTIRE trip, and by far the funniest!
During our trip we were looking for a place to eat and spotted a Burger King! One of my favorites!!! So thank God they stopped there so I could have a taste of home. Funny thing is Burger King is also their favorite fast food restaurant too. I knew then that I was meant to be here, since all of my friends in the US hate Burger King. Also, Venezuelans love mixing their ketchup and mayo to dip their fries in! Just like me!! Speaking of which, weird enough, Sergio and I found out that pretty much we're twins. It was kinda scary to find out how much we actually have in common.
At about 1 am we decided to look for a hotel. Now, hotels here in Venezuela are NOTHING like in the United States. They are all gated, and most have only 5 or so rooms. So we drove up to this hotel gate at 1am and honked the car over and over again, but the attendant wasn't there. So Senora Eddy got out of the car opened the gate herself and we drove through. SCARY! We drove up to the main office but all the lights were off and no one was there. But of course Senora Eddy got out of the car again to go check. When she got out dogs started barking and one came out. I told Sergio that it was just like a horror movie and I thought we were all going to die. You need to know too that Sergio is deathly afraid of large dogs and these dogs were a pretty good size, so he already said he wasn't getting out of the car. Well we sat there and honked and honked and honked and flashed out lights and no one was coming out. So we drove around the back, which happened to be a dead end. At this point I'm getting really nervous. And what does Sergio do? Scare me of course, and I seriously almost wet my pants.
Well as were just going to leave a guy came out of the office with a shot-gun. Yes he was carrying a shot-gun. Thank God he didn't kill us. All he said was that they were full so we ended up getting the name of another hotel down the road and leaving. As we left and drove down the road we saw another sign for a place to sleep so we turned in the entry. As we turned in I noticed a sign that said "Motel" and Andrina started yelling in Spanish of course "no, no, turn around, go somewhere else!! (I later found out that in Venezuela, Hotel is a place you sleep, and Motel is a place you go to meet hookers). So that was hilarious!
We drove another two blocks and pulled into what looked like a home driveway. But they claimed it was a hotel. So of course what do we do? We honked and honked at the gate until an old grandma came out. She told us she had a few rooms and let us in to stay. As soon as we get out of the car Sergio notices huge dogs again and freaks out. I told him it was Karma for scaring me earlier. The funniest thing is the dogs ended up begin right outside of our room window. Anyway sergio, his mom and I stayed in one room. While Andrina and her mom stayed in another. But there was air condition and it was NICE to sleep with it. They called it a hotel, but in my mind it was a Bed and Breakfast. We laughed soooo hard that night that we could barely sleep. You could tell we were all tired because EVERYTHING was hilarious.
The next morning we got up to head to the mountains. By this point in the trip the weather was getting colder the higher up we went so I had to get a jacket. We drove for about 2 hours through very winding roads up the mountains with BEAUTIFUL scenery. When we got to the national park, Sergio's mom and Andrina couldn't get out of the car because they had altitude sickness, so we just got out and walked around and ate Arepas again. SO GOOD!
We drove to another couple of mountains and it was very nice! I was so glad to get to see this too.
Then we began our million hour drive home. As always, the drive home felt MUCH longer and I thought I was going to die from being in the car so long. Plus all these Venezuelans do is eat. We stopped like 5 times to get food. It was crazy! At the restaurant we stopped at for "lunch" (at 4:30pm) I wasn't very hungry and Sergio's mom told me that if I didn't eat, she would force it down my throat! hahahahaha. I love her!
We ended up getting home about 10pm and I was soooo happy to be out of that car. So all in all a great amazing trip.
PS. It takes a LONG time to put photos up so I'm just going to put them on facebook.
So we left on Thursday. We were supposed to leave at about 10:30am. That's when Sergio and his mom were supposed to get back from work/school. Well they didn't get back until 12:30 and then we went to lunch because they people we were riding with were also late. So we actually didn't end up leaving the apartment until about 1:30pm. I was so nervous going into this trip because all I could think about was how long the car ride was going to be, and with no one to speak English with me except Sergio.
Sergio also made me carry a fanny-pack to keep my wallet, cameras, and passport in. He said everyone here carries these (which is kinda true) but I told him that in the US we consider people who carry these "nerdy tourists".
