Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Day 69 - A Day of Recaps and Travel

Well team...

I have been rather absent from the blogosphere recently (apparently according to my computer blogosphere is a real word...).  Things here have been pretty good.  I am still definitely trying to figure out where exactly I fit in all of the happenings here in the wonderful Colombia, but I am loving the journey!

Some fun things that I have learned about Spanish/Colombian culture.

1.  It is rude to say "no" if someone asks for a favor.  However, if you say "ahora no, pero de pronto adelante" that is basically the same thing.  It is an understood "no" but there is still the option.  Literally translated it means "right now no, but soon... later."  It would be like saying, "Ya, I can get to that later."  It feels like a lie but it is more polite, haha.

2.  Arm is "brazo," hug is "abrazo," and a clamp is "abrazadera."  I love it.  It is like the... hugger. Oh that one makes me laugh!  The more I learn about Spanish the more I just fall in love with it.

So, this weekend it the national assembly for the Mennonite pastors in Colombia.  They will be holding it at the first ever Mennonite mission... place...  This place is a farm called Cacipai (really crude spelling. I will update on that later).  In the 1950's, I believe, some Mennos came and set up a center/clinic/home for people with leprosy.  They also set up a school for the injured people's children!  It was on a farm and it is up in the mountains and apparently gorgeous!  I can't wait to go see it!

Gamaliel and I traveled from Barranquilla to Bogota this morning.  We flew with Avianca (I prefer flying with LAN because they give you bags of mixed nuts with Almonds, Peanuts, Macadamia nuts and Cashews! Also, a delicious caramel and coconut thing... oh I love it!).  But that is not important.

Then, we took a bus to La Mesa.  We showed up at the bus station about 2 minutes before our bus left, phew.  The trip was nice, I had some time to read and took a very short nap.  But, then the mountain roads came.  It is hard to read and sleep when the vehicle you are in is constantly changing directions!  The view though... oh the view.  I should have taken a picture.

Then I met up with some fellow MMN workers and I am staying with them!  It is a couple and their two kids.  They are teachers at a school in a city called La Mesa.  I just love how the Menno bubble connects people the way that it does.  I have never met them and we are even from completely different parts of the States, but they were kind enough to open their home to me and we had a great evening getting to know each other.  Oh connections.  Tomorrow I am going to go and visit the school they volunteer in and see what it is like a day in the life of a Colombian student!  Now I will get a little more insight on what some of the kids are work with are up to every day too!

More to come...

No comments:

Post a Comment