What Happens When You Eat Ceviche in Peru...

So I'll start this off with I'm alive and able to eat real food again, but the past week was rough. In the picture below are the possible culprits of the worse food poisoning I will hopefully ever have in my life. The drinks are Pisco Sours, the cocktail of choice in Chile and Peru, that are made with lime, pisco, sugar syrup and egg white. The appetizer is Ceviche, raw fish in onions and tomatoe with lime, the more likely culprit. Before judging me too harshly for eating raw fish, I would like to say that A) Everyone does it and B) I've been doing it for over two months and this was the first time I ever got sick. However, it was my first time in Peru, so maybe that wasn't the wisest choice....

Anyway, so what happens. You eat the Ceviche, it tastes wonderful, and you drink the piscos and tell hilarious stories you hope everyone has forgotten by the next morning. You sleep wonderfully until 7am when you realize you are about to have the worst day of your life.

You sprint to the bathroom. The most pleasant way to say what happens next is mass exodus of anything you've eaten in the past 24 hours in any direction it can go. You crawl back into bed hoping to God no one heard and repeat this process 3 or 4 times until even your neighbors know what is going on. Luckily, you have a saintly Chilean mother who fixes you tea, puts a wet towel on your head, makes you drink water, and re-stocks the toilet paper. You also have a warm snuggly golden retriever who helps get rid of your chills- despite your fever of 38.5 degrees...whatever that means. Unluckily, you have a 5 year old sister who hasn't seen you for an entire weekend and has now declared open season on you since you can't get out of bed. Don't forget her new favorite thing is to scream Hannah Montana and Taylor Swift songs that you had the idiocy to teach her. At 3 o'clock you give up and let your mom take you to the ER. A doctor who is more serious than Franco diagnoses you with something you can't understand and your Chilean mom hasn't heard of. Then a man with an IV and one of those creepy "I'm about to jab this needle into you" smiles walks into the room. You cover your eyes and writhe on the table while he messes it up first in your left arm, then in your right, and finally gets it after a painful 3 minutes on your left wrist. You talk to the other Gringa from your group who also got food poisoning while the IV drains into you for 20 minutes and you feel much better. They send you home with a huge box of medications for God knows what and you hope they work as well as the IV. After a day you decide jello might be okay. Then jello and crackers. Then jello, crackers and rice. Slow baby steps up the food chain until you are back up to your normal hamburger with mayo and avocado eating self. That is what happens when you eat Ceviche in Peru.

A Weekend in Tacna

For the weekend, our group hopped over the border to Tacna, Peru, so that we could see what medicine looks like in a developing country. (Chile, particularly their medical system, is considered developed). We toured a few clinics, sat in on “domiciliarios” (house visits), and volunteered in a free health fair in the neighborhood of Viñina, one of the poorest in Peru. We also made a day-visit to one of Tacna’s nightclubs and sat in on an STD education and protection class with some of the girls (most of them under 21 and some of them as young as 14 or 15) who worked in the club.

The house visit was by far the most interesting experience. We walked four blocks from the health center to a patient who the obstetrician was checking up on two weeks post-partum. Her baby had jaundice and we were going to clear up some myths the woman and her family had heard about this condition. I think my favorites were that the baby was yellowish because the mother had eaten too many mangoes during her pregnancy and that if you sat the baby in the sunlight it would become even more yellow (sunlight actually helps the color return to normal). We were also coming to talk to the woman about contraceptive options open to her. The new baby was 11 years younger than his oldest sibling and had been unplanned. When the pregnancy was first announced, the rest of the family who lived in the house, grandparents, 4 other siblings, and the father rejected it and blamed the mother. This is the third time during a patient interaction where I’ve ran into the concept of a pregnancy being solely the woman’s fault and not partially the man’s. As a Westerner the idea is absurd, but here, especially in lower economic situations, it is unfortunately the more common viewpoint. The rejection and blame had huge psychological and physical tolls on the mother. Early on in her pregnancy, she lost the will to eat, slipped into depression, and became severely anemic. Luckily her family came around when they started to see how their negativity was endangering her health and attended special classes at the health center to help support her through the rest of her term. It felt really good to see how a little counseling and intervention could change a tragic, hurtful situation into reconciliation and joy.