Sergio's girlfriend's mom was the one who drove our whole trip. She was a crazy driver, but surprisingly I felt really safe with her behind the wheel. I can't tell you insane these Venezuelan drivers are. Before I continue there are 3 things you have to understand about Venezuela:
1. There are no traffic laws. Well at least there is literally no one who enforces the traffic laws, so people drive wherever they want, however fast they want, and so on.
2. The roads are in TERRIBLE condition. There are potholes everywhere, and parts of the road even missing in some places. Also, on all the roads that aren't major highways, there are speedbumps about every 5 miles. YES, every 5 miles.
3. Because of the drugs and stuff in this country, there are police check-points about every 30 miles or so where they glance into your car and decide if it needs further inspection or if you can continue on your journey.
So anyway, back to the trip, as we started our trip, Senora Eddy (Sergio's Girlfriend's mom) stopped the car about 5 times to buy things from people either standing in the road selling it, or sitting by the side of the road. We bought some kind of chocolate thingy, a mandarin, and some other little fruit that looked sorta like a tough grape. That's the one they made me try. I was so terrified of eating something right off a person from the street because all I could think about was how I would end up getting sick and ruining my whole weekend. But after MUCH prodding from the people in the car, I tried it. You had to bite the skin off, and then put what was inside in your mouth and just suck on it until you got all the juice off and then you threw what was left out the window. It wasn't that bad but the fear of sickness just ruined it for me! (Even though I never did get sick, haha). About an hour into our trip I got to see the place where Andrina (his girlfriend) and I are going to do the zip-lining through the forest this upcoming weekend! SO EXCITED! Sergio is absolutely terrified and swore he couldn't do it with me. But then last night he told me that since i begged so much, if he actually passes his math final this upcoming friday, then he will do the zip-line with me! YAY!
Anyway, as we continued our trip we were never getting stopped at the checkpoints. Which was good for me because I had this vision of us getting stopped and then I show my passport and they don't believe it's real and they arrest me! Scary, I know. But anyway, at like the 6th checkpoint, we finally got stopped. I wasn't too nervous until he wouldn't give my passport back. He studied it for what felt like 5 minutes and just kept looking at each and every page. After shining the flashlight in my face 3 times I guess he finally decided that my passport was legit, and he let us pass through. Whew!
The other funny thing that happened is that at about the 11th checkpoint we were stopped again, but this time the officer told us that he was hungry, and if we gave him money so he could buy chicken, then he wouldn't need to look at our IDs. Everyone in the car found that so funny (after we left him of course). But it is kind of funny that a officer would ask for money for some chicken! haha. So the whole weekend everytime we saw a police officer we would say to ourselves in the car, "pollo?, pollo?" thinking maybe he needed some chicken too! haha.
In Chichiravichi (the beach) we were staying in kind of this apartment thingy. We arrived there at about 1:30 in the morning. I thought the drive would NEVER end, but thank goodness Sergio talked to me almost the whole way, so it could have been a lot worse. He did make me leave my iPhone and iPod at home though because he claimed they would get stolen.....except that later he told me it was just cause he wouldn't have one and he would feel bad if I could listen to an iPod and he couldn't! GRR!! Let me just tell you, a 12 hour road trip will all Latino music, makes for one LONG road trip. Anyway, when we got to the apartment, we found out the airconditioning was broke. I thought I was going to die. So we went up to the apartment and sure enough it wasn't working, but the good thing was is that it was unbearably hot, and the people claimed they would fix it in the morning, which was good. As we were all sitting in the apartment (which by the way was smaller than my bedroom back in brenham), everyone was fixing beds and stuff and I saw a roach. Yes, a roach. So I whispered to Sergio that I saw one, and he didn't believe me, because then I couldn't see it to show him. So him and I went for a walk to cool-off before bed and we started singing "La Cucaracha, La Cucaracha" and it was hilarious. Then we went back up to the steaming bedroom and all got ready for bed. As we were laying there, sergio and his mom both had matresses on the floor and all of a sudden Sergio's mom saw the roach and started screaming and stuff. It was hilarious! Senora Eddy had to get up and kill the roach for her. Then I opened my big mouth and said "See Sergio, I told you I saw one!" and his mom couldn't believe I didn't tell her there was a roach. So then she was nervous the whole rest of the night.
