once again, Venezuela: The Unpredictable.

Well once again, things didn't exactly work out as planned today. The little boy Juan Diego and his dad both were sick today so we couldn't go to their house to make pizza. Instead..... we went to a soccer game with our friend Victor! It was sooo fun. MERIDA WON within the last MINUTE! The sun was shining so brightly and it was a great time.

Wish me luck on my tests this week, and I hope I start feeling better soon :)

the simple life.

It is amazing how chill everything is here. In fact it is almost humorous. At school we get a break in every class and our teachers sometimes say "15 minutes North American Time" or "15 minutes Venezuelan Time". There truly is a difference. At home there are so many rules, laws, order, and EVERYTHING is on a schedule. Here it is much more laid back. There are laws, yes, but people don't exactly comply with them and NOTHING is on time. Although both countries have their issues, I find that it is actually good for me and nice to not always be on a schedule with to do lists and a constant plan. It is nice to relax and take in all of the gifts around me, especially nature: The constant view of mountains.

So just like nothing is predictable here, my weekend also did not happen as according to "plan" but it was even better. Aside from feeling kind of crummy, Brittany and I took the time to explore the city a little bit. Yesterday which was supposed to be pool day turned into to Mercado Principal and long walks. I bought some salsa picante and FELL IN LOVE! I cant wait to buy lots of jars to bring back to the States with me, it is amazing. And I also got a really pretty piece of artwork.

Today, we went to the botanical gardens instead of a hike. They were beautiful and lots of fun. Then we went to Plaza Mayor and I splurged and got an adorable shirt. But I can justify it cause it goes with leggings, jeans, winter, summer, and could even be a beach coverup. So I am content. Then we went to Sushi Tei to finally say bye to our friend that is going to Germany. So sad but so yummy.

Tomorrow will hopefully go as planned. I am looking forward to homemade pizza and playing with the adorable kiddos :)

Also, Ben got me and him Dave Matthews Band tickets for Minnesota in September. I am so excited. It has been a concert that I have always wanted to go to. He Is so great!

"cada dia es un regalo"

This week I took my first yoga class in SPANISH and it was such a great experience. I was shocked by how similar it was to my classes in the US and it was such a learning experience to have to think about everything in spanish. We went Tuesday and Thursday morning and I bought a membership so we plan to go multiples times throughout the week. The gym is about a 3 minute walk from our apartment and they also have some other fun classes so we are very excited to do something active during the week.... I miss working out!

On Tuesday night we had a little wine night at our friends apartment which was relaxing and fun especially after our presentation that day in geography which we dominated by the way ;)

On Wednesday I felt a little sick.... it seemed like allergies but it was just overall a really long day. That night VENUSA had a little event with dancing and homemade sangria which was really yummy. I went to bed at 930 PM and feel a 100% better.

This weekend I am looking forward to spending more time close to home, in Merida. We have quite the to do list :) a lot of people are going camping or to the beach but I have 3 tests next week so I think it would be wise to stay close. We are planning to go to the pool tomorrow, a hike on Saturday, and over to the VENUSA cafeteria's family on Sunday to bake pizza. I am so excited for that because they are the nicest people ever and have an ADORABLE 3 year old boy.

Lastly, Ben and I celebrated our 10 month anniversary this week! <3 cute huh? It's amazing how strong our relationship can be after 2 months of so much distance... we haven't even been able to video chat! It is really hard at times but as my mom would say.... "oh, young love" ;)

Anyways, I am going to go study now. Hope everyone is doing well.
Love and miss you all.
Stay warm! Kelsey

PS: my e-mail is having some problems in case anyone is trying to send me things!
PPS: our food has been much better lately... I think our mom could tell we didn't like it so much... whooops!

highlights from a week close to home

Sooo normally I would not have power right now..... but how ironic that because Chavez is in my city today.... WE HAVE POWER! Funny how things work....

A few highlights from the past week:

1) ^^the beautiful sunset outside my bedroom window

2) exposition- an event with a lot of vendors- bought a beautiful handcrafted pillow case, a soccer jersey, and some gifts

3) lots of time spent with our favorite venezuelan guy friends :)

4) merengue and salsa dancing at poco loco

5) baking homemade pizza at our venezuelan friend's apartment

6) spring break trip to margarita island... BOOKED. and our host family possibly meeting us there!

7) a trip to the best panaderia in merida

8) purchased Wisin y Yandel (regaton music group) concert tickets for March 5th

9) Valentine's Day movie- cute, funny, and a nice girls night

10) I'm no longer constipated, for those of you who were worried. ha

11) Stephanie Pearson-Watkins is PREGNANT! (my dance teacher from the old days)

12) hit the one month mark... "time flies when you're having fun"

A few not as happy highlights:

1) hit the one month mark... bitter sweet.

2) we are officially out of the drought

3) with more time in school comes more projects and tests

4) some not so tasty meals

5) one of our new venezuelan friends leaving for 5 months in Germany

6) RIP Dan Weisenburger- your family and friends are in my prayers, you will be missed.

THE PESSIMIST COMPLAINS ABOUT THE WIND.

THE OPTIMIST EXPECTS IT TO CHANGE.

THE REALIST ADJUSTS THE SAILS.

