Filed under: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Plain Mary Jane, Uruguay
It has been three months since I’ve left South America. I would say that by now I’ve begun processing the place, but to be honest, I don’t think I had an experience that properly qualified me to even begin processing it.
I think that Latin America is a good introduction to traveling. If I could do it all over again, I would have chosen to start traveling through Latin America before heading over to Asia. However, I did this backwards, so it’s too late.
Here’s the thing: Asia is crazy. Asia is intense. Asia is jam-packed full of loud noises, strange smells, and people, people EVERYWHERE. Asia is IN YOUR FACE. Asia will kick your ass the moment you step off of the plane, and will continue to beat you down with an array of unforgettable experiences until the moment you leave the place.
Latin America is very, very different. Yes, there are people. There are cars, there are houses, there is food, there are all of the necessities and basic essentials that you will see in every country. But Latin America does not LEAP out at you. Latin America is subtle. Latin America is bursting with flavor, but it’s all in the aftertaste.
And so little old me, who had grown accustomed to this ‘in-your-face’ kind of traveling, shied away from the subtlety of Latin America. I went through an array of amazing experiences; I did a homestay with a Costa Rican family for a month, I learned Spanish, I lived in Paraguay for two months and traveled all around the country taking interviews with natives, and I traveled to Panama, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, and Peru on top of all of this. But I didn’t FEEL the culture in the same way that I did in Asia. I felt that while I had many cultural experiences and interactions, I didn’t fully appreciate or understand the significance behind them in the way that I did while in Asia.
Transversely, my integration into Asia was much slower than in Latin America. I knew that I had ample time to wander around and understand Asia, and so I took my sweet time. I read all kinds of books about India, Nepal, Thailand, Turkey. I questioned what social services in these countries really meant. And I went on an array of experiences with Carpe Diem and with my school that challenged a lot of local traditions and customs. My head was always on level with what was going on around me.
Latin America was more of a solo trip. I had a plan to go in there, learn about micro-finance, and enjoy the sights while I was there. I plunged headfirst into the continent with no prior knowledge or experience, and hit the ground running. I didn’t have the TIME that I wished I had to fully experience the things in front of me, because there was always a thousand things to do: my current research project, learning spanish, turning in papers, potential job and internship opportunities for the future, and onwards. I went into Buenos Aires, Argentina armed with a laptop and a recording device to transcribe all of my interviews from Paraguay, rather than spending my time REALLY appreciating the city. I spent 5 days in a room on Easter Island furiously writing away my research project instead of exploring the volcanoes or various maori statues. I arrived in Peru exhausted and ready to collapse, thinking about nothing much except my plane ride back to the United States the next day.
Now it seems like I may be going off of a complain here, and I’m surely not: I know that I had unbelievable, unforgettable experiences that SO many don’t have the fortune of doing. I am truly, incredibly blessed. I can’t believe that I have had the opportunity to travel to seven countries within a mere four months, and have that count for my schooling.
Merely the point I’m trying to make here is that because of these factors, my experience in Latin America was not as potent culturally, or as significant as my experience was in Asia. And while I wish that one day I really WILL go to Latin America when I have the time to experience all that it can offer, my heart still pines to go back to Asia.
My senior year ends in a few months, and then I’m graduated. Let’s hope that I can keep the traveling up after that.
Latin America: You were beautiful. You were magical. I am sorry that I couldn’t fully appreciate all that you had to offer. I dearly hope that I can come back under different circumstances, to truly know all that you have to offer.
Much love,
Brittany
Today one of my very best friends, Mira ( Lady the Tramp) and I met in Manhattan for tea and sweets in Curry Hill. We plopped ourselves down at an Indian restaurant and requested Chai and Gulab Jamuns, an Indian delicacy and dessert (essentially they are fried dough balls soaked in honey. Sickeningly sweet). The Indian man mumbled something for a good minute with Mira and I merely catching some resentful mutterings about us only ordering dessert, and then he whisked off to give us tea (not Chai! What kind of Indian restaurant is this?) and stone cold gulab jamun (usually it is warm). While we laughed at the strangeness of it all and caught up on each other’s lives, I noticed a shop across the street- Om Saree Palace, a retail store for, what else, sarees, a typical dress worn in India. There was also a variety of shawls, men’s clothings, salwar kameez’s, and jewelry.
