Current mood: grateful
The tranistion at first was smoooooth but through the last month everything I've learned from my expirience so far is super different. I always knew the culture and the life style here was different than the U.S., I must say I'm glad I moved down here because it definately has changed my perspective on a lot of things. I realized that I was living in a lap of luxury in Ames, everything was at arm's reach…like hot water, internet, phone calls to anywhere, beds are different, dryers for clothes…..
House phone are only used to call other house phones in the same town or some people pay more otherwise, but cell phones are crucial to have here. Cell phones are the only way to contact another cell phone or someone in a different town. And cell phones, plans are so different as well. A lot of people use prepaid phones and if you call a cell phone with a different company than the one you have or a landline you use up more minutes. Or if you have a plan and you use up all your minutes for that month, you have to wait till the next month to recieve more minutes…rollover doesn't exsist here. I was lucky to have a cell phone plan that offered me 1000 anytime minutes, free nights and weekends, and the whole nine yards.
So far I have become accustomed to cold showers (unless I'm in Bogota), hard matresses (I'm not sure why people don't use thick mattresses, but literally everyone uses like multiple futon mattresses--well probably because they're cheaper), prepaid cell phone, not being able to call anyone from a normal phone, for my clothes to be hung out in the sun to dry (this is actually ecologically smart, since there is not winter and a lot of sun, no one has a dryer), and the money (it's crazy cause i'll think oh it's only so and so dollars, cheap! But the catch is that pesos run out faster than anything).
Also the lack of education here boggles me, not necessarily that people are dumb because there are actually a lot of intelligent people who work hard. But about world issues, other countries, diseases, etc. Almost everyone here is Catholic, which means sex, homosexuality, birth control, abortion is all taboo. It's hard to defend myself and defends issues that exsist in other parts of the world. There are a lot of teen pregnancies because kids aren't educated about sex or protection again pregnancy or disease…and people complain of this. The reality is a lot, if not almost all teenagers, are having sex -- abtinsence has become ignorace, more power to the people who remain to be true to their religion or morals and actually wait but reality remains to be true. But because Colombia is a Catholic country, talking about pre-martial sex, the use of condoms or birth control is shut out. Abortions, forget about pro-choice it's illegal to pretty much talk about it. Homosexuals, it makes me sad that people are so ignorant and live with so much hate…I was sitting at a table with politicians and they were cracking jokes and gossiping about who was gay. I felt so appalled by the way they were talking, I couldn't believe that people who wanted to run a community was bringing down individuals they didn't even personally know. As a ruler of a community, evere individual should be treated as an equal, eh? People talk about homosexuals are if they are contaminated. I've never had a problem with people living their own life their way, I believe every human being has the right to happiness and not to suffer. I know life in the United States isn't exactly just to all human beings, since racism and sexism exsist but atleast it is toleranted and moves a step forward everyday. Now in Colombia, I see it lacks a certain tolerance but it's not because some of the people are cruel and unjust. I believe it's a lack of certain education, not education from a text book but from learning from another person or a group of people.
I have found myself between two types of people in Colombia, there are a lot of people who are open and will greet about everyone who passes them on the street, but there are the few who look at every stranger as if they were lesser than them or evil…it's strange. I don't feel unsafe here, regardless of how worried some people can get, I know I can't trust everyone like I'd like to but I also like to think of the good in people. I know it may be naive to not think anything bad will happen but I like to keep in the positive light. There has not been one moment in which I have been scared or felt unsecure about my safety (well except for when in a car, driving is crazy). I also find myself incredibly fortunate to have been raised in the Ames, Iowa and have graduated from one of the hardest schools in the state, because all in all I learned a lot. I learned things I may have never learned anywhere else not just from school, but from all the people I met in Ames and all the experiences I lived.
At the same time, I'm also fortunate to have been born in Colombia, to have a big family here. A family that I have seen twice in the last nineteen years, and yet everytime I'm with them it feels comfortable. I love how close I have become with my aunts and uncles within weeks. I've always been a pretty closed person, but I do open up to people I trust. And I have been able to trust each of them within days. To bug my uncles or cousins and be able to laugh about it, to feel close enough to my family to be able to cuddle while watching movies or talking. That is the family love of Colombia and I love it! I feel home…although at the same time I miss home. In all honesty, I do love being here-- I love the sun and trust me in El Valle de Cauca it is always out and it's hot but it feels good even when I can't stop sweating. I love that I've never been a religious person but I could sit in a cathedral here for hours. I love being able to see the mountains all the time, especially when they're really bright green. I'm been eating non-stop the fabulous food, being able to see my family and how it's been growing. I love the way I feel instantly comfortable. Everthing is breathtaking. Colombia is seriously beautiful, there is a quote…Colombia is passion, and it's true. I fall deep into scenery, people and nature, I love it!