The trip was a real eye-opener on how many obstacles there are to keeping a poor population healthy. Unfortunately, economics is the biggest one both on the side of the patient and the side of the health professionals. Many people couldn’t make it to the health fair because they were working, and the health fair itself was lacking in equipment and doctors to able to treat those who did come. Poor organization was another big factor. Someone forgot to unlock the pharmacy and because of this the pharmacist I worked with had to tell almost everyone who came to come back tomorrow (which for most was impossible). I could not imagine waiting in line for hours only to be told my medicine wasn’t there. Among some, there is also a stigma against medicine that comes from “white coats” and not traditional community members. Despite the fact that the health fair was 100% free and right in the center of Viñina, many people from the neighborhood (even some patients that doctors had previously identified as needing care such as children who needed vaccinations) chose not to go.

On a shallower note, Tacna is an excellent place to shop and eat out. A. Tacna has some really hilarious styles (see aboe). B. There are no enforced copy-right rules in Peru, so designer brands, soccer jersey knock-offs, cds and dvds are marked down to about 1/10^th of what you’d find them for in the USA. Make sure you’re getting the local price though. Most of the things I bought started out 3x as expensive as what I actually bought them for. I think my best buy was 10 cds for 10 soles (about 4 bucks). This doesn’t mean you’ll actually save any money when you go though. You’ll just come home with more stuff J.

San Pedro de Atacama

Last Thursday after an 11-hour bus ride, a few of the girls and I arrived in the town of San Pedro de Atacama. The trip was fraught with peril- stolen purses, insufficient identification, and French men, but we all survived and had an awesome time!

We stayed at a hostel right in the center of town, and feasted on avocado sandwiches, cheese empanadas, ice cream, and fresh squeezed fruit juice. We got lucky and found an awesome guide (Chino) that took us to some salt lakes, an awesome dessert complete with salt mines, and some geysers. Then we took the Sunday red-eye bus home and arrived back in Arica 2 hours before class started on Monday :) Again, pictures explain better than words so not many thoughts for this one.

Las Lagonas Cejas: Salt lakes. Before this trip, I didn't buy into the idea that one would be able to float better in saltier water. It actually does make a huge difference! Don't get the water in your eyes though, it's much worse than the ocean.

So if you're friends with Karman and don't know the Llama story stop reading now and call her to find out about it.......If you don't know Karman, she is my very athletic, fast, varsity soccer player friend. Our tour stopped in a little town and we all got off the bus to take a look around. One of the villagers carried out a 4 day old baby llama to show us, and of course it wiggled free from someone on the tour. The group spent about an hour trying to herd this llama to somewhere where we could trap it, but no success. (Oh yeah, and we couldn't leave without it because the bus driver had bought it.) Suddenly, Karman comes out of no where and chases this llama for about 50 yards and wrestles it to the ground. We decided that catching the baby llama and letting the tour continue was her tip for the day. Baby Llama drove back with us to San Pedro and all lived happily ever after.

We took a rigorous hike up to some Incan ruins that overlooked the Valley of the Dead. The views were spectacular! At one point we decided to take a "short cut" off the path, and I thought we were going to slide right down into the ravine. I'm pretty sure we were all in violation of our "no extreme sports" student health insurance clause.

The day after we arrived we woke up at 3:30am in order to go see the sunrise over the geysers and hot thermal baths. While the geysers were really really cool, it was very very cold. They were definetly worth a visit...I'm not sure about 4am in the morning though. Check out my facebook for a video of one of them going off.

On our last night in San Pedro, we drove out to the valley of the dead one night to eat dinner, watch the sunset and drink strawberry wine. A great way to cap off the trip!

