Transportation, Yoga and some other things

Don´t get used to me posting everyday. I am lucky enough to have access to the computers while Bridget is in class so it is easy to check email and write a post.

A few notes on transportation in the city. Not many people own cars and there really isn´t public transportation in the city. There are a few options for getting around though:

1. Taxi
2. Party Bus
3. Walking

Taxis come in a variety of types. Some are literally folks who have just put the word taxi on their car and pick you up on the side of the road.  These are definitely not the cars you want to get in. They are not officially sanctioned and you could easily get ripped off. The official taxis have numbers on them signifying the routes they run...almost like a bus system. You stand on the side of the road and look for the taxi with your number, signal for them and hop in. This sounds easy and it is....but it really becomes interesting when you get in the taxi. Most taxis are small cars or small vans and they cram as much people as possible in them. If there are five seats, every seat will get filled. I was in a small van the other day with probably 10 people and you just sit nice and close.

The Party Buses are about the size of small school buses and are painted in many colors. They also run basic routes and you let the driver know when you want to get out. I don´t know why they are called party buses...my only guess is because they are brightly colored. They are a little cheaper than taxis and run a little slower.

There are no official pick up and drop off points for taxis or buses. You just stand on the side of the road and hold out your hand. This can cause drivers to pull over suddenly and pick up somebody on the side of the road and there is always a lot of movement in the car itself to make room for somebody or let someone out. These rides are not for the feint of heart. The drivers can move pretty quickly and make fast turns and stops.

And there is always walking...

Today I went to Yoga with Bridget and her other classmates. Two things I knew about myself and quickly relearned...I am not good at Yoga and I still don´t know Spanish. The instructor was incredibly patient with me as I was sweating a rediculous amount for doing nothing but stretching my legs. She kept wanting me to push my stretch more...mas mas mas...and I would say no no no...already thinking I was going to pull a muscle. Yoga is Yoga no matter where you are but yoga in Spanish is interesting when you don´t know the language. Bridget translated some for me and I understood some of what the instructor was saying...and again sweating way too much for yoga.

I haven´t been sleeping well for some reason. I literally woke up at 1:45am on Tuesday morning and 3:00am this morning and couldn´t go back to sleep. Needless to say I am thankful for the audiobooks I downloaded before coming because they are keeping me company in the middle of the night.

More to come later...

Hello from Bolivia!

I arrived on Monday morning and my friend Bridget was waiting for me at the airport. I was pretty wrecked from the overnight plane ride so I slept for about 4 hours while Bridget went to her language school classes. She is in her last week and finishes up on Friday. This gives me about 4 hours everyday to do whatever I like...but I don´t stray too far from Bridget because well I would be hopelessly lost in the city and have no way to get home without a lot of pointing and pretending I know Spanish.

So a quick recap of my travels so far...I flew out of Detroit into La Paz, Bolivia and grabbed a local plane to Cochabamba. I am here for about 6 days while Bridget finishes language school. This is giving me plenty of time to read, enjoy the area, and also figure out where we are going next. We are most likely headed to Sucre and Uyuni and then onto Peru.

For those of you who don´t have the patience to read long blog posts (which includes me), I am writing short sentences on a few highlights and will expand further for those who have the insane desire to read everything. I hope to include pictures at some point as well....I have to figure out how to upload from my camera.

1. First impressions...good food, good people, and much to learn.
2. Our Host Family is wonderful and Albina, the grandma, makes the best food in copious amounts.
3. I don´t know Spanish
4. Cinnamon ice cream is not my favorite