After paying the disgruntled employee for our cheap meal, I told Mira that I wanted to check out Om Saree Palace. We headed over and walked inside to see a kindly old Indian lady folding shawls.
“Namaste, Aap Kaise Hai?” (hello, how are you?), I asked in Hindi.
“Chik Hai, Aap Kaise Hai?” (fine, how are you?) The lady responded, positively beaming.
“Chick Hai,” I replied. “Torrah Hindi bolti hu.” (I speak a little Hindi).
The woman’s smile widened even further. “I am so excited that you are here in my shop and that you speak Hindi!” she proclaimed. “So many tourists come through here but they don’t speak Hindi. Were you in India?”
I recounted my story to her- three trips, six months, all over North and South India. And I loved every second of it.
Sarla, the old woman, was from New Delhi. When I told her that I had been to Paharganj and Majnukatilla in Delhi, she nearly jumped up and down with excitement.
While Mira and I chattered with her incessantly about India (Mira has spent time in India as well) and perused the clothes, an absolutely gorgeous salwar kameez caught my eye. It was orange, red, and black, spread into a pattern that looked almost tribal. I knew instantly that I had to try it on. It fit me absolutely perfectly. Sarla clapped her hands.
“I will give you a good price for this salwar,” she said. “I had very good business today and you made my day, so I will give you a special price.”
While my phone played Hanuman rapping in the background for Sarla’s utter delight, she slashed 10 dollars off of the salwar kameez (she sold it for only $45, which is cheap even by India standards considering the quality!), and gave me a pair of gorgeous black and glittery earrings to go with it for free, as ‘a birthday gift’ (I had told her my birthday was tomorrow).
Standing there, basking in the warmth and loveliness of the beautiful lady who was so giving and so happy that I knew and understood her culture, I felt so unbelievably happy to know people in the world that have gone out of their way for no reason at all other than kindness. There are rare occasions when I’ve come across this when traveling- that is, meeting a foreigner and the only thing that ties us together is a few words or a gesture- but this forms a bond and a kinship that are beyond words. It is the very power of humanity. And it says that even though we are very different people, from very different backgrounds, we can understand each other. We can love each other.
Thank you lovely Sarla, for making my day, maybe even my whole experience, in New York. We need more interconnectedness like this in the world.
Filed under: Peru
Dear friends,
It’s been three months, but pictures of my day in Peru have finally been posted, which you can check out here. These are the final photos from my South America trip, and I feel a sense of accomplishment from finally getting them all up, but also a sense of sadness- I think the reason why I dragged it out so long is because I didn’t want to admit to myself that my travels are ‘temporarily’ over. Also, since I’m not in travel mode for me right now, it’s hard for me to be in that kind of space while writing on this blog.
However, I knew that I had to get to Peru sometime, so here goes: I spent one day in Lima, the main city. I visited my friend Sonja who was currently living and studying there, and she took me all around to see the sights and to taste the amazing food. It was an amazing, fun day.
First, we headed over to Barranco, which is an area in Lima chock full of poets and artists- you could call it ‘the hip area’ of Lima. Taking a cab there proved to be an interesting challenge, because no one was willing to take us for the real price (most of them demanded twice the price). After half an hour of searching, we finally were able to take a cab for the correct price with one willing cab driver (note to travelers: just hold out on the cab drivers), and so we hopped in and headed over to Cafe Tostada for lunch. Cafe Tostada is AMAZING. We drank Chicha, which is this popular Peruvian beverage (it’s fermented and mostly made from maize. I wasn’t the biggest fan but it did the job). We then ordered their famous dish, which was fried rabbit rubbed in orange. Absolutely amazing. The worst part of the experience? As soon as you enter the restaurant you are bombarded with frames upon frames of cute little bunny rabbits. I had to avert my eyes as I sucked the orange off of the fried rabbit.
