...a miserable yet still memorable experience...

Destination Lago (lake) Coromoto- 9 KM, aprox. 3 hours

5 hours later (90% uphill)..... still no lago coromoto
sun setting, intermittent heavy rain, hungry, tired, sore, wet, cold, and pessimistic to say the least....

attempt to take the other route from the fork in the road>> still no lago coromoto
30 minutes left of sunlight
one last attempt at a different route...
NO LAGO COROMOTO. but a nice platform and beautiful view. consider it done.
Set up camp just in time for a nice DOWN POUR :)
Difficulty making a fire with wet wood... so I volunteer my sweatpants to start the fire... SUCCESS.
Nasty chicken hot dogs, veggies, cheez wiz, crackers, and tortillas.....

Thank goodness for the rum, coke, good people, and good music! :)

Day turns to night. Clouds turn to a million stars. Frustration turns to laughter. Cold turns to colder. and Misery turns to fun.
and I SAW MY FIRST SHOOTING STAR :)

Surprisingly slept till almost 10 in our tents.... took off for the hike home-->
a simple hour and a half downhill.

Only in Venezuela can getting lost in the Andes Mountains build character and create memories.

This week: 1 test, 1 paper, 2 presentations. Wish me luck! :)

"you're gonna miss this, you're gonna want this back, you're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast"

Monday- got a refund for the unfortunately cancelled concert, bought cute/cheap shoes, lame day, went to bed at 9 PM. much needed!

Tuesday- nice run in the morning to start the day off right! hung out with my venezuelan friend at night, homework help, lots of studying!

Wednesday- LONG DAY! History test. and a necessary trip to mojitos! :)

Thursday- BRITTANY LEFT FOR ECUADOR! :(, yoga, laundry, 94% on my politics exam, feeling a little homesick- skyped with mom, watched some sex and the city, took a long nap then received good news of a bonus from camp and that my best friend PEKO will be returning to camp so the day turned around very quickly.... then to my friends apartment and out to POCO LOCO! always a blast! and skyped with KARI GREEN till 4:30 in the morning! whooops.

Friday- a very humorous trip to el centro with megan and marissa...... rented sleeping bags to go camping Saturday night! :o, saw a man carrying a legitimate COW LEG through the street, yummy lunch, almost stepped on a homeless dog, lots of unwanted attention from weird men, and silly moods with good friends! ALSO, me and megan signed up to go zip-lining through the mountains next Saturday... DONT WORRY MOM! ;)

Also, very excited that my Minnesota BESTIES will most likely be coming to omaha for my birfday! What could be better than spending my birthday with the entire family AND my best friends!? PLUS the sex and the city SEQUEL!! Andddd found out that I am going to be seeing Ben AS SOON AS I get home! YAY! anddd possibly going to KC for my favorite cousins birthday May 15th! :)

Very tired and need to work on some homework.....

Stories from camping coming sooooon...... :)

una simple fantasia

This weekend was probably one of the best of the entire semester..... There was seriously not a dull moment!

Friday- dominated my linguistics test, went for a run, got my nails done, went to mercado principal AGAIN- bought an artsy mirror, incense, a gift for ben, and got FREE fruit from the farmers, then Britt and I got some dinner and wine and went out! We went to our friend Andres house and then to a club called Gradas. It was sooo fun! Lots of people, lots of dancing, and lots of partying. We got home at 330 AM. But SO worth it.

Saturday- our late night didn't stop us! We woke up at 9:30 and headed for a hike through the mountains! It was a great work out but still relaxing and enjoyable. Sometimes I think it is really nice to get away from the city and just be in touch with nature and natural silence. Plus, it felt good to exercise. That night we went bowling for our Venezuelan friends birthday. Britt was feeling tired so she went home and I went out by myself with ALL Venezuelans! It was really fun. We just kind of hung out at this boys house and then hung out in the street dancing to salsa music out of my friends car.... I GOT HOME AT 6 AM!! But again, SO worth it.

Today, Sunday- Pizza with our favorite family finally worked out! :) We spent the ENTIRE day at their house and it is so cute. We made DELICIOUS homemade pizza and cookies, played soccer in the street, and just enjoyed each other's company. The parents are the nicest people ever and the kids are absolutely adorable. It was probably one of the best days ever. Except that my baby toenail completely ripped off... that was no bueno.

Now I am pooped from my late nights and lots of fun! But this week should be pretty chill. I have a test on Wednesday and that's about it. Britt leaves for Ecuador on Thursday so I will be kind of lonely but I am sure I will still make the most of the weekend and have a blast with other people, it might be good for me to spend time with other people!

Starting to feel kind of sad that it is already MARCH! I am really making a life for myself here and it will be really weird to leave for good..... but at least I have a fun summer to look forward to! :)

a week to remember

Monday- Venezuelan cooking night! Postre Melocoton- a good night with good people! Especially the family of the cafeteria. They definitely win the cutest, nicest family award :)

Tuesday- Yoga in the morning and Fiesta de Tambores at night!- a fun night learning a new style of dancing with a live band! Then we took the party to our two favorite bars: Mojitos and Poco Loco! Also, I was able to skype with Ben this day! It made my day :)

Wednesday- Since there are professors and advisors from the states visiting the school, our teachers went on a field trip with them and therefore we didn't have classes! I couldn't think of a more perfect day not to have classes because Wednesdays already stinkkk and then I had one less test this week!! Instead we went to Mercado Principal and the pool. I got way burnt but it was very relaxing and very worth it. That night I grabbed a beer over some dominoes with a few friends.

Thursday- Yoga in the morning then Politics test :/ In the evening VENUSA hosted a sangria making contest (MY TEAM WON and got t-shirts for a prize!), karaoke, salsa dancing, and hot dogs. Then we went to Mojitos with our friends Ray and Marey. They are so nice and the cutest couple EVER! It was a nice evening but it ended early because I have another test tomorrow.

Unfortunately the day trip for VENUSA was postponed AND the Wisin and Yandel concert was cancelled.... therefore my Friday will consist of my Linguistics test and then who knows! We are hoping to go out with Marey and Ray again. A hike on Saturday. and to the family's house from the cafeteria on Sunday to make pizza. But as you can tell.... nothing ever goes as planned! So stay tuned :)

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!