The first night wasn't too bad sleeping. I thought I would sweat a lot and stuff, but after not getting any sleep until about 3, we all ended up sleeping pretty well in a steamy bedroom with a small fan (We couldn't open the windows because of bugs). So we got up later than expected that next day, and missed our chance to do the Banana thing in the water. Oh well, I say. haha. But we got in the car and drove to the beach. Actually what you have to do here, is drive to a dock where there are about 50 small boats waiting, rent a boat from a guy, and be driven to the island of your choice. So we got in a boat and were off. I was terrified. For those of you that don't know, the ocean really scares me. Mainly thanks to the movie Jaws. And we were in this tiny boat flying through huge waves, I was shaking. And everyone was laughing at me. haha. After about a 25 minute boat road we ended up at the furthest Island we could go to. It was sooooo beautiful. The water was crystal clear and amazingly blue. we got the last umbrella on the beach and laid down to relax a little. Sergio's mom told me I had to put a TON of sun lotion on, so I put a lot of my face and my shoulders....forgetting to do my back....and I'm sure you can guess what happened...I have a very interesting tan line from about 4 inches below my neck down I am BURNED! But anyway. After being at the beach for about 45 minutes Sergio and Andrina noticed that some of their friends were there too! Small world! So I met them and one of them could speak a little english and TRIED to talk to me haha.
We got in the water and just relaxed and enjoyed the day. It was just ok for me, because it was really hard for me to have an amazing time because I had no one to talk to too much. I mean when all six of us (sergio and his friends) went in the water and stuff, the whole conversation was in Spanish so that was a little uncomfortable.
But anyway, after a long nice day we got back in the boat (which i started to feel a little more comfortable with) and headed back to the mainland.
When we got back to the apartment, the manager told us they had fixed our airconditioning, so we were very excited! So instead of going straight up to the room, we went down to the apartment pool where everyone swam again while I read my Ted Dekker book :) . Funny enough, as I am the only freaking white guy on this continent, as I was reading my book, some Latin guy came up to me saw the book and spoke to me in perfect english about that was one of his favorite authors too! He said he was from Texas too and he was a traveling pastor who was spending a few months in Venezuela. How cool is that?!? Anyway, after swimming/reading for about an hour we headed up to our supposedly cool room. When we got there the air was NOT working still, and it was even MORE steaming hot.
So we went out to dinner hoping that maybe it just hadn't been on long enough and it would be cool when we got back. But it wasn't. And let me just tell you. That night sleeping was the worst night of my whole life. I was already even more hot because of my sunburn, and i sweated the whole night, and I had panic attacks most of the night, and I was getting claustrophobic on top of it all! It was bad. Really bad. But the good thing was that everyone else had just as horrible of a night so it wasn't just me!
The next morning we got up and went to a different dock/port so that we could try a different island. This boat ride was a lot shorter and a lot less scary. haha. We got to the island and there ended up being like 5 million people on this island. There were people EVERYWHERE. So as soon as we got there and found a spot under a tree in the shade, the two parents went swimming while us young-uns took a nice nap. After we woke up from our nap, Sergio, Andrina and I went out to relax in the water. There were a lot more people here than the day before at the other island. Andrina is actually allergic to salt water so she cant stay in it very long, so we got back out and chilled on the beach some more, until Andrina fell asleep. Then Sergio and I went back out into the water and relaxed for like an hour. To me, that was the best part of the beach trip. Because I finally just got to hang out with my friend and speak all English, haha. It was just cool to be with my best friend in some foreign country at a beautiful beach, relaxing and stuff. After swimming and napping all day we got back on the boat at about 4 and decided that we could stay at the apartment NO MORE. So we got back, packed our stuff up and headed to the mountains earlier than expected.
We decided we would drive all night until about 1 and find a hotel, rest in air-conditioning, and then drive the rest of the way to the mountains in the morning. And that's just what we did. BUT this was the best part of the ENTIRE trip, and by far the funniest!
During our trip we were looking for a place to eat and spotted a Burger King! One of my favorites!!! So thank God they stopped there so I could have a taste of home. Funny thing is Burger King is also their favorite fast food restaurant too. I knew then that I was meant to be here, since all of my friends in the US hate Burger King. Also, Venezuelans love mixing their ketchup and mayo to dip their fries in! Just like me!! Speaking of which, weird enough, Sergio and I found out that pretty much we're twins. It was kinda scary to find out how much we actually have in common.