I can't wait for my mom to come join me. Leaving made me realise a lot of things such as feelings I had appeared stronger, I started to miss things that I didn't know took up so much of my life. I've learned to appreciate and seize moments even more, because now that I'm here without anyone of the people that I have laughed with and loved over the past nineteen years I wish I had one more night! It's always a sacrife though, leaving friends who were my family in Ames to get to know my family here in Colombia.
Come visit! I'm falling in love...
Saturday, July 14, 2007
June 28, 2007
Current mood: hopeful
In April of 2002, 12 lawmakers of El Valle de Cauca were kidnapped. I remember when this happened because my mom called me right away, since my uncle Ruben Dario is also a lawmaker of the state. He was late to work that fateful day, he arrived after the kidnappings occured (his habit of being late saved him). Since that day he has recieved threats to him and his family, but it has gotten better. There was a period where he and each member of his family had to be accompanied by a bodyguard, now he is the only one that has a bodyguard. Anyways…today the news came out that 11 of the 12 men had been killed ten days earlier. All day it was more and more breaking news featuring the president's speech over it, family members' reactions, and people trying to define why. The worst part was the news channel Caracol released a video tape that had been sent to them the year before but in respect to family members they decided not to release it until now. The video tape contained the footage of the entire kidnapping by the Farc. It showed the arrival to the building where all the politicians worked, and it shows military soliders standing in front of the building, only the soldiers aren't really military soldiers, they were Farc soldiers, with that disguse no one was going to figure it out. Then it showed the fake bomb scare that vacuated the builiding , and the "soldiers" who leaded the men and other workers on to a bus who was though to lead them to safety. Once they were on the bus and heading to the outskirts of Cali, the "soldiers" revealed that they were actually the Farc. The video showed the faces of the lawmakers and it was heartbreaking to see their faces fall from a sense of relief to fear. The Farc next lead them off the bus and onto the back of a truck. The Farc released another video this past April with speeches from the kidnapped lawmakers with messages to the government, and to their families. I watched all this yesterday and I cried without knowing these men or their families and without understanding the difficulty to deal with the years of disapperance and now the death of a family member or friend, it's not something easy relate to unless it's happened to oneself. I can't imagine how it would have been if my uncle would have been on time that day to work, to see his face in that video. To see his two children continue their life without their father, my mom (and all her siblings) without their brother, Andres and I (and all our cousins) without our uncle. The country was in silence yesterday with a lot of people in church praying, lighting candles for the 11 killed. It also made a lot of people angry considering the lack of security and lack of attempt to rescue the men.. The mystery remains of the 12th lawmaker who's body was not found, he is said to still be alive, there is hope that he still is.
One thing I have learned in the two months living here so far and in the nineteen years I lived in the United States, is how different the security is. Kidnapping news had almost become everyday news in Colombia, people have become accostumed to live with it. I kept thinking about that video of the Farc kidnapping, how easy it was to accomplish. The building was protected by one police officer, one. The fact that important people that the are conintually in danger are barely protected unless they provide their own puts me in complete amazement. How is a community supposed to know who is there to protect them and who is there to harm them if they can be so easily disgused? And even if there is no disguse, this country is corrupt. I suppose there is corruption within every government, but I am stunned at how visable it is and nothing is done. Colombia is incredibly rich in it's land and exports, people know this and use it to their advantage. Everything is about power and money, even if they have to get it through drugs, so be it. A minimal amount of people care about the important issues that could allow the country to be one of the richest countries.
