braziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiil!!!! (and other latin american adventures)

like a zombie, my blog is back. at least for summer 2012. so let's agree not to nix each other just yet. i'm heading south to take care of some bucket list items and i'd love for you to come along: dad, jim, and i will be trekking through são paulo, paraná, and santa catarina so sister saito can verify the snake story**, among other things. then, i will be studying, working, and spanish-speaking for a few months in chile and argentina. i'm sure there will be (mis)adventures along the way. **i've wanted to go to brazil for as long as i can remember. it started with dad's frequent recount of an adventure in buritama, near araçatuba, during his service as a mormon missionary in the mid-1960s. he and elder valentine (see picture below) went out looking for a tarantula in a tropical forest and instead found a jararaca. not knowing what it was, they captured it and boarded a bus. it created quite a stir. so they took it to a friend's house and found out jararacas are among the most poisonous snakes in the world and indigenous folks used to eat them. so that's what dad and valentine did. i was so impressed by this tale, i drew an elaborate picture of it when my elementary school art teacher gave us free reign one day. don't believe me? visit the detroit homestead, and you'll see it displayed over the fireplace. while preparing for our trip, dad found this picture of elder valentine holding the snake-skin: