Summer Break....more planes than I ever need to see again

Wow its been a whole month. The sad thing is, its not that I had nothing to write about. So much has happened that each time I thought about writing, I didn't know where to start. So, instead of trying to write a lot about each thing, instead, I'll just pick up with summer break and give you the cliff notes version! Well, to the best of my ability.

GRE

So after I started studying, I realized that my initial goal was definitely not reasonable. This test is nothing like the SAT, or at least the verbal part is infinitely more difficult. for me, anyway. Sadly, I figured out early on that I was going to need to study a lot more than I had originally planned. Which meant that my Spanish studying, sadly, had to go on the back burner. A mistake that Margarita (the woman who owns our house and thinks she is my mother) reminds me of every chance she gets.

Anyway, I can only do the best I can do. So, I set myself a study schedule 2 months before the test and tried my best to stick to it. As far as me and study schedules, I didn't do half bad. While i didn't really take it too seriously (ie do more than flashcards) until two weeks before the test, I did create flashcards for the top 300 vocab words (and learned them all backwards and forwards), researched testing and question techniques, did at least one section of practice questions for each kind of question from my Kaplan Book, went through the ETS GRE math guide to relearn all the math I forgot from high school, took two full-length practice tests online, and went through most of the Number2 GRE test prep program (a great practice for anyone looking for another source of information). So come testing day, I had a pretty good idea of how I would do. My two practice tests had not gone well so I could only hope to do a little better on the actual test.

Overall, I did alright. Obviously not the original goal I set myself, but well enough to put me at least at the 50% mark for those accepted at all of the programs I am looking at. My lowest score was verbal (obviously) but I was still at the 92 percentile, which isn't bad. The vocab was definitely what killed me. I knew those 300 most common words, but there were just too many more that I didn't know. The quantitative went alright. 720, so nothing to write home about but good enough to not hurt me. And I did great on the writing section, which I think is the most important (though possibly easiest, I guess). a 5.5 out of 6. For me and timed writing, I'm definitely pleased. So ultimately, Lauren & GRE = success. Unless something changes drastically, I don't think I'll take it again. which is a huge weight off my shoulders. Now I can focus on Spanish! and maybe not get yelled at by my house mom. yay!

VISIT HOME

I'll try to keep this brief (please keep your laughter to yourself). Home was lovely. I got to sleep in a little, see a fair amount of my friends, and spend some time with family, too. I took the GRE right after I got back so I could get it out of the way. Then I spent a night in Philly with the girls. Chelsea came up from her summer in DC and Laura came out with us, too! I even got to see Lindsay & Mitch's new apartment, which was really nice. Then, the next day was a family picnic, with everyone. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. And the food. oh, the food. The rest of the week was full of doctor's appointments, running errands, and random dinners with friends and family. I spent 4th of July weekend in DC, which was nice. But, sadly not enough time. I drove down with Ashley and stayed with Kati. It was so nice to catch up with them and see what is going on in everyone's lives, but there were so many people I didn't get to see. By the time two weeks rolled around, I couldn't believe where the time had gone. Comida highlights: Gramma's maccaroni salad, Arbys, La Tolteca, steak Gorgonzola alfredo & Cesar salad at Olive Garden, Enchiladas in China Town DC, mom's baked mac & cheese, pizzeria pizza, dad's cheese and bacon quiche, and the list goes on and on.... I think I have a problem, really. Overall, a great visit home. And just enough time for my family to drive me crazy ;)