Some Real News: The Situation

So as most of you know, Chile was rocked by an earthquake a while back and while Arica itself was not too affected, there was a lot of chaos and fear in the southern half of the nation. There are still huge numbers of displaced, missing, and injured persons, and as late as yesterday many cities in the south haven’t had access to running water or electricity. I was actually in Santiago and some of the Southern cities a week before the quake. When the news shows photos of the airport terminal I flew into and some of the towns I visited destroyed, it feels like a guided tour of a nightmare that's unfortunately come true. I really can't imagine how hard it is for people like my house mother here who have family in these cities (luckily her family was alright considering the circumstances), and especially for the people who have been directly harmed by the quake.

(Even though Arica is several hundred miles away from the epicenter, the people here are so involved with the aid efforts. You cannot walk down the street without seeing “Chile Ayuda a Chile” (Chile help Chile) and “Fuerza Chile” (Strength Chile) written on a car or poster.A telethon thrown by top Chilean celebrities the weekend after the quake raised 3X its goal within a 48 hour period.)

All that being said, Chile is doing an amazing job fixing the damage and supporting the people affected not only by the initial quake, but also a series of serious after shock (ranging from 7.2-6.6). If you feel in the mood for giving, a local charity that I would reccomend before the American Red Cross is Hogar de Cristo. (http://www.hogardecristo.cl/index.php/colabora-con-nosotros/aid-to-earthquake-victims/) It's a Jesuit charity that does just about everything (education, housing, food, health care etc.) for Chile’s poor and will be here long after the Red Cross workers have left to help with the next disaster. I agree 100% with the words of a woman I met shortly after the first quake in the Sunday street market. “If this had happened in nearly any other country in Latin America it would have been another Haiti. But Chileans are strong and we are organized. We love each other and our country. We will conquer this.”

A local craft market whose vendors have promised a portion of their sales to the victims of the earthquake. (This is truly a sacrifice on their part because the profit they make from what they sell is already so small, and most of them as it is are already struggling to make ends meet.)

A few of my friends and I volunteering at Hogar de Cristo (House of Christ). The tarps behind us are old company advertisements that were picked up from local businesses. We’re unloading them so that they can be sent to Southern Chile to be used as tents by the people whose homes have been destroyed.

Empieza SIT: ARICA, CHILE

Okay, I apologize. I have been here almost a month and have only posted one blog update (mostly pictures and very few thoughts), so here we go.

So, I luckily found a family that is just as goofy as mine is (what a relief!) and they don't think I'm crazy here, yet. This is my little sister, Daniela, who is both an excellent teacher and a constant source of entertainment. We do her kindergarten homework together, which is actually a huge help for my language skills. The first phrase she taught me was, "¿Juguemos?" which means Are we going to play? I hear this phrase whenever I walk in the house, and it will be impossible to forget.

So, while trying to do something sweet for both of our familias, Karman came up with the idea of making spiced cereal balls (and new all-time favorite of mine) and chocolate chip cookies. I didn’t see it through to the end of the chocolate chip cookies (which apparently turned out great), however, our spiced cereal balls were terrible! I believe Karman put it best when she said, “Play-Dough”. Between not having cups/tablespoons, changes in ingredients butter between countries, and no marked degrees on the oven, the normally crispy and delicious cookies came out like ugly little mud balls. (Or maybe it was just the fact that I was there…) Anyway, my new challenge is to make a recipe for the family that does not include baking…I’m thinking French toast.

So the girls on the trip are all great. Everyone gets along and in general we all walk around in one mass mob, though are starting to branch off a little for convenience sake (not many restaurants/cafes here are ready to serve 15 ppl at a time).

