some things I learned..

Now. Now.
I am back. Back in the United States.
Sad times. :[
My escape to Ecuador was far to short.
I learned a LOT though...

1. Just Do It... Let go.. if you want to go out and play football (or "soccer") in the mud in the middle of a torrential downpour, DO IT. Someone will eventually join you... Mud fun :)

2. If a wild tarantula pounces on you as you tromp through the Amazon jungle, do NOT scream and flail about... that only drives their desire to BITE

3. Have your fellow trekkers take the tarantula OFF of you before they start snapping pictures.

4. Once you have had a tarantula attack you once, you will be paranoid the whole rest of the trip that they are all out to get you.

5. Secure your camera... The Amazon is NOT flat and perfect.. muddy and hilly and slippy and cameras tend to sneak out of backpacks.. :( I miss my camera,..
Try to be sure that it is securely held in your hand-or attached to a carabeaner

6. If you wander out "alone" in the dark to "look for sloths" while everyone else is drunk..they WILL notice that you are missing.. send out search parties...
...more on that later...

7. Machetees are the ULTIMATE!
Choppp pathways through thick vines in the jungle.. cut open pineapple, guava, papaya.. sharpen them on rocks.. cut down trees...

8. Even if you take a shower everyday, by 9:30 am you will look, feel and smell as though you haven't taken a shower in weeks.

9. Hammocks, coffee, tea... NOT luxuries, but necessities..

10. Keep your bags with you at all times, even on the bus.. DO NOT put it in the overhead bin, even if a nice man politely informs you that the bags need to go above... (bye bye Ipod and money...)

11. When you wake up in the middle of the night, it is almost as though you haven't opened your eyes.. the darkest place i have ever seen..

12. Time in Ecuador drags on forever... It is close to the equator so the Ecuadorian minute has an extra 50 seconds before it moves on to the next minute.

13. Even though it is in South America, pretty much on the Equator, and in the Amazon.. it is not all warm

14. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between pooh and mud...

15. Capuchin Monkeys like to play and squeak and crawl all over you and hug you and check your hair for fleas and clean your fingernails..

16. Lo Siento.. probably the most used Spanish phrase I used.. "I'm sorry!"

17. Popcorn is super fun when it is being popped on the stove... music for your ears, mouth, nose and hands...

18. The buses... people would climb on and hop off while it was still moving.. wandering up and down the aisle trying to sell some of their goods.. homemade "chips" or bags of plantains.. MANY things i had NEVER seen before in my life..

19. The buses do not pay attention to the "Peligro" signs all over... they zoom around the corners and down the hills.. even though there is a ravine on one side and a clif on the other... and tunnels that are sooo dark.. no lights on the inside and the headlights of the bus were off... the walls were NOT smooth like normal tunnels, but rocky... reminded me of some wack Disney World ride..

Chris Crocker Fun :)

Love YOURSELF..
"be your own boyfriend..."
I LOVE Chris Crocker! :) He makes me laugh.. he makes me smile.. and sometimes he makes me realize...


"Behind every girl... is a gay best friend."
"it dont matter about her momma and daddys approval, it matters about her gay best friends approval.."
Ha! :) "What you really need to be doing is bringing that gay best friend a fruit basket and shaking his hand!"
ooo man...


"...all i need is a 5 minute stand! And we dont need to be standing if you know what i mean!"
" I may @(#$ a stranger but ain't let him stay in my house!"

Funny Little Animals..

The froggies are singing!!

I dont think he brushes his teeth much...

Mud bath! :)

THAT is one creepy little llama..thing...

Happy Camels!

CRASH! poor little foxy..

This is what fishies see when they look up...

Eagle Owl babies...

Awww.. reminds me of a sea urchin... I used touch those.. in the tidepools.. on the Oregon Coast..

HES FLYING!! Like Dumbo!

Cute Little Dik Dik!

:] Shower time..

Fennec Fox!!! We had 2 at our zoo.. in the Education Department. Now they are with the primates... (not sure WHY they are in the primate building)

HAHA! Obviously something is SUPER funny!

Thanks to Dark Roasted Blend

SorrY!

HellO!
I have been Sooo busy with all kinds of fun things.. and not so fun things..
Making new friends... making colorful swirly crayons... baking cookies and foccacio.. Zoo times.. Children's Museum times.. freak out about the future times... making me want to do even MORE things that I haven't done and find ways to continue doing the things i do like..
Therefore, I have had little time to concentrate when I am browsing the net and looking for fun things to post.
AND
I will be gone to Ecuador for a spell (Saturday March 15-Wednesday March 27)
Wow.. when i actualy write it out it seems like suuuuch a long time!
Yes. I am scared. Yes. I am excited. Yes. I am nervous.
Who knows what will happen? I know wayyy too many things that COULD happen.. but that does not mean that it WILL happen.
Anyway, One last post (i think) before i head out..
AND THEN>
Prepare for many pictures of my travels and stories of my adventures!
:) :) :) :)

Monty Python!!

LumberJack Song!


Brave Sir Robin!!


The French Taunters...


Man Who Speaks only the Ends of Words... (BEAUTIFULLY DONE!!)


Ministry of Silly Walks

Fun Videos for you!

Herreeeeeeeee is a song about Tuscaloosa! Written by a Tuscaloosan (sp?)
interesting... pretty voice...


SLOTHS!!



AND MY FAVORITE ONE EVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
The Sloth Life-It Can Changes..


Creepy little Tarsier .. LOOKIN AT YOU!~!

Blah Blah

Now
The days are running low..
soon i will be out of Tuscaloosa... To Ecuador..
I still cannot imagine myself being out there .. all by myself..

And then after watching movies with all kinds of friends going on adventures together.. I want that. I want that bonding experience that everyone else seems to have had. I try to explain to people.. no one really understands.. I NEVER had anything like that growing up.. and then especially when i got into college.. the first three or so years i was pretty much preoccupied with "issues".. many poeple may have THOUGHT that i was happy or i don't know what they thought. but they did NOT know me.
Now I am finally making connections with poeple.. WANTING to go out.. yearning to explore what the world has to offer and what I have to offer to the world. And sooo soon it will all be taken away and i will have to start all over again.

then soon after that i will be off to North Carolina.. and then what? then where?
My parents are NOT making this easier on me... every time.. every conversation.. "So, these places you are looking at, do they have Health Insurance?" . "You should've gone to Graduate School.." /| \

I don't know what i want to do with my life.
I find that this is a common topic throughout my blogs though. I shall not dwell on it much more.
I will occupy my time with scouring the net for more and more job opportunities that my parents can shoot down .. bring me back to reality that it IS NOT going to work for me.

I need to suspend reality for awhile. esssssscape!