Hello! It has been roughly three months since the last time I wrote a blog. Whenever the topic comes up in conversation, I think: “Hmmm… I wrote my last blog in Ecuador about Cambodia…”
I know.
The good news for you, my good and faithful readers, is that nothing could inspire my bloggery more than the fact that I am going home in LESS THAN three weeks, and I don’t want to devote a ton of time trying to remember enough details to catch up on all the blogs I should’ve written after I get back.
Whew. That was a long sentence. Are you still with me? If you (like me) prefer the abridged version, it is this: I’m verbosely sorry that I haven’t written in so long, and be on the look out for a few rapid-fire updates over the next few weeks.
Since we are now all on the same page, let me tell you that I have loved every minute of South America. While Africa was different, and Asia was difficult, South America has been a dream. I have often thought about how thankful I am that my route started in Africa and ended here. It is a lot more like the U.S. than anywhere else I’ve been, which is helpful when I start to feel homesick. (Now that I think of it, I haven’t really felt that homesick here. Still, I stand by my previous statement.) Some of my favorite things about South America:
- The people are beautiful and hospitable. Everyone hugs me hello and kisses my face and I am a really big physical touch person, so that truly impacts my whole day. No one is a stranger, and I have been adopted into people’s families after knowing them for just a short while.
- There is a lot of food. It’s not what I expected, it’s a lot blander than Mexican food, and I’ve eaten A LOT of hot dogs since being here. Every person I have met in SA has tried (and usually succeeded) to feed me.
- Colombian coffee lives up to its reputation for being the best thing in the whole world.
- Colombian hot chocolate is even better.
- Street art is legal in most cities, and it is AWESOME! I’m not talking about graffiti, there are legit artists making beautiful things in beautiful places, and it is incredible.
- Mountains. Enough said.
- Sweaters/ponchos/blankets made from alpaca wool are the warmest, snuggliest things ever.
- There are parks full of cats in Peru.
- There is a KFC in every country in the world, but SA has Popeye’s! (Fat kid alert: more food related joy to come.)
- It’s not un-gosh-ly hot here. My team was in Bogota in July, and we had to wear jeans and sweatshirts the whole month! In fact, even though we are currently going into summer now, I haven’t been miserably hot even one time.
- People in South America are really good at loving and making others feel loved.
This is obviously not everything I love about South America, and I’m sure I’ll remember more as I continue to retell my stories. My tentative plan is to break down SA month-by-month; what was my ministry, my experience in-country, the people I was working with, the food(probably), and any adventures I happened to find myself on. So, stay tuned!
From my corner of the world to yours,
Erin