At about 1 am we decided to look for a hotel. Now, hotels here in Venezuela are NOTHING like in the United States. They are all gated, and most have only 5 or so rooms. So we drove up to this hotel gate at 1am and honked the car over and over again, but the attendant wasn't there. So Senora Eddy got out of the car opened the gate herself and we drove through. SCARY! We drove up to the main office but all the lights were off and no one was there. But of course Senora Eddy got out of the car again to go check. When she got out dogs started barking and one came out. I told Sergio that it was just like a horror movie and I thought we were all going to die. You need to know too that Sergio is deathly afraid of large dogs and these dogs were a pretty good size, so he already said he wasn't getting out of the car. Well we sat there and honked and honked and honked and flashed out lights and no one was coming out. So we drove around the back, which happened to be a dead end. At this point I'm getting really nervous. And what does Sergio do? Scare me of course, and I seriously almost wet my pants.
Well as were just going to leave a guy came out of the office with a shot-gun. Yes he was carrying a shot-gun. Thank God he didn't kill us. All he said was that they were full so we ended up getting the name of another hotel down the road and leaving. As we left and drove down the road we saw another sign for a place to sleep so we turned in the entry. As we turned in I noticed a sign that said "Motel" and Andrina started yelling in Spanish of course "no, no, turn around, go somewhere else!! (I later found out that in Venezuela, Hotel is a place you sleep, and Motel is a place you go to meet hookers). So that was hilarious!
We drove another two blocks and pulled into what looked like a home driveway. But they claimed it was a hotel. So of course what do we do? We honked and honked at the gate until an old grandma came out. She told us she had a few rooms and let us in to stay. As soon as we get out of the car Sergio notices huge dogs again and freaks out. I told him it was Karma for scaring me earlier. The funniest thing is the dogs ended up begin right outside of our room window. Anyway sergio, his mom and I stayed in one room. While Andrina and her mom stayed in another. But there was air condition and it was NICE to sleep with it. They called it a hotel, but in my mind it was a Bed and Breakfast. We laughed soooo hard that night that we could barely sleep. You could tell we were all tired because EVERYTHING was hilarious.
The next morning we got up to head to the mountains. By this point in the trip the weather was getting colder the higher up we went so I had to get a jacket. We drove for about 2 hours through very winding roads up the mountains with BEAUTIFUL scenery. When we got to the national park, Sergio's mom and Andrina couldn't get out of the car because they had altitude sickness, so we just got out and walked around and ate Arepas again. SO GOOD!
We drove to another couple of mountains and it was very nice! I was so glad to get to see this too.
Then we began our million hour drive home. As always, the drive home felt MUCH longer and I thought I was going to die from being in the car so long. Plus all these Venezuelans do is eat. We stopped like 5 times to get food. It was crazy! At the restaurant we stopped at for "lunch" (at 4:30pm) I wasn't very hungry and Sergio's mom told me that if I didn't eat, she would force it down my throat! hahahahaha. I love her!
We ended up getting home about 10pm and I was soooo happy to be out of that car. So all in all a great amazing trip.
PS. It takes a LONG time to put photos up so I'm just going to put them on facebook.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Leaving Town...
So this will be my last post until at least Sunday. We leave for the beach tomorrow for the next four days. It should be cool cause Sergio has shown me pictures and they are AMAZINGLY beautiful. I will make sure to take many pics and some vids and finally post some on here, haha. The only downside to this trip is the 10-14 hour drive. Ugh.
I met Sergio's girlfriend tonight. She was very pretty but as she speaks no English, it was kinda uncomfortable. But we'll see how things go haha.
When we're at the beach we're doing this banana thing too.
And I found out that on the way back on Sunday we're going to stop at these world famous mountains that are supposed to be some of the tallest in the world so that should be really cool too.
So goodbye blog world....until Sunday anyway.
I met Sergio's girlfriend tonight. She was very pretty but as she speaks no English, it was kinda uncomfortable. But we'll see how things go haha.
When we're at the beach we're doing this banana thing too.
And I found out that on the way back on Sunday we're going to stop at these world famous mountains that are supposed to be some of the tallest in the world so that should be really cool too.
So goodbye blog world....until Sunday anyway.
Mario Kart
Ok so I'm so sick of playing against Sergio in Mario Kart! I used to be the best player ever!! Sergio used to could never beat me and now he beats me like 8 out of 10 times!! Talk about frustrating!!! I mean I am now getting better because we've been playing so much but even when we tie with points in the end the game always picks Sergio as the winner. So I'm convinced the game is rigged. Wii is now my enemy.
