April 2012 has been one of the most overwhelming, fulfilling, frustrating, inspiring, and confusing months I’ve experienced in a long time.
I made the transition from the completion of an amazing experience in Sucre, Bolivia to a tropical adventure in Mexico to home with family and friends in Indiana and Upstate New York.
April has been an internal battle of emotion and composure, as the closing of one chapter brings the excitement and uncertainty of the next. It’s the sadness that comes with saying goodbye and the anticipation of reuniting with loved ones back home.
April messed with my mind, but it also gave me a lot of great memories. It’s kind of like the same thing that happened last April.
April Recap:
- April started off with the BiblioWorks team and I running around like crazy to get things setup for the first ever book fair (Feria de la Lectura) in Sucre, Bolivia.
- I did my first live television and radio interviews ever in Spanish in preparation for the big event. I ended up appearing on two live radio shows and four live TV programs, one of which I got to meet and talk with the stunning Claudia Arce (Miss Bolivia) who will definitely be making it on the Top 10 Hottest Bolivian women list.
- On Saturday, April 14th La Feria de la Lectura went off without a hitch in downtown Sucre. Hundreds of students, parents and educational institutions came together in the name of literacy. It was an amazing event.
- After the big event I visited Morado K’asa one last time to say goodbye and had fun with all the kids in the library one last time.
- I had a big going away party at my place with local friends and then went dancing at my favorite club in Sucre.
- From Sucre I took a night bus to Santa Cruz, Bolivia to catch a flight to Mexico the following day. I didn’t get to see much of Santa Cruz but from one I did see, I was a big fan. The weather is warm and the women look half Brazilian… a wonderful mix.
- From Bolivia I took a flight through Lima and Miami to Cancun where I met up with my father for a week of sun and sand.
- We visited the ruins of Tulum and Chichen Itza, swam with sea turtles, danced in Playa del Carmen, caught some big sail fish, ate lots of pastor and mole (my favorite) and went scuba diving for the first time.
- From Mexico I flew to Chicago for a night to see my family there and then caught a flight home to New York the next day to surprise my best friend at his bachelor party.
- I even got to meet my new nephew Trent for the first time!
Current Mission: Finishing Strong, Wedding Season & New Planning
- There are still a few things we’re trying to get worked out for the BiblioWorks organization, which include new computers and a new library, but for the most part I’m very happy with what we accomplished while I was there. I will definitely keep in touch with the team and we’ll work together again in the future, I’m sure, but for now it’s time to focus on a new project.
- I have 5 weddings this summer so in between those I’m going to work on a few new projects and plan the next chapter of T2T.
- The last wedding is August 18th so I’m thinking about setting a new adventure date for September 1st.
- I’m thinking Central America… Thoughts on where?
Articles of the Month:
- Behind the Scenes: La Feria de la Lectura
- 8 Secret Weapons for Townie Penetration
- Portraits of a Bolivian Book Fair
- The Village You’ll Never Visit
- Foto Friday: La Isla del Sol
- Surviving the World’s Most Dangerous Road in Bolivia
Where do we go from here?
May is all about 3 things: Video editing, new site launch (I’ll explain later) and wedding dance floors. I want to make them all my bitch this month. Also, happy mother’s day!
Upcoming Posts:
- Changing a Community in Cochabamba
- Blowing Your Mind with Saltiness
- An Explorer’s Dilemma
- Plus, lots and lots of new photo albums from the last 7 months
- AND, the greatest travel related music video you will see this year!
6 Responses
What an awesome month for you! Great experiences and a lot happening. Pretty impressed with those interviews. From Bolivia to Mexico to the US – plenty of culture shock and adjustments for you and will be interested to see where you end up next in Central America.
Jeremy Branham recently posted..5 reasons why airline mergers may be bad for travelers
Thanks Jeremy, it has been quite a roller coaster of culture and I’m excited for the next adventure!
Tough April, isn’t it? I’m sure this month will be as well. Hope all your plans will turn out good. Will definitely watch out for your updates. Oh I can’t wait for your video. Hope you’ll share us a sneak peek of it. 🙂
Haha, it could be a lot worse. I’m working on the video now so hopefully I’ll have it up within the next week or so. : )
I can’t stress this enough, you HAVE to go to Nicaragua. And that has nothing to do with the fact that I may go back down there soon.
Ayngelina recently posted..Remembering the exiled of Hawaii
Thanks for sharing with us this kind of update, looking forward to spot some more this month of April… I’ll be pinning it to my friends in order that they could witness it so…
Shane recently posted..Miami photographer