Visas

In spite of several tests for which I was studying I managed to do a little bit of research on the topic of visas for the eighteen different countries I will be visiting. I was happy to find out that only Brazil and Paraguay require an advanced purchase of a visa. This will prove to be problematic if I am to lose it along the way, but that's neither here nor there and we'll deal with it if it comes up. Paraguay may not be a problem since I believe I can get one at the Paraguayan consulate office in Argentina. Most of the other countries require what they refer to as a tourist card which is essentially a visa that can be purchased upon crossing of the border and shouldn't pose a problem at all. A funny thing I noticed though when reading through safety information about the various countries is that even though I already recognized the fact that one of the more dangerous locations I will be passing through is Mexico and I have been warned about it multiple times, but I assumed the more dangerous part would be primarily in the state of Chihuahua. However upon reading the State Dept. advisory Chihuahua was only mentioned in passing and paragraphs were dedicated to Vera Cruz. I wasn't too concerned initially due to the fact that I will pretty much be avoiding Juarez and therefore assumed I'd be avoiding the worst, but since I will be staying in Vera Cruz for some time it poses cause for a little more concern. Not that I'm really that concerned, but I'm sure this news will keep me a little more on my toes. Now that I've figured that much out, the next step for me besides actually applying for the visa to Brazil is the get my vaccinations including one I've never had before for yellow fever which is required for several South American countries. I'll update next week if I progress on anything this week.

Problems with organizations

So it seemed rather pointless to write last week considering I had nothing to report. I do have some things to report this week though. I didn't do a whole lot, but I did some more in depth searching on the volunteer organizations that I had a list of. I started with a list of about fifty and am now down to about thirteen. The problem I've been coming into is that all of these organizations cater to those who want to go on vacation and do a little bit of service while they are at it. So therefore they charge a good some of money and usually seem to only have projects set up for certain points in the summer and stick to a very strict schedule. This, as you can imagine, is not conducive to my plans nor my funds. Besides they don't seem to be exactly what I'm looking for. This is more complicated than I anticipated. I still have a few phone numbers I'm going to try, though I don't have high hopes. It seems a bit like a lot of things in my life right now are cutting down my high hopes. In some senses I think that it can be good if those hopes are directed towards something irrational or if those hopes are causing you undue stress. Letting go can break the heart sometimes if you have set you heart on something in particular and that something turns out to not be possible at the present time. Hopes are essential in our lives because they motivate and inspire and encourage us, but we need to learn to be flexible sometimes when God throws us those curve balls. Sometimes it may even require some matrix moves. If we can learn to roll with the punches things always turn out how they are supposed to even if they are not what we planned or may have thought we wanted. On the other hand we may get exactly what we wanted but it just required us to go about it a way we never would have dreamed we needed to. Sometimes it just boils down to patience and a willingness to trust God and see where he takes things. I know this can be scary especially for those who like the security of a plan. Well, be comforted in the knowledge that there is a plan. It just may not be yours. I have purposely placed few constraints on myself this trip so that I won't tie God's hands, but rather so he can guide me to where I might be the best tool in his hands. It is looking like this volunteer thing may have to fall more into His hands than I anticipated. I will continue to do my part in searching, but it may have to come down to small services for individuals here and there that I come into contact with. I will serve in whatever capacity I am capable of serving in.

No Time

Well, as I predicted, I did not have time to do pretty much anything in regards to this trip and its preparations due to several tests I have been preparing for along with several assignments that were and are due. I must say the stress of 18 credits and 16 hours of work along with trying to exercise daily compounded with other stresses in my life make things difficult to stay on top of. Nonetheless, it is always doable and as long as we trust in God and put forth our best effort, things will turn out the way they are supposed to. I did order and receive a couple of books that were recommended to me called Central America on a Shoestring and South America on a Shoestring and have begun to skim through them to find ideas on what to do and where to visit on my trip. I'll highlight those in future posts. I will say that I am not sure about the idea I had in regards to doing research along the way. We shall have to see, but it was pointed out to me that I really wouldn't be doing them a favor considering they would have to train me and could consider me a liability in certain situations. Instead in reality it would just be them doing me a favor. I would love to do it, but we'll see. Hopefully this week I can make some progress toward these goals.