BRRR....It's Getting Kind of Chile In Here (PART 1)

Hello and salutations, Bluebearies!

I'm writing this blog from a comfy couch in sunny Bolivia, already in disbelief that I've been in South America for the past 5/almost 6 days. The time has rushed by, and has definitely been quite eventful. Before I continue,  however, we need to backtrack to almost a year ago, to the early planning stages.

Back in June of 2018, I was home sick tied in to the meeting. The crowd in the Kingdom Hall was substantial, as is usual during our summer season. With my bird's-eye view, I watched the visitors as they settled in their seats,  noting in particular a very pretty young sister accompanied by an elegant older sister. From the get-go, superficially I liked them, but thought nothing beyond that, save for enjoying their Watchtower comments.

Once the folks returned, my mom mentioned meeting some very nice sisters from Chile. The younger one expressed the desire to serve in a different country, and Mom told her that that was my goal as well. They exchanged numbers, and Gi (the pretty young Chilean) and I began communicating via WhatsApp.

The rest is history. Now I was on a plane to meet her in person, a new travel companion to serve in Sorata, Bolivia together.

This being my first solo trip, I was a jumble of emotions, a bubbling cauldron of excitement/nerves/

After saying goodbye to the family,  this started my approx. 13 hour trip to Santiago, Chile. Copa Airlines gets a HUGE shoutout for being one of the best flights of my LIFE. They fed us so well, along with other free goodies.

(Caption wink wink nudge nudge that's not apple juice)

I made it there close to 11pm, where Gi and another sister from her congregation waited for me with open arms. Finally,  after almost a year's worth of WhatsApp calls and texts, we were together at last!!! There's no joy quite like getting on well with someone you've been anxious to meet; my heart settled in contentment.

We went on our merry way back to Gi's, chatting excitedly the whole time. After a late-night dinner of Papa John's pizza with her and her lovely father, we settled in for the night, in preparation for the day's activities ahead of us...

Oof that was short huh? No worries! Part 2 is already up on the blog! Go check it out! 

Branch Tour Days (July 2017)

Greetings and salutations, patient readers!

You may or may not be excited to hear that my latest adventure is coming up rather soon! There is still some prep work left but nevertheless I'm hopeful that all will go according to plan. Due to the rapidly approaching date, I am compressing the Special Convention blog posts to a more condensed rendering. I'll be armed with a better note-taking system for this next adventure, so that way I can avoid this 2 year delay of storytelling. My apologies for having been tardy, but better late than never. You'll just have to come and talk to me if you want more details about these pictures. (^-^)

Onto the blog!

I've mentioned previously that during Special/ International conventions, there are prearranged tours/events that the visiting delegates can enjoy with the local friends. We as a group opted to discover the gorgeous Lake Como area north of Milan. The sheer beauty of the architecture, the mouthwatering food, depth of historical value, coupled with the incredible hospitality of our Italian brothers and sisters, made for a very enjoyable few starter days prior to convention. Please enjoy the following photographic evidences of said great time!

I know this was not in the usual style of my regular writings, but must make do and hurry. Remember kids, procrastinating helps no one!! Thank you for suffering through this and stay tuned for the next post!

Love,

The Adventurous A.

Benvenuto! (Secondo Piatto #1)

When you are foreign to a region, the unfamiliarity entrenches you. Step off an airplane in a different country, walk around a town in a nearby state, visit a new restaurant,  and the feeling echoes: stranger status. You might not know the local language, or the regulars who frequent the area, leaving you feeling left out and alone. This scenario, however, is eliminated in Jehovah's organization. Among the many loving provisions gifted to us upon leaving Paris and entering Milan was receiving the airport welcoming committee. 

To give all of you lovely Bluebearies a little background on Special/International Conventions, when delegates are chosen,  they get to choose activities pertaining to their specific location. The local friends, through the organization, help to arrange tours, sightseeing, entertainment and other fun things during the week of the convention. The delegates get to have a taste of the worldwide brotherhood, and THAT is an experience like no other.

Back to the airport scene.

Our fun little trio had to leave the City of Lights quite early in the morning, leaving behind our delightful friends. With suitcases in tow, we boarded the tiny plane directly to Milan. Fortunately for us, we wouldn't be in the air for long, the flight being a mere hour-long feat.

I dressed as if attending Milan Fashion Week 2017 #FirstImpressions

Courtesy of Ryanair, where the water is almost as expensive as the flight. Kidding.

