Rachel Hoffmann -- Bolivia

January 12, 2008

Hey Everyone!

First of all I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a very happy New Year. I can't believe it is 2008 and I've almost been here for 5 months already. I'm almost halfway over, which is kind of scary because it has gone by so fast!

Well I have had the best month of my life, I would say. Christmas was so much fun, I spent it with my family here. They do things different, and pretty much celebrate it all on Christmas Eve. We had a nice dinner, opened presents, and then watched fireworks which were going off all over the city. On the corner my neighbors were setting some off too, it would definately be illegal in the US, because it didnt seem too safe to me. It was really pretty though, I went on the roof and in all directions you could see the fireworks. It sounded like a warzone though. My family gave me really pretty earrings with the jewel called the bolivianita. It has tones of purple, yellow, and clear, and apparently Bolivia is known for it, hints the name. My family isnt really religious so they didnt go to church. The plaza was all decorated with lights on the palmtrees and angels and colors. It was really pretty, but I am kind of glad it is over now and the decorations are down because it feels like people stopped lying to us saying that it was Christmas. I didnt really miss everyone more than usual because it just didnt feel like the holidays.

Two days after Christmas I left for Brasil with four other exchange students and my two aunts and cousin. We decided that we really wanted to take a trip to a different country, and worked really hard to make it work out, but in the end it was perfect. My aunt is a member of Rotary so that worked out really well. It left me broke, but it was honestly the best time I have ever had in my life, and I wouldnt change a thing. The trip there took three days. Split up between a rickety train that hit bumps and you would go flying from your seat, and once we crossed the border, nice buses on smooth, paved roads with actual lines and traffic laws. Honestly the minute we crossed the border into Brasil, in Corumbu, it felt like a differnet world almost. Their economy is so much better than that of Bolivia. It was really cool because we did it all through a tour company, so all together we had four buses worth of Bolivians, including 5 gringos. I feel like my spanish actually improved because most of the time we were hanging out with our Bolivian friends that we made on the trip. There were a lot of kids my age, families, and then people in their 20s and 30s. By the end we were famous for being the gringos who spoke like Bolivians. Everyone loved us, it was so much fun.

For the most part we hung out on the beach for the whole day, got a little sunburned the first day, until we realized it was a good idea to spend money on an umbrella. Everyone would laugh at us, we were like 5 little shrimp walking around with a bunch of nicely tanned bolivians. The hotel we stayed in was called Blumenau and it was only two blocks from the beach, which was so convenient. Oh the city we went to first with the beach is called Camboriu. It was so touristy, but it made it more safe, there was tons to do, a lot of people to meet, places to go, and who cares when you are at the ocean! Most nights we'd just rent chairs and sit with our friends on the beach, other nights the guides who were only a little older than me, would take us to the clubs. It was so much fun, they taught us Brasilian dances and songs. The guys in brasil dance so differently than guys in America or even Bolivia. They actually dance! It was so cool to watch them. My friend Zane from Minnesota even had a little brakedance-off with a kid from Argentina or something like that. It was so much fun.

For the New Years party everyone on the beach was wearing white. Our tour group had a section just for us with cabanas set up, and we shared that tent with some friends we met. My aunts were in another, and the boys got invited to tents of these cute Bolivian girls so they were pretty excited. At 12 they set off fireworks over the water. We ended up partying on the beach for the whole night until the sun came up. A tradition in Brasil for New Years is to jump 12 waves on one foot, and for each wave you jump you make a wish. Well by the 5th wave it was hard to remember what to wish for, and I was just trying not to fall completely in the water. The sunrise was the most beautiful thing ever, and was a perfect start to the new year.

Oh and for New Years we ended up meeting up with a friend of Zane's(from Minnesota) his friend Daniel is also from Minnesota and is on his exchange in Florianopolis, Brasil. His friend has a house on the beach in Camboriu, so he decided to meet us there. So it was weird enough meeting someone Zane knew from his town in Minnesota, but when I met his Brasilian friend with the aunt, I looked at his shirt, and realized that he was an exchange student to Cooperstown, NY last year. We got talking and it turns out he was at the same district conference as Lauren and I when we went to the casino. It really is a small world.