THE AMAZON

Anyway, I got back at like 7pm to La Playa, sin electricity or internet. No surprises there. Did see a lovely rainbow on the way home, however the ol' camera was out of battery. I was beat so I unpacked a little and hit the hay. I had it figured out that I could leave at 6 to grab the bus and be at the airport by 8 for my 10am flight. The only problem with my plan (I realized when I woke up at 5am to pack and get ready) was that my flight actually left at 8. whoops. Sooooo I showered and packed in, no joke, 20 minutes. By 5:35 I was out the door and on my way to find a cab to haul my ass to the airport (about an hour away). Of course, the one time i need a cab, there is none. Finally, a guy agrees to take me half way (because its so early????) and i can get a second cab the rest of the way. Eager to get my butt moving, I agreed. needless to say, two cabs later I was all checked in and sitting at my gate waiting for my flight. The time? 6:30. with an hour and a half to wait. I'm so glad I stressed about this. :)

Oh, but the travel adventures did not end there. I had spent all the money in my wallet on the cabs (which I had not planned on) so I only had 5 mil left. By the time I got to Bogota I was starving so I searched the terminal up and down for an ATM. losing my mind, I asked at the info desk. Surprise, surprise...Bogota airport, huge international gateway, has no ATM without a long hike involving leaving the building. So, to at least quell my hunger, I tried to grab a sandwich at Dunkin Donuts. Guess what. Bogota airport also does not accept credit cards. So.... I took my 5 mil to the pastry counter and managed to find a baked chicken pasty. It did the trick for a bit anyway.

However, the saga could not have possibly ended here. That would just be silly. Leticia airport charges an 18 mil entrance fee to leave the airport. I knew about this, but I had not planned on spending all my money on a cab or on Bogota airport (or Leticia for that matter) not having an ATM. So here I stood, backpack on back, at the counter, with 1 mil in my wallet and not able to leave the airport. Thankfully, an Australian guy offered to lend me the money if i let him tag along to my hostel, since he had no idea where he was going. So, extra friend in tow, I finally arrived at my hostel. My bag a little lighter than I planned and slightly more in debt.
Leticia was amazing, though. I had an incredible time. Once I explained that me and my new friend, Brendan, were in fact NOT a couple, I wasted no time planning out my long weekend. My cell phone reception failed so I couldn't hook up with Aisha and her boyfriend, who were already in the city, and I didn't get to Puerto Narino, but I did get in a lot of fun Amazonian activities. I spent two days in Leticia, Colombia and two days at a nature reserve in the middle of the Peruvian rainforest. After realizing that my hostel had moved and getting lost wandering leticia more times than I'd like to admit, I finally found my bank, met Brendan and some other guys from the hostel for dinner (at a place with unlimited juice! yay!), and got to see the parrots descend on the Parque Santander, where the birds land in thousands at dusk to prepare for their slumber in the trees. It was incredible. it felt kinda nice to be traveling by myself. I got to do what I felt like, when I felt like it. With hostels, there are always people to hang out with, but I got to have a little space, which I haven't had in a long time.

The next morning, I left at 630 for my rainforest stay. We picked up breakfast at a small cafe and then headed to the small bank of the river that served at the city's port. It took between 1-2 hours to get to the bank of the river where we could hike to the reserve. But on the way, we got to see all of the fisherman at work on the Amazon and spotted some of the infamous pink dolphins. They were way too fast for me to get a good picture, but my one goal for the trip was met. chulito, I could go home a happy camper. My companions on the trek were an Irish couple who were just coming for the day and a Chinese couple, studying abroad in Bogota. The tour I had agreed to was actually all in Spanish. With the vast availability of tours in English, one might wonder why I chose to do one entirely in Spanish and stress myself out. Well, the Chinese couple really needed someone to go with them, and I actually liked the challenge. The Irish couple didn't speak any Spanish at all, so for the first half a day, the Chinese girl translated a bunch for them. But I found that I knew what he was saying even before she said it in English. Then, after they left, she didn't translate at all. :) Yes, that's right. I held my own.

