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History & Gold

Time has certainly slowed down. There really hasn't been too much to post since our visit to San Mauricio. The kids seemed to enjoy that but were completely over it by the time we were ready to leave. And, at this point, we are all ready to go home. There is also a holiday today which is delaying things a bit. Our paperwork is on the judges desk and we were told that Sentencia will be later this week. I still go to bed early to call it another day done. I miss my family at home and Angie and Camilo are ready to get on with their life.

Yesterday (Sunday) we made a trip to the Museo del Oro (Gold Museum.) Since I'm trying to stay on some sort of budget I decided to brave any crowds and go on the free day which is Sunday. We got there and the lines were so long out of the front door and didn't appear to be moving so, we decided to walk. The area was really cool and full of history. We walked down a couple of blocks and there was a square with a statue in the middle of it. On one side wa a church with Mass in process and everything was decorated because of Corpus Christi. We were feeding the pigeons some corn (obviously not my idea) and Angie took off with the camera telling us to follow. Here the national band was marching down in front of the church. They went past, came back and stopped in front of the it. The church was lined with guardsmen and there was this throne, alter, float thingy (sorry,I'm not familiar) that was held by some more guards. We then waited for the processional but, it seemed like there were going to be a while yet so we ended up walking away.

We then walked down a few more blocks (in the street though since there were blocked to traffic) and happened upon the President's house. It seemed so weird to me for it to be so close and so much downtown. We snapped some pictures then Angie pointed to a small historical museum in an old home/headquarters for General Santander a big historical figure in Colombia.

We walked through, snapped some pictures and walked some more. We then found the Iglesia Santa Clara museum that was an old church converted into a museum and took some more pictures. I have to say that it was absolutely beautiful. We decided that we were hungry and turned around to go back toward the Gold Museum to the McDonalds. We stopped at a few artesenal stores and bought a few more souvenirs (and a new umbrella since one of ours is shot)and braved the McDonalds frenzy. If you thought that McDonalds n the U.S. was crazy during busy times you should try a Bogotanian one- they are always in close quarters and very busy. At any rate we got our lunch.

After lunch we headed over to the Gold Museum and found that the the line was long but, not as long and appeared to be moving so we jumped in. We probably waited about five minutes and then endured the crowds in the museum. The museum is beautiful and very nice. We didn't see all of it because of the crowds but we saw enough to call it an experience and take some pictures. I got a latte and we then went over to another artensenal/souvenir area bought a couple more things and left. We lucked out and happened upon a taxi that was dropping someone off right at the museum and grabbed it.

The day overall was a really good one. We absorbed some history, got some pictures to reflect on and enjoyed the culture. There were two major things that came to me yesterday. Number one is that sometimes the best times are the ones that are not planned and just happen. We had plans to go to the museum but ended up with so much more. The second thing that came to me was that Bogota, Colombia is starting to look "normal" to me. In other words, I am starting to recognize the different areas and neighborhoods as we drive by in taxi's. And things look familiar and are no longer so foriegn to me. The homes, businesses and surroundings are normal for me now. I really need to get home.......

Just Pictures

Moving On

We lost internet over the weekend! This made for a particularly bad time.

First of all i will start with Thursday and Parque Jaime Duque which is a combo of a zoo and a theme park that was created by the first pilot in Colombia. His name may or may not have been Jaime Duque- I never really got the full grasp of it. However, we had a great time and really it is a nice park with lots of animals arranged very nicely. We got great pictures and video of the lions. Mehli will love it!! The theme park part was also nice and had a worldly theme. There was an area tht depicted the Seven Wonders of the World and a replica of the Taj Mahal that had international replica's of the lieks of Michelangelo and Colombian art work portraying the history. Beautiful place. there were also a few rides for the kiddos.

Friday we went to visit Angie's school and friends as their three week vacation is begining. She had a nice time. Since we live next to a really nice school I was not prepared for he school. I didn't go inside and we forgot the camera but, it was sad to me. this is definately where the girls on the "other side of town" go to school. It had the glass shards on top of the wall that surrounded it. It was on this dirt road that made me nervous and I ws suprised by the whole thng. We then caught a taxi and went howm which is when we started having problems with the internet. Luckily I finished all of my work earlier in the week.

