My first imovie/youtube video

Salvador Brazil and Carnival
(click on the above link)
I am hooked now! This attempt is very "simple" compared to what is possible on imovie. I can't wait to make more. ENJOY my first effort! Click on the link above to go to youtube and watch it.

It always sneaks up on me....

So today I had no plans at all. In fact, I was the last guest in the posada to eat breakfast at a shocking 9:30 AM. It seems all the tourists were out following their maps as I lounged in bed and took my time eating my eggs. By the time I made it out the door, I still had no plans. As I slipped into the streets, I carried my bag in case I bought something and a book from the posada shelves since my Kindle was charging.

I wandered into the old town, stopping into a few "tour agencies" to see if anything interested me...."african religious ceremonies", "aerial tour of the city", and "speed boat rides" beckoned from the brochures but really held no appeal. So I wandered on until I found a quiet cafe'. I sat there for some time reviewing the photos I had taken during my stroll that morning. I was shocked to see that almost all of them were of windows or doors. HHhhhmmm.... I am not really one to analyze my life much (perhaps I should start-might be easier that way, huh?), but windows and doors? Really? No flowers and butterflies. No clouds and beaches. No children and old folks....just windows and doors.

      I left the subject to simmer a bit as I continued my stroll through the hills and cobblestones of the historic district. I bought some fabric to make throw pillows for my place in Bogota and bought myself a clunky, cool brushed silver ring. I have never worn a ring like this one and it makes me smile when I look at it on the middle finger of my right hand. It is smart and sofisticated.

I returned to the posada to hide out during the hottest hours of the day. Every day here I have had to shower and change clothes at least twice per day due to the heat and humidity. During my down time today is when the windows and doors thing came into focus.

Of course....windows and doors are the places where one world meets the next. They can be closed, barred, decorated, inviting, ominous, intimidating, open, and beautiful among many others. I find windows and doors to be the most fascinating and beautiful things (even the barred and closed ones). So, it hit me....they represent transitions to me; the moving from one space to the next. Being in Salvador reminded me of West Africa. It didn't make me miss it; just appreciate the richness that time brought to my life. It also reminded me that I have conquered many transitions in my life.

  Tonight at sundown, as I walked to a five star restaurant nestled into the hillside overlooking the Atlantic Ocean (and the shipping yard and docked cruise ships), it snuck up on me. I am moving through another door. I have been keeping my back to that door since November but it is finally time to face it and open it; to let the two worlds begin to mingle.                                                        
I am moving to Bogota in 90 days. It is a big city with a huge expatriate population. There are museums, symphonies, ballet, theatre, and an English speaking church. What a change that will be for me.

On top of that, I have been accepted to both Columbia's MA in Teaching English program and Pepperdine's MA in Learning Technologies program. The Columbia program would be the "easy" option for me. Yet, I have chosen to enroll in the Pepperdine program. I begin in July. It is "low residency" which means I spend time on campus in the summers and for a week in January but the rest is done via internet. Learning technologies are the future of education and I am fascinated by the ways they can be used in teaching/learning. I am prepared to be challenged. (Ask my son, I was afraid of technology just 3 years ago!).

....a window....several doors....aren't they beautiful?

New friends, big party, sore feet....

Top photo: a fraction of the million or so people who showed up for Carnival last night.
Middle photo: A true African lunch-YUM (even made with real palm oil!)
Bottom photo: beautiful historic Salvador-being renewed by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage sight


Yesterday at breakfast I met two teachers from an international school here in Brazil (the one where I will be for the conference in three weeks). My little posada only has five rooms and they are in the room next to mine. YAY. They invited me to tag along for their adventures all day. Along the way I met another teacher from that school and two Australian teachers from Sao Paulo. We went to the market, explored the historic district and ended up eating a late lunch at an alley cafe' while listening to drummers, watching dancing in the street, and gawking at the people passing by in their Carnival finery.

For my nighttime adventure, I met up with ANOTHER American woman staying at my posada (that makes 3 out of 5 rooms filled with single American women-what are the chances?). We had both purchased a ticket to watch the parade from a "private"balcony. We had to wear a special peach t-shirt for this honor (see top photo to see how "special" we really were-LOL). Well, Carnival in Baha turns out to be a lollapalooza type of band party only the bands come to you. They travel on trucks down the road stopping for mini concerts along the way. The prestige of the "balcony area" they are in front of, detetermines how long they stop. Our balcony was the last and most prestigious so we got 45 min. shows from each. There were 40 groups/singers including Will.I.Am...from 3 PM until 5 AM. We stayed from 6-10 and called it a night. WOW...

We ended up back in the historic district where a more low key but still amazing celebration was taking place. Along with all the beautiful hippies and locals, we enjoyed the reggae and samba shows until 1 AM. Jane, my new friend who experienced all this with me, is a 30+ something artist from NYC on a month long volunteering vacation. Her boldness with everyone and willingness to get lost, be late, and have people laugh at her mixed up attempts to speak Portuguese, inspired me.

