El primer mes...

Saludos,

Sorry for the delay in posting- it's been a busy few weeks.  Can't believe tomorrow marks one month of being here in Mérida.  Time sure has been flying.  School is picking up the pace, and this week I have a few exams and a presentation to do, so I'm sure it will go by just as quickly as the rest of them.

Last weekend some friends from the group and I saddled up and went to the hot springs (aguas termales) in Musui, on the outskirts of Mérida.  It was a good experience- there is nothing like being up high in the Andes and relaxing in a natural hot tub with some friends.  We camped Friday night and after some hiking on Saturday, made our way back to the city.

La tranquilidad.

Sierra Nevada Mountains, Pico Bolívar in the background covered with clouds.

Last Friday (2/18) I requested that Nilda and the family let me cook a meal for them, so I used the bag of wild rice I brought from Minnesota to make chicken wild rice soup.  It was great because this immediately became a family event, in which we all went together to the market and everyone participated in the meal preparation.  As we walked from stand to stand at the market, I noticed that all of the fruit stands sold bananas or "cambures" as they call them here.  I asked my sister Andrea about them, and she said they are some of South America's best bananas.  They are uniquely sweet, but have an amazing texture.  I also asked about banana bread: sure enough they had never heard of it, and I told them it was absolutely necessary that they try it, so we bought the ingredients that we didn't already have to make some of that as well.

El mercado- so much food, all locally grown, and incredibly cheap

Fresh fish market- the trout here is exquisite

Cooking with the family

Banana bread or "Pan de cambur"

María Eugenia y yo después de la cena

Everything was a huge hit- they loved the soup and the banana bread, and Andrea demanded that I write down the recipe for her to make it in the future.  They were pretty impressed and happy to hear that you can use old bananas for the bread since theirs usually go to waste.  Glad I was able to make the family a meal- it's amazing how appreciative they are when someone else does the cooking!

Family dinner- María Eugenia (left) was especially excited to try the soup

Last weekend we had two paradura celebrations- one at my sister Nilmary's house on Saturday and the other was on Sunday here at our house.  Since we had just completed one that was purely prayer, Andrea chimed in and said she would prefer to "conversar con dios" rather than repeat prayer after prayer from the rosary, so the seven of us (Nilda, Jorge, Andrea, Franko, María Eugenia, José Alejandro, y yo) sat in a circle in the living room, and Jorge led us in an open prayer to which we all contributed.  The thing that amazed me the most was that this was their first time having a paradura like this, and I was able to experience it with them.  They all made sure to include me in the blessing, and with a lump in my throat, I shared how thankful I was to be placed with this family.  It was an unforgettable experience that I feel really brought us all closer together.  I was so happy to have been a part of it.

Today, I am just arriving back from an overnight hiking trip in which my friends Tiffany and Betho and I went to La Mucuy to hike and camp in the mountains.  Whereas La Culata consisted of mostly open spaces of valleys, La Mucuy was a more claustrophobic trail through the dense woods that really seemed like a jungle.  The trees were incredible- mostly at least a hundred years old or more, and the fog and clouds that closed in made the views spectacular.

Andean trees

Our goal was to make it to La Laguna Coromoto, which we did, after 9 km up, and about 5 hours of walking/climbing.  The view we had once we reached the lagoon made the rigid and tiring hike worth it.  We met a few Venezuelans who were camping with us, and after sharing a cup of hot aguamiel (water and melted cane sugar- by far one of the best hot beverages I've ever tasted), we set up camp near a water fall at the top of the lagoon.  As it got dark we attempted to build a fire but were unsuccessful since it had just rained and everything was pretty damp.  When the clouds would clear, the sky was incredible- the constellations were so brilliant, and we saw countless shooting stars.

When we woke up the next morning, Betho and I decided to go for a dip.  The water is arguably colder than Lake Superior, but the lagoon was full of trout!  I only wish I had a fly rod at the time...

This was one of those decisions that you regret mid-air

The Andes are really incredible.  The terrain and flora are so diverse, and every view is breath-taking.  Can't wait to see them when we travel further south- I can only imagine the sites that await.

Hope you are all in good spirits- at least try to be, even with the current snow storm I'm hearing about, for those of you in Minnesota!

Ciao,
Travis

Time flies when you're in the Andes

Saludos!  

It’s hard to imagine that we’ve already concluded our second week here in Mérida.  School is making the weeks fly by as always and so far the weekends have been quite busy as well.  José Alejandro’s birthday last weekend was a lot of fun- I went to the “discoteca” with him and his friends on Saturday night; we left the place at 3 AM which is considered to be pretty early here.  This was a good time for us though, considering we had to rise at 8 AM the following morning to prepare for a “Paradura” celebration. 

