Getting Past Lonely and Into Favellas!

I have decided that 2 blog posts concerning New Years are enough and will not bore my followers with new years resolutions and personal ambitions regarding finances, language studies, travels, adventures, and other personal goals which will most likely only serve to cause readers to fall into a state of deep sleep.  I will instead continue my story and how my travels began in 2010!  I had previously discussed my new found independence and my life as an unattached individual.

At this point I must mention my friend Jennifer and Kristin who played a huge roll in my not turning into a puddle of self-pity and pathetic emotions, but instead allowed me to move forward by always being there for me.  They helped me see past the short term and anxiously plan for the exciting future of international travels.  Anytime I nearly succumbed to the temptation to make a feeble phone call and spew my emotions or grabble in unnecessary dependency they were there for me.  Two friends who were exactly what I needed for the long 4 months of preparation for my journey ahead and getting past the past!

Jen is a strong, independent girl from Virginia Beach, who regardless of where we were, or what we were doing always was supportive and always made me smile.  Her bright smile, shiny black squinty eyes (sorry Jen but you do have those) could make anyone’s day better.  Also she was quick to listen and a great masseuse.  Jen if you are reading thank you so much for always listening, for acting like you understood even if you didn’t and especially for sincerely caring for me when I felt no one did.  I always smile when my mind wanders to you.  Thank you so much for making my 24^th birthday so special, when I was not even going to have dinner with anyone!  I promise that one year I will actually be in the U.S.A. on August 31^st and I will make it up to you.

Kristin can fill an entire post singlehandedly.  She is such a good friend who I share so many secrets with.  Things that went so wrong were always so fun as long as it were the two of us.  Nights that would have been considered disastrous by any other standard were so fun and always managed to make us laugh at our own mistakes.  Regardless of whether we were weekend road warriors, or just trying to find a place to escape on a Friday night so no one would know we were lame, we always had a good time!  Kristin if you are reading thank you for always being there for me and always encouraging me to do the right thing—or the wrong thing if it would make a good story!

These friends were instrumental in helping me make it to Brazil when I otherwise would have rushed back to my girlfriend and possibly been taken back.  But despite thinking that I had gotten over her, I do remember a crushing blow that came about six weeks after my arrival in Rio.  It happened just days after a fire broke out in our favella!