Meet some of the girls on the trip, starting from the left. Sara: Really cute skirts and tank tops always. Katie: Can dance like no other I have ever met. Claire: She’s from Holland and is saving us from being “the ugly American Group” Karman: My goof-tastic friend of 3 years, whom most of you already know. Laura: Luckiest girl on this trip has an entire floor to herself! Shira: Always cheerful and up for doing something. Mei-Lani: Lived in Alaska and is my running buddy! Emma: Has lived all over the US (Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Kentucky) and has the most interesting Accent I have ever heard. We also surf together.

Goldie, the family Golden retriever, and I are really great Pals because she’s the only one who speaks less Spanish than I do. She’s also the best ice-breaker ever. Whenever things get too quiet, just say how cute Goldie looks.

The party scene in Chile is crazy. People don’t leave their houses until 12 and getting back at 4am is considered leaving the party early. This particular fiesta was held for the Chile Ayuda a Chile (Chile Helps Chile) campaign the weekend after the big Earthquake in Santiago. All the proceeds and canned food donations (which got you partial off your ticket if you were a guy) went to help out people who lost their homes and families down South. I must say, I am way more impressed with Chile’s response to this earthquake than I am with the response Americans made to Katrina. Chile Ayuda a Chile is written on cars, shop windows, in the sand- everywhere. On my way to school I pass two donation drop off sites which are still loading crates of food and other supplies, and the Telethon Chile’s top artists put together exceeded its goal by double in less than 24 hours (half the time they had planned on doing it for).

The Faller's Go to Chile!

The Faller’s Go to Chile (your first of many weekly installments to come).

The Faller’s have arrived, and Chile has welcomed us with open arms! The people, the views, the food, and the hotels are all wonderful! Pictures can probably describe these better than words, so my writing will be brief, but I promise more thoughts for the next time. My personal highlights of the trip so far: 1) Rafting down the river Trancura with our jolly guide, Carlitos. 2) Eating Shrimp and Saffron Risotto at Hotel Antumalal. 3) Visiting the fish, fruit, and vegetable market in Valdivia. 4) Fishing on Lago de los Santos. 5) The Faller sitcom car ride from Fruitillar the rest of the way into Petrohue. 6.) Eating at Como Agua para Chocolate in Santiago. 7) Watching Dad make friends with the local cat by feeding it half a chicken breast in the artisan town of Pomaire. 8) Wine tasting at the Vineyard, Undurraga. 9) My midnight raspberry fruit juice date with Dad. 10) Family review of vacations past, which lasted until the manager kicked us out.

Funniest Moments:

Matt: Appearing as a pin size yellow dot, kayaking on lake Villarica, while the rest of the family sought refuge under the balcony of our hotel to keep out of the torrential downpour.

Dad: Walking around the hotel with two gutted fish we had just caught and dubbed Tina and Tim Troutling. They were very tasty for dinner.

Merry: Being plunged underwater after the rafting guide had tricked me into “playing a fun game” that required me to kneel in the bow of the boat.

Mom: Repeating over and over again in Spanish, “the frying pan! The frying pan!” while I was trying to explain to the chef how she wanted her fish cooked.

A summary of the itinerary:

Monday Feb 15^th: I join the rest of the family in Santiago, and we catch the afternoon flight to Temuco. Then a rental car gets us to the lake town of Pucón.

Tues Feb 16^th-Weds Feb 17^th: Kayaking, rafting, and sightseeing in Pucón. We stayed at Hotel Antumalal.

Thurs Feb 18^th-Friday Feb 19^th: Trekking and Fishing in Petrohue, on Los Lagos de Los Santos. We stayed at Hotel Petrohue.

Saturday Feb 20^th: Drove to Puerto Montt and caught the afternoon flight back to Santiago to see one of Pablo Neruda’s houses, La Chascoa. (La Chascoa is what Pablo Neruda called his mistress and third wife and means the messy-haired woman in Spanish.) Then Mom and Matt are back to Los Estados Unidos.