Returning to the scenario I mentioned before, upon disembarking from the plane, the three of us realized that we were very far from alone. Right by our intended exit were at least 50 Italian brothers and sisters, holding up convention welcome signs and smiling from ear to ear. The lyrics of the original song "The Joy of Conventions" rang deep within my heart as we locked eyes: "We are sisters, we are brothers, sons and daughters and more. And I love you even though I've never met you before." As we went in for hugs and double-cheek kisses, more delegates began arriving as well. What a witness seeing all these strangers interact with so much agape love must have been for any onlookers!!

The other sisters with us would be arriving later that night,  so we decided to leave for our intended accommodations.

Here's the catch.

When we had first made our hotel reservations months ago, there had been a bit of difficulty acquiring hotel rooms in the Milan area. The boys caught the worst of it, their reservation falling completely through. Fortunately, in an act of maneuvering really only possible within Jehovah's organization, JJ had a friend in a town an hour away from Milan who offered them a place to stay. The girls and I managed to secure a room, but this would mean that the dudes would have to coordinate coming to the hotel for the Branch activities that whole week, including the actual convention.

Ribz, being the incredible big brother he was/is, decided to stay with me to ensure that I wouldn't be alone at the hotel while waiting for the rest of the gang. We hopped into a  waiting vehicle, where the CUTEST elderly brother drove us to my hotel.

I don't know if this video will play, but if so, you will be able to enjoy our linguistic fails attempting to speak Italian

Welcome to the NH Milano Fiera!!

We did not have any other agendas for the day, so it consisted of unpacking and prepping for the following several days of fast-paced activity. The girls did not arrive until MUCH later, so I ended up hanging out in the common area of the hotel. Once Ribz left, I ended up making some new friends among the other delegates, eventually being treated to a much-welcomed dinner.

There's the end of *technically* our first day in beautiful Italy! Onto the rest of the delegate week! Hope you all enjoyed this adventure and stay tuned for the next post!

Love,

The Adventurous A.

Real Talk

I have discovered that writing a blog can be like having a relationship. Granted, I am highly inexperienced in the romantic sense of a relationship, but as with any friendship, it has different phases. There are times of high activity, pouring an intense amount of interest and presence in it. On the other hand, it can be followed by periods of negligence and distraction. Sometimes, priorities get shifted and you take breaks, only revisiting it occasionally.

This blog started a good 3 years ago, and that fact makes me start thinking. I first approached the writing with an energy fueled by excitement of the unknown. Ribz and I were about to embark on one of the greatest adventures of our lives, and that sense oozed throughout my posts.

Jumping ahead to 2017, with the whirlwind of the Special Convention in Milan, Italy. It's with more than a small hint of embarrassment that I haven't finished chronicling that trip here. I tend to procrastinate, and the Italy series is a classic example of that. Since I have told quite a few about our European adventures, I believed that I would begin to sound repetitive. 

After coming back from Europe and entering into 2018, I had a bit of a conflicted feeling towards writing the blog. I erroneously assumed that because I wouldn't be travelling much this year, running the blog would be pointless. The writer's block showed up and the radio silence began. I got wrapped up in other pursuits and lost interest in catching up. There was significantly less joy in something that I had previously loved.

I put this on my Instagram Highlights early this year, feeling like the Adventurous Adventures were halting. 

Recently, I've been giving a lot of thought towards improvement/positive changes I'd like to see. This blog was made to be enjoyed, by reader and writer alike. I want to revamp and get back into the swing of writing for the real pleasure of it. As new adventures in my theocratic career hover over the horizon, I await with (hopefully) more motivation and enthusiasm to pen them.

Here's hoping! :)

This was a bit different than my regular posts. Dare I say, it leaned towards being cathartic. I will attempt finishing off the fabulous Europe stories, hopefully before the 2 year anniversary of that trip.

That's all for tonight, sweet BlueBearies! Thanks for taking the time to read all of that and stay tuned for the next post.

Love,

The Adventurous A 

Nom-Noms of Paris

Dear BlueBearies,

If you're anything like me, you are ALWAYS hungry. The mere mention of something delicious is enough to send the salivary glands into overdrive, eagerly anticipating satisfaction. Today's blog, unlike 90% of my usual posts or this last Nom-Nom episode, will be predominantly picture-based. This Nom-Nom episode will hopefully bring to you much visual joy as you travel along this gastronomical paradise that is Paris.

Bon appétit!!!

To be totally honest, the food tastes infinitely better when enjoyed with your fellow brothers and sisters. Sure, the country can be well-renowned for its cuisine, but what is all that without the grand company of your friends in the faith? To echo the words of Ecclesiastes 3:12,13: "I have concluded that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good during their life, also that everyone should eat and drink and find enjoyment for all his hard work. It is the gift of God."

Stay tuned for the next post!!

Love,

The Adventurous A.

