Rest in Peace Meekcoms

Today I found out that a friend passed away in a very sad plane crash. I'm not going to recount the tragedy, but you can find it here. All I can say is that at least they were able to meet the new member of their family and at least they were together, may they rest in peace.

I was supposed to see Alex before I came down here...we got too busy. Now of course I really regret not MAKING the time to make it happen. She had just moved back to AZ.

I wanted to take a sec to jot down some of my memories of Alex:
-Yelling, "Meekoms!" down the hall at school and remembering she was supposed to be a teacher and an "adult figure." BAH!
-Her teasing me in the weight room about my "perky buns" and how she needed to get in gear to get hers back to "vball status" and she SURE did!
-She would always pop my hip back into place before games senior year when I went gimp status.
-Pulling me aside for pep talks when I felt like the worst setter in the world...and giving me a slap on the butt and a huge smile as I walked away rolling my eyes at her.
-Her stupid, disgusting joke about "the eyesh! the eyesh!"
-Some of the funniest memories are from when she came with us as our coach to club vball tournaments. In Texas she cooly reacted with, "Hey Jimminy" to a huge cricket that had landed on her shoulder and after that she chased a possum down the street.
-The best was the car ride back from California with Alex, Jenny, and Gena. Talk about the fastest drive EVER...that's what happens when you're cracking up the entire time.
-She took like a week to write us vball girls a poem to read at our vball banquet...it was nerdy and made fun of us but it really meant a lot.
To know Alex was to know serious laughter and fun. She will be missed. I can't even put into words what it will be like to go visit vball camp and not make fun of her sweet nikes that match her top or how she could look so hot while teaching a bunch of whiney kids to play.





Everyone please stay safe.

Still workin' on Amanda's checklist: San Telmo Fair

Thankfully for me, my friend Amanda has decided to get motivated and make a list of all of the things she needs to see in Buenos Aires before leaving (in two weeks, boooo). This adventure, and that of the classy Tierra Santa, can now be scratched off. (San Telmo's fair, while it has lovely trinkets and antiques, is also a bit of a freakshow much like Tierra Santa).


Getting blown away by an imaginary wind while standing still...


You can't tell, but the one of the bottom was shorter than me and the guy on top was HUGE.


I hope when I am this age I am this in love. These two heard the tango music and had to put down their things to stop and dance together.


These two were the sweetest pair ever. We talked with them for a while and they gave us a deal on a bracelet for Amanda. They were just such warm people. The gave us each a kiss on the cheek and told us to take care of ourselves. The old man asked me to invite him to Arizona so he could see a real cowboy.


Finishing off the day with a beer. (We didn't take a shot of how we REALLY finished off the day right after this...with ice cream).

Asado del Campo y Amigos Argentinos

Since Buenos Aires is the center of the universe here in Argentina, it has all of the universities worth going to so there are a lot of students here from the campos outside of BsAs. Lucky for me, my roomies know these types and took me along to an asado (BBQ) that they were having (on the roof of their apartment of course).


El chef, LA CARNE, y yo


Todos sitting around the "table." The "table" as it was called was an unhinged dorr supported by two beer crates...CLASSY!!!!! Note the picadas and the wine...very Argentine.


Mi Kira y yo.


El Gaucho de la casa y yo


You know "you fly I buy" this was kind of "you cook we clean." Augusto was trying to give me a lesson on dishwashing, psh.

DANCE! Nothin' left for me to do but DANCE!

We went out for a night on the town here in Buenos Aires and wound up in the most RANDOM bar full of RANDOM Argentines dancing to weird music. They definitely had like memorized dances that they were all doing together...I felt like we were in 7th grade or something. Finally, the music changed to songs we could dance to and we had a great time.

My girls. Ms. Lily and Ms. Aline.


If you can't tell, dancing makes me REALLY happy. This is without a drop of alcohol, lol.


Aline dancin' all up on me...we have officially americanized her.


Part of el grupo. Leann (Florida), Mati (Germany), Lily, me


Still REALLY happy to be alive and dancin'. I get it from my mama.

Tierra Santa... HALLELUJAH!

So this is by far the WEIRDEST place I have been to in my travels. This lovely place we call Jesus Land is located in Belgrano, Buenos Aires. If you have ever been to the rennaisance festival, it's kind of like that...except about the life and times of Jesus. If it seems nuts..that's because it is.


You can't see us too well, but that's me, amanda and jess.


The glorious entrance to glorious Tierra Santa.


Me and my homie shepherd.


This is the resurrection of Jesus...he's HUGE.

If this just isn't enough here is a lovely video we took of the resurrection and Jess' sweet dance she added to it.

Home is where the heart is...

My heart will always be in Arizona, but now that I have a wonderfully cozy place to live it's easier to call this place home for a while. Thanks to Craigslist, I came into contact with a 22 year old design student from New Hampshire (who has lived here for four years) and her boyfriend from Cordoba who happened to have a spacious room in their apartment for rent.


Que Cute! Augusto y Kira.


I feel like this truly captures Augusto's personality.


I knew I would love my new home when I heard weird noises coming from the living room my third night there...I walked out to find the two of them playing Star Wars. Augusto with a bamboo stick and Kira with her yardstick (she is a rather talented diseñadora in my book)


This is Vigo, the fourth roomie. He's a wonderful cuddler and talks a lot. It's nice to have a critter around again.