Scary Moments
So the rest of yesterday evening was...interesting, haha.
Sergio had to drive his mom and me to his grandmother's house to give her something. I was scared that he was going to be a crazy driver like everyone else in this country, but it wasn't bad at all! That is until we started going down this really steep hill and his mom was telling him to slow down, and he didn't because he thought he was going slow enough, and then the road flattened out and he hit it REALLY hard. I thought for sure we were going to die! haha. But his mom held it together really well and got onto him and then just gave him the silent treatment. When we got back to the apartment she checked it out and saw that everything seemed to be ok so she was less mad at him, but for a minute there I was scared for his life!
His mom also made Arepas last night and they were SOOOOO good. Sergio and I had ham and cheese arepas. We're going to have them again tonight for dinner. His mom said that Venezuelan people eat arepas like once a day everyday.
Sergio's girlfriend didn't end up coming over last night because of the whole car issue and he was scared that his mom would be mad if he still invited her over after that happened. So I think I'll get to meet her tomorrow.
The maid is here again today. She made me breakfast this morning. It's so weird to have her set the table all up and then clean it off for me. I don't think I like that. I prefer to do all that myself. I dunno, I know it's her job but I feel like I'm taking advantage of her!
Yesterday I found out that everytime you leave a parking lot someone has to check your trunk to make sure you didn't steal anything. You also have to give them a parking ticket that matches your car and your name so that they can prove you didn't steal the car. CRAZY!
Well we leave for the beach tomorrow morning. I'm freaking out. As my friends will tell you I'm terrified of deep water, especially the ocean! Jaws anyone? Sergio claims there are no sharks on this beach but I don't believe him. From the pictures, the beach is AMAZING, but he told me last night that we're going to ride this banana thing in the water and we have to ride it in the deep water, so now I'm stressing out. It's bad enough that no one there will be able to speak English except for Sergio! hahhahaha. His English has already gotten much better since I got here. He and I are making a list of slang words that I use that he doesn't know so he can remember them, haha. We've only gotten two so far, "flinch" and "aquaintance".
so yeah, I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again because we leave for the beach in the morning and we won't be back until Sunday night, and there is no internet. So yeah! Hopefully by then I'll have pictures!
Sergio had to drive his mom and me to his grandmother's house to give her something. I was scared that he was going to be a crazy driver like everyone else in this country, but it wasn't bad at all! That is until we started going down this really steep hill and his mom was telling him to slow down, and he didn't because he thought he was going slow enough, and then the road flattened out and he hit it REALLY hard. I thought for sure we were going to die! haha. But his mom held it together really well and got onto him and then just gave him the silent treatment. When we got back to the apartment she checked it out and saw that everything seemed to be ok so she was less mad at him, but for a minute there I was scared for his life!
His mom also made Arepas last night and they were SOOOOO good. Sergio and I had ham and cheese arepas. We're going to have them again tonight for dinner. His mom said that Venezuelan people eat arepas like once a day everyday.
Sergio's girlfriend didn't end up coming over last night because of the whole car issue and he was scared that his mom would be mad if he still invited her over after that happened. So I think I'll get to meet her tomorrow.
The maid is here again today. She made me breakfast this morning. It's so weird to have her set the table all up and then clean it off for me. I don't think I like that. I prefer to do all that myself. I dunno, I know it's her job but I feel like I'm taking advantage of her!
Yesterday I found out that everytime you leave a parking lot someone has to check your trunk to make sure you didn't steal anything. You also have to give them a parking ticket that matches your car and your name so that they can prove you didn't steal the car. CRAZY!
Well we leave for the beach tomorrow morning. I'm freaking out. As my friends will tell you I'm terrified of deep water, especially the ocean! Jaws anyone? Sergio claims there are no sharks on this beach but I don't believe him. From the pictures, the beach is AMAZING, but he told me last night that we're going to ride this banana thing in the water and we have to ride it in the deep water, so now I'm stressing out. It's bad enough that no one there will be able to speak English except for Sergio! hahhahaha. His English has already gotten much better since I got here. He and I are making a list of slang words that I use that he doesn't know so he can remember them, haha. We've only gotten two so far, "flinch" and "aquaintance".
so yeah, I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again because we leave for the beach in the morning and we won't be back until Sunday night, and there is no internet. So yeah! Hopefully by then I'll have pictures!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
More of Day 1
So the rest of the day has been calming. Haha. The maid made Sergio and I this REALLY good chicken fried chicken and rice. We also had a form of potato salad, and some kind of cinnamon fried banana with milk cream or something like that. All of it was very good. Which is positive because I was sure I was going to starve down here and not like any of the food.