Vivanna visited Saturday morning with her son Daniel. He is an adorable baby with such a good temperment and Vivanna seems to be doing a good job with him. they all seemed to enjoy her visit even though the weather was bad and we had no internet. I was in a definate funk and was feeling that things were not right at home and I couldn't communicate with anyone. I then found out late Sunday that our Jeep broke down at Alanna's school when Jim went to take her back and is still down there. So now we have to take care of that issue with still thousands of dollars hanging out there in cost for our return. Needless to say this is stressful to both of us right now so send poistive thoughts our way. To make things more complicated I have AAA in my name but, I am in Colombia and cannot get to Athens, Ohio to get the free tow. Just keep swimming, just keep simming.... If I were home I could also get some extra hours in but, I am not. So after we took Vivanna back to where she was staying, we came back to find our internet was back on which was good but, it woudl have been nice for the kids to Skype with Paula since no one knows if they will all be together again.

Monday was another do nothing day and we just hung out but, today we will visit San Mauricio for the last time. I'm looking forward to it even though it is often sad. Have great day everyone and think good (ans speedy) thoughts for us!!

Hard Rock and Goodbye

Hard Rock and Saturday was great! We had a nice but expensive (twice as much as we would pay at a Hard Rock Cafe state-side) lunch and then bought some souvenirs. Jim got his t-shirt and a hat plus I picked a little something up for a work friend. We then walked around the area and went into a little mall. We could barely afford to be in there, really expensive stores. We have found that things like clothing and shoes (these Bogotanos LOVE shoes) are really expensive here. We then wandered around a bit looking for the Harley Davidson store and ended up asking for directions and had to go through this enclosed area of street shops (not really a mall but, yet it was.) These shops included the likes of Versace and Gucci again, couldn't even afford to be there. We ended up finding the Harley Davidson store which was nice but if you can't buy anything....We then caught a cab and went back to the apartment.

On Sunday it was just a hang out day again. We walked through the park next to us since they were having some kind of event but, the kids didn't really seem interested. So we went to an internet/copy place to print out Jim's boarding passes and make a few copies of things. We then went and had empanada's from this little street restaurant and they were to die for. I love Empanada's. I only tried the pollo (chicken) ones but I think Jim tried one of every kind. Then after that we had some helado (ice cream) from another shop. We then just relaxed the rest of the night.

Jim left the apartment about six in the morning on Monday. It wasn't the goodbye I had envisioned nor expected. It is really hard not having him here with us. I'm not afraid to be here without him, it's not that Angie and Camilo are so high maintenence that I need help, it's just that now I know time will stand still. I don't know if it will be three weeks, four, five? I miss my home. I miss my family there. And then I feel so guilty for feeling this way so strongly because we are takking Angie and Camilo from ther home. I try to stay busy (my apartment was spotless by nine yesterday morning) but, it's hard. I tracked Jim's progress throughout the day. We went to Salitre to do some shopping and ended up coming home with a 1000 piece puzzle to keep us (read "me") busy. And I made it through day one with Jim's absence. "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."