I would like to mention that on the way to the celebration which was a bit out of the city in the mountains, we stopped for gas.  It cost Jorge (mi papá) 3 Bolívares to fill the tank.  Let me paint a picture: the current exchange rate is approximately $1 USD = 4.29 Bolívares.  Therefore, it was under $1 for him to fill the tank.  How nice would that be…

Anyways, the Paradura is a Catholic celebration that is practiced in the Andes regions of Venezuela.  The ceremony involves countless religious songs and prayers all recited to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  The family gathers in a room surrounding the extravagant nativity scenes that are set up in each house (see photo), and lights candles while singing.  At one point in the singing, everyone stands up and walks around the house or out into the street to search for the baby Jesus.  After the singing and praying is done, everyone is served bizcochuelo (cake-like bread that is made of simple ingredients: flour, sugar, and eggs) and a small glass of a strong wine.  

 A traditional Paradura celebration nativity scene.

 

Maria Eugenia's preschool also celebrated their Paradura last Friday.  She is on the left in the angel costume.

The week passed rather quickly- classes are underway and I’ve had plenty of homework to keep occupied, but it is still relatively easy to find time for other activities.  Wednesday was my brother-in-law Franko’s birthday, so we celebrated with some friends and the family.  Thursday night was an early one- I got some advice from my hermanos about a place called La Culata, where some friends and I had made plans to hike the next day.  Lucky for me I talked to them- they offered some very helpful tips!

Friday morning I was out the door by 8 AM to catch a bus downtown- the first leg of our journey to La Culata.  We finally arrived at the beginning of the hiking area at 10:30 AM and started from the valley up into the mountain.  The bus we took surpassed the foothills which are covered in rich farmland and dense forests of trees that seem ancient. 

The beautiful city of Merida from just above the La Culata bus stop.

It’s difficult to explain the scenery without being cliché, but hiking in the Andes is like taking a step back in time.  The flora in the area appears to be prehistoric, and I was told that several of the plants and trees we saw live to be hundreds of years old.  The sky was completely clear this day- and this ended up being somewhat unfortunate for me.  When you are in the mountains and starting at 1,600 meters above sea level (roughly 5,250 ft.), the sun is EXTREMELY powerful.  I burned the back of my neck and legs pretty bad, but at least now I know better!  Sorry dad…

We reached La Cascada del Duende (Waterfall of the Goblin) at 4,220 meters (or roughly 13,845 feet) which is right at the base of Pan de Azucar- the second highest peak in the Parque Sierra Nevada de la Culata.  We’ll be returning for a weekend trip to camp so that we can make it to Pan de Azucar and hopefully see the lagoons that lay on the other side of the waterfall.  

 On the way up...

The group at Cascada del Duende

Saturday was yet another day full of excitement.  Since I’ve arrived there have been so many birthdays lately, and since my mamá’s youngest sister Noralba is in town from London, the family threw a party to celebrate.  Noralba turned 50 in December, so the theme of the party was 60’s and 70’s garb.  I was lucky I brought a tie-dye shirt and bandana along, otherwise I would have been way out of place- some of the costumes were pretty extravagant. 

My brother-in-law Franko shaved his mustache especially for the occassion, and sported a fitting wig.

Everyone was involved in the dancing, perhaps some more than others...

Los hermanos Noguera-Moreno-Brew!

We danced salsa, drank beer, played soccer, and listened to some throwback tunes (they particularly enjoy the Beatles and Michael Jackson) and not to mention we ate some great food.  I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to experience the things I have with this family- they are very family-oriented (as are most Latin American cultures), but there is something especially unique about the Noguera-Morenos.  It has been difficult adjusting to the language- using Spanish 24/7 can be confusing for myself and them, but they have really reached through the language barrier to accept me so willingly into their lives.  I already feel like a member of the family and I’ve only known them for 2 weeks!  We really enjoy each other’s’ company. 

Earlier today, I shared what I was doing for my Phonetics class, and when I told them I had a presentation about morfemas y grafemas, every one of them went to work helping me find sources to use!  Nilda brought out an old school book she used when she was a teacher, Franko found some resources online, and José, Andrea, and Yazhira tried to reflect on their language-learning years to help contribute.  What a family! 

There is always so much more to share.  The details I have picked up on are fascinating- the people are so easy-going and friendly, the language is unique and I’m learning so much, the city itself is fascinating, and school is a whole different story.  But that’s for another time.  I hope you are all doing well and thank you for following. 

FYI- I intend to post on here weekly, but as I’m sure you’ll understand, some weeks are busier than others. 

Ciao,

Travis