1.  First Impressions...I love stepping off the plane, train or whatever into a new country and culture. I am initially overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and smells and just trying to get my bearings. This was no different when I landed in La Paz. I made my way through customs with no problem and found my connecting flight on another airline. I was paranoid I was in the wrong place and tried to sneak a peek at other passengers tickets to make sure I was in the right line without looking like a creeper. I didn´t feel solidly convinced I was on the right plane until the friendly German gentleman sitting next to me confirmed this plane was in fact going to Cochabamba. It was very hot when we first got in and thankfully Bridget was waiting for me. I loved the taxi ride through the city and all the new sights and sounds. And the mountains are incredible...stunning views from the airplane. We were literally flying past a stretch of the Andes and not looking down at them...literally flying right next to them.
2. Our Host family is amazing. There are two parents, two kids and their grandma who lives there. I have interacted with Albina this most. She makes each of the meals and is very gracious with my lack of Spanish. Her cooking is amazing as well. We have fresh fruit and freshly squeezed orange juice everyday along with huge lunches that not even two people can eat. It sometimes seems strange being in another person´s house like this but at the same time I feel very comfortable. I have only known the family for less than 24 hours and I am incredible grateful for their hospitality. And there is nothing like being able to take a nap after a long flight and a hot shower.
3. Spanish...well I don´t really speak it. I somehow managed to have a conversation with Scarlett our host mom. I used a lot of hand motions and about 5 of the spanish words I knew. She was amazing and helped come up with the words I couldn´t remember or think of or most likely didn´t know at all. I am excited to be here  but at the same time I really feel like a fish out of water when everyone around you can have conversations...and you are often left to figure out the small bits you know. I am very glad Bridget knows Spanish and get us around...otherwise this trip would not have happened for me. I have almost five weeks here though so I will probably pick up some as we go. I am also alone in Lima for two days after Bridget flies out...so I am desperately hoping to pick up a few choice phrases to get what I need those two days after she leaves. And I am further motivated to study a language. 
4. Bridget and I walked around the city yesterday evening after I got in and just took in the sights and sounds. I  saw some folks with ice cream and well really wanted some. We stopped at Dumbo´s which is really just a chain and nothing authentic. After much perusing of the menu (read...Mari was looking at the pictures to determine what to order), I decided on an ice cream float with what I thought was strawberry.  Upon my first swig, I realized quickly it wasn´t in fact strawberry but cinnamon flavored. It honestly tasted like Big Red gum. I could only get through about half of it before I had to give up. Needless to say cinnamon ice cream is not my favorite. I am hoping my other forays into actual authentic cuisine go better than this one. We haven´t gone out much because our host family takes care of all the meals but we will more as the week goes on and especially as we hit the road.

Until next time...oh and no I haven´t had an digestive problems...but it is only day two.

Tonight I saw the documentary "Freedom Riders" with my sister. We went to the Marquette Public Library and went to a free showing. I came back home only to find out you can watch it online for free. Here is the link:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/watch


I obviously didn't grow up during this time but I find all of the movies, books and other information about it so interesting. This was a well done film and very informational for me. Leah and I were two of about 10 people in the audience and by far the youngest. Everyone else looked old enough to me to have lived during this time and it was interesting to listen to them comment throughout the film. I strongly recommend watching the movie and sharing it with others.


Here is a short description of the film: FREEDOM RIDERS is the powerful harrowing and ultimately inspirational story of six months in 1961 that changed America forever. From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives—and many endured savage beatings and imprisonment—for simply traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South. Deliberately violating Jim Crow laws, the Freedom Riders met with bitter racism and mob violence along the way, sorely testing their belief in nonviolent activism.

Catching Up

I am trying out a new template here...let me know what you think. You can also change how you see the blog by clicking on the template options on the top left. You can follow the blog by hitting the rainbow looking symbol in the top right.

Well this is yet another attempt on my part to keep folks updated on my comings and goings. As most probably know, I am traveling around the country and eventually to South America over the next few months. I left my job in the middle of September, loaded up my car (yes everything fit...the car was riding very low to the ground), and started driving. A quick peek and where I have been:

• Left Washington, DC on September 22nd
• Baltimore, MD
• Overnight with a friend of mine from the Lasallian Volunteers
• Philadelphia, PA
• For a week visiting friends who I met during my time as a Lasallian Volunteer
• New York, NY
• I was actually staying in The Bronx for a week. I toured NYC, went to a fantastic Broadway musical (The Book of Mormon - I highly recommend it), and attended a friend's wedding at the end of the week.
• Tolland, CT
• Overnight with a friend of mine from high school and her fiance
• South Deerfield, MA
• Randomly discovered a good friend of college was living close by and made an impromptu trip north for the night.
• Erie, PA
• Finally headed back to MI (yes my car is still loaded down). I stopped in Erie to visit a dear friend of mine from DC who just moved there. She taught me that you can make fruit leather from scratch.
• Lansing, MI
• Finally arrived back in Lansing on October 12th. I stayed with my family for a few days and headed to see my sister and her family in the UP.
• Marquette, MI
• CURRENT Location

I am currently in Marquette, MI with my sister, her husband Pete and their three kids (see photo at top to see two of the kids). I will be here for a week or so. Needless to say my sister's life is incredibly different than mine or at least what it was. I am really enjoying spending time with her and getting to know my niece and nephews better.

I am currently not on the job hunt and won't be for a little while. I am enjoying traveling and looking forward to traveling to Bolivia and Peru at the end of November. I am hoping to keep this blog more updated.

For pictures of my travels, check out the following:

Hello

I am terrible about posting on here. Between total exhaustion, miles of biking, phone calls to make to be sure we have a place to stay and something to eat, I am finding myself with very little time...and more often than not no internet connection. It has been a great summer so far and I am really enjoying myself. Like I said in my last post of 14 months ago :) follow the LVs Ride blog and you will get a lot of information from there.

