And I would walk 500 miles...

This guy is a badass.  And maybe a little bit crazy.

COLOMBIA!

So maybe I haven't been as good with my new year's resolution of blogging more as I planned to be, but sometimes life gets in the way.  Ever since my parents arrived before Christmas we have had visitors or been out of town EVERY weekend!  This has been my first weekend in about 2 months to relax and do what I want/need to do.  And it feels GOOD.

But before I start to sound like I'm whining about being busy, let me just say that the last couple of months have been great.  Some of Jason's family came to visit, numerous friends, I went home to Colorado, and as the icing on the cake, we made a trip to Colombia!  This was the first big trip that we've done since moving back to the States in August 2010 (besides a jaunt to Mexico for a wedding last May, which was lovely).  Our lack of traveling has been quite the change from our lives abroad when we were constantly planning weekend trips to foreign places.  Ahh the life of an English teacher abroad...

Anyway, we first started talking about our possible Colombia trip at Thanksgiving.  Jason's cousin, Michael, is married to a woman from Colombia, Cata.  He's in the Air Force and they normally live in Germany, but as he is currently deployed for 6 months, Cata and their 3 kids are back in Bogota with her family.  She came up to Austin for Thanksgiving and got Jason and I to thinking... "why don't we just go visit her??" So after some planning and struggling to get dates approved at work (ahh the life of a 9 to 5 job in the US), we were on our way!

ITINERARY:
Feb 4-7: Medellin
Feb 7-11: Cartagena
Feb 11-14: Bogota

I think I'll write some detailed posts later about our time in each place.  But here's the overall gist: Colombia is a beautiful country.  Did you know it's the 2nd most bio-diverse country is the world?? They've got it all: snow capped mountains, crystal clear waters and coral reefs, Amazon jungle, deserts, the list goes on.  A little more info from Mongabay.com:

Despite its relatively small size, Colombia is the second most biologically diverse country on Earth, home to about 10 percent of the world's species. This biodiversity results from Colombia's varied ecosystems—from the rich tropical rainforest to the coastal cloud forests to the open savannas. More than 1,821 species of birds, 623 species of amphibians, 467 species of mammals, 518 species of reptiles, and 3,200 species of fish reside in Colombia. About 18 percent of these are endemic to the country. Colombia has a mind-boggling 51,220 species of plants, of which nearly 30 percent are endemic. 

That is A LOT of animals.  I can't even begin to comprehend that many animals.  There are species of plants in Colombia that haven't even been discovered yet.  Maybe it's just me, but this stuff boggles my mind... And one of the best parts of biodiversity, which we had the wonderful opportunity to try, are all the tropical fruits!  There are many fruits that only grow in Colombia!  I thought I knew of most tropical fruits, but in Colombia I tried fruits that I've never even imagined before. You can see images of a lot of the fruits here. Deeee-licious.

Everyone knows that Latin American countries are known for having warm and friendly people.  But Colombia is known for having especially warm and friendly people, even for Latin America.  We met many lovely, smiling people.  And one of my favorite parts- they (mostly) spoke clear Spanish and were patient with my rusty Spanish skills!  Even though most people I encountered probably spoke at least some English, none of them ever changed to English when speaking with me, even though I messed up my verb conjugation and had trouble of thinking of the right word sometimes.

So to make a long story short, Colombia is a beautiful and enchanting place.  We met great people, saw old friends, visited family, ate good food, explored big cities, relaxed on the beach, swam in crystal clear Caribbean waters, ventured through castles, saw famous works of art and amazing museums, wandered through the countryside, climbed giant rocks and had just an all around good time. 

Ahh... Colombia.

Forever Home.

Colorado love.

The Gift of Gab

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who talk very LOUDLY about their personal business on their cell phone on a quiet plane getting ready to take off. Just like the guy in the row right behind me right now. I'm tired and have a headache and could really use a little peace and quiet right now.

Ear plugs, anyone?

Slavko Comes to America!!

Slavko is a great friend that we met in Prague.  Originally from Macedonia, he had moved to Prague for university and then took a TEFL class and became an English teacher- he worked at the same school as Jason.  He was a member of our close group of friends in Prague and we shared all too many great stories and funny moments with him around.

Back in October we got word that Slavko was coming to Texas- El Paso/Juarez more specifically- for Christmas.  I know, Juarez and El Paso??  To travel halfway around the world to go to one of the most dangerous and least desirable places on earth!  I tried to warn Slavko of this, but he was going to visit a friend and was convinced it would be fine.

In the end, it was, of course.  He stayed there for the holidays and then made a weekend trip to visit Brandon, Sarah, Jason and I in Austin.  It was so much fun to see our old friend and relive some of our favorite memories from the good ol' days.  We greeted Slavko at the airport wearing t-shirts designed by Brandon, special for his arrival.

We all wore our t-shirts out on the town that night and got plenty of good laughs and great photos.  What a fun night of catching up it was!  We spent the rest of the weekend showing Slavko as many Texas sites as we could- everything from BBQ to walking around Town Lake and 2-steppin' at a real country bar.

