Day 144 - HOT days and HOT deals!

Today was a fun day.  It was one of those days where plans got changed a bunch but the day ended up being just as great as it would have been if the original plans had been kept.

Today was supposed to be the day that I started volunteering with a school here.  A good friend of mine works as a teachers in a bilingual school here in Barranquilla, this is also where her daughters and some of the other kids from the youth group go.  She has been talking to her boss about letting me come and work with some of the classes a couple times a week doing fun activities like reading books in English and things like that.  It would be really basic things in grades one and two I think.  But I love working with kids so I am excited!  Then, there is also a chance that I will be able to work with some of the older high school kids and have mock interviews and other more advanced English conversations.

It finally worked out with both of our (planned) schedules that I would be able to come!  However, this morning something came up.  I think that they had an impromptu field trip or something like that.  Sad day.  But this is a fairly common occurrence in Colombia.  That is something that has been a bitter sweet about it here.  You always have to be on your toes!  Sometimes things happen, like people's bosses planning surprise events haha.  Oh well, we are going to try again tomorrow :)

But!  Since I wasn't able to go work with kids I decided to call a good friend of mine and go to the center of the city today, this is something that we have been talking about doing for a long time.  The center of the city is where they sell a lot of things for fairly cheap (it would have been a lot cheaper for my friend if I hadn't been there, haha!).  They had EVERYTHING you could possibly want!  Oh my goodness!  They had souvenir type things, they had household items, they had decorations for your house, they had fresh fruits and veggies which I loved, they had fresh meat (which I didn't love and wow did it smell bad haha), also so so so many others.

I bought some fruit called mamon, it is something that I had an fell in love with in Puerto Rico (there they call it guinepa).   You bite the outside and it makes a split down the middle.  Then you slurp the fleshy green mess out of the inside of the semi hard shell.  There is a big pit covered in the "meat" and the meat feels like a booger but it tastes SOOO good!  So, you suck all the fruit off the pit then you spit the seed out.  It is a lot of fun to eat!

Also, I bought some very coasteño (they word for coastal people and culture here in Colombia) pictures to hang in my apartment.  It was only 5 dollars for both of them!  The guy selling them was also incredibly nice.

I also bought a sweet bag!  Every one here has one, so I figured that I should jump on the bandwagon.  It says "I love you Colombia"  I like that Colombia has two ways to say "I love you"  You can say "Te amo"  Which literally means "I love you"  This is reserved for family, significant others and very close friends.   But, then they also have "Te quiero" which literally means "I want you" or more so "I like you."  But they use it the way we say "Oh I love this movie!"  Or "You are so funny I love you."  I think that it saves face for the word "love."  I like it.

Then I bought some sweet kids books to read in Spanish!  I also finally found something that I have been looking for for a while!  An English book!  This is one that will help me with my lesson plans and teaching grammar!  I have looked in so many places.  When my friend and I first went to this persons stand he tried to charge us 25,000 pesos for this book.  It is 15 years old and in decent condition but I was in no way willing to spend that much.  He went down to 15,000 pesos but I still wasn't willing for that much.  So we left but as we were leaving the area to head home he spotted us and yelled at my firend and told her that just for her as a gift he would give it to her for 8,000 pesos (about 4 dollars).  Sometime being white native English speaker is super lame.  So many people assume you have more money than you actually do.  Finding these books made today feel more like a "work" day rather than a "free" day because I went specifically to find and English book.  So I feel at least a little bit accomplished haha.  Also, that last book is Charlie and the Chocolate factory.  I am pumped to read it!

I also found some GREAT deals on kitchen items and plan on going back sometime soon to snatch some more great kitchen deals here soon!

My friend and I had a GREAT time!  Well... I did.  I hope that she did too haha.  I know that when people tell me to post pictures these aren't really what they had in mind but I was too scared to take my camera to the center.  Maybe next time I will risk taking my iPod and use that camera.  Also, I really need to start taking more pictures!  More to come soon!

PS.  I am officially moving into my apartment in TWO days!  I am so excited!!!  I can hardly contain myself.

Day 140 - Free Lunch and Internet

So the internet has become a precious commodity (I may or may not refer to it as 'my precious' at times) because I have been without it for such a long time!  I very rarely get to use it and when I do I have to walk about 7 blocks to the local mall here (Centro Comercial Americano - I love that to make things sound fancier they are often named "Americano") to sit and troll on their unprotected wifi.  Anyway, I usually sit up in the food court area and read the hilarity on themetapicture.com and then check up on e-mails and facebook and connect and waste time.  There have been many times when I think of something that I want to look up but then I can't because I don't have internet and then I will think "Oh right, I don't have the internet.  I guess I will just have to look it up on wikipedia... shoot... that is on the internet."  Then I realize