In April of 2002, 12 lawmakers of El Valle de Cauca were kidnapped. I remember when this happened because my mom called me right away, since my uncle Ruben Dario is also a lawmaker of the state. He was late to work that fateful day, he arrived after the kidnappings occured (his habit of being late saved him). Since that day he has recieved threats to him and his family, but it has gotten better. There was a period where he and each member of his family had to be accompanied by a bodyguard, now he is the only one that has a bodyguard. Anyways…today the news came out that 11 of the 12 men had been killed ten days earlier. All day it was more and more breaking news featuring the president's speech over it, family members' reactions, and people trying to define why. The worst part was the news channel Caracol released a video tape that had been sent to them the year before but in respect to family members they decided not to release it until now. The video tape contained the footage of the entire kidnapping by the Farc. It showed the arrival to the building where all the politicians worked, and it shows military soliders standing in front of the building, only the soldiers aren't really military soldiers, they were Farc soldiers, with that disguse no one was going to figure it out. Then it showed the fake bomb scare that vacuated the builiding , and the "soldiers" who leaded the men and other workers on to a bus who was though to lead them to safety. Once they were on the bus and heading to the outskirts of Cali, the "soldiers" revealed that they were actually the Farc. The video showed the faces of the lawmakers and it was heartbreaking to see their faces fall from a sense of relief to fear. The Farc next lead them off the bus and onto the back of a truck. The Farc released another video this past April with speeches from the kidnapped lawmakers with messages to the government, and to their families. I watched all this yesterday and I cried without knowing these men or their families and without understanding the difficulty to deal with the years of disapperance and now the death of a family member or friend, it's not something easy relate to unless it's happened to oneself. I can't imagine how it would have been if my uncle would have been on time that day to work, to see his face in that video. To see his two children continue their life without their father, my mom (and all her siblings) without their brother, Andres and I (and all our cousins) without our uncle. The country was in silence yesterday with a lot of people in church praying, lighting candles for the 11 killed. It also made a lot of people angry considering the lack of security and lack of attempt to rescue the men.. The mystery remains of the 12th lawmaker who's body was not found, he is said to still be alive, there is hope that he still is.
One thing I have learned in the two months living here so far and in the nineteen years I lived in the United States, is how different the security is. Kidnapping news had almost become everyday news in Colombia, people have become accostumed to live with it. I kept thinking about that video of the Farc kidnapping, how easy it was to accomplish. The building was protected by one police officer, one. The fact that important people that the are conintually in danger are barely protected unless they provide their own puts me in complete amazement. How is a community supposed to know who is there to protect them and who is there to harm them if they can be so easily disgused? And even if there is no disguse, this country is corrupt. I suppose there is corruption within every government, but I am stunned at how visable it is and nothing is done. Colombia is incredibly rich in it's land and exports, people know this and use it to their advantage. Everything is about power and money, even if they have to get it through drugs, so be it. A minimal amount of people care about the important issues that could allow the country to be one of the richest countries.
El Valle De Cauca
Current mood: chipper
For the two months I have traveled El Valle de Cauca of Colombia. It a state of the southern region of Colombia, there which lies Cali, Palmira and Trujillo. I was born in Palmira, my mom and her family was raised in Trujillo and so most of them reside there in El Valle. People say that El Valle is the most beautiful because of the continuous bright green color of the surrounding mountains, the best spoken spanish is from here, the salsa dancers are from Cali, and of course the Agudelo family is from El Valle, ha!
I've been all over the place within couple months. Traveling and seeing family, my mom has eight siblings and she wanted me to get reacquainted with them by staying a week each. It's been super fun, I've loved getting to see everyone and getting to know everyone with the idea that I'm not leaving in a few weeks and won't see them again for five more years, this time I'm here! It's crazy, sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm really here in Colombia. It's all happened so fast that it's kind of hard to believe, but all in all I'm glad that I made the move. I've learned a lot in the past two months that I've been here, life here is really different. Of course, a good different though. I've gotten to learn a new perspective on life and learn new things that I can adapt to my life, it's great. And the nature of Colombia is gorgeous, the mountains are breathtaking and the weather makes me sweat but I love the heat! Well, keep in mind the weather in Bogota is a bit more mild so I've really enjoyed my time here in El Valle.
I stayed with my mom's youngest sister first, Martha Liliana, I'm super close to her because she came to the United States for a couple years when I was eight. She also took care of Andres and I when were youngins. She lives in a complex with a pool and I love the pool, I loved the alone time there (although I occassionally got lonely). I love to fall asleep in the sun, regardless of the dangers of too much sun, I can't help it. After my quick nap in the sun one day, I woke up to be 3 shades darker. The nap was amazing and the sun felt so nice and warm but I definately got burned. Apparently the sun in Colombia is a bit stronger…I went to the pool almost everday to swim and layout, one day there were two guys there and they started talking to me. They both live in Bogota as well and were on break from school, we talked about Bogota and then they noticed my accent. Man, I can't get by anyone with that accent, it's bad but it was cool to meet people.
