My parents are coming, my parents are coming! / BINGO

Exactly one month from today my parents will be arriving to visit me on their first trip to South America!  I'm pretty excited about this, maybe more so than my dad, who agreed somewhat hesitantly after a bit of convincing to join my mom.  But buses here have bathrooms, toilets here flush, and toilet paper is an expected accessory, so all should go well. 

They'll start off visiting me here in San Ignacio for two days so they can see where I live, meet my friends, go hiking in  Teyu Cuare Provincial Park, and maybe go for a paddle in kayaks in the Parana River.  After that we'll go to Puerto Iguazu so my parents can see the stunning waterfalls while I cross the border to Brazil, since my 90-day tourist visa will be about to expire.  When they come back from the falls they will be hoping that I have been allowed re-entry into Argentina since technically I should have to wait 90 days before coming back.  Then it's off to Salta and Jujuy provinces in Northwestern Argentina to see some museums, parks, mountains, pueblos, canyons, markets, and other attractions.  This will (I think) be their first time in high altitudes (2500+ meters), so hopefully they're not as negatively affected by that as I was.  But just in case, I still have my coca leaves that I smuggled back here from Peru, which really did help me.  (When I was leaving Ecuador the security screeners found them, told me I couldn't have them, then put them back in my bag and zipped it back up.)

I have been thinking of preparing something special for their visit: an Argentina Bingo card.  This is an idea that has origins dating back to 1994 when my parents made the bold decision to drive from PA to WI with a 7-year-old and 5-year-old - a 16-hour trip!!  As my mother made thorough preparations for this daunting drive, she had the foresight to purchase some items of car entertainment for Emily and me.  As this was back before the era of iPads and other such devices, she purchased a book of kids' activities, designed to keep children occupied specifically while on long road trips.  One of the activities in this book was Car Bingo, a game that had pictures of things one might commonly see while in a car (school, church, post office, bike, etc) arranged on a 5 by 5 BINGO style grid.  As you saw these items you could color them in, all the while hoping to see all 5 items constituting any one row or column.  These books must have kept us occupied, because my parents repeated this decision year after year. 

Fast forward to 2011, Maputo, Mozambique.  My friend and fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Greg, was about to receive a visitor, Travis, from the US.  Receiving American visitors was always an exciting experience for Volunteers, so we decided to make a list of all the things that Travis should see/do/eat/etc while in Mozambique to ensure that he get the most of his adventure.  While in the process of making this list, the image of Car Bingo flashed before my eyes, and I immediately knew that the only way to make Travis's visit truly memorable was to take all of the items on the list and arrange them on a 5 by 5 BINGO style grid.  Travis had a remarkable trip, due almost entirely to the joy this bingo card brought him, and he knew that he would somehow, someday, have to bestow upon me the joy of my very own travel bingo game.  But when?  Where?  HOW?

Fast forward to 2012, Oklahoma City.  I was honored to be the Maid of Honor in the wedding of my friends and fellow Peace Corps volunteers, Greg and Megan.  Travis was also honored to be one of the groomsmen.  As I arrived at the rehearsal the evening before the event, Travis approached me with a huge grin on his face, and a piece of paper in his hand.  And on this piece of paper was a 5 by 5 BINGO style grid, filled with items related to OKC.  Oh the joy!!  I knew in this moment that for the rest of my life I must take advantage of any and all opportunities to spread the joy of themed bingo cards to all those who are close to me.

Fast forward to 2013, throughout North Carolina.  Due to my ingenuity and clever ideas, bingo cards became the staple element of enjoyment on special occasions: Birthday Bingo for Crystal and Bachelorette Bingo for Anna.  With these fantastic bingo cards we quickly became popular at various bars, as strangers crowded around us to help us complete random tasks, and bartenders gave us free drinks if there were on the magic 5 by 5 BINGO style grid.

Fast forward to 2014, Argentina.  GET READY MOM AND DAD!!!!!!