March 31, 2011 5:20pm A Canoe in Lilies

Our boat was anchored among a ton of lilies. Ben gave me a flower then Mer & I made lilly pad crowns (:

March 31, 2011 5:09pm The Other Side of the Deck

As you see, Mer & I are creating the world of Mooots. We went and took a filter across the yonder "floating meadow" and there were these adorable ducklings & a puppy (: Two level - nice house. For Xingu standards.

March 31, 2011 3:10pm Ice Box

Mer & I have taken to a habit of crunching on ice (: Went for a swim cuz the filter boats were full.

March 31, 2011 11:11am Make A Wish!

Played Kemps with Ben, Mer, & Maria. Ben & Maria won, of course (:

March 31, 2011 9:20am "Sunbathing" on the Roof

It is hot up here. Ah well, I have sunscreen. Maybe I'll get a tan. Who am I kidding - yeah right!

March 31, 2011 6:04am On Deck!

Mosquitoes are miserable. gieck.
at least Brasil is extremely pretty in the morning!

March 30, 20116:17pm Plastic Chair

Pondering snouts...

March 30, 2011 5:15pm Blue Bench on Roof

All of a sudden I'm teaching Ben & Mer French! ahaha.
we're attempting to write poetry, but we're getting distracted by all the "white egrets in the floating meadows" (credit Mer) and I'm pretending logs are crocodiles.

March 30, 2011 1:44pm The Roof

One thing about Brazil: they do a heck of a job hiding bathroom lightswitches. Second thought: that metal boat roof is as hot as hell.

March 30, 2011 1:00pm Burrowed in Hedgie

"Life is about clicking your tongue and enjoying the noises." - Slater, "TH3E" by Ted Dekker - book's really good!
The river is so quiet. And loud. ALIVE! I'm having a time imagining what people envisioned when I told them I was going to Brasil - certainly not the homes we're going to visit. I love the houses. But I realize how lucky we in the states really are.

March 30, 2011 11:05am Are We Stopping or Slowing?

Editor's Note: This post was mostly for the fun of writing. Don't feel like you have to read it (:

\\\you left a mark/i wear it proudly on my chest/above my heart/to remind me that i feel the best when i'm with you/and everything is effortless/you know it's true/my eyes are painted with regret/and i don't need it/cuz i'm walking down this road alone and i figured all i'm thinking bout is you/is you/my love/my head is in a cloud of rain/and the world it seems so far away/and now just waiting for/and sink into your skin/you are like the rain drops/the rain drops/falling down on me...

you left a mark
you left a mark
she left a mark
he left...
she left
he left...
and i, don't
i don't

need it///

Droplets - Colbie Caillat + Jason Reeves

March 30, 2011 Wet Rail

We got rained on (: So, we came down.

March 30, 2011 9:41am Top of The Boat

It's really nice up here when the sun's not out. The roof is mostly metal so it get HOT.

March 30, 2011 8:48am Hedgie

Oh my gosh, that is gross. They just chopped the head off... no thank you...

March 30, 2011 8:38pm Tio de Torro

Well, we're on the boat! I'll catch you up on yesterday.
One thing you should know is breakfast is coffee & bread. Afternoon snack is hot chocolate & Tim's {delicious} homemade popcorn. That's how I woke up. With coffee, I mean. Zach & Cleia came over for lunch and we ate cake for Tim's birthday. In the afternoon I went with Ellie to one of her {many} English classes. She teaches it at the church. The kids are hilarious! After they had told me everything they knew in English, the proceeded to ask Ellie how to say phrases in English, including these:
"What is your full name?"
"Where are yu from?"
"Do yu have brodders?"
"Do yu have dogs?"
"Do yu have cats?"
"How many?"
"What are der names?"
"Say fish!" (Brasilians can't pronounce "sh" so it comes out like "fis")
They're so eager to learn. Alas, I forgot my camcorder! I wish I could've taken pictures with Carol, and Veronique, and all the others. At any rate, we finished flip flop shopping! I finally found a pair close enough to my size (: Which is really tough - they're pushing the size. Oh well. Awh, I left them at the Kubackis! Oh well. We watched the 3rd LOTR. It was 200 minutes! But it was really really good. Lilica came over - she's such a sweetheart (: Ellie found out she has lice- thankfully, they caught it early and only found a few adults. I'm a tiny bit worried that I'll get them but if I get them I've already had them so I'm not gonna make a big deal of it. Oh lordy, they have a turtle and they're gonna cook it. Blech. There's blood all over the deck... anyway... We ate leftover cake & watched Letters to Juliet (: Love has no expiration date! ahaha.
Right now we're on the boat and have been for about 45 minutes. Thankfully it's not as crowded as the line boat! There's only about 12 of us.