One night we went to El 14, which is like a mall, there was a reggaeton party going on (there is a lot of reggaeton music here) it was the so packed but it was fun. There are different little huts with bars in the center of the food court, which it mostly outdoors, they serve mostly beer, rum and aguadriente. Aguadriente is a liquor that is made here in Colombia from sugar cane, it's light and easy to drink or atleast I think so. It's drank as a shot or neat, with a light black licquorice taste but not like Sambuca. Bars also sell a giraffes of beer, it's like an individual beer tap. It's like buying a pitcher for the table but instead it's like your own little tap, it's pretty cool.
The Saturday that my other Aunt, Marlene, came to pick me up she brought over a bottle of Tequila 1800. It's a really a good bottle of tequila, so I was happy to see itJ I now know that the love for tequila runs in the family! We laughed a lot. Marlene and I are a lot alike, we live life with the same perspective and a smiles. It's really funny because we'll talk about something and end up finishing each other sentances. It's nice to feel close to a family I rarely saw growing up.
June 1, I turned twenty-two. I'm not gonna lie I don't like getting older but the birthdays come anyway! I got incredibly homesick on my birthday. I kept thinking of my friends and my mom, and how much fun my birthday was last year, it was hard. Towards the beginning of the night, I felt a bit better as my family came over. As we ate delicious food, and delicious cake. Alright, the cake and pasteries here are 10x better than anywhere else, well anywhere else I have been. Seriously, not just even the pasteries but the bread is the best bread ever. Anyways, my mom's super good friend Elsa came over with the cake and the coolest candle ever! It was this big plastic thing but when the wick was lit, the big plastic thing revealed to be a flower. The center with the wick ended up being like a sparkler, each petal had an individual candle, it spun around and around and sang happy birthday, it was a stellar candle! It was nice to spend a birthday with people who I had not spend a birthday since my third birthday. I also got a couple phone calls with the familiar voices of Naddie and Charlie which made me smile and made my day (thanks!!!). It made me not feel so homesick anymore…oh yeah I also got my nails done.
The following week I ended upgoing across the city of Cali to stay with my uncle, Ruben Dario. He's the politician of the family, he was running for govenor but dropped out of the race because of current circumstances. He is still running to be a part of the counsel and remains to be a lawmaker of El Valle de Cauca. His wife, Gloria Amparo, got the political fever is running to be mayor of Trujillo. It was different to see how politics worked here in Colombia but it was nice to see it first hand. Politicians or rich people get kidnapped here quite often, it's almost become a part of everyday life which is incredibly sad. My uncle's fellow lawmakers were kidnapped five years ago, my uncle was saved because he has the bad habit of arriving late to everything and he arrived late to work that day. Since that day he has not been without a bodyguard, it's a sad way to live everyday but it's safety and security. Evertime we traveled long distances, the bodyguard (Julian) would have his gun in his lap, I don't like guns…they make me feel really uncomfortable but at the same time I felt somewhat safe. Julian is young and really cool to talk to, he is taking english classes so I would help him with his homework every morning while my uncle was getting ready. My cousin Laura Camila had her first communion while I was there. Since most of the country is Catholic, first communions are a big deal here. Most are usually a school related event, considering most schools are private and Catholic as well. Laura's school provided her with an attire and she looked like a cute lil nun! It's pretty much a normal thing to have in life growing up in Colombia, I probably would have had a first communion with the white dress, the party and such if I had grown up here. One of the days I was with Ruben Dario and Gloria, we went to a business lunch at the restaurant in the middle of nowhere, it was beautiful. I wish I would've taken pictures…it was surrounded by flowers, fruit trees (no I didn't climb a mango tree), and a river. It was really beautiful, I kept thinking it was the perfect date place to eat, aw, yeah I might be lonely sometimesJ I also accompanied Gloria to a local speech in Trujillo, it was really nice to see how people reacted to her and applauded her. These were people who are really struggling in Trujillo because of the lack of jobs and income in the town. I got to pass out the snacks and drinks, it was super. The rest of the week, I spent by the pool reading or listening to my killer ipod that my wonderful friends gave me!