-WILLIAM ARTHUR WARD

paradise trip #1... success :)

The boys on the left are

my new favorite people :) They took us out Thursday night and it was the best night ever. They are very nice, speak multiple languages (including English), have spent time in the US and Europe, and are not creepy at all like some of the other guys around here. We went to two different bars- Bananas and Poco Loco. It was pretty chill, good drinks, good music, some salsa dancing, hanging out, etc. Then poco loco closed at 3 AM and we still weren't ready to go home... people party REALLY late here! So we went with them to this parking lot which is what people do here after bar. There was music, dancing, and people just hanging outside. It was fun. We stayed out till 430 in the morning! YIKES! But so worth it.

Then Friday we slept a lot, got some homework done, and prepared for our weekend beach trip :) We had to take an overnight bus (12 hours long) and then another 3 hour bus. but it was SO worth it. We stayed at a posada (hostel) called Moreno's Place as you can see in the picture above. A family lived there and they just had some dorm style rooms where 9 of us girls slept. It was very simple... only 12 dollars a night and just a short walk from the shore. And the family was so kind! They made us feel right at home. We basically spent long hours laying out on the beach, swimming in the ocean, walking around town, and getting lots of sun.

On Sunday (our only "full" day) we took a boat ride out to one of the Keys/Islands called Cayo Sombrero. It was SO beautiful. Very secluded, not too touristy, lots of palm trees, and simply beautiful. The sand was perfectly white and the water- bright blue. Four of the girls and I decided to walk almost around the entire island. It was soo cool, I felt like we were discovering it for the first time. In the third picture above you can see me standing next to a shipwreck. So cool. Who knows how long it has been there... I wish I knew the story behind it. We walked for about 2 hours and it was just so open, clear, empty, and beautiful. It's amazing to think how much of the world we haven't visited. Then... since it was Carnaval weekend, as the day turned to afternoon... the island of course turned into a party because like always venezuelans LOVE to party. There were a ton of young kids just drinking and dancing, it was really fun.

All in all it was a really successful first beach trip and I am very glad that we went. However, unfortunately Brittany didn't feel well the entire weekend so that was too bad :( I have thankfully been lucky so far... knock on wooood!

Anyways, I have my very first test tomorrow and only 2 days of classes this week... then ANOTHER WEEKEND!

Stay tuned for more fun and excitement! There is still so much to do :)

Kelsey

Las Ferias De Sol

There is a lot going on here in Merida as it is the week of Las Ferias/Carnaval. I really don't even know the significance of this but I know that there are bull fights, celebrations, music, and overall just lots of partying and celebrations :) On Tuesday Me, Brittany, and Nora took Nora's host sister Maji to Plaza de Toros. It was a really cool event... kind of felt like I was at the circus. But there were equestrian horses, flamenco dancers, fire jugglers, and acrobats.

Then VENUSA hosted a Carnaval party for us last night (Wednesday). It was very fun! You are supposed to wear costumes, and since we didn't really plan for this, we had to be creative. Brittany and I made fun little masks and just wore black v-necks, jeans, and our fun masks. There was a DJ, dancing, decorations, etc. Anddd.... there was a dance contest. 4 girls! and of course... I was in it! AND I WON! I had had a little bit to drink so I thought it would be a good idea to whip our a back handspring. I kind of failed miserable but everyone was cheering for me, chanting my name, and it was really exciting. I won a nice little Merida t-shirt. Then we went to our favorite bar: Mojitos! As always, it was a blast. I love that atmosphere and the boys that work there :)

Tonight we are going out... and then we don't have classes Monday or Tuesday due to Las Ferias so we are hitting up the beach! I am so excited. We have to take an overnight bus and we are going to stay 2 nights in a hostel with 8 girls. It should be really fun.

Unfortunately, I have a lot of tests, papers, and projects coming up so I will be working on those when I am not enjoying the sun and good friends.

I can't believe I have already been here a MONTH!

I guess time flies when you're having fun :)

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our minds." -Bob Marley

The past week has been filled with busyness and happiness! We finally had a full week of classes which brought with it, lots of reading and writing. Tuesday was the first salsa dancing class and it was so much fun! The basic steps are pretty simple but the turns are much harder. I am looking forward to more classes and practice. On Wednesday we finally went to the bar called Mojitos which is close to our house. We had heard lots of good things about it, and boy was everyone right! The drinks are amazing, the atmosphere is perfect, and the workers are very cute ;) Our chill Wednesday night turned into a little more of a rumba night than we planned on, but it was probably one of my favorite nights thusfar!

On Thursday... OUR PARENTS FINALLY CAME HOME! They are so cute, fun, nice, and perfect. I am really excited! Then we went out for sushi with a group of people and it was by far one of the best sushi experiences I have ever had. I will definitely be going back there in the future! :) Then we hit up the popular discoteca for the first time, called Racing. It was a lot of fun! Lots of music, dancing, lights, fun, etc. Only complaint I had was the lack of Salsa! They played a lot of Regaton which is like Latin hip hop. Fun, but not salsa...

Friday was a homework/chill kind of day.

Today (Saturday) we went PARAGLIDING through the mountains! It was absolutely magical and I am so glad that I went. Only problem was that my breakfast didn't want to settle and I threw up when I landed.... whooops?! But it makes for a good story, and the overall experience was still one of a kind.

Tonight I am hoping to find some SALSA somewhere and tomorrow we are going to watch the beauty pageant that is being held on our street for Pre-La Feria activities. Then we are going to watch the Super Bowl at VENUSA.

Overall, everything is finally falling into place and I could not be more content.

Stay smiles everyone, even though the snow doesn't seem to let up. Thinking of you all!

Kelsey