Today, taking a cue from Jane, I walked around the historic district and market by myself . I filled my bag with cool things for my new apartment and gifts for loved ones. I was bold-trying out some Portuguese and taking pictures everywhere I went. One of my favorite spots I found is the only African Catholic Church in South America. They even dance the Samba during services (missed that part, though).

What was I thinking? Last night I was thinking that I was glad I "did Carnival" but I was happy to leave by 10 PM. I didn't know the singers or understand the songs. My feet are killing me but the two hill hike into the historic district is worth the pain. I am enjoying my meals with my Kindle as entertainment. I am hoping I have room to take home the things I bought (not a lot, just bulky). I am nosy and wonder what is up with the "family life" of the host of my posada. I enjoy being back in a place where I can walk to dinner or hear live music or take an evening stroll just for fun. This vacation is gong by too quickly. I am wishing I could have booked the ticket to Argentina in April.

I might be too old for this....

Three photos of my day.....the funniest sign I have ever seen in a airport bathroom...my room at the posada (bed and breakfast)....sights from my wandering "off path" today (many of the houses have those "eye-shaped" windows in them....weird).

OK, boarded the flight last night at 9 PM. With a time change of 2 1/2 hours forward, I arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil at 4 AM. WOOT WOOT. This airport in one of the largest and most modern cities of the world was a loose maze of cement tunnels and steel beams-disappointing. I drank TWO double expressos and read Gone With the Wind until my next flight at 7:30. The only problem was that in the domestic flight wing, there were just a series of doors and a woman incessantly yelling out flight numbers and city names and gate numbers IN PORTUGUESE, rather than a board with flights and gates listed. I muddled through and made it on the plane only to find out my seat was double booked. The exit row was open but for some reason I didn't look "responsible" enough to sit there so I was standing in the aisles with my two carry-ons in hand, waiting to be told where to sit until we LITERALLY were taxi-ing to the runway.

The Salvador airport is tiny and I was out in 7 minutes. There are women walking around in costumes looking like Mammy from Gone With the Wind, greeting people and answering questions. I guess they embrace that "heritage" here. It just didn't feel right to me for some reason, to take their picture though. On the flight in and during the taxi ride I decided that Salvador is like a collision of Savannah, GA and any coastal city in West Africa with parts of each sprinkled together. The red clay and coastal sand fight for dominance on the earth and the houses speak of a rich heritage of colonial rule, modern visions, and African roots. The best part is the faces though....there is no "majority" here. Every shape, color and culture is represented in each glance through the crowd. Sigh....I have missed that.

My posada is gorgeous. It is owned by a Brazilian woman and her French husband. They live here along with their two teenage sons. They only speak Portuguese and French, so, once again, my French is saving me. I am finding Portuguese very frustrating. It is more of a mix of Italian and German so I understand little to nothing and feel like a mute. Despite that, I did shower and go on a treck today. I made one wrong turn, and instead of ending up in the historical district (a 15 min walk), I ended up a 15 min. walk into the not so well kept district-a bit scary. There are SO MANY analogies about wrong turns in life and where you end up....you can make them. Suffice to say, after 32 hours of almost no sleep and only two double expressos in my stomach, I was desperate to get food. It took me almost 2 hours to "find" my posada again and then retrace my steps to the turn I should have originally taken.

When I finally found my path, I stopped at the first little mom/pop restaurant I found. WELL, it happened to be owned by a family of descendants from West Africa and the dishes all had West African flavors. SCORE. I had a meat dish with pounded cassava root-YUMMINESS! I will probably go back several times to taste more. The owner sat at a table next to me talking to an old man in an African langauge that had several familiar phrases....my fav. was the repetition of wooooo(with an intonation that goes from low to high). Hadn't heard that in so long...my ears and tummy were happy. (Although, they only brought me a spoon to eat with-guess they thought my hands would work -and I had a heck of a time asking for a fork.)

After that late lunch, my feet were killing me from my wanderings on the hillside. I was drenched in sweat (it is about 95 degrees and WET with humidity) and exhausted so I collapsed into bed for a 3 hour nap. I woke up thinking about a walk to find  some dinner but decided to stay in for the night rather than get lost again-only this time, in the dark. (Again, life analogy...take it and run ..).

What was I thinking? On my flights I was thinking about how uncomfortable it is to be tall in that cramped space. When I arrived in Salvador and realized how few people speak English, I was thinking that it was going to be a very challenging week getting around. I was also thinking how much I love beach culture but hate the heat and humidity (as my clothes were soaked with sweat and sticking to me). I was nervous today when I was in the wrong neighborhood. I kept changing sides of the street and using my peripheral vision to watch people. After my nap, I was thinking that I had had enough for the past 48 hours but was guilt tripping myself for not maximizing every minute to explore Salvador. An early wake up and walk plan won out over a night time adventure this time. Tomorrow I head to the parades-I bought a ticket to a private viewing area because I was thinking I would be too overwhelmed in the crowd. I am still nervous though-getting taxis, finding the location, getting food and drink, not getting pick-pocketed....

I just might too old for this....=)

Oh, why can't it be easy?

As they say, ..."the best laid plans"....