I noticed that the swimsuits here are a bit skimpy! I mean with mine next to some here, I'm covering up a lot. It's normal to have a thong swimsuit in South America, my aunt almost bought me one but I convinced her I wasn't ready to show off my butt to the world…no way dude. Plus in Bogota I wouldn't do any swimming considering the weather isn't as hot there. Maybe in a few years or when I go to San Andres, or Cartagena I will be a bit more comfortable in my skin. The same week I was with my aunt Gloria, they live near by La Universidad del Valle, which is a public university. And every other week they would protest, make signs out in the front of the school and throw potato bombs. No one is ever hurt but it was kind of scary to see the bombs go off or hear them at five in the morning. But this is what students do in protest to the government, the war and the president. It's neat to see the signs though, although I don't believe that interwining violence into beliefs is really protesting, I think there's a fine line between protest, standing up for one's beliefs and boredom. Oh I also got my nails done again...
At the end of the week, I ended up going to Trujillo. I love that town, I feel comfortable and at home when I'm there. I think it might be because my mom and her family grew up there, it's a good feeling to be in the same place as my mom was at the same age as me. I was dropped off at my aunt Dalila's house and it was super good to see her! When my grandma died, Dalila and Martha Liliana were 13 and 14, they came to live with us in Palmira and my mom continued to raise them. Dalila took care of me a lot when I was a baby, she was the only one I would let brush my hair when I was little, I would cry with anyone else. Dalila is super funny, and made me feel inredibly welcome the second I walked in the door. She lives the exact house that she grew up in, the house was split into two and one half was sold, she couldn't bear to sell the other half and so she ended moving into it. It's an old house but regardless of how the years show on it, it's so beautiful. I enjoy a history of a house or of a place, I like old rather than new…if walls could talk, I like to think of the stories they would tell. Dalila is a teacher one of the local schools along with her husband, Freddy. I went all week to the school with them, the kids were way too cute. I was followed around and asked to speak english all the time, they asked me to translate silly things and then they'd laugh because it sounded so funny. They would hug me and greet me everyday I came to the school, aw I loved it. I would have ten kids if I could…I ended up going to the english classes to answer their questions about the life en Los Estados Unidos. My broken spanish got a lot of laughs during the fiestas we had at the house, we drank rum (they call here ron) and aguadriente, we dance-well I attempted- and laughed many nights. I also got to swim in a river called Culebras which translates to Snakes but ha, no worries no snakes to be seen. But a bit of a waterfall which felt awesome, it was hard to get under it because it came down hard! It almost hurt but it was too fun to hurt. The current was also really strong, at one point I tried to get in the middle of the current so Freddy could take my picture but I about lost my balance and the bottoms of my swimsuit. I loved every second of it. The weather is great in Trujillo, because it's hot-super hot but there's always a nice breeze from the mountains that comes down to cool off. I did a ton of walking up the mountains, down the mountains, towards the end of my two weeks there I began to despised walking up any mountain. Walking was good though, it kept me from getting chubbier and chubbier, although the truth is I left Trujillo a bit chubby, yes no joke, I definately gained a few pounds. It was all worth it, I got to eat all of my favorite food and multiple times, but I realized how can I not eat these great meals? If I died tomorrow, atleast I would have a full stomach of good food and die happy! Like platano maduros asados con mantequilla, arepas con queso, empandas, any kind of plantanos, pan de bono, almojabanas, etc. YUM. I loved waking up to the sound of the town, the mountains, the park to see the old men playing cards or just people watching. I went up into the mountains to my uncle Fernando's farm, he recently bought a coffee farm, and it was gorgeous up there. We walked the land and through the coffee plants, it was a sight. During the championship of the Colombian soccer league, there were fireworks, everyone playing their music loud and cheering. Then Copa America began…man oh man, I love soccer…the Colombian team and soccer. I made a vow that if Colombia made it to the World Cup 2010, I would go. I better find a job and start saving up. I loved staying in Trujillo, I can't wait to go back. Oh yeah, I got my nails done again.
I made it back to Palmira for my final week…L There are always random festive three day weekends, Colombia has many festive days which usually land on Mondays to make the three day weekends. For the three day weekend, Marlene, Mono, Diego and Martha Liliana got together and decided to head out. We ended up drinking two giraffes of beer, that thing is really neat. Then we went to a bar called La Cantina de Lucha, it was a coolest little bar! I loved it. I did realice that I would have a lot of adapting to do though, the music is all Colombian or Latin songs. And all the people there cheered when they played an old classic song, sang along to every song like my friends and I would do in Ames when songs that were popular back in high school were played in bars. At the bar there were mostly people my age and they were all with their friends chugging bottles of Aguardiente (since you buy don't buy drinks but bottles at bars at the bars here), singing and dancing. Aw at that point I got a bit homesick thinking how much fun me and everyone in Ames would have at this bar!