I rode with Sergio's mom to pick him up from his classes and we looked at this really cool stadium where they acutally do the running of the bulls every January! Too bad they're not doing that this month, that would be so cool to go to!
Sergio's mom is making Arepas for dinner. I had those once when he was down and they're pretty good. Sergio's been at some study session for the last 3 hours preparing for his math test that he has to pass. So i've been watching Law & Order all afternoon....it's the only show in English, haha.
I finally got my computer working today too! I was using Sergio's because he said mine wouldn't have internet, but we figured it out and now all is good!
Sergio's girlfriend is also coming over tonight so that we can play some Wii and stuff. She knows NO English, so this should be very interesting.
I rode with Sergio's mom to pick him up from his classes and we looked at this really cool stadium where they acutally do the running of the bulls every January! Too bad they're not doing that this month, that would be so cool to go to!
Sergio's mom is making Arepas for dinner. I had those once when he was down and they're pretty good. Sergio's been at some study session for the last 3 hours preparing for his math test that he has to pass. So i've been watching Law & Order all afternoon....it's the only show in English, haha.
I finally got my computer working today too! I was using Sergio's because he said mine wouldn't have internet, but we figured it out and now all is good!
Sergio's girlfriend is also coming over tonight so that we can play some Wii and stuff. She knows NO English, so this should be very interesting.
First 24 hours!
Ok so thankfully I made it to Venezuela alive!! And there are several things I learned along the way...
1. Airport workers in the Columbian airports speak NO English. So it's very frustrating and scary when they can't exactly tell you what you need to do.
2. Never take a flight with an 8 hour layover. It is KILLER.
3. Don't fly into Cucuta, Columbia. The airport is the size of my house.
4. Venezuela has VERY winding roads that made me a little car sick.
There were others, but I forgot them.
Anyway, so I flew to Bogota, Columbia and that wasn't hard at all. After landing in Bogota I had to go through Immigration and Customs, and that line was SOOOOO long. Then I had to get my bags and re-check them for my flight to Cucuta. To me that was the most stressful part. Because I had no idea where I was and no one spoke English. After I re-checked my bags I had to ride this bus to the part of the airport where my connection flight was leaving from to wait for my flight. Just to put it into perspective...my plane from Bogota landed at 4:32am, and my plane to Cucuta left at 1:30 PM. I couldn't sleep because I was scared someone was going to steal my stuff. So i just sat in a chair and read off and on and played some games on my iPhone. I thought I was going to die of boredom.
After my plane left to Cucuta I was very excited to finally be arriving, except that when I looked down at where we were landing and it looked like a shanty town. It was like an airport for 3 planes only. Kind of scarey. After I got my bags I realized that the lady at the check-in counter never gave me a sticker to get my bags with and I was sure they were never going to allow me to take my bags out of the airport. Especially since I didn't speak Spanish to explain myself. But thank goodness it all worked out.
After I grabbed my stuff I looked for Sergio. He was NO WHERE. That is when I seriously started to freak out. I just knew that I was going to be all alone in this country with no one who could understand me and that they were going to steal me and stuff me with drugs. Anyway, after waiting outside the airport for about 5 minutes (which felt like an eternity) Sergio finally showed up!
A cousin of his was driving the car, and he used to be a taxi driver, so you can just imagine how thrilling that car ride was back to San Cristobal! I had to watch out the side windows because if I had been watching out the front windows I would have thrown up or screamed. His Grandma also came to pick me up. She spoke about 6 words of English but she tried so hard to speak to me! haha.
At this point in the trip, it's 3:30, and I'm running on 2 hours of off and on sleep and no food since before I got to the Houston Airport. So Sergio made us go to this mall and get something to eat. Then we headed back to his city (San Cristobal).
Columbia (at least the part I was in) was very sad looking and a little scary. It took us about an hour and a half to get back to his city. Then we just hung out at his house and played Wii. He beat me in Mario Kart for the first time ever but I blame it on the lack of sleep and having a headache.