March 28, 2011 10:25pm Floor in Front Room

We had a really good time listening to Colbie Caillat & talking about music (:
Watched LOTR Part 2. Good, but not as good as the 1st. But I LOVE the ents!

Also - new word! Enchickened - adj. to make scared (aka chicken)
Made by Betsy

March 28, 2011 6:02pm Front Threshold

Ellie & I bought flip flops (: Beach was fun - we just waded a bit. New vocab:
Ja - ready
bate - hit (or high five)
It's really entertaining to hear them say 'au revoir'. Or trying (: Cristien was trying to imitate my French conversation. Ben has gone above & beyond translating but also telling me new words to learn.

March 28, 2011 10:38pm Hanging Chair on Porch

You really can't know how peaceful it is here. Even the loud music and occassional scooter or dog bark just adds to the peaceful atmosphere. Maybe it's just because I'm on vacation.

We're going to the beach today, I think. Ellie & I are going flip flip shopping then going to her ladies' group. I love the climate here - it's not too bad, actually.

March 27, 2011 10:57pm Plastic Chair on Porch

I forgot to mention, it's hilarious to hear them trying to say "Thursday" and "shut up". Meredith got Cristien to say I was pretty. Of course he didn't know what he was saying (literally!) and then she told him and he blushed. Ahaha (: We went to Plaza de Biblia and they were singing Justin Bieber and trying to say things in English (:

March 27, 2011 10:49pm Kubackis Porch

Today's been amazing! We went to church, where Ben tried to translate for me but the preacher spoke real fast. Ben's a fantastic help though. Then I joined Meredith behind the church in the kids' building where I met my new friends Metheus, Danilo, and Cristien. It's a lot easier to communicate w/ them than adults - they're hilarious, especially Cristien. He makes me laugh a lot. I've learned today:
tcaio - bye
oi - hello
legal - cool
cala boca - basically shut up.
esta aqui - something like "you are here"
oBridgado - thank you/obliged
flaut - flute
Right now we're all chilling on their porch, passing around the guitar. Sooo jealous! I love this Brasil.

March 27, 2011 5:15pm Tim & Betsy's Bedroom

Cleia just tried on her wedding dress- gorgeous!

March 27, 2011 4:58pm The Couch

Awesome day - the Kubacki residence is wonderfully peacefull yet teeming with activity at the same time. I woke up at 10 and within half an hour was riding the Biz with Ellie to her friends' house to watch a game (Brasil 2, Scotland 0). We at lunch then Ben, Mer & I watched Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring. Great movie (: The climate is lovely as of now, and the occasional rain is enjoyable to listen to. Later we are going to church.

March 27, 2011 4:15am PdM - Kubackis House

The boat was fun, worse than I expected but really okay. I love hedgies but I had to keep myself from swinging into Betsy. Eventually I fell asleep. Obviously it took forever. Guess what we heard on the taxi here? Breaking Free from High School Musical. In Portuguese. Right now I'm sleeping in my hedgie in the girls bedroom. It's raining now - ahh, I love rain (: Tomorrow I think we're hanging out until church at 7:00.

March 26, 2011 6:41pm Line Boat

This day has been impossibly long but amazingly awesome. Right now we're on a line boat to PdM - it's a good thing I love hedgies! I have my own now! I love it. At base I met (finally) Justin & Logan, Ben's friends. They're cool. Being on this boat is fun. I love boats & hedgies - and I'm right by all the people I need to talk to, which is good. Ben's caddy corner, Ellie's above, Betsy on my right, and Mer above her. Ben & I traded iPods to listen to Enya (:

March 26,2011 2- somethingish pm Altimira Mission Base

We're finally here! i mean, we've been here since 11:30 but this is the first chance I've had to sit down. Altimira is humid, laid back, and very colorful. The Kubackis have a great view (: When we get back from the airport we went out for lunch and looked for flip flops. Didn't find any, but we're gonna look in PdM.

TIME CHANGE

March 26, 2011 10:15am Runway

I SEE THEM!!!!!

March 26, 2011 9:45am Descending Any Minute

The stewardess must think I have a mango addiction.

March 26, 2011 9:39am Between Santarem & Altimira (!)

He (the pilot) told us the time in Altimira but I don't know what it is. I will label when I use different time zone.

March 26, 2011 7:50am Some Tiny Town on The Way

Rule #1 for Travel in Brasil: Make sure you have money.
Rule #2 for Travel in Brasil: Don't freak out when you stop at another airport on the way.

March 26, 2011 7:08am TRIP Airlines Plane # Blah Blah Blah

ahaha, I just realized that our plane has propellers on the wings!
I find Colbie Caillat a good person to listen to on a tropical flight (:
can't decide whether or not I like this banana cream bar... tastes like guava. I also can't determine whether that is a cloud or water down there. Either way, it's pretty!

March 26, 2011 6:30am The Plane - Finally!

I cannot believe it's only 6:30! It feels like forever - besides, it's too bright outside to be 6:30. The plane is just now moving to the runway. I feel so much better knowing that once we get off the Kubackis'll be there (:

March 26, 2011 5:10am Bob's Burgers & Milkshakes

Does anybody else find it funny that the airport restaraunt is called that?

March 26, 2011 4:45am Some Highway to Airport

It seems the only rule for drivers is this: pass the car in front of you by whatever means possible. That's the only rule cab drivers follow, at any rate.

March 26, 2011 4:17am A Now Unmade Bed

Well our tickets are confirmed and we're off to the airport in 10 minutes - our flight leaves around 6:30, so we should be in Altimira by noonish (: Excited!!!

March 25, 2011 10:01pm The Cot in The Hotel

I'm watching OSU vs. Kentucky in Portuguese... Jordan, watch OSU win!!! There's some party going on across the street - the music is fun :p Why do I get the feeling we'll be up a while?

March 25, 2011 8:32pm Rei Salomao Hotel

Tim & Betsy paid for our tickets for tomorrow & booked us a hotel room. A half an hour drive through Manaus - people everywhere! very colorful city - very much like Miami. Am now, quite contentedly, watching Monster's Inc. in Portuguese (:

March, 2011 7:05pm Cafe Stool That Hasn't Moved Yet

Wouldn't it be ironic if I decided to do my French homework?

March 25, 2011 7:35pm Drinking A Very Stron Cappuchino in The Chair

It's sounding like they're gonna let her, which means we're hanging her for the night and leaving at 6:30am tomorrow.

March 25, 2011 7:01pm " "

Good news! Turns out that was Betsy on the phone, we're gonna see if she can call and pay with her Brasilian credit card... let's hope!

March 25, 2011 6:55pm In the Same Hard Cafe Stool

I'm gonna finish a book before dad get's off the phone.

March 25, 2011 6:47pm Still Here

No such thing as luck. Somehow they returned our baggage so we have all our stuff, but we're still stranded. Dad is possibly talking to someone on the base right now? I don't know but it's definitely not Mom. He's so busy on the phone, he won't tell me who the heck he's talking to! BTW, how do you order Portuguese food?

March 25, 2011 5:57pm Manaus Int'l Airport

What a NIGHTMARE. We didn't make it to Manaus in time to make our initial flight. We ran around for twenty minutes then they transferred us to another airline, but it wouldn't take our card. So the lady says,"there's a flight tomorrow morning, we put yu on dat one, OK? Yu go get moore money for de ticket - they take plasteec." WE go, and they don't take plastic. We're basically stuck in Manaus for who knows how long. We've tried the Altimira base where Betsy should be but they're not picking up. We finally contacted mom and at this point I have no idea what's going on. Our luggage is already ahead of us. At least in Miami they had decent English speakers. God help us.