Well, in OCTOBER I booked these flights and hotels through a travel agent here in VZ (my current home that I afffectionately call OZ). This morning, I woke up at my hotel in Caracas at 5AM, and rushed to the airport to catch my 9 AM flight. I had a moment of "oh no, what if my flight was canceled or is at a different time"...but told myself I was just being jaded about OZ and plus that wouldn't happen because someone from the travel agency would have contacted me. When I entered the international terminal it was very empty. Each sky cap who asked me where I was going, frowned and said "tonight?" when I told them I was headed to Argentina. I walked end to end in the termincal and found no check in for my airline-TAM. Plus, the "departures" board did not have a single flight leaving to anywhere in Brazil between 6 AM and 3 PM today. OK, NOW I was worried.

Thankfully, in the airport there is an office of the travel agency that I used to book my flights. I went in and they told me that my flight was changed to 8:30 PM (which coincidentally is the time my connection to Salvador leaves from Sao Paulo). I really wanted to cry when they told me I would arrive in Sao Paulo at 4:30 AM and my "new" flight to Salvador would be at 8:30 PM-tomorrow. I did point out that I have had these tickets since OCTOBER and the travel agent has my email, phone number, and is in close contact with my school...and no one bothered to tell me of these changes. After 2 hours in the office and a change on EVERY ONE of my flights-I fly all night tonight and get to Salvador at 10 tomorrow AM. And, I have to leave Salvador at 7 AM Friday instead of 7 PM (I lose a day). The real kicker is that I only have 90 minutes to connect to my flight back to my "home" here in OZ when I get in on Friday night. I can tell right now that the adventure is NOT EVEN CLOSE to over!

So, I am "back" at my hotel until check out at 12. Then I will lurk around the lobby and the restaurant until 5:30 when I head back to the airport-exactly 12 hours after my first trip to the airport today.....I have 25 hours until I arrive in Salvador at this point. WHEW.... So, aren't you glad you are along for this adventure. I sure know how to do it up right!! =) (yikes!)

Come along for an adventure this week

Grab a drink, think beach, and come along with me this week on my adventure. So many people tell me how much they admire me or how brave they think I am for doing what I do. Well, this week, I am headed to Salvador, Brazil for 6 days smack in the middle of the world's largest Carnival celebration. It really is coincidence that I am going there during Carnival-it happens to be the only break I have from school. The REAL reason I am going is that this historic city on the beach is steeped in West African culture-food, dance, music, traditions. Considering my passion for all things West African, this city immediately became a "must visit" destination for my time in South America.

So, in October, after I turned in my letter of intent not to return to Venezuela next year, and before I knew where my next teaching job would take me, I booked a trip to this magical city on the coast of Northern Brazil. No, I don't know anyone there. Yes, I am going alone. No, I do not speak Portuguese. Now, THAT is an adventure. I have never done this before....traveled alone to a place where I have never been and where I don't know a soul. I have ESPECIALLY never done this to a foreign country whose language I do not know. What was I thinking...??? I assure you I have asked myself this many times in the months between October and now.

Over the next week, I am going to try to update this blog each day-hoping to even include photos and maybe even a video or two. I will tell you about the amazing sights, sounds, smells, tastes I am sure to encounter. BUT, more importantly, I am going to tell you "what was I thinking". You will get a little glimpse into what a chicken I REALLY am...and how I talk myself into all the crazy things I do.

To tell the truth, for the past seven weeks I have been talking myself out of canceling the trip. I had rationalized that losing my deposit on my hotel would be a small loss and figured I could use the airline "credits" next year from Colombia. My shyness coupled by the realization that I would be sharing the city of Salvador with 2,000,000 drunk "friends" made me feel a bit panicked. Obviously, I didn't cancel.

Yesterday, I realized at 9 PM that my yellow fever shot card was locked in the administrative offices of my school. Brazil is a country which rigorously requires official documentation of an up to date yellow fever shot for entry. Luckily the amazing administrative secretary called the guards who went in the office and found it. I drove across town today to pick it up-disaster averted.

Tonight I fly to Caracas to spend the night in order to catch an early AM flight to Brazil. I will fly all day, bouncing around airports, arriving in Salvador near midnight tomorrow night.

What am I thinking, now...I fit everything into a carry-on, yay. I hope my flight tonight is not canceled (very common) and not late (even more common). I like the hotel in Caracas where I will be staying and am looking forward to room service and cable TV =). I have a taxi lined up to take me to the house where I will be staying in Salvador (like a little b and b) so I am not stressed about that. I am worried I don't have enough dollars in cash and hope that I can get money via my credit or debit card without too much of a fee. I feel like I have not done enough research about the city and am overwhelmed by the thought of Carnival taking place there this week. I am thinking a lot about not getting robbed while out and around the city. I am psyching myself up to talk to strangers and make connections....cursing my shyness that makes that so hard to do. Excited?....not yet...just thinking of tackling one challenge at a time-calling a taxi, getting to Caracas, finding the hotel bus, and getting on that first plane tomorrow....THEN, I think I will be more excited than nervous (as I am now).


I hope you come along with me this week.....tell me what you want to know or any questions you have in the comments. I will answer them in my next posts. Let the adventure begin!