Counting My Days...

It's Wednesday night and Chicago is humid and rainy. The thunder claps roar and then soften, and the wind is knocking my windows right out of their tracking. For one, I just have shitty windows that pop-out easily, but the wind really is strong. I helped Amanda close the coffee shop tonight and when I was taking out the garbage the wind flipped my skirt a la Marylin Monroe, only less sexy, as I was sweaty slinging waste.

It's only about two and a half days until I'll be boarding a plane at O'Hare and flying to Venezuela. I don't have anything packed, but I have gathered all of the things that I need to pack. I have everything from my to-get lists and everything efficiently crossed off of my to-do lists. I spent a few days with my parents and sister---the time wasn't very productive so I just came back to the city to hang out with Amanda and Tony before I leave. My parents/sister are coming to "see me away" on Saturday, this of course being my mother's idea undoubtedly birthed by her ideas of me crashing into the ocean or getting robbed by some South Americans. These, of course, are all thoughts that I'm really trying to press out of my brain. And so I am leaving those thoughts riiiigggghhhhhtaboutNOW.

I wanted to start a blog before I left and document my travels along the way. I will have a hard bound journal with me to write in, but I also wanted something electronic so that I can post pictures with mah words. Also, it will not be so easy to call home, and there will be days when I don't want to write multiple extensive e-mails about my travels to every one I love, and so again, there will be Mamasita Capybara to read. The name of this blog is silly, but it is derived from a wonderful animal that I hope to meet in Venezuela, the capybara (see video below), and a saucy cat call that will likely be heard as the beat of the streets along with all the reggaeton I've been reading about.

CAPYBARA ENJOYS A PETTING

Is that not adorable? It's like an giant gerbil. Venezuelans apparently eat them, and after I have seen this big friend rejoyce in pets, I just don't think I could do that. Nevermind chickens, cows, pigs, or domestic house cats. ..er, what?

CAPYBARA ENJOYS A SURFING

Caplin is a famous capybara on YouTube. There are videos of him as a wee lad and throughout his life. Needless to say, I might just ride home on a capybara---either by land or water.

All capybaras aside, that's only one pleasure that I am looking forward to in Venezuela. I will be flying into Caracas at 5:15 AM on May 17th. I will then have to take a flight from Caracas to El Vigia and then a bus to Merida where my school is. During the program switch from Mexico to Venezuela (a la Swine Flu), I did not really get a lot of information about travel plans, group travel, etc---but I knew the program date began on May 18th. I wanted to get there a day early, assuming that classes started immediately, but that has landed me in a world of trouble. Not trouble, exactly, but just lots and lots of irritations trying to plan my travel a day early now. Classes do not begin until Thursday May 21st---prior to that the days are filled with orientation and tours of the school/area. Now I'll be meeting my host family a day early. Maybe it was my medical record of bum ovary electric epileptic body, or not, but my host parents are a nutritionist (mom) and medical doctor (dad). If anything else turns awryly bum, I've got the best folks in town. Tengo una hermana---su nombre es Rosa. I don't know how old she is, but I hope she has a pet capybara.

Merida is nestled in the Andes and should be around 70-80 degrees while I'm there. There are tons of activities to do---rafting in waterfalls, hiking, swimming, safaris, canoeing, and I'm so excited to do all of them. Venezuela has an enormous array of climates and terrain from desert to jungle, and if I don't make my way to one area during school excursions, I have two weeks after my program ends to bus/fly around Venezuela and explore before coming back to Chicago. I want to hike and camp, but I'm not terribly experienced with either. So far, I am thinking of keeping my things at a posada (the equivalent of our bed and breakfasts, only posadas are a mere $4 a night---the price fluctuates depending on amenities/luxury, but still high-end is only around $20) and then going on excursions around different areas. We'll see how that all pans out.

And right now? I'm vulnerable as shit. I'm having dreams about currency exchanges, bolivares, and getting the math right converting bolivares to USD. I've never been out of the United States (so this is wonderful), I only know a minimal amount of Spanish, and I'm jumping in totally alone at first. I'm sure I'll meet great people when I am away, and I hope that I even find a travel companion for when the program is over---otherwise, that traveling will be guided alone as well, but excursions will still be with organized groups, likely. I am going to miss Tony; no snoogles or soft kisses for three months. This also would have been our first summer spent together. No late night bike riding lake Michigan swimming adventures with Amanda like last summer and the non-Chicago summers of summer's past. I'll also miss her birthday AND be in Venezuela for my birthday. But---those come every year, and I'll always have easy access to Lake Michigan. And when I come back, it's going to be a fucking snuggle party with Twoney. And not to mention, my baby kitty, Cecilia! Her tumor is getting huge on her face, and I only hope that she will still be well when I return. I told my parents/sister not to tell me if she dies when I'm gone. Poor Beans, I love her so much.

What else is there to say? I'm a vulnerable ball of nerves and excitement, and at this point I'm just jumping in. I've got to expect some things to go poorly and with difficulty, but nothing about this adventure is not going to be in many ways life changing. All I've got to do now is keep brushing up on my Spanish, fill my music player, condense my clothes, and get on the plane. And of course, celebrate with friends Friday night prior to departure, sex my brains out the same night and following morning, and then...THEN...get on the plane.

...To the land of Capybaras!, cable cars that scale mountains, and 900 flavors of Ice Cream!