Sunday Feb 21: Dad and Merry explore Santiago! Walked through Santa Lucía which has a fantastic fort and park, continued onto el Palacio de la Moneda, and stopped for a coke in La Plaza de Las Armas (main square). Then we hit the Pre-Columbian museum, Santiago’s National History Museum (which was way better despite what all the literature tells you), and headed back to the hotel for ice cream and a brief siesta. An hour later we take the metro out to Los Dominiqos, which is an artisan craft area, and then later that evening went to the restaurant Como Agua Para Chocolate (yes, like Isabel Allende’s book).

Monday Feb 22: Dad and Merry go to visit Viña Undurraga in the town of Talagante, 34 km (21 mi) southwest of Santiago. We also stopped by the town of Pomaire (another artisan town known for it’s pottery).

Tuesday Feb 23: Goodbye hugs for Dad, and I’m off to Arica to start my study abroad program!

Mom and Matt caught two trout in Petrohue which we endearingly named, Timmy and Tinna Troutling...and then we ate them.

Where does the rainbow end? Petrohue, Chile over my left shoulder

Let's be honest, it wouldn't be a real vacation if I didn't get fried.

Mattikusupula: Rare Giant Chilean Mountain Sloth

Taking in "nature's pallete" near Pucón, Chile at Hotel Antumalal, which I highly reccommend.

Valencia 2010

So before the Chile adventure starts, (and it has started and it is wonderful) I need to play a little bit of catch-up. At the beginning of last semester I was talking to my Spanish Independent Study Professor, Chris Swafford, about what on earth a 21 year-old kid does at home for all of January and most of February while all of her friends are off at college. I´m so glad I brought the subject up because we came to the conclusion that she goes to stay with Chris and the Earlham Program in Valencia, Spain for two weeks. I´ve hiked in the northwestern part of the country (Burgos-Santiago) as well as studied in the central southern area of (Madrid-Ciudad Real-Cordoba) and on the Island of Menorca, but I have never been to Cataluña and the Barcelona area. I refuse to pick a favorite, they all have their own charms. However, I will say that this trip has made it clear in my mind that I will have to live in this country for at least two or three years at some point. You´re all welcome to come visit :)
My favorite part of the trip (academically speaking) were the art museums and places of interest around the city. In Barcelona and a few surrounding towns, we saw the Picasso Museum, a Miró Museum, the Dahlí exhibit, and several architectural feats by Gaudí (a house he designed for himself is pictured above.) They were all fabulous, but my recomendations would be to skip out on Picasso and hit the Miró and Dahlí exhibits. Also, if the weather is permitting the park by Gaudí (Guell) was very cool and offered some beautiful views of a sunset over Barcelona.
My friend Lo, happened to be on the Earlham program while I was visiting and we had a great time roaming around Barcelona´s nightlife together. This is a fountain a little to the North of ¨Las Ramblas¨the happening district in Barcelona.


Back to the city of Valenica, above is a picture of the city of the arts and sciences. Valencia is trying to revamp itself with a modern/futuristic style, and with the architecture and museums in this quadrant of the city they definitely succeed. I cannot decide if I was more impressed with the outside or the inside of the museums. I should note that this wavering is probably biased, the two current special topic exhibits at the museum of the sciences are genetics as well as drug history coupled with brain chemistry. (That´s basically everything my major encompasses in a couple thousand square feet...I had only planned on staying an hour and a half and ended up staying 4) Hanging out a Valencia´s beach with the Earlham gang. It was too cold to go swimming (unless your name is Andrew...), but we definitely enjoyed catching some sun, writing our names in the sand, and eating BK shakes and fries (which are much better than BK in the USA, fyi) on our beach blanket.

