I just stowed away a few packets of ketchup.

I think that Luke thought I was kidding when I said I wanted to take them with me. It’s not like I obsess over ketchup, but sometimes you just need it – especially in Brazil – where, apparently, there is no ketchup.

Here’s the thing. I consider myself a planner. I like knowing what’s going on with my life whether it’s lunch, my weekend, or what movie I’m going to watch tonight. It’s nice knowing that when I order french fries, that it comes with the all American condiment that is ketchup. It’s hard for me to keep my happy mood when my plans fail. Actually, it’s one way I can get irritable.

But that’s not what this trip is about is it? I had no plans for this trip other than making sure that I survive, get to know the cultures, and not having plans that may fail.

What I didn’t plan for was chaos- trash everywhere, graffiti everywhere, flies constantly attacking me, ants crawling in my bed, lack of air conditioning, and don’t even get me started on the driving.

It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that I can’t see an order or reason to things. I don’t get why there is no fly paper, or why people don’t put their trash in trash cans, or why every wall is covered in random signatures (thought I do have to say that some of the art is spectacular).

I don’t understand why there are no lines in the road and why you turn right when you’re in the furthest left lane.

I don’t understand why I’m looking at a potentially beautiful pier, walkway, or bridge covered in trash and graffiti.

I don’t understand why I don’t get ketchup with my french fries.

So what am I doing here? I definitely asked to live in a completely different although chaotic world when I signed up for this trip.

What I’m starting to discover is that there is beauty in the middle of chaos and that order isn’t always beautiful.

Life isn’t black and white, it’s full of color. It’s a wonderful and beautiful thing and someday, maybe, just maybe, I’ll learn to each fries without ketchup.

I hope you’ll join us as we discover a continuously changing world. We have an insta @roamwith.me and I would urge you to check out our pages and pictures as we travel.

-S