His mom is so nice! She speaks a little English and she was getting mad at me last night because I wasn't hungry and she wanted me to find something in the fridge to cook. haha.
This morning Sergio was supposed to wake me up at 8:30 so that we could eat breakfast and stuff, but he didn't end up getting up and waking me up until 10:30. The maid is here today too. She set the whole breakfast table up and everything. We had some kind of egg and potato soup that Sergio's mom had made. It was pretty good.
Now Sergio is at class until 12:00 and then he'll back. So i'm just here with a maid who speaks NO english! haha.
Oh yeah, and Sergio and his mom live in this huge nice apartment, and their balcony has a view of the mountians. It is SOOO beautiful here. I will try to take some pictures today or tomorrow to post. I just love the view.
So now I am going back to take a nap cause I am still exhausted!
1. Airport workers in the Columbian airports speak NO English. So it's very frustrating and scary when they can't exactly tell you what you need to do.
2. Never take a flight with an 8 hour layover. It is KILLER.
3. Don't fly into Cucuta, Columbia. The airport is the size of my house.
4. Venezuela has VERY winding roads that made me a little car sick.
There were others, but I forgot them.
Anyway, so I flew to Bogota, Columbia and that wasn't hard at all. After landing in Bogota I had to go through Immigration and Customs, and that line was SOOOOO long. Then I had to get my bags and re-check them for my flight to Cucuta. To me that was the most stressful part. Because I had no idea where I was and no one spoke English. After I re-checked my bags I had to ride this bus to the part of the airport where my connection flight was leaving from to wait for my flight. Just to put it into perspective...my plane from Bogota landed at 4:32am, and my plane to Cucuta left at 1:30 PM. I couldn't sleep because I was scared someone was going to steal my stuff. So i just sat in a chair and read off and on and played some games on my iPhone. I thought I was going to die of boredom.
After my plane left to Cucuta I was very excited to finally be arriving, except that when I looked down at where we were landing and it looked like a shanty town. It was like an airport for 3 planes only. Kind of scarey. After I got my bags I realized that the lady at the check-in counter never gave me a sticker to get my bags with and I was sure they were never going to allow me to take my bags out of the airport. Especially since I didn't speak Spanish to explain myself. But thank goodness it all worked out.
After I grabbed my stuff I looked for Sergio. He was NO WHERE. That is when I seriously started to freak out. I just knew that I was going to be all alone in this country with no one who could understand me and that they were going to steal me and stuff me with drugs. Anyway, after waiting outside the airport for about 5 minutes (which felt like an eternity) Sergio finally showed up!
A cousin of his was driving the car, and he used to be a taxi driver, so you can just imagine how thrilling that car ride was back to San Cristobal! I had to watch out the side windows because if I had been watching out the front windows I would have thrown up or screamed. His Grandma also came to pick me up. She spoke about 6 words of English but she tried so hard to speak to me! haha.
At this point in the trip, it's 3:30, and I'm running on 2 hours of off and on sleep and no food since before I got to the Houston Airport. So Sergio made us go to this mall and get something to eat. Then we headed back to his city (San Cristobal).
Columbia (at least the part I was in) was very sad looking and a little scary. It took us about an hour and a half to get back to his city. Then we just hung out at his house and played Wii. He beat me in Mario Kart for the first time ever but I blame it on the lack of sleep and having a headache.
His mom is so nice! She speaks a little English and she was getting mad at me last night because I wasn't hungry and she wanted me to find something in the fridge to cook. haha.
This morning Sergio was supposed to wake me up at 8:30 so that we could eat breakfast and stuff, but he didn't end up getting up and waking me up until 10:30. The maid is here today too. She set the whole breakfast table up and everything. We had some kind of egg and potato soup that Sergio's mom had made. It was pretty good.
Now Sergio is at class until 12:00 and then he'll back. So i'm just here with a maid who speaks NO english! haha.
Oh yeah, and Sergio and his mom live in this huge nice apartment, and their balcony has a view of the mountians. It is SOOO beautiful here. I will try to take some pictures today or tomorrow to post. I just love the view.
So now I am going back to take a nap cause I am still exhausted!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
First Post
Ok guys, this is where I'm going to try to post updates during my stay in Venezuela!! I will even try to post some videos. Stay tuned.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
