I had just arrived back in my hometown from a 5 day road trip from Arizona to Washington, when I picked up my dear friend Sigal.
With tears in my eyes from a kinda-sorta failed trip and seemingly failed relationship with the guy I made the trek with, Sig was there to dry my tears and encourage me through it all. Her encouragement was just my style and came in the beautiful form of "Well, why don't you meet me in Brazil next month?". I think I giggled, I probably rolled my eyes, but the words "I think that is a great idea" spilled out of my mouth. Before I knew it, we were searching for flights at a Thai restaurant and planning my visit in the nooks of our favorite coffee shop.
Sigal left for Brazil about a month earlier than I did. And it was awesome. Why? Because she knew the cool places to go, what not to say to the locals, and essentially planned my 10 day trip for me. Holllllla!
It sounds like the process was a piece of cake. And yes, it mostly was... But, true adventure always includes some mishap, am i right? The World Cup was happening in Brazil, and the Visa/Embasy offices were jam-packed with requests. I was in Hawaii shooting a wedding when my travel visa was supposed to arrive back home. I waited patiently for a few more days, trusting everything would work out. As I was boarding my flight to Seattle, from Hawaii, I called the visa office to see what was going on. It was a Wednesday, and I was leaving for Brazil that coming Sunday morning. They told me I wouldn't receive my Visa in time, and that I would have to cancel or reschedule my trip. So here I was, watching a World Cup match on a tv in an airport bar, bawling my eyes out, talking on the phone with my bestie Hailey as she told me I should still hold out hope and wait. Annnnd that is what I did. And it was har. I knew I was going to take a huge financial loss if this did not work out. After multiple calls to the embassies, persuading language, and much pleading, my visa arrived the day before I was supposed to depart to Sao Paulo, Brazil. THANK YOU, JESUS.
World cup games were watched in the presence of the most spirited Brazilians. Walks through Sao Paulo were taken. We wandered through street markets in Fortaleza. We hopped on a bus and embarked on a 7 hour trek through the desert, where we then transferred ourselves to dune buggies to make the jaunt to the coastal town of Jericoacoara. I eagerly rode a horse at sunset, and Sig, reluctantly hopped on. I rock climbed and swam through lagoons. We splished and splashed and played with a GoPro. We read, dreamt, and drew. We talked about life while swinging in hammocks and both of us unfortunately came down with an awful sickness. I drank more pineapple mint juice (abacaxi com horella) than ever before, and tried my best to speak portuguese to the locals. Abrigada!! We argued a bit regarding where to go to dinner every night (it's a struggle, really) and whether to get gelato for the fourth time. Love was spoken about and thoughts of that guy I was stressing' over vanished in no time.
This trip was a picture of what I believe friendship is about: Exploring all aspects of life together. And saying "I think that is a great idea" was a picture of what I believe life should be: Saying yes to the things that teach you, grow you, and encourage you.
By the way, I think it's totally acceptable to say "why don't you____with me?" when your friends are going through a challenging time. Let's face it, as much as I would like to think I have the answer, the "right" answer to problems is quite subjective. The right answer lies in community and in doing life together. I am so thankful Sigal asked me to accompany her on her adventure through Brazil.
Memories i'll hold dear for a lifetime.
By the way, since this escapade, I have established a new rule in my life: Always have enough in savings (or lets be real: enough credit left on a credit card) to buy a plane ticket when life gets messy. Also, when your heart gets chipped away at by the world, go somewhere. Don't do it in spite, but rather do it to fulfil, uplift, and excite. It will work.