After lunch we decided to stretch our overly full stomachs by walking along the ocean of Barranco, which is incredibly beautiful. Two men serenaded us while we walked over a bridge overlooking rows upon rows of brightly colored house stretching out to the sea, and I remember feeling really happy where I was and enjoying all of the beautiful architecture in front of me. Barranco is definitely a place to see. We headed over to a small park where indigenous crafts were being sold, and entertained ourselves by dressing up sweaters and bags. Sonja bought a Peruvian flute earring to commemorate her music experience, as she was studying ethnography in Peru. There was also an incident with a candy apple which you can check out in the photos.
After wandering around Barranco, we headed back to Sonja’s house and took a nap before going out to Miraflores, the ritzy area of Lima, for dinner. We decided to splurge a bit and head over to Huaca Pucllana, which is one of the best and nicest restaurants in Peru. We spent the evening dining on Peru’s finest delicacies (anticuchos, fried guinea pig which was surprisingly DELICIOUS, lomo saltado, and pisco sours) until we were so full we couldn’t move. I would go back to Lima JUST for this restaurant, it was one of the best I’ve ever been to. And with a nine course meal, it cost Sonja and I only fifty dollars.
In the end, while I was only in Peru for one day it was incredibly fun and light-hearted, which is exactly what I needed before flying to the US the next day. Thanks to Sonja for taking me out for such a great time.
And that’s it with the South America adventure folks! Expect an update soon about what I thought of it overall.
Much love,
Brittany
Filed under: Chile
Dear friends,
Generally, I try to avoid telling negative stories that happen to me while traveling, but I felt that this story was too good to pass up.
Two months ago (please ignore that this story is two months outdated and that I’ve meaning to tell it since it’s inception), I was in Santiago, Chile. At the time, I had a huge research paper due and I was majorly stressing out about getting it finished in time. I had just come back from Easter Island, Chile, and was taking a flight to Lima, Peru the next day to visit a friend, and so I decided to use the current space I had to majorly work on my paper.
Now for me, if I’m traveling on the cheap, I use two sources to determine where I’ll stay: either Hostel World or if I’m running out money fast/want to meet some cool people without any effort, Couch Surfing (note: if you go the Couch Surfing route you must be VERY careful about who you pick and why. I’ll be putting up a post about this soon, so stay tuned).
For this particular instance, I had my research paper due in two days, and so I knew that I needed to be in a very quiet space, with good internet, where I could focus on writing my paper without any distractions. So I chose to stay at a private room in a hostel, which cost $40 (I never spend this much money on a hostel room, but I was getting close to desperation on finishing this paper, so I needed the space and quiet to get it done). I used Hostel World to find this particular hostel, which will remain unnamed (though I feel tempted to just for deserved defamation purposes).
Now here’s the thing about Hostel World: it’s a hit or miss. Sometimes you find a hostel that says they have AMAZING amenities, clean and comfortable rooms, full-spread free breakfasts, with free internet and pictures galore of parties and fun-loving people dancing the night away. So you think ‘wow, this sounds like a great place,’ book a reservation, and show up to find that the room they reserved you in is rotting with mold and smells like 1,000 stinky feet, that the sheets had obviously not been changed from the last reservation (or 2, or 3, or 10), that the breakfast was disgusting, and that these so called ‘amenities’ that were promised did not work. All while walking down the street later and finding a non-Hostel World hostel that is eight times better and half of the price. Maybe I’m being a bit too specific here as this literally happened to me. But let’s not get too negative and give a balanced opinion: sometimes Hostel World has some great hostels that are even better than the description and pictures. Sometimes it’s exactly what you’re looking for with the price that you paid. Sometimes the beds are super comfy, the bathroom is clean and works, the breakfast is decent, and you meet some really cool and interesting travelers.
Anyway getting back from my long tangent on Hostel World, I encountered a new situation in Santiago. The hostel, for all intents and purposes, looked comfortable, seemed quiet, and it was clean. Bonus points. Absolute 100% negative? The bed bugs.