It was a great visit, but I couldn't help but to think how strange it might have been for Slavko.  Slavko still lives in Prague and has a good job (much better than when we were all English teachers...).  But still, the disconnect from life in Prague and life in the States is unreal.  When we all lived there, we had small (but nice) apartments and owned basically just what we could fit in our backpacks and took public transportation everywhere.  Now, both Jason & I and Brandon & Sarah have bought big houses and have two cars with tons of stuff.  How different can life be??  Whenever I think about how much stuff I have now it makes me want to take a step back and simplify my life.  While I do enjoy being able to buy a new shirt without having to wonder how I will take it back home, I miss the lack of materialism I had while living abroad.  Anyway, I just realized how strange it would probably seem to an outsider... especially since we all were in the same boat just a short time ago.

Ahhh... the simplicity.

Why Do You Go Abroad?

It’s a good question, and one that I’ve definitely been faced with before. Friends and family members sometimes don’t seem to get where and why I travel. Why do you want to go to all of those places? How to you communicate when people don’t speak English? Don’t you get scared when you visit those countries?

Enjoying a beautiful day in Prague, Czech Republic

I go abroad because that’s how I learn and grow. Sure, I learned some useful things in my college courses and I’m proud of my Journalism degree that I achieved. But those classroom lessons aren’t near as memorable or thought provoking as the ones I experienced while traveling.

I studied abroad in Spain for a semester during my junior year of college. Before that, I had traveled on several family trips around Europe and Central America, but studying abroad was different. To stay in one place for an extended period of time allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of another city, culture and language. It was enchanting to me.

With New Friends in Spain

Upon college graduation I was ready to do it again. I knew I soon wanted to put my journalism degree to good use and move to New York to join the (struggling) magazine industry, but before that I needed one last adventure- and a summer volunteering in Peru sounded perfect.

There was only one problem with my little plan: I feel in love with Peru and found a love for traveling unlike ever before. After only being there a week, I knew that my summer abroad would not be enough. I extended my stay in Peru while my parents moved my things out of my college apartment. I took a TEFL certification class and then taught English in Cusco for the next six months. The real world wasn’t going anywhere- that part of my life would just have to wait.

Jump!  At Machu Picchu, Peru

The travel bug which had started as a small seed inside me continued to grow and expand and I found myself bursting at the seams with a desire to see the world. In all, I spent 3 years teaching English and traveling the world calling Peru, South Korea and then the Czech Republic home. The more I traveled the more new places I learned about and wanted to visit. Laos? I had never heard of that country- let’s go there! Bratislava? A European capital city I wasn’t aware of? Let’s check it out!

Snake charming in Marrakech, Morocco

Now, I call the United States my home once again. I’ve been living here for about a year and a half and work as a study abroad advisor, having discarded my old magazine dreams. I don’t think I’ll ever stop traveling- to stop traveling would be to quit learning and growing. I still travel. I may not be country hopping quite as frequently, but traveling the world has also taught me that there are so many places to explore just within my own country. Since I’ve been living back in the US I’ve been to 8 new states and seen some incredible places just within these borders. Sometimes it takes traveling the world to realize the jewels that lay in our own backyards.

Hiking in Korea

Traveling has changed my world. I am no longer the person I was before my abroad life. With each new experience I learn more about myself, the world around me and grow as a person. Whatever your reasons for your travel, you just have to get out there and do it. You never know how it may change your life, it certainly has changed mine.

Admiring the view in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

New Year, New Blog

I'm not usually too big on making New Year's Resolutions. They tend to be hard to keep and I usually forget them pretty quickly after the 1st of the year. But this year, I decided to give it another go. I have just a couple for myself.

Start blogging again.
I've recently been missing my blog, and found myself perusing my old entries a few days back. Even though I'm not traveling that much I can still keep blogging, right? I enjoy writing and this can be a good outlet for me here. I'll write once again and post stories and videos that I find interesting, probably mostly travel, eco-friendly and cooking related, with possibly some DIY home improvement things thrown in (basically whatever I find interesting). I think this is something I can stick with, although I can't make any guarantees on the frequency...

Stay healthy and continue to improve overall health.
Keep going to yoga 2+ days a week.
Add in more cardio, wherever and however I can.
Keep making delicious, healthy food, and learn new recipes.
Eat less junk (can be hard in Texas, with all the delicious queso, breakfast tacos and BBQ...)

And I think that'll do it.

Also, as a side note, in case you've been wondering what I've been up to since I stopped blogging:
-Jason and I moved to Austin, TX
-work as a study abroad advisor
-have made great new friends and explored my beautiful new city
-traveled to 8 new states (mostly for work) and visited some old favorites
-bought a house (!!!)
-settled into life in one place (mostly), but still dream of traveling always...

Anyway....
Happy New Year.
Šťastný Nový Rok.
새해 복 많이 받으세요.
Feliz año nuevo.

RIP Havel

I never was a big history buff and was too young during the time of the Soviet Bloc to remember anything. While living Prague, I quickly learned all about the fall of communism and one of the Czech Republic's most beloved figures, Vaclav Havel. My students loved telling me all about the events of 1989 as well as their own personal stories from this era. It opened me eyes to the incredible history these people lived through. It became clear to me very quickly that Havel was a special man. Czech people were so proud of him and the things he accomplished during his life time. He will be greatly missed.

With the recent events in Prague, it has made me miss that amazing city as much as ever. I wish I could have been there for this.