Busting out a Blog

So as I pack for Spain/Chile, I've been juggling a couple different worries around in my head. The principal one at the moment being how on earth am I going to stay in touch with all of my friends and family while I'm abroad? Clearly snail mail isn't going to cut it, e-mail seems kind of lacking in visuals, and not everyone has a Facebook they are willing to share (and no offense but I don't quite want everyone checking in on everything I've been up to on mine either). A blogs seems like the best way to keep most of you in the loop, so I'm going to try it out. I'll be posting some initial stuff from the end of the year just to work out any kinks, but the real Chilean adventure will start on Valentine's Day in Santiago, Chile with the rest of the Faller Family. I'd love to hear any comments or criticisms on content and design and please, please, please let me know if you're having any problems viewing the blog.
Love you all and please write!
Merry

Highlight Reel 2009: Overall Cuteness of Friends!

To my adorable, thoughtful, goofy and fun friends:

You just keep getting more precious to me the more I am around you.

Girl's Lunch Out, Old Richmond Inn

Richmond, IN

On the Way to A Christmas Carol at the IRT

Indianapolis, IN

Fall Break Beach Shadows with Sin and Arya

Santa Clara, CA

Gathering of the Families at Galo's

Richmond, IN

Highlight Reel 2009: 21st and 20th B'day Parties!!!!

Finally 21 and was it a blast!!!! With party favors and decorations (including that ridiculous birthday cake hat and glasses below) provided by mom, my Earlham friends + Eric threw me the best b'day bash I could have ever asked for. The night started off at Applebee's where I was given my evening apparel in the picture below. I should just give the girls money o buy my clothes for me, they always do a better job. Dinner was excellent and to top it off, Applebee's birthday song has a line about turning the b'day girl's cheeks blush....mine turned lobster red much to my embarrassment.

Coming back from Applebee's, we stopped in over at New Spanish for some preliminary toasting, celebrations, and games. Let's just say Team Golden (if you can't remember the rest of that name so sad) kicked butt against the Earlham Hall boys. As the night progressed, our group was serenaded by Earlham's own A Cappella group, the Brimley's, with a solo from Nick Chu (what a treat!) Then we took a trip into Richmond to test out my new powers of getting into the 21+ establishments, which worked out great. An awesome night from awesome people! Thank you guys x1000.

Over the summer, the fantabulous four had another triple-decker B'day adventure. (I think as a future guideline I should make extra efforts to be friends with people born in June...so far I'm 3/3 on them turning out to be really cool). Karman (mastermind of pretty much all of our surprises) and I (transportation coordinator) surprised Lo and Rachel and treated ourselves to a weekend stay in a cabin down in Southern Indiana.

While finding the cabin and getting to it was a little tricky (really glad we had the green pea and 4-wheel drive), the trip was amazing. We had an awesome time telling stories, cooking over the campfire, and bringing back the early 90s with an epic game of Pretty Pretty Princess. (If you had a young girl in your life during this time period and you don't recognize this game....you failed her.) I don't know about you girlies, but a camp out might have to become an annual event.

Highlight Reel 2009: Krakow, Poland

For Spring break 2009, I traveled to Southern Poland. Even though I went outside of the main tourist season when the weather was cold and the wind blistery, the experience was wonderful. While I was there, I visited Krakow and its surrounding attractions as well as the small mountain town of Zakopane. Zakopane is well known for skiing, but we went for the artistic craft market.

This is the main town square in Krakow, Poland, which was a short 5 minute walk from our hotel. Car traffic was diverted so that pedestrians and horse buggies could stroll in front of all of the various restaurants and shops. The yellowish building to the right holds a variety of souvenir shops featuring mainly amber jewelry (a Polish specialty), furs, and woven goods. The clock tower bell can be heard throughout most of the city, and though it is not in the picture, beautiful Saint Mary's basilica would be located to the right of the frame.

In addition to the main square, we took a guided tour of Wawel Hill, home to the royal castle and cathedral. Though this picture does not show it, a steep climb up to the castle walls served as a great defense and extra fortification to the royal structures over the years. The tallest tower holds central Europe's largest bell and supposedly, if you stand below it and make a wish, it is sure to come true. Though most of the interior of the castle was lost during WWII, the buildings were preserved from the bombings because axis forces used the structures as a barracks. Fun facts about the cathedral: 1) Pope John Paul 2nd gave his first mass in the basement of the cathedral. 2) Mastermind Polish engineer and American revolutionary war hero, Thaddeus Kosiuszko, is buried in the catacombs.