Sabrina! (Paris Blog Nugget #2)

Bonjour aaaaand a good day to you!! This fun little nugget will begin with a story. Specifically, with a film, namely Sabrina. NO not the well-loved 1954 version with the GORGEOUS Audrey Hepburn, but rather the sweet 1995 version with Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond.

If you recall the film's premise, the chauffeur's daughter Sabrina (who is crushing HARD on the boss' younger son) receives the opportunity to go intern with Vogue in Paris, France. At the onset, the character is modelled in the fashion of characters like Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries: frumpy, not stylish whatsoever, with long unkempt hair.

Sabrina's time spent in the evocative fashion atmosphere of Paris is life-altering; she returns home a changed woman: style, femininity, and confidence oozing from every pore.

When I first saw this Sabrina, I was QUITE young. I did not appreciate the humor and wit until much later, but what stood out was how drastic and amazing that haircut was. It was bold and daring, and she ROCKED that look. I made a decision at that moment: the day I make it to Paris, I would chop off ALL my hair.

Mind you, I've had short hair before. Around the age of 11-12, I cut my hair, going from waist-length to a Halle Berry-style bob. However, prepubescent haircuts are VERY different from haircuts as an adult. By the time of this trip, my hair had grown out back to waist-length, even as far as being dubbed Medusa due to the wild curly waves. It became an identifying mark, recognizable from a distance.

When Ribz and I first were accepted as delegates, we were thinking of just heading straight to Italy and spending all of our time there. Upon further discussion, we decided to go a week earlier to stay in Paris with our friends. As soon as we opted on Paris, I immediately contacted Sara and asked her if she could hunt around for a sister who could cut my hair. I had only one condition: tell no one else of my plans. The only ones privy to my plans were the following: my parents, Ribz and Sara. NO ONE ELSE had any idea of what I was going to do.

I'm going to fill you in on a not-so-secret secret: the Latino culture is REALLY big on women with long hair. It's a celebrated trait in traditional beauty standards; you won't often see a pixie cut in this community. Ask some ladies about short hair, and perhaps their shortest 'do would have grazed their shoulders. I had gotten endless compliments over the years concerning my own locks, but the itch for something shockingly new was far too tantalizing to resist. Fortunately, both of my parents are quite avant garde in terms of things of this nature, so they were 100% on board with my decision. The only one who took longer to be convinced was Ribz, whose voiced doubts would last till the day I actually went through.

Back to the mane story. (See what I did there?)

I had a good 7 months to research and Pinterest pixie cuts to my heart's content, finally settling on a chic above the ears style. Sara found a sister in her congregation named Deborah who works as a hairdresser conveniently, so arrangements were made for the haircut to be done our last day in France.

Now we fast forward to the day of. We'd finished our Bethel tour and returned to the bustling heart of fair Paris. Sara, being in a rush to help finalize our last meal, told me that she'd drop me off near Deborah's home and pick me up later.

WAIT. WHAT?

I was completely caught off guard when we drove up to a random lady (in my opinion) walking her small dogs. In a French exchange far too fast for me to catch,  Sara made arrangements for the lady, who happened to be a fellow Witness friend, to take me to Deborah's. I got out quickly and followed the sister to a door, feeling completely comme un poisson hors de l’eau. The door opened, and away the sister skiddaddled, leaving me with Deborah smiling at each other the way people who don't speak the same language do.

"Ummmmm..... bonjour? Le haircut?"

Fortunately, awkwardness doesn't remain too long when you're among your spiritual family, so Deborah ushered me in with a double cheek kiss and a hug. Since I had left my phone (and Pinterest pictures) in Sara's car, we made due with Google Images of my desired haircut.

I've never seen a facial expression change so fast.

"C'est un changement radical, no?"
"Oui!"

Deborah shampooed the heavy locks, and then....THE MOMENT OF TRUTH. She gathered it all up into a ponytail, scissors poised for the kill. With several skillfully snips, my head snapped forward, suddenly free of all of the weight. WOW. I had forgotten the lightness of having nothing touching the nape of of my neck. It was, needless to say, my Sabrina moment.

6 year old Alyssa would have been very very proud indeed. 

For me, this epitomized my take on travelling: sometimes the things that will completely rattle you out of your comfort zone will be the most memorable. Within reason, stretching homemade boundaries will take you above and beyond where you ever expected to be or do. I've gone through several even shorter cuts since coming back to the States, and you know what? I regret nothing. Sure it's grown out now to a sizable curly bush atop my scalp, but I can say 100% that I have done it, loved it, and if so desired, would do it all over again. Because, why not?

Ok this was a really fun post to write, being that soooo many friends still ask why I cut Medusa in the first place. Thank you for being such a great audience to my funny little stories.  Stay tuned for the next post! Next stop Italy!!!

Love,

The Adventurous A.