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I’ve been bad and have not kept up with the blog over the last few days. We have actually been really busy trying to fit in some fun stuff since Jim will be leaving early Monday morning. WE have also been blessed with great weather, very little rain and temperatures from the high 60’s to mid 70’s.
This past weekend was a holiday here (still do not know what the holiday was) and Monday no one had school or work it seemed. The weather was actually kind of hot and Jim and I both got a little bit of sunburn. We took the kids to the park adjacent to our complex and everyone else was there too. Angie and Camilo took turns on the swivel board and Jim got a work out kicking the soccer ball around with the kids. The downside is that Camilo now has his second boomerang (the first one Jim threw and it hit the sidewalk and broke) and it ended up in a tree for the second time this week. This was all to avoid taking someone out since there were so many people at the park. It did thunderstorm in the afternoon but, we were back at the apartment by then.
Tuesday was the Salt Cathedral in Zipaquira. This was absolutely amazing. Our tour guide Jorge did an amazing job of explaining the history and significance. There is literally a whole cathedral down in the still cultivated salt mine. The carvings out of salt were amazing resembling marble but when you shine light on it there is a translucent quality to it. Before the Salt Cathedral we went to a quant authentic café/bakery/restaurant that was to die for and very inexpensive. After the Cathedral we went to another restaurant in an old salt factory for lunch. The restaurant was very good and featured authentic Colombian food. I had the traditional potato and chicken soup again and enjoyed everything about the day. Angie and Camilo also seemed to enjoy the Cathedral and the food. Every day they just amaze me at their resilience. They seem very happy and relaxed at this point in time.
Wednesday was another do nothing day that was spent doing the usual trip to Exito and such. However, yesterday (Thursday) was Salitre Magico which is an amusement park. It is way smaller than anything we have in Ohio (even before Geauga Lake closed) but was reasonable and had the typical roller coasters and rides. Angie, Mehli and Tori will get along great at these sorts of things. Angie loves all the rides. She has NO FEAR. We also did a haunted house that was pretty scary. Camilo likes some of the rides but is not such a huge fan of some of the faster, more extreme ones nor was he feeling the haunted house. Again I think the kids had a great time there were a lot of laughs and happy memories. I can’t wait to take them to Cedar Point or Kings Island though, they will LOVE that. Right now enjoying a beautiful rainbow over Bogota!

Usaquen

Usaquen….I love it. It is a neighborhood that used to be a standalone village at the base of the mountains in the northernmost part of Bogota. It is a fairly wealthy area with another nice mall Hacienda Santa Barbara but the mall itself is arranged on many levels not like stories or floors but like half levels and the indoor parts are intertwined with the outdoor alley-like areas. It’s very hard to describe but very intimate feeling and very beautiful. This IS where the upper crust of Bogota must live. However the mall is not the best part of Usaquen the flea market that they hold on their cobblestone streets every Sunday is what makes it. They also have indoor sections in a building that is adjacent to a church. The artesian and craftsmen have rows and rows of jewelry, woodcrafts, delicacies and textile materials to name a few. There are local artists that display their work and ethnically diverse displays. The prices vary but are reasonable for what you get. The feeling is very modern yet historical with the buildings that are etched into the mountainside. There are also so many restaurants that range from steakhouses to ethnic food like Thai and Chinese. The cost is reasonable and again the restaurants are for the most part converted from homes so you could have a tri-level restaurant like the one we visited En Fuerno. Overall Usaquen is a place I would like to go to every weekend. Love, love, loved it.
It also amazes me wherever I go in Bogota how resourceful people are. They find work where they can and they do it with pride. Sometimes it’s a little baffling as an American to comprehend but, yet it is so simple probably due to the lack of regulation on employment. For example there is a busy intersection near where I live (actually they are all busy) and every day there is an Afro-Colombian man with the front half of his head shaved that acts as a crossing guard. He has a little stop and go sign and everything but, I couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t dressed in a police or even any uniform whatsoever. Then I figured out that he has employed himself as a crossing guard. He has a bucket on each corner of the street he crosses people on and they throw money in as appreciation. Another example is the people who watch your car when it is parked on the street. They will make sure no one bothers your car and then expect small tokens for their “service.” Again they employ themselves. I’m sure they do not make a killing on this but they seem to live. I personally think that it’s better than living off the system and is probably out of necessity. But, I think that it is interesting and wonder if we were not so regulated here in the States if it would be easier to make a living. But, this is in stark contrast to the astonishing amount of regulation when it comes to police presence and security.

More pictures!

What now?

So Sentencia went very well on Thursday. In fact Carolina said that it was "perfect." They asked a lot of questions of Angia snd Camilo and basically how they felt about things and what their expectations are. ICBF is REALLY focused on establishing the family. They really discourage interraction with freinds from school, the orphanage etc. And how do you tell a 15 year old girl that she cannot talk with her friends? It's a sticky spot between establishing "bonds" (which we already have) and establishing respect for each others feelings between parent and child. Anyway all in all the Sentencia was really no big deal.