Of course, every castle must have its legends. Wawel hill's dragon in residence lived in a cave below the foundations of the castle, and every few weeks would terrorize the citizens, sweeping up Krakow's most beautiful maidens and eating them alive. The king offered his daughter's hand in marriage to whoever could tame the beast. Many tried and all failed until a young tailor boy tricked the dragon by putting a poisoned sheep outside its den. When the dragon ate it, his mouth became so hot that he drank and entire river and drowned. The tailor boy married the princess and became a great king. The bones of the dragon still hang outside the castle gate as a warning to all other wondering dragons to keep out.

On a more somber note, I also visited the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau. I'm not an emotional person, but I was nervous about visiting a place that had witnessed so much loss and injustice. I wasn't sure if I would be able to hold it together. The experience was indescribable. The closest I can come is unforgettable, humbling. While I didn't find any answers here, the visit provoked an onslaught of questions on human rights, the value of our lives, and humanity's capacity to forgive. If you are ever in Poland, no matter your age, it is a must.

Above is a picture of the infamous gates leading into Auschwitz. The iron lettering, "Arbeit Macht Frei" translates into English as "Work Makes You Free." Below is a picture of two shadows, my own and that of an ethnically Jewish but spiritually catholic woman I had met in the bathroom before we started our tour. We are standing in front of the selection point at Birkenau, and the road we are looking down leads to the ruins of the gas chambers. I had this picture taken when I came to a bleak realization. Seventy years ago this woman would have been walking forward to her death while I, at worst, would have been considered a trespasser. The difference? My genetic makeup lacks a few pigment proteins. What a small thing to kill for.

Highlight Reel 2009: El Camino!

I spent last May trekking through Northern Spain on the beautiful Camino de Santiago, a collection of pilgrimage trails that have been walked for over 1,000 years. I started out in Burgos, Spain with ten other Earlham women, and 350 miles (500K) and 1 month later found myself mentally, spiritually, and physically refreshed, kneeling in front of the Bones of St. James in the Cathedral of Santiago.

Before the camino, "Don't take more than you can carry," seemed like a good guideline, but hiking 12-15 miles each day transformed it into a necessity. Everyone says this to the point of making it cliché, but you really don't realize how much useless junk you have in your life (both material and mental) until you go on one of these journeys. That little red backpack held everything I used for a month. I could have easily continued on for another 4 or 5 with it.

Our brief stay in Castrojeriz was probably my favorite adventure of the camino. After a long but charming walk, we came upon this view of the small village's cathedral and castle on top of the hill. This was towards the beginning of the trip- maybe the 3rd or 4th day- and while everyone else was enjoying their siesta I decided to climb to the top of the hill and explore the castle. It was totally worth the climb. Not only was the view from the castle walls priceless, but the castle itself was completely unguarded. No bars, no chains or signs telling you to keep out. Just you and the crumbling stone walls. For almost an hour I scoured every hidden nook and cranny of the ruins. The entire time I was thinking that I was one of the only Hoosiers who had ever had full access to an abandoned castle. Afterwards, I took my own siesta on top of one of the ramparts just like sleeping beauty!

So while there were many fantastic and majestic sights to see on this trip (castles, cathedrals, mountains, statues, etc.) some of the most beautiful were the simplest. People who spoke not a word of each other's language sharing meals together, steam coming off cups of tea reached only after hours of hiking in the cold rain, colorful clothes flapping in the breeze. You only experience this type of beauty if you're going slow enough to see it. Since I walked the camino, I see it almost everyday.

If there is one thing the Camino taught me, it is that you never actually "arrive" to that final destination. You may come to your self-designated endpoint, but there is always more to learn, more to observe, and more to experience beyond it.