Thursday of my last week there were Peace Marchs (Las Marchas de Paz) all over the country. I went to Cali that day with mi tia Martha Liliana to participate in the march, it was mind blowing. Literally thousands and thousands were at the march wearing white, many had made signs, banners, balloons, brought flowers, whistles, etc. To protest against the violence in Colombia bought on by the government and the Farc, to spread peace, the remember all the 3,000+ who remain to be kidnapped and the 11 diplomats who were recently killed. All kinds of people participated in the march, I was overwhelmed by the unity of everyone. It was a great experience and an awesome feeling to gain among people I didn't even know. Nothing else mattered but peace during the two hours. There were also marchs in Bogota, Barranquilla and of course Cali (where I was). I don't think people expected such an outcome but it's come to a point where people are fed up with fear and constant sorrow of their lives and their country. I'm fed up with it being here only two months and I have faced nothing like the citizens of Colombia have faced within the last decade+.
Finally, after a couple hours of delay in the airport, I made it to Bogota.
COME VISIT ME
For the two months I have traveled El Valle de Cauca of Colombia. It a state of the southern region of Colombia, there which lies Cali, Palmira and Trujillo. I was born in Palmira, my mom and her family was raised in Trujillo and so most of them reside there in El Valle. People say that El Valle is the most beautiful because of the continuous bright green color of the surrounding mountains, the best spoken spanish is from here, the salsa dancers are from Cali, and of course the Agudelo family is from El Valle, ha!
I've been all over the place within couple months. Traveling and seeing family, my mom has eight siblings and she wanted me to get reacquainted with them by staying a week each. It's been super fun, I've loved getting to see everyone and getting to know everyone with the idea that I'm not leaving in a few weeks and won't see them again for five more years, this time I'm here! It's crazy, sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm really here in Colombia. It's all happened so fast that it's kind of hard to believe, but all in all I'm glad that I made the move. I've learned a lot in the past two months that I've been here, life here is really different. Of course, a good different though. I've gotten to learn a new perspective on life and learn new things that I can adapt to my life, it's great. And the nature of Colombia is gorgeous, the mountains are breathtaking and the weather makes me sweat but I love the heat! Well, keep in mind the weather in Bogota is a bit more mild so I've really enjoyed my time here in El Valle.
I stayed with my mom's youngest sister first, Martha Liliana, I'm super close to her because she came to the United States for a couple years when I was eight. She also took care of Andres and I when were youngins. She lives in a complex with a pool and I love the pool, I loved the alone time there (although I occassionally got lonely). I love to fall asleep in the sun, regardless of the dangers of too much sun, I can't help it. After my quick nap in the sun one day, I woke up to be 3 shades darker. The nap was amazing and the sun felt so nice and warm but I definately got burned. Apparently the sun in Colombia is a bit stronger…I went to the pool almost everday to swim and layout, one day there were two guys there and they started talking to me. They both live in Bogota as well and were on break from school, we talked about Bogota and then they noticed my accent. Man, I can't get by anyone with that accent, it's bad but it was cool to meet people.
One night we went to El 14, which is like a mall, there was a reggaeton party going on (there is a lot of reggaeton music here) it was the so packed but it was fun. There are different little huts with bars in the center of the food court, which it mostly outdoors, they serve mostly beer, rum and aguadriente. Aguadriente is a liquor that is made here in Colombia from sugar cane, it's light and easy to drink or atleast I think so. It's drank as a shot or neat, with a light black licquorice taste but not like Sambuca. Bars also sell a giraffes of beer, it's like an individual beer tap. It's like buying a pitcher for the table but instead it's like your own little tap, it's pretty cool.
The Saturday that my other Aunt, Marlene, came to pick me up she brought over a bottle of Tequila 1800. It's a really a good bottle of tequila, so I was happy to see itJ I now know that the love for tequila runs in the family! We laughed a lot. Marlene and I are a lot alike, we live life with the same perspective and a smiles. It's really funny because we'll talk about something and end up finishing each other sentances. It's nice to feel close to a family I rarely saw growing up.