Yesterday was rainy and kind of overcast again and since we have a few trips planned for the coming weeks, We decided to go to the other side of town to the Colombian National Museum. We decided to take in our children's history and get some pictures and such for them to reflect on later. The Museum was very nice, architecturally beautiful and well organized. I think that Camilo got a little bit bored at the end but, I think everyone enjoyed it. It was very cheep to visit too. I would recommend especially to adoptive parents with "older" children.

After the museum we walked down the street and ate at Subway for lunch. They had less of a selction than the ones in the U.S. and wer definately more expensive but still, it was good. Then we walked down the street for a bit and even though Jim wanted to explore my overiding concern for catching a taxi was the catalyst for us to walk back toward the museum where I felt we had a better chance. It was getting to be rush hour there were obviously many people trying to hail cabs and I had this feeling that if we walked one block too far we could go from a "safe" area a sketchy area. I also wanted to ensure that we were back "home" before dark which seems to happen quickly here.

When we got home we did the usual Skyping and ordered another pizza from Red Box which was diappointing, even tough I specifically pointed to the tomato sauce it did NOT have any sauce on it, just cheese and peperonni AGAIN. And it was not cheep like close to $20 for one large pizza. Either I'm gonna take a shot at making my own or we have to find a new place.

Overall Bogota is nice, pollution and taxi rides aside, (I swear we get CO poisoning everytime we ride in one) in our area- Cuidad Salitre, there is a nice sense of community. We are getting to know one some of the people like Magda at the laundry-mat. I think I will be in culture shock when I go home and I'm not two blocks away from everything, there's not security or Police EVERYWHERE (and thank God for that) and calm traffic.

I think today will be a do nothing sort of day and tomorrow we will go to a flea market called La Fantana- they serve brunch so how bad can it be? Tuesday we are planning on the Salt Cathedral with Jorge and then Saturday I want to go to Hard Rock for an early Father's Day celebration before Jim leaves (I'm already freaking out about that.) We might try to hit a park somewhere in there too! Enjoy some pictures of The National Colombian Museum!

Sentencia!!!

So today is Sentencia at our apartmento. This is the day we will be interrogated and the decision is made to make it final and send it to the courts or to stop the process (no way!) So today will be dedicated to cleaning and preparing food and such for their arrival.
Yesterday was a good day. We met with Carolina in the morning to get some documents notarized then went to a couple of local (down the block) shops to buy some produce. Then we came back to the apartment for a bit before going to Exito for some more groceries for today. I made the cream cheese fruit dip with cut fruit and the chocolate no-bake cookies but finding the specific ingredients was hard. I couldnot find the marshmallow fluff for the fruit dip and we could not find cocoa poweder for the cookies. So I bought marshmallows and melted them down then blended (no beater) with cream and sugar then added the cream cheese which worked out pretty well. I also found a recipe that used powdered chocolate mix instead of the powdered cocoa which also worked well. Camilo loved the cookies Angie is on the fence about them.
Angie and Camilo were very wound up in the evening. Angie stole Camilo's remote control and Camilo then took her journal, they were acting like typical siblings. They were laughing and playful. It was nice to see them just be natural. Angie also painted my nails a deep, dark red;-)
Mas bonita!

Monserratte

Monserratte is beautiful. We had a very nice day and thoroughly enjoyed it. We took a taxi through the other side of town which was a little bit scary- that is the Colombia that everyone warns about. It is in STARK contrast to the area we live in, there was no security, trash every where, grafitti etc. But when we got to the cable car station it was like another world again. We rode up to the mountain and when we reached the top it was very peaceful. The view is amazing and I think that Angie and Camilo really enjoyed sharing this with us. We ended up eating lunch at a really nice (and pricey) restaurant since the cafeteria was closed on Tuesdays. It was really nice though and Camilo ate so much food that I thought for sure he would hurl. We then went through this alley that had all kinds of souvenirs and such and again spent money. Eveything was reasonably priced so we couldn't resist. After all that we rode the cable car back down and took another taxi back home. I still can't get used to the driving in Bogota, it is downright frightening. We have decided that next time we will video tape a typical drive through the city to demonstrate. We then just did the usual Skyping of family and such. I miss them terribly!