So I arrived to my $40 hostel room, and immediately threw my bags all over the floor, opening up everything and taking it out and generally making a ridiculous mess (I mostly did this because I had been living in hostel rooms with anywhere from 4-10 other people, so I never had the luxury to just open my bag and throw everything everywhere without fear of it getting lost or stolen). I flopped onto the bed and relaxed against the soft comforter, feeling happy to be truly alone for the first time in weeks.
A few hours passed while I typed furiously away on my laptop, when I noticed a little brown reddish dot creeping along the comforter. I immediately smashed it and held it up to see. It was a bed bug. I had seen bed bugs before (my friend and I had a bed bug attack in Thailand), and so I knew exactly what it looked like.
Why are bed bugs unpleasant?
1) They leave huge itchy bite marks all over your body
2) They are incredibly hard to purge
3) If you’re staying in a room with bed bugs and you have a pack open, they can crawl into your things and you could unknowingly be taking bed bugs with you to another place.
I went down to the hostel concierge to show him the bed bug, and requested to be moved to another room. No problem, he said. I was moved to a different private room on the entire other end of the hostel.
I settled in again and started typing away furiously until 2 AM, when it happened again. Another brown reddish thing creeping along the comforter. ANOTHER bed bug.
At this point I felt disgusted. There was obviously a bed bug infestation at this hostel if two rooms on different sides of the hostel had them. I didn’t want to risk sleeping in the room and wake up with bug bites all over.
I smashed the bug and took it again to the concierge to show him that he had an infestation problem. At this point, I requested a refund. I had paid $40, a large sum of money to me, to be shifted around two different rooms with the same problem. If I couldn’t sleep in the room, then why should I have to pay $40?
Then the problems started.
The concierge gave me every excuse in the book. He couldn’t give me a refund. The manager wasn’t here so I couldn’t get a refund. He couldn’t call the manager because he didn’t have any money on his phone. The manager would be coming at 10 AM the next day (I had a flight at 9 AM, so this didn’t work). I eventually got out my computer, turned on skype, and called the manager myself.
I told the manager that I had been put in two private rooms with bed bugs. I told him I wanted a refund because I obviously could not sleep in either of these rooms, and that if there were bed bugs in two rooms, there were probably bed bugs everywhere. The manager was a lot less concerned with the fact that there were bed bugs in the hostel, and was a lot more concerned with refusing to give me a refund. He shouted at me, telling me that he didn’t care and that he wasn’t going to give me a refund. I told him that if he didn’t give me a refund I would contact hostel world and tell them what happened, and that I would give them a terrible review on the site. His response? ‘Go ahead, we’ll tell them that you’re lying.’
With a lot of shouting and yelling later, he finally agreed to give me a refund, on one condition: he wanted me out of the hostel right now, at 3 AM in the morning.
Let’s reiterate this: the manager, rather than apologizing for bed bug infestation (or at least saying they would do something about it, which I’m sure they didn’t), told a lone female traveler who didn’t live in Santiago, that they had to evacuate the premises at 3 AM. Wow.
Essentially I ended up doing so out of pride rather than fear: I made a huge case for my refund, and I wanted it back. I still contacted hostel world about the situation and they really didn’t care about what happened.
So what’s the moral of the story? Don’t book on Hostel World, or you could end up in a place infested with bed bugs that the owners are doing nothing to fix, with a manager who could kick you out at 3 AM in a strange city rather than apologizing, and a completely apathetic staff at Hostel World who sides with the hostel rather than the customer. I kind of look back on this story and laugh at the utter ridiculousness of it all (I ended up finding a taxi stand at 3 AM and going to the airport 5 hours early), but these things DO happen when you travel. It’s not all fun and games and wonderfulness. Sometimes when all you want to do is even pay extra money for a little comfort and security, it’s not going to be achieved. Sometimes you’re going to feel uncomfortable for weeks on end, and you’re going to feel uninspired, cranky, and surrounded by strangers who don’t care about you or your well-being (even if you shell out money for it).
But I would never give up traveling even for moments like these.
Time to find another alternative to Hostel World.
