Moving forward...

To those who still check this... I wanted to let you all know that I"m going to be making a new blog for my experience at PT School at Eastern, and the Link will show up under my links when I get around to making it.

beijos!

getting back into the swing of things

Its interesting being back at home. I want to be reflective, to tell everyone what I've learned, how I am going to live differently, but after 4 days here I feel like I'm already back to the rat race. Its hard coming back from a place so drastically different expecting it to change me overnight. Life isn't that way. It takes discipline to change. It takes discipline to do anything worth doing, because those things that are worth it are never the easy thing to do. I wish I could lead a simpler lifestyle here, I wish I could give up my cling to materialism, and not want more things, I wish I could make my relationships more important than my job, my career, my errands, I wish I could continue to SPEAK PORTUGUESE like I could in brasil. But yet, already I am losing everything I've learned. I feel like americans have their priorities messed up, and that brazilians have somehow got it right. In that place where people sleep in, work enough to put food on the table and spend the rest of their time loving people, loving their community, loving life. Where did we go so wrong to always be waiting for life to start, but never realize that its already happening. How often do I tell myself that in 3 years life will start, without realizing that life is happening now. But yet, in all of this reflection, I think of Jeremiah 18: 11...i think. When Israel is being told by God that he will pour disaster upon them if they don't repent and they only reply "its no use, we will continue to follow the subborness of our evil hearts." So how do I take this with me? I learned when working in APAE, the special needs school I volunteered at, that a new person with new insight can't change the program entirely. In the same way, one good idea, won't change the person. You have to begin at the source of where inspiration, drive, determination, and desire come from: your heart, soul, mind. Saying that I want to be less materialistic without giving away something, or buying only what I need won't enable me to give up materialism. Saying that I want to put friends first, but still working more than I need to, or deciding to "fit" them into my schedule rather than fiting errands around my friendships, won't enable me to set my priorities right. I don't think that it should be easy to change your priorities, or to change the way you think, or live your life. But, since I would like to think of myself as a determined person, I would like to think that this isn't out of my reach.

beijos,

Ana

wild weather!

You know how when you are little they always tell you how hail can be the size of golf balls, but yet, in Seattle, we don't even have marble sized ones? Well, yesterday, while Nico and I were going to pick up my plane ticket, there was hail, yes! the size of golf balls. It was so intense... luckily we were in the bus, but... as Nico so eloquently put it "this is worse than Iraq!" it really did feel like a war zone with balls of ice crashing down on the bus and world around us. What an amazing demonstration of the power of weather. Alberto told us when he got home that night that 10 people died of heart attacks because of the hail (it was such a shock on their systems), and the news showed windows being broken, people with bruises and an overall state of panic throughout many parts of the city as no one wanted to go out in the extreme weather... there is a reason we say "no throwing ice" when we are having a snowball fight... its so much harder than snow. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera on me... but I found this picture of it on google to give you an idea of what it was all like...

beijos,
Ana

(Weather: 14 C, cloudy with a chance of meatballs, Craving: Friday night)

I'M GOING HOME!!!

So after missing my flight last night and being very discouraged about making it home within a reasonable amount of time, Alberto called up his friend who works for Delta, pulled strings and got me a ticket out of here for a mere $700 for this friday. Other than that I'm going to have a layover in Atlanta for 10 hours... its better than not making it home at all.

It was actually really entertaining though. When Nico and I went to pick up the ticket, the lady told us that the ticket would be $5000 pesos (3 pesos to a dollar) and Nico told her that it should only be about $2200, and she goes "no e possivel!" but, luckily it was... and we got my ticket and I'll be there saturday at 7:30 at night. (Anyone want to go out?!?)

Yesterday, Nico and I wento to an area of town called "La Boca" that is a really old, and generally poor part of town that is famous for its brightly colored buildings. They are brightly colored because when people lived there and needed to paint, they had to buy whatever was cheap... so as it turns out its all funky colored. That's where we took this picture... I think its my favorite of my trip. So funny and such a great memory. Besides, now I can say that I tangoed in Buenos Aires :)


ate logo,

Ana

Buenos Aires e os Gatinhos

Hey everyone. Here in Buenos Aires now... hanging out with Alberto and his sons. Its been pretty fun, although because of Niko having a pathology test tomorrow and people being busy I haven't seen as much of the city as I might have liked to so far. Although tomorrow, when everyone is working, Paulito's future mother in law is going to take me downtown and show me around.

I officially can't speak spanish anymore, especially argentinian style. They speak so differently than I'm used to, and since I've also got my brain cued into portuguese, i'm even that much more clueless. Luckily, the boys all speak a little english and if they talk slow enough and I talk slow enough, we can usually converse without too much trouble.

Anyways, I'll hopefully have a lot of fun pictures by tomorrow... but even if I don't. I love the family and will definitely come back... hopefully with Nanny and Danny and the girls. i think it would be more fun that way.

anyways,
adios, tchau, beijos, hasta luego...

Ana

ps: ITS COLD HERE!

don´t cry for me...

I´m going to ARGENTINA!

I know its quite a change of plans... but lets face it... Varig is going under and everyone in Brasil is using other airlines for international flights. At this point the only ones that are empty are heading to Lebanon... and who would want to go there right now? So the plan is that I am heading to Buenos Aires for a few days. This Saturday I head out to play before hopefully catching a flight home on Tuesday. And if Tuesday doesn´t work out Thursday and Friday also have very hopeful flights.

I would appreciate all of your prayers these next few days, that everything goes smoothly, that I get on my flight, and that I pack everything I bought in the luggage I have and don´t have to pay extra to cart it around with me :) I´m going to need to pull a Mary Poppins to make it all fit I think!

Anyways, here is a new photo... taken yesterday. I´m just trying to survive this absolutely horrible winter we´re having. I know, its rough...

beijos,
Ate logo,

Ana

Porto Alegre

I spent a few days in Porto Alegre with my great tia Lidia, her daughters, Nair and her family, and Evone. It was really fun. Especially since I got to hang out with my cousins William and Filipe. Filipe is a new dad... he has a beautiful little girl, Julia, with his girlfriend, Ana, and it was so great to hang out with everyone. William was a spectacular tour guide for me as well... took me around to buy things (including a sweet Grêmio jersey... EU SOU GREMISTA!!! which is against his fancy, seeing how he roots for Inter... the other soccer team in Porto Alegre), we went to the river and strolled along the bank with coke in hand, and bummed around. It was great fun. Anyways, heres a picture of everyone for you all. I´ll assume that you can figure out most of the characters here.