June 1, I turned twenty-two. I'm not gonna lie I don't like getting older but the birthdays come anyway! I got incredibly homesick on my birthday. I kept thinking of my friends and my mom, and how much fun my birthday was last year, it was hard. Towards the beginning of the night, I felt a bit better as my family came over. As we ate delicious food, and delicious cake. Alright, the cake and pasteries here are 10x better than anywhere else, well anywhere else I have been. Seriously, not just even the pasteries but the bread is the best bread ever. Anyways, my mom's super good friend Elsa came over with the cake and the coolest candle ever! It was this big plastic thing but when the wick was lit, the big plastic thing revealed to be a flower. The center with the wick ended up being like a sparkler, each petal had an individual candle, it spun around and around and sang happy birthday, it was a stellar candle! It was nice to spend a birthday with people who I had not spend a birthday since my third birthday. I also got a couple phone calls with the familiar voices of Naddie and Charlie which made me smile and made my day (thanks!!!). It made me not feel so homesick anymore…oh yeah I also got my nails done.
The following week I ended upgoing across the city of Cali to stay with my uncle, Ruben Dario. He's the politician of the family, he was running for govenor but dropped out of the race because of current circumstances. He is still running to be a part of the counsel and remains to be a lawmaker of El Valle de Cauca. His wife, Gloria Amparo, got the political fever is running to be mayor of Trujillo. It was different to see how politics worked here in Colombia but it was nice to see it first hand. Politicians or rich people get kidnapped here quite often, it's almost become a part of everyday life which is incredibly sad. My uncle's fellow lawmakers were kidnapped five years ago, my uncle was saved because he has the bad habit of arriving late to everything and he arrived late to work that day. Since that day he has not been without a bodyguard, it's a sad way to live everyday but it's safety and security. Evertime we traveled long distances, the bodyguard (Julian) would have his gun in his lap, I don't like guns…they make me feel really uncomfortable but at the same time I felt somewhat safe. Julian is young and really cool to talk to, he is taking english classes so I would help him with his homework every morning while my uncle was getting ready. My cousin Laura Camila had her first communion while I was there. Since most of the country is Catholic, first communions are a big deal here. Most are usually a school related event, considering most schools are private and Catholic as well. Laura's school provided her with an attire and she looked like a cute lil nun! It's pretty much a normal thing to have in life growing up in Colombia, I probably would have had a first communion with the white dress, the party and such if I had grown up here. One of the days I was with Ruben Dario and Gloria, we went to a business lunch at the restaurant in the middle of nowhere, it was beautiful. I wish I would've taken pictures…it was surrounded by flowers, fruit trees (no I didn't climb a mango tree), and a river. It was really beautiful, I kept thinking it was the perfect date place to eat, aw, yeah I might be lonely sometimesJ I also accompanied Gloria to a local speech in Trujillo, it was really nice to see how people reacted to her and applauded her. These were people who are really struggling in Trujillo because of the lack of jobs and income in the town. I got to pass out the snacks and drinks, it was super. The rest of the week, I spent by the pool reading or listening to my killer ipod that my wonderful friends gave me!
I noticed that the swimsuits here are a bit skimpy! I mean with mine next to some here, I'm covering up a lot. It's normal to have a thong swimsuit in South America, my aunt almost bought me one but I convinced her I wasn't ready to show off my butt to the world…no way dude. Plus in Bogota I wouldn't do any swimming considering the weather isn't as hot there. Maybe in a few years or when I go to San Andres, or Cartagena I will be a bit more comfortable in my skin. The same week I was with my aunt Gloria, they live near by La Universidad del Valle, which is a public university. And every other week they would protest, make signs out in the front of the school and throw potato bombs. No one is ever hurt but it was kind of scary to see the bombs go off or hear them at five in the morning. But this is what students do in protest to the government, the war and the president. It's neat to see the signs though, although I don't believe that interwining violence into beliefs is really protesting, I think there's a fine line between protest, standing up for one's beliefs and boredom. Oh I also got my nails done again...