We took a trip one day to a private island from this pirate ship. we swam all day and got more tan. we ended up meeting this couple who is taking a cruise all around south america, and they are from Chicago, so we chatted with them for a little while. On the way back the pirate ship stopped in the ocean and we got to jump off of it and swim. It was so much fun.

After about a week at the beach we left for the Foz de Iguazu. It is the biggest waterfall, and supposedly the most beautiful in the world. It is three times larger than Niagra. Niagra is apparently taller and has more water, but this is all spread out over like 3 km. It is on the border of Argentina. We took this safari ride through the jungles of Brasil and saw these spiders that were enourmous. I was really freaked out. I told the bolivians behind me to kill anything they saw on me, but to not tell me first. The forest was full of butterflies and the most beautiful one I saw was the brightest blue ever on the top and brown on the bottom. It was huge. I also saw a Tucan in the trees. Our guides name was Jefferson, and he said that there are 6 types of poisenous snakes there. He spoke portuguese, spanish, and english.

When our safari thing was done we arrived at this river and there a boat was waiting for us. It was kind of inflatable, but kind of a real boat too with a motor. I dont know how to describe it. I couldnt hear the waterfall yet or see it so I was kind of wondering what was going to happen. We had the best seat in the boat by far, right at the front. As the boat took us up the river I finally started to hear the roar of the waterfall. We passed a corner and there it was. There were two parts and I was so excited to see the first part that I didnt even notice the second bigger part to my left. It was honestly the most beautiful and amazing thing I have ever seen in my life. Then the boat jerked us closer to the waterfall and drove under it a bit, in this part thats called La Boca del Diablo (devil's mouth). I have never been so happy in my life. There was this huge rush of excitement, and freedom. Just the fact that we were being dumped on by tons of water from this huge waterfall was so amazing. The boat did a little vuelta a few times and we got so soaked. It felt like I went swimming. It was so amazing. I dont know how else to discribe it. I think I was honestly in a daze for the rest of the time because I was just so happy. I didnt think it could get better than that. Well this cart took us back to the main tourist part and we walk out, and it did get better, we had a full view of the waterfall. I walked out on this creepy bridge that goes to the middle, and we took pictures. I didnt have any doubts before, but this site was just so amazing that it reassured that there is a God. I dont know how else to describe it. Being soaked by the mist from the waterfall and walking out and looking down it, to see a rainbow, I just felt so happy and there was not a care in the world. You all have to visit it now! For me it was like all of the good times I had that past week, and everything I loved about Brasil, put into one huge waterfall. haha.

We spent two nights there, then headed back for Bolivia. On the way we stopped at the boarder of Brasil, Paraguay, and Argentina. It was cool you could see the flags and they were all seperated by the river. I didnt step foot in the other countries, but I did see Paraguay, and I was splashed by Argentinian water, so I feel like it should count that Ive kind of been there.

Three more days on the train and bus, and we finally arrived back in Santa Cruz. I was a little sad when we came back because I just realized that Bolivia economically is a really depressing place, and the poverty is so apparent, not like in Brasil. But the good thing was that I was really excited to come home. That's what it felt like too, I felt like I was coming home to Santa Cruz. I couldnt wait to see my family and friends. The thing that I love was that I got the chance to take a vacation to Brasil. It's so different than my experience here in Bolivia, because I live here, I experience it every day like a Bolivian, kind of. But to be able to travel like that just for a vacation was the best thing ever. It was worth every penny, and I now want to learn Portuguese, and hopefully some day I will make it back to Brasil.

Next Saturday I leave for my trip around Bolivia for two weeks. I am so incredibly excited for this because I get to learn all about Bolivia even more. We are visiting almost all of the important cities in Bolivia. It will be so much fun. When I get back from that Carnaval starts, then after that I start classes again.

I will keep in touch, I hope you all enjoy my email. I wish you the best new year, because mine seems so be going great so far!

I miss you all and hope everyone is well.