Much love,
Brittany
Filed under: Plain Mary Jane
Dear friends,
I know that it has been a very long time, considering the time in which I usually post. For this, I apologize. I’ve been adjusting to life in New York, which has been very interesting, to say the least. Know that I have not forgotten about this blog, which I love dearly, and I will make a dedicated effort to update a bit more soon (mainly to wrap up my travels in South America, to give a brief synopsis of my life in New York, and a taste of what’s to come). In the meantime, stay tuned.
Much love,
Brittany
Dear friends,
Finally, I have gotten around to posting pictures of Easter Island and Chile! You can check out the pictures here.
So while I’m at it, I thought that I would finally post a bit about my adventures in Easter Island, as I never had the opportunity to. Mostly this was because I was writing a massive paper of doom during my experience in Easter Island, which rendered me pretty much incapable of doing anything (including enjoying Easter Island to the fullest extent that I could have). However, I still had quite an amazing experience there.
First off, I stayed in one of the cheapest hostels (Kona Tau- you can find it on Hostel World), and I ended up rooming with three others girls I didn’t know. They all turned out to be incredibly fun and easy to get along with, and I spent most of my time with them. Two of the girls were traveling together and had spent a semester in Chile, so I got a little education from them on the customs and food, which definitely made me appreciate the area more.
Easter Island is absolutely amazing. It is paradise. It is so calm and beautiful, and there is a strong breeze all around the entire island. Even while I was writing a huge paper there, I felt incredibly carefree, and blessed to have the experience of being on an island that so very few have the opportunity to go to. I had originally planned to only be there for three days, but I was very happy that I had chosen to stay five. I would have been very happy to stay two weeks.
The biggest downside of the island was the expense. The cheapest hostel itself was $25 dollars a night (thought it was definitely worth it), and the food was very expensive. This didn’t stop me from splurging a few times on ceviche (a type of famous raw fish, which was mouth-wateringly delicious), and on avocado, which is a huge deal in Chile.
The beaches. The water. The beach in Easter Island is the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen in my entire life. One day, we decided to go to the Anakena side of Easter Island to see the beach there. The sand was completely white, and the water was so blue that I felt as if I was in a swimming pool. We spent the entire afternoon laying by the sea (I also got a scorching sunburn).
As I had so much work to do there, I didn’t get to explore as much of the island as I wished (this was a good thing as well, because I didn’t have a lot of money). I spent most of my time in my little room, typing the days away, with breaks to walk down into the little town for food. It was the best place for me to write, as it was so relaxing.
So- Easter Island. I made great friends, ate great food, saw some amazing sights, and I feel incredibly, incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to go. I would love to make it back there someday to experience truly everything the island has to offer. If you’re around the area, it’s a must-see.
Much love,
Brittany
It has been over a month and I have still not written yet about my experiences in Chile, Easter Island, and Peru. Why? some of you might ask. I am not an unproductive person, and I generally try to write every few days on this blog to share my travel experiences.
Generally, the biggest reason has been that I am still dealing with the nuances of being back in the United States, which includes being on vacation. For the first time in– pretty much a year and a half– I am not swamped and/or overwhelmed with new experiences, work to do for school, and/or schemes that will fit into the ‘big picture’ of my life. For now, I am content to spend some time lying lazily in my bed and doing absolutely nothing all day long. Today, I spent about two hours reading and analyzing the contents of Burt’s Bees ingredients to determine whether they’re actually a socially-conscious company (considering they were bought by Clorox back in 2007). They’ve passed the test so far. I also invented a method called ‘after shower goodness is baby oil + body lotion mixed together= glowing and sweet-smelling skin.’ It is a tried and true method.
It’s also nice to take a much-needed breather and focus on the kind of person that I want to be in the future, which includes being environmentally and consumer conscious, an advocate for non-processed food, a promoter of human rights awareness and self-sustainable solutions for developing communities, and… admittedly, an everything-Apple technology dork. Being in the United States gives me room to process everything that has happened within the past two years- what I have seen, how I’ve grown, and the ability to fully enjoy the amazing luxuries that my life affords me while not feeling guilty about it. These are challenging and complex things to grapple with. But I feel with even more certainty, that spending the next six months in the United States will ultimately be a good thing for me.