The place we stayed was AMAZING. it was on Markesh Lake in the middle of the rainforest. There was a huge dock, with hammocks, tables, and canoes for relaxation. The lake was covered with water lilies and full of exotic birds and piranhas. There was even a baby manatee! The first day, we hiked through the rainforest and learned all about the flora and fauna. Then we relaxed on the hammocks on the dock, I finished my book, with the sound of the forest in the background. I think I could have laid there forever. It was then followed by a lovely all-you-can-eat buffet lunch of fresh fish, chicken, plantains, rice, sancocho, and fresh fruit juice. I took my plate out to the porch, and watched the macaws fly among the trees. After lunch, we went to feed the monkeys. Oh, yes. you heard me. we took out a canoe, went right up to the edge of the jungle on the other side of the lake, and fed the monkeys bananas OUT OF OUR HANDS. It was sooo cool. They came onto the boat and everything.

After the monkeys, the irish couple headed out with the rest of the people staying at the reserve. It was so peaceful. So we headed out onto the lake again to go PIRANHA fishing, with just a stick, tied with a string, and a hook with raw chicken. It involved a lot of waiting and a lot of technique, but eventually, I caught one! yay!! They have teeth and everything. and we even got to cook our catches for dinner! Once the sun set, the sky was spectacular. I have never seen so many stars in my entire life. Plus the milky way and both dippers! I just layed out on the dock and watched the sky. However, when I wasn't lost in my thoughts and the night sky, I was paddling in search of crocodiles. Oh, yes. you heard me. With just a rickety canoe and a guide between me and the crocodiles, we went out into the lake at night. At first, all you could see was their red eyes glowing. Then we got closer and could actually see their heads. It was pretty cool.

The next morning, I woke up for a 5 o'clock boat ride to "watch the jungle wake up." But my roommates didn't seem to wake up in time, so it was just me and the guide. But this meant that I got the monkeys all to myself. Sadly, i hadn't had time to shower so the pictures aren't fabulous. but i did get to hold like 3 monkeys so it was still worth losing some sleep. and then i got to nap on the hammocks as the sun came up. Breakfast on the porch was relaxing as usual, and a few cool birds came to visit, a toucan and a bunch of macaws! I did a little more fishing, a little more hiking, a little more playing with monkeys.

Then, I headed out early to see a man about a jaguar. My guide had told me that there were jaguars in the jungle and that there was a place I could go to see one. However, it started to rain, so we hiked quickly to the boat pick up point. I waited in the rain for awhile, then my guide put me on a boat and told me to ask about the tiger when i got there. The whole adventure was a little comical. Here i was, alone on a rickety canoe with 5 peruvian workers who don't speak English, heading down the amazon (to where, I have no idea), to see a man about a jaguar. When I get there, the guy at the dock tells me to go up some mud stairs, where I'm greeted by a group of children emerging from a bunch of shacks, each children carrying some baby animal from the Amazon. We had baby monkeys, baby 3-toed sloths, baby parrots, and a baby jaguar! I'm sure that there were so many animal rights abuses going on, but it was still so cool. I even got to hold the jaguar in my arms! Totally worth the adventure.

Back in Leticia, I finally got to take off my mud boots (of which I had two left feet), and relax again. I went out for a few drinks with some other people from the hostel. We got 3 mil caipirinhas and talked about our travels. There was a guy from Germany, 3 people from Switzerland, and two girls from Ireland. It was really neat to hear their perspectives on Colombia and South America and where they were headed. The next day, I did a full walking tour of the area. I spent the morning in Tabatinga, Brazil for breakfast. Then I wandered through the market back in Leticia, which leads right up to the Amazon River. So, I sat for awhile and people-watched, watching the boats dock and unload goods for the market, and taking a bunch of pictures of the daily goings-on. Then i did a little shopping in Leticia and sat in Santander park for awhile and read. It was a really nice afternoon. The whole trip was fabulous and I would do it again in a heart beat. It was the perfect way to adjust myself back to Colombia and remind me why I love this country so much. I'm definitely not ready to be done here. In fact, I'm already starting to worry that 4-5 more months won't be enough. :( A great vacation. A perfect break.