We are in Redfield, SD right now and we are two days from crossing the boarder into MN. I really can't believe we have already come this far. Give it another day or two and we will cross the 2,000 mile mark. That's intense. My knees hurt pretty regularly now and I am not sure what to do about that. I am thinking about moving my seat up about a cm to see if that will help.

The heat has been pretty intense. I drink more water now than probably ever before in my life. I know it is bothering other riders more than myself. I am just grateful I can get on my bike everyday and enjoy the trip cross country.

My favorite stops so far: Shell, WY. Population probably 15 but the amount of fun to be had is greater than that. The people were great and showed us amazing hospitality. We had an amazing night there.

The Big Horn Mountains were intense to climb. I hope to come back and enjoy them for a longer period of time but without my bike. We climbed to 9,033 feet over 20 miles and I never want to repeat that again. It was amazing and intense but a once in a lifetime experience.

Really the trip has been great with definite ups and downs but I am having a great time. I owe many a phone call and it will come at some point...don't worry...maybe I will catch up on all those rest days in Chicago. I can't wait until Chicago :)

I hope you are well and enjoying following the ride. We will be in your neck of the woods soon if we haven't been there already.

Beginning of the Ride

Posting on here is apparently harder than I thought it would be. I have some awesome videos to show with people but they are a bear to upload. I will upload them as I can. For now, know we are excited for the ride to start on Thursday. We are all ready to go staying the night at a church in Warrenton, OR. They people here are amazing and have let us have the run of the place.

We had a great spaghetti dinner made by a slew of riders. We start at 8:30am Pacific time so think about me if you are up for it.

If you want more consistent updates, follow the ride blog on our website. I honestly have to say it is amazing.

http://lvsride.com/social/

And We're Back....

That's me on my bike after a long ride...and yes that is a Chipotle burrito in my back pocket. Why am I riding long distances with Chipotle burritos in my back pocket to reload? Read below to find out more.

It has almost been one year since I stopped blogging, so it seems right about time to get started again...and for good reason. I am going to be biking cross country this summer. Read all about it below and get ready because it will pretty much be the only thing I blog about.

Riding Coast to Coast

What does 3,400 miles + 1 bicycle + 1 sore body equal? If you said, me biking cross country this summer you are exactly right. I am biking with 14 other people to raise awareness for poverty in America and the work of the Lasallian Volunteers. LVs Ride, as our trip is called, is an epic bike trip from Astoria, OR to Long Branch, NJ. We will stop at churches, schools and communities along the way to share our message of service and the hope to one day end poverty.

Why LVs Ride?
It has always been a dream of mine to bike cross country. As I finished my two years of volunteer service with the Lasallian Volunteers, my friends and I said, “why not now and why not for the Lasallian Volunteers?” My experience as a Lasallian Volunteer was life changing and transformative. I developed lifelong friendships with Christian Brothers, experienced the many challenges faced by families in low-income communities, and most importantly I mentored and coached 15 students from West Catholic High School through hot temperatures, rain and snow to the completion of the Philadelphia Marathon and Half Marathon. Talk about life changing. It was awe inspiring running with each of those kids and seeing them cross the finish line.

Over the last year and a half, our planning team has constructed this trip from scratch. On June 16th, our dream becomes a reality when I put my back tire in the Pacific Ocean and head out on a epic journey to share my heart for hurting people in America and encourage others to help break the cycle of poverty. I am extremely excited about this trip not only for the challenge but also to share the message of the ride and the Lasallian Volunteers around the country.

Can You Spare $70?
Would you please consider supporting me and the Lasallian Volunteers through this ride? In order to go on the bike trip, I need to raise $1 per mile which totals $3,400. I will meet my fundraising goal if 49 of my family and friends donate $70 each. Why $70? We are biking an average of 70 miles a day a day. If you sponsor one day of my trip at $70, I will call you on the day you sponsored and let you know how I am doing, where we are at and what we are sharing with people on the route. Here is a link to our route so you can stake your claim: http://lvsride.com/about/route-schedule.php.

$70 x 1 Day = $70 raised and 1 phone call to you on a day of your choosing
$70 x 2 Days = $140 raised and 1 phone call to you on 2 days of your choosing
Well you get the picture…

You can also follow my blog this summer. I will be writing about my experiences: the good, the bad and the ugly. If you would prefer email updates, put your email on the attached form and send it my way. Thank you for taking the time to read about this amazing adventure. I am grateful for your support and can’t wait to share this summer with you.

Thank you,


Mari

How can you donate? Two ways in fact:

Online
https://lasallianvolunteers.myetap.org/fundraiser/lvsride/individual.do?participationRef=4586.0.29943963

Mail
Write a check payable to Christian Brothers Conference and put my name on the memo line. Send it to:
Lasallian Volunteers
3025 Fourth Street, NE
Hecker Center, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20017