Here’s to 2010. May the next year be as eye-opening as the last.
Much love,
Brittany
Dear friends,
I am slowly but surely sifting through my South America photos to showcase on my website, and I am proud to say that finally pictures from Buenos Aires are up! You can check them out here!
While I’m at it, I thought now would be as good of a time as ever to give a few travel tips on Argentina, specifically Buenos Aires– cool places to check out, things to do and see, etc. Feel free to check them out below.
Much love,
Brittany
Dear friends,
As I’m about a month behind on my South American stories (I have yet to talk about Chile, Peru, and post pictures of these places and Argentina), I thought now would be as good of a time as any to give a bit of a travel advice post on dealing with Reverse Culture Shock.
First off, some of you novel travelers out there might ask what ‘culture shock’ means, before even questioning ‘reverse culture shock.’ Culture shock, as I’ve aptly described in this post about Paraguay (where I experienced a bit of culture shock myself), is when a traveler first enters a foreign country that is very different from their own, and has sudden feelings of isolation, discomfort, depression, tiredness, nervousness, fear, and other such emotions. These can range from merely uncomfortable to very intense.
REVERSE culture shock is after you have BEEN in a foreign country (or more than one) for a period of time and have adjusted to the food, language, customs, and culture- and then you come BACK to your original country. When you come back to your home country and experience feelings of isolation, discomfort, depression, tiredness, nervousness, fear, etc.- this is reverse culture shock.
Some novel travelers may question why or how someone could feel reverse culture shock. Haven’t we lived in our home country our whole lives and are accustomed to our own culture, food, and customs? Yes. However, it is after being OUTSIDE of this home country and completely expanding our minds to fit in other cultures, languages, and customs, that we see our own country and culture in a different light. ‘Coming home’ can be challenging in many ways because a traveler may have grown accustomed to a different style of living, only to be up-ended yet again- even if our culture is the same as before. It is especially intense if a traveler comes from a developing country where they don’t have modern conveniences, to suddenly being back in the developed world.
I have experienced reverse culture shock four times now- (once from India, once from Thailand, once from Bangladesh, and once from South America). the first time I came home, from India in Spring of 2008, was the most intense. I had been living with a homestay family in India where I had lived in a two bedroom house with six people, using a squat toilet, taking bucket baths, eating completely different and varied food, and living out of a backpack. I remember coming home and absolutely freaking out over a shower, and I marveled at how much water I was wasting. I felt severely uncomfortable using a Western toilet, and I remember the first time I got back to the United States how strange I felt about using toilet paper. From eating rice and dahl back to heavy US food like pasta, was really difficult to handle on my stomach. I remember one night ordering pizza, eating about three slices, and then throwing it up all over the pavement outside of my apartment because I felt so overwhelmed with being back in the United States that I couldn’t even stomach it.
What’s more difficult are those who have NOT had the same experiences as you (such as family members, roommates, and/or friends), who don’t understand how difficult of a transition reverse culture shock is.
So, how to counter reverse culture shock? After my fourth experience with reverse culture shock in the past two years, I think I’ve gotten down a decent method. Here are five steps to counter reverse culture shock:
1) Jet lag. Don’t let it get to you. Whether you’ve been halfway around the world on a different time schedule, you MUST go to sleep on the same time schedule in your home country, even if you’re dead tired and have to wait all day to go to sleep. This is the first and most important step.
2) It is OKAY to take time to marvel at the luxurious things that you hadn’t had when you were traveling. When I used to come home, I would feel an immeasurable sense of guilt that I had a hot shower, soft toilet paper, and an air-conditioned house. I’ve realized that feeling guilt does nothing except exacerbate reverse culture shock. Also be patient with yourself, as these things take time to get used to, and don’t feel guilty when you become accustomed to them again.
3) When I used to come home, I would throw all of my bags and packages in one corner of my room and let it sit there for days, not bringing myself to unpack. Just as I posted before that a step to counter culture shock is to ’settle in,’ it is equally important to ’settle in’ when you have reverse culture shock. I’ve found that things become a lot easier when I’ve unpacked and put everything away within the first day or two of coming home.