Florida

A couple of weeks ago, Ryan's new employer was kind enough to fly us both up to Florida for their annual retreat. From kayaking, pool time, a massage at the spa to the last dinner party at a wildlife preserve where we were able to feed a giraffe this retreat was pretty much amazing. The people that we met definitely made the retreat. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting, but people were very interesting and VERY fun. We had a blast and I hope I get to tag along as an SO to more of these things.

Uruguay 5- Beauty and The Poverty

One of many monuments throughout Montevideo.


This poor guy was all of about 8 years old and shivering as he slept. He did not ask for money and he did not get in anyone's way. He was just trying to sleep and stay warm. I have another picture of his brother who was 12 and looking through garbage cans collecting bottles to exchange. He didn't ask anything of me either, but simply gave me a weak, embarrassed smile.It's very easy to become desensitized to images like this and it is very frustrating to me when people simply overlook children and people like this boy. So many people are quick to brush begger children off as the money is "just going to go to their drunken parents" or will be wasted on something else. But if there is one thing I ask, at least in the case of children, is that people stop and at least acknowledge that the only thing that you kept you out of his/her shoes is luck. It was simply luck of the draw that at age 8 I worried about what my Barbie would wear instead of worrying about waking up to go juggle in the street in front of red lights and hope that people would give me some change. Though merely writing about this brings me to tears, I am not so naive to think that giving change will really help anything. I am all for thoughtful and sustainable development that will slowly change what life is for kids like this around the world.


One of the beautiful walking streets in Montevideo.


Five minutes away from the picture above. A family of four lives here.


This is by far my favorite picture of all the ones I have taken (though the one of the little old lady in Guatemala is a close second). This was the happiest little girl I've ever seen. Her parents were very friendly and very proud of their small restaurant in one of the poor areas of Montevideo near the port.

Uruguay 4- Felices Pascuas

Aline and I decided to drag ourselves out of bed to go to church on Easter sunday. Aline was so sweet and had bought chocolate bunnies that she left on our pillows to make up for the fact that we wouldn't be getting easter baskets or anything.


This street just screamed out for a picture on the way to church. It's like the Latin American version of the scene in Anne of Green Gables when they are going down the road in horse and carriage through the arch of blossoming cherry trees (I think only my family can truly appreciate my love for Anne of Green Gables...hint if anyone can't think of something to get me for my bday I would LOVE the dvd set lol).

This is one of those churches that you just can't help but feel something in. Regardless of how reglious--or not--you may be, you at least feel moved by all of the history in those walls.


This pair reminded me of me and my grandpa. Everyone who knows me knows how much I love old people...this guy might take the cake. He was so sweet and gave me a HUGE hug, kiss on the cheek and "que te vaya con la paz de Dios" during church. He was really tickled by the fact that I wanted to take a picture and had to take of his sweater and have his granddaughter fix his hair.

El Padre. He gave each person a hug and a kiss on the cheek as we left church. Can you imagine Father Hoorman doing that? haha

Uruguay 3- Amigos y Clericó

Aline, Alessandra "La Colombiana," Lily, Me. Trouble right here. Our poor waiter had a handful with this table. La Colombiana and I got into a very interesting and very long conversation about the time she spent volunteering in the north of her own country in a medical clinic. She told the usual tale of supply shortages, people coming from four hours away by land and boat with a grave wound or disease, getting lice and doing every day to day thing with bottled water, and the feeling of helplessness. She is studying medicine and will definitely be one of those people in this world who saves and helps so many without any recognition.

We also called her "La Maestra" for her mastery of getting the perfect drink to juice chunk ratio in every glass from the pitcher of Clericó.

YUM!

Me and my Egyptian queen. She got a tad bit brown from the time on the beach.

This was Aline's wonderful joke: "What is this? A dead Italian!" haha Maybe you had to be there for it to be truly funny.

Uruguay 2- Punta del Este

I thought Rocky Point was really building up...this place is covered in condos like this. It makes for an interesting--though not prefered--sight contrasting with the beach.

Skyline on the river side.

Beach side. That's me sitting on the thumb of a HUGE stone hand that comes up out of the sand. It's quite impressive.

I really don't think an explanation is necessary here.

Interesting thing they have in Punta del Este for additional outdoor/indoor seating. Small establishments that just out into the street for people to sit in. I won't lie, I worried that a car would hit one.

Uruguay 1- Traveling, Partners in Crime and a Sweet Hostel

"Oh, oh Buquebus!" This is the high class boat that takes you from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Colonia, Uruguay. The immigration process with this type of travel is hilarious. In immigration you walk up to a single desk with a divider in the middle and two people sitting at it. The man took my passport and stamped me out of Argentina, "have a good trip please give her your passport." I handed my passport to the lady RIGHT NEXT TO HIM she stamped my passport and said, "Welcome to Uruguay."

Partners in Crime: Lily Lotfy from the east coast and Ms. Aline ("The German" who we got to crack a smile). Lily and I worked our hardest that weekend to Americanize here and I think we did a pretty good job lol.

Rooftop of the most amazing hostel EVER...Red Hostel.

Doing what we do best...NOTHING. Er, I mean finding things to do in Uruguay in the guidebook haha.

Conquering...I mean traveling the world

I found this and thought it was really cool! My map is looking a little lopsided though...I hope to fix that in the years to come.