Multnomah Falls (my favorite waterfall not too far from my mom’s house) covered in ice      Photo cred

Thankfully Venezuela is nothing like the picture above! It is warm and toasty here even in December (still wearing tank tops and bermudas on the weekends).  I even considered going to the beach!

I have so much going on this month! End of the quarter stuff at school, report cards, Christmas Show to rehearse for, and my Peru and Bolivia adventure!  I spend most of my spare time reworking my packing list again and again for my trip since the last few trips I’ve taken have all been to tropical beachy locations.

Anyway, on to the roundup!

Around the web:

If I were actually teaching in the US instead of a developing country I would be eligible to apply for this amazing PD opportunity with National Geographic.

Visit Kiribati before it becomes the next Atlantis! Kiribati could be uninhabitable by 2050 because of climate change.

Sometimes I daydream about visiting Morocco (my students just chose to do a presentation about it) so when this came up in my newsfeed I had to read about what travel is like in Morocco for a woman.  Great tips here!

This is not normally something I would post about, but for once I actually had all the ingredients to make this yummy snack when the idea popped into my head: Baked Brie with Figs.  I’ve made a cranberry and brown sugar baked Brie before, but since I can’t find fresh cranberries and I found fresh figs at the farmer’s market, I had to give it a try. It was awesome (though I prefer the tartness of the cranberries)!

I’m still a little apprehensive anytime I’m out in public, so sometimes I dream about moving to Doha or Dubai where I can continue paying off my student loans at a faster rate.  This girl managed to pay off $70k in three years while working in the Middle East!

I use Instagram way more here in Venezuela than I do in Portland.  People use it to advertise for stores and even make plans to go out.  I still love it for the traditional purpose of sharing pictures too. Here is a list of great travel Instagram accounts: http://expertvagabond.com/instagram-travel/.

Books:

I actually finished this one the night of November 31st, but I’m still going to mention it: The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry. I started this book because a friend recommended it to me and I needed a book I could read on the beach while I was in Los Roques.  This is the first mystery book I’ve read in a while that doesn’t have a hint of romance in it.  Partly due to the 5 hour bus ride on the way back, I didn’t want to put it down.  If you liked Da Vinci Code and you wont mind reading a book without a little romance, the you should read this book.

I’ve also been all about the Rick Steves Travel Guides this month.  I’ve been reading, cutting, and pasting key parts of the Istanbul, Athens, and Santorini travel guides into my travel journal so I will be ready for my trip.  I particularly love his hand drawn maps. I used his Italy and Europe Through the Back Door books while I was doing Camp Adventure in Italy for three months and they were invaluable.  I only wish he had travel guides for Bolivia and Peru!

Music:

I heard this song once and it just stuck with me. Jessie J’s “You and I Forever” also has a super cute video.

TV:
I just realized that I have never watched a full season of Survivor so this season’s Survivor San Juan Del Sur has been strangely addictive.