March 25, 2011 2:19pm Who Cares at This Point?

I can't believe they still give you airplane peanuts :p

March 25, 2011 2:14pm I hour 10 Minutes Closer to Manaus

I swear I'm the only person on this ship - I mean, airplane - who doesn't speak Spanish. The only one who doesn't look a bit Portuguese, too.

March 25, 2011 12:55pm Somewhere Above What I Believe Is The Atlantic

I really have no idea where we are. At least we're scheduled to arrive with time before the flight to Altimira. They're playing The Deathly Hallows pt. 1 but of course you can't hear it. The subtitles don't even help, of course, because THEY'RE IN SPANISH! Or Portuguese! Whatever. Oh well, I have half of the lines memorized. Ooh, turbulence zone. It's not bad I guess - a little tough to write okay. Dad says we shouldn't have to go through security in Manaus - who knows! I Certainly don't! You don't know how happy I am that my iPod's battery life lasts well. It's basically keeping me alive right now. I need a magazine or something. Oh, gosh, I'm such a whiner baby! I'll keep my mouth shut. Do you know, I really love this pen? J'adore un stylo ca! I'm still in French mode - speaking test at school yesterday. I almost ordered in French at Bob Evans! Too bad I can't use it here. I'll be so relieved when we meet the Kubackis!

March 25, 2011 11:00am In the Air Near Florida

Oh, don't I wish I took Spanish.

March 25, 2011 10:21am The Airplane, Flight 8077

We're finally going! As long as we land in time...

March 25, 2011 8:51am STILL in Terminal

This is the 3rd time they've delayed our flight. Apparentlt there's "fire in the tanks". We have a connecting flight to Altimira at 4:45 - if we don't make that, we're stuck at the Manaus airport for a day. Crappy.

March 25, 2011 7:10am Miami Int'l Airport

We went to Au Bon Pain when we got to the airport - SO GOOD.
We should've been boarding 20 minutes ago - it got delayed an hour. Getting lots of good luck texts from friends - they're such dears (: Mom seems more worried than Dad & I am - she calls or texts every 5 minutes at least!

March 25, 2011 5:30am Plaza Outside Hotel

I forgot there was a club under the hotel.

March 25, 2011 4:55am Regency Bed

This city really doesn't sleep. I have a feeling neither will I...

March 24, 2011 11:50pm Airport Regency Hotel

Miami is really beautiful at night from above - it's one of those cities that never sleep. Nota bene: get to know the Miami Airport before you go - or it will be your worst nightmare. It is so huge! Eventually we got to the hotel - thank God. Our hotel room is right by a late night sea food bar. They have live performers & currently she's singing "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga {Josh, just thought you'd like that}. I really should go to bed, I have to be up at like 4:30am tomorrow...

March 24, 2011 8:42pm Still In The Air

Well I just used an airplane "lavatory" for the first time in my life, and it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected, other than it took me 5 minutes to figure out that the lights don't turn on till you lock the door. Stupid.

March 24, 2011 7:23pm Somewhere Between Columbus & Miami

We're flying! It's been, say, half an hourish? We took off around 6:50 I think. Did I ever mention, I love flying? I may get nervous but this is my first flight in a while & it didn't last long. I love seeing the clouds (: We're supposed to be landing at 9:30.

March 24, 2011 6:20pm Airport Terminal

Well, I'm finally {sort of} on my way! But of course our flight is delayed. We would be taking off right now, but the plane won't be coming in till 6:30 at the earliest. Hopefully not too long. I'm gonna be writing alot these next two weeks - plenty of paper, plenty of time. It entertains me. Which reminds me, I need to do my first video recording! I'm gonna post them all when we get back.
I just want to get to Miami so I can put some shorts on. Apparently it's 80 degrees down there - heavenly!