At the end of the week, I ended up going to Trujillo. I love that town, I feel comfortable and at home when I'm there. I think it might be because my mom and her family grew up there, it's a good feeling to be in the same place as my mom was at the same age as me. I was dropped off at my aunt Dalila's house and it was super good to see her! When my grandma died, Dalila and Martha Liliana were 13 and 14, they came to live with us in Palmira and my mom continued to raise them. Dalila took care of me a lot when I was a baby, she was the only one I would let brush my hair when I was little, I would cry with anyone else. Dalila is super funny, and made me feel inredibly welcome the second I walked in the door. She lives the exact house that she grew up in, the house was split into two and one half was sold, she couldn't bear to sell the other half and so she ended moving into it. It's an old house but regardless of how the years show on it, it's so beautiful. I enjoy a history of a house or of a place, I like old rather than new…if walls could talk, I like to think of the stories they would tell. Dalila is a teacher one of the local schools along with her husband, Freddy. I went all week to the school with them, the kids were way too cute. I was followed around and asked to speak english all the time, they asked me to translate silly things and then they'd laugh because it sounded so funny. They would hug me and greet me everyday I came to the school, aw I loved it. I would have ten kids if I could…I ended up going to the english classes to answer their questions about the life en Los Estados Unidos. My broken spanish got a lot of laughs during the fiestas we had at the house, we drank rum (they call here ron) and aguadriente, we dance-well I attempted- and laughed many nights. I also got to swim in a river called Culebras which translates to Snakes but ha, no worries no snakes to be seen. But a bit of a waterfall which felt awesome, it was hard to get under it because it came down hard! It almost hurt but it was too fun to hurt. The current was also really strong, at one point I tried to get in the middle of the current so Freddy could take my picture but I about lost my balance and the bottoms of my swimsuit. I loved every second of it. The weather is great in Trujillo, because it's hot-super hot but there's always a nice breeze from the mountains that comes down to cool off. I did a ton of walking up the mountains, down the mountains, towards the end of my two weeks there I began to despised walking up any mountain. Walking was good though, it kept me from getting chubbier and chubbier, although the truth is I left Trujillo a bit chubby, yes no joke, I definately gained a few pounds. It was all worth it, I got to eat all of my favorite food and multiple times, but I realized how can I not eat these great meals? If I died tomorrow, atleast I would have a full stomach of good food and die happy! Like platano maduros asados con mantequilla, arepas con queso, empandas, any kind of plantanos, pan de bono, almojabanas, etc. YUM. I loved waking up to the sound of the town, the mountains, the park to see the old men playing cards or just people watching. I went up into the mountains to my uncle Fernando's farm, he recently bought a coffee farm, and it was gorgeous up there. We walked the land and through the coffee plants, it was a sight. During the championship of the Colombian soccer league, there were fireworks, everyone playing their music loud and cheering. Then Copa America began…man oh man, I love soccer…the Colombian team and soccer. I made a vow that if Colombia made it to the World Cup 2010, I would go. I better find a job and start saving up. I loved staying in Trujillo, I can't wait to go back. Oh yeah, I got my nails done again.
I made it back to Palmira for my final week…L There are always random festive three day weekends, Colombia has many festive days which usually land on Mondays to make the three day weekends. For the three day weekend, Marlene, Mono, Diego and Martha Liliana got together and decided to head out. We ended up drinking two giraffes of beer, that thing is really neat. Then we went to a bar called La Cantina de Lucha, it was a coolest little bar! I loved it. I did realice that I would have a lot of adapting to do though, the music is all Colombian or Latin songs. And all the people there cheered when they played an old classic song, sang along to every song like my friends and I would do in Ames when songs that were popular back in high school were played in bars. At the bar there were mostly people my age and they were all with their friends chugging bottles of Aguardiente (since you buy don't buy drinks but bottles at bars at the bars here), singing and dancing. Aw at that point I got a bit homesick thinking how much fun me and everyone in Ames would have at this bar!
Thursday of my last week there were Peace Marchs (Las Marchas de Paz) all over the country. I went to Cali that day with mi tia Martha Liliana to participate in the march, it was mind blowing. Literally thousands and thousands were at the march wearing white, many had made signs, banners, balloons, brought flowers, whistles, etc. To protest against the violence in Colombia bought on by the government and the Farc, to spread peace, the remember all the 3,000+ who remain to be kidnapped and the 11 diplomats who were recently killed. All kinds of people participated in the march, I was overwhelmed by the unity of everyone. It was a great experience and an awesome feeling to gain among people I didn't even know. Nothing else mattered but peace during the two hours. There were also marchs in Bogota, Barranquilla and of course Cali (where I was). I don't think people expected such an outcome but it's come to a point where people are fed up with fear and constant sorrow of their lives and their country. I'm fed up with it being here only two months and I have faced nothing like the citizens of Colombia have faced within the last decade+.
Finally, after a couple hours of delay in the airport, I made it to Bogota.
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