A poet? Probably not, but it sure is fun to pretend!

Hola!

Here is a silly poem that I wrote for my mama while camping in Cochamo! Enjoy!

Here I am so far away,
Never closer than today

You send hugs and kisses oh so true
Keeping me from being blue

Most all my adventures are in my mind
Some seem a bit crazy but most are kind

I am learning to breathe, to stretch, to speak
To love each day and accept life as a geek

I will not pretend; I won't lie to your face
It's not always cake to be here in this place

So often alone with no one to hug
I have only a bag that I must lug

I miss the fam, my friends, and my boo
I miss even the pup. Believe it? It's true!

But, I will not complain; I won't waste time
It's already flying and look, I can rhyme!

Here's to you for being so grand
and sending your love as I explore this land

Because while here and there I do roam
In my heart I keep my home

I love you more than I can express in words
More than ice cream, more than dancing, and more than cheese curds

"Cheese curds" seems like a good way to end
So in an email this poem I will send

To tell you I love you, to show you I'm fine,
To brighten your day with some South American sunshine

Tell the ladies at coffee I'm avoiding bugs
Give Grandma and Grandpa some whopping good hugs

Thanks for the chance to write you these lines
While I'm up in the mountains surrounded by pines

"Come on, Wendy! Is it over yet?"
I'm 'windy', remember! You musn't forget!

I miss you and love you and want you to know
It's because of you that my heart does glow

Not literally, of course.  That'd mean I were ill
And have to swallow a big, ugly pill

I'm almost done, hold on to your britches
We need not lose patience like other crazy witches

I am not a singer nor a poet
That is clear, and now we both know it

I am, however, a daughter, sister and friend
And yours I will be til the very end!

abrazos!

wendy

Pear me? No! PER-U!

Hola!

Let's get up to speed here: it's December and I am in Peru and Brice, my brother, is arriving in two days! Wahoooo!

Last month was my "Adventuring with Ned" time in Chile. What a beautiful place! I arrived in Valdivia just before Thanksgiving and was able to celebrate potluck style with a bunch of students from Ned's study abroad program. I was instantly impressed with the group as all the fixings for a traditional Thanksgiving celebration were present and delicious!

After properly carb-loading at the T-giving celebration, Ned and I left for the small town of Cochamo in the Chilean side of Patagonia to embark on a 4.5ish hour hike up to a camping ground in a mountain valley. I can hardly believe that Ned didn't leave me somewhere along the trail. I am quite the noisy hiker! ha. Believe it or not, I am not the most skilled person when it comes to foot placement on tricky paths. With every misplaced step I'd let out a "woo" or "wah" or "phew"... I sunk into the mud a couple times and found that the most important thing was to come out the way I went in in order to keep my shoe on! We were hiking through the jungle and November is the beginning of their busy season so the trails weren't always so clear and we'd have to make some guesses. At one point we found ourselves next to a barbed wire fence and a lagoon of sorts. I started out trying to inch along the fence, but upon slipping and naturally reaching for the closest thing in sight and missing stabbing my palm with a "barb" (if that's what you call them ha) by about a centimeter, I decided my new hiking moto was "better muddy than bloody" and opted for the lagoon. Once we reached the valley, we pitched Ned's tent and made our first of many delicious meals: instant potatoes flavored with dry soup mix. In order to conserve washing time, we ate out of the pot with spoons. I think I may start eating all my meals this way... so quick and easy not to mention luxurious! For the next week we slept under the millions of stars in a cow pie filled pasture, ate instant oatmeal for breakfast, pb&j tortilla "sandwiches" (aka pb&j tortilla mash due to the effects of the sun and their positioning in the daypack) and cookies for lunch, and instant something or another for dinner. I "bathed" (without any sort of cleansing solution) in the freezing cold but amazingly clear and refreshing river a couple times. Someone could have used my hair as a mirror. It was a bit greasy. ha Each night after dinner I'd grab my book and sit outside moving from place to place with the sun until the whole valley was in a shadow and then go to bed. It was glorious. I foresee many more camping and hiking trips in my future!

Once back in Valdivia, I was so lucky to be welcomed into Ned's group of study-abroad friends. I attended their final group dinner at a cerveceria (brewery), went kayaking, and joined in on some asados (bbqs) and ultimate frisbee games. What a great group of people! It definitely reminded me of my study-abroad days in Costa Rica with so many inside jokes and everyone being so happy to have met one another and so sad to be saying goodbye.

Ok, well I am going to quit now so that I will continue my thoughts about Peru tomorrow! Consistency is key. I'll get the hang at some point!

Love to all!

abrazos

wendy