4) Be upfront with those around you on how you’re feeling. My family and friends would get angry with me when I would come home and sulk- this made them feel like I didn’t want to be around them or be home. To just be honest and say that you’re going through a difficult time and that you need some space at least gives them the message that it’s nothing personal against them. Another good tip is to not push new things you have learned onto friends and/or family. For example, I couldn’t believe how much food my family and friends waste in the United States after being in India for three months. When I got back to the US, I started to always eat EVERYTHING on my plate in order to counter food wastefulness, and encouraged my family to do the same. This made them feel annoyed that I was suddenly judging them for something that I had once done the same. It’s hard to remember that others haven’t had the same experiences at you or seen the same things, but don’t push new ideas and/or expectations on people that aren’t receptive to them.
5) Whenever I come home, I suddenly find myself with oodles of time that I hadn’t had while traveling, and I’m not quite sure what to do with that time. I like to come home and do projects to keep myself busy. For example, I have been cleaning and simplifying my room for the past two years since I started traveling. Every time I’ve come home I’ve gotten rid of more and more things in my room, whether donating them to Good Will, giving things away to friends and family, or selling things. Right now I am in the process of scanning and uploading a ton of documents onto my computer to make more space in my room. Setting little goals for yourself is a good way to keep yourself busy.
All of these little things have made adjustment back to the United States much easier for me every time I come home. While reverse culture shock is difficult and it takes time to acclimate back to your old life, I hope that these tips are helpful.
Of course, the best tip I can give is when you get back home, start planning your next adventure!
Best of luck fellow travelers and until next time,
Brittany
Dear friends,
I know that this post is nearly a month late, and I’m sorry. I felt that I couldn’t give a post worthy of Iguazu Falls without showing pictures- and I just didn’t have the time to upload all of them until now!
So let’s start from the beginning. Iguazu Falls (or Foz de Iguasu, in Spanish). Iguazu Falls lies on the tri-border of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. I went there with my friend and fellow intern from Fundación Paraguaya, Polina. Her mother, Natalia, came with us. They are both incredibly amazing people and I’m really lucky to have had such an amazing experience with them.
Iguazu Falls was my first experience in Brazil!!!! Though I was only there for one day, I still got my passport stamped, and I got change in Reals (the Brazilian currency)- that’s proof enough for me that I was there!
There are two sides to Iguazu Falls- The Brazil side, and the Argentina side. Many people say that with the Brazil side there is a better view, and that with the Argentina side there are ‘more things to do.’ Most prefer Brazil. Before going, I didn’t really understand what that meant, or what ‘more things to do’ meant for Argentina. I almost didn’t end up going to the Argentinian side because after the first day in Brazil, I felt that I had seen enough.
I am SO glad that I chose to go to the Argentina side, because I ended up liking it more. While Brazil has a really beautiful panoramic view of the falls, there ARE more ‘things to do’ in Argentina- and by that I mean, ‘more waterfalls to see.’ First off, the view from the top of these waterfalls that you get in Argentina is absolutely breathtaking. I felt that I was literally at the end of the world. It is an experience I will never forget. Second, there are so many different waterfalls to see in Argentina, in so many varying ways. My other favorite experience was standing right in front of a massive waterfall with Polina, laughing hysterically with sheer joy at being alive- another moment I will never forget.
The best part about Iguazu Falls is that I got to experience every aspect of a waterfall that I had never thought imaginable- I saw the falls in a Panoramic view– hanging off the top of a massive waterfall, staring down below– standing two feet away from a waterfall 1,000 times the size of me, watching it cascading down… it was truly an unbelievable experience– but I won’t say anymore. You can see it for yourself HERE!
One enticing picture:
I also thought I would include some tips on how to navigate yourself around Iguazu Falls (i.e. not paying a visa to get into Brazil, etc.). Check them out below if you plan on going sometime soon.
Hope you all enjoy and much love friends!
Brittany