Highlight Reel 2009: Fantabulous Four Go to Michigan

It finally happened. A Faller offspring was allowed to take friends sans parent's supervision up to Michigan, and oh my gosh did we have a blast. The fantabulous four trekked in two cars all the way to Boyne City, Michigan for a fun-filled summer vacation right before school and soccer started. We toured Mackinaw Island, learned to drive and water-ski with "the practice boat," played put-put, went kayaking down the Jordan river, and had many other fun adventures. Not many college-age groups of friends actually follow through on the grand vacation plans they make during the year, so way to go us. There is so much I could write about- honestly a book- so I thought some pictures, captions, and a few quotes were the best way to capture the week.
One of the days, the four of us took an excursion from home base to visit scenic Mackinaw Island. We took the CAT (one of the ferries) out to the island and then ate lunch and did a little souvenir and fudge shopping. An epic game of Hearts and I think some Spades were played underneath the gazebo of one of the many hotels along the shoreline. The weather was absolutely beautiful, not too windy and just the right amount of warm. In order to work off some of the fudge and other goodies eaten, we went on a hike up to Arch Rock via the bike path and then through some of the forest trails. The car ride back home was as fun as the visit- we four are never allowed to drive anywhere without an awesome playlist to sing along too.

Personal Favorite Memories From Mackinaw:

Twilight Reenactments in the woods

Rachel's backward cigarette in the Western Photo shoot. Yes, I still have that picture. Yes, I will someday figure out how to get it on facebook :)

Boating fun....don't know if you guys noticed at the time or not, but I was a little anxious about the whole boating thing. Yes, I've been first mate of the various practice boats we've had up at Walloon since I was a kid, but Dad was always captain of the ship. (Kudos to you Dad, never realized how much thought and preparation goes into getting that ship to sail). Docking the boat, giving good tube rides, and pulling/teaching people to get up on water ski's aren't the easiest things. Thankfully my extremely talented, athletic, and patient friends were natural pros. All of us got up on the skis, the tube has met its match, and we all picked out a variety of possible dream houses to buy when we are rich and famous.

Personal Favorite Memories of the Boat:

The 3-way bathing suit swap

"Doing the FDR in my PFD"

Listening to hilariously crappy or old radio stations

Kayaking down the East Jordan River is a required event for any friend groups coming up to visit in Michigan. Depending on how lazy you are, it can take anywhere from 2-4 hours of paddling (or if you went as part of the kayak raft in 8th grade, 5 hours of floating) with a nice lunch break in the middle.

Personal Favorite Moments:

Making fun of the screaming chubby children we encountered on our lunch break

Sun bathing on top of the kayaks

So after all that, if you still don't believe that I have the greatest friend group of any college girl who has ever lived, here is yet another reason why you are wrong. We are awesome cooks. I'm not talking about a few frozen vegetables added into Ramen Noodles to spruce it up. I'm talking about full fledged Betty Crockers making five course gourmet meals that would put most restaurant menus to shame. That salad you are looking at is about to be drizzled with Karman's special sauce, sprinkled with flaked parmesan cheese and devoured by yours truly in under 5 minutes. I wish I had one right now. Over the course of the week each of us surprised the others with a similar meal, including one outside on the shoreline. (Bet you never had real plates and silverware at your bonfires). Between all the goodies we cooked for ourselves and the yummies we bought, I don't know how I didn't gain 10 lbs. Thank God for our morning runs and 300 Violin Orchestra!

Favorite Moments:

"Family Dinners" I'm serious about all of us living together if we are single at 40.

Being seduced with chocolate and pecan bars by the man at the Lake Street Market (also watching us eat those pickles out of a barrel....if I had a picture it would be on here.)

Sunset at Walloon, no where in the world will ever look as beautiful to me as evenings on this lake with my friends and family. (If I've ever taken you here, then you know I really care.)