April 6 "Banged Up, Burned, Brusied, Exhausted and Couldn't Be Happier!"

To Roselinda & Wimon, Shelly & Nathan, Kara, Jessalyn, Stefanie, Stephanie, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, Sara, Halie, Rachel, Kortney, Dot, Morgan, Ashley, Zanessa, Carolyn, Sam, Ben, Grady & Lawson - Thanks for letting Ronnie, Scott and Myself invade your lives for a week and share a piece of the amazing experience you all are living. You guys were a blessing to me in so many ways and I pray God's blessing on you all and pray you get more out of Studying Abroad than you could ever imagine you would. I have seen God in you. You are no longer just "the Study Abroad students I'm filming." Whether you like it or not, you are now my friends! ;)

Tomorrow morning at 9am, after some last minute souvenir shopping, Ronnie, Scott, Stephen and I leave Brazil and make the 24 hour trip home. Brazil to Argentina, Argentina to Miami, Miami to Dallas and finally Dallas to Abilene. Hopefully we'll arrive in Abilene around 11am Wednesday morning.

Today we drove to Argentina and viewed the splendor of Iguazu falls from that side. The view is much different, you're on top of the falls, instead of at the bottom, and while the view is grander and more panoramic from the Brazil side, on the Argentina side you can see and experience the rivers Piranha and Iguazu that come together to make the falls. Funny thought it may sound, when we got to Argentina, it was SUCH a relief to find people that spoke Spanish again! After 2 days in Brazil, where Portuguese is the norm, it was almost comforting to be able to understand and communicate with people again. My Spanish isn't that great, but it's 100x's better than my Portuguese!

We walked several miles over different parts of the river on perforated metal bridges getting to see the wildlife and plants that are much different from the other side of the falls. One thing that really stood out to me were the fish. There were a ton of catfish looking fish feeding on the rocks that I didn't recognize until it hit me. They were Plecosimus! You know, the "algae eaters" or "sucker fish" found in most home aquariums? I always wondered why a fish would evolve to spend it's entire life suctioned to a rock, chewing on algae until I was able to see them in the wild. They're literally hanging on for survival! If they were a normal fish they'd be swept over the edge of the falls! God has a plan for everything! During our walk we saw many tropical birds, a few skittish lizards, the ever present Coati's, a Spectacled Caiman, and the highlight of the trip for most, a troop of Brown Tufted Capuchin monkeys feeding in the trees above.

After the falls we got cleaned up and went to one last dinner at a traditional Brazilian steak house and, once again, I ate way too much!! After dinner Scott and I shot a few more interviews and now I'm writing this blog and packing to leave in the morning.

I'm sunburned, sporting a ballcap tan, a sunglasses tan, a farmers tan, a shorts tan, the one-side-of-my-face-is-more-burned-than-the-other tan, my back aches, my ankle is swollen and on fire, I'm so exhausted I can't see straight and I was out of clean clothes 2 days ago, but I've had the time of my life. Every minute has been worth it. This trip, these people and the places I've been will not soon be forgotten. Every time I sip Mate in the morning I'll think back to the experiences I've shared with some amazing people in some amazing places. Thanks again ACU for sending me on this assignment, Scott for assisting me and being my sanity/memory, Ronnie, for inspiring me to be creative, Stephen, for finding the best food in the 3 countries, and Study Abroad Students, Faculty and Staff for being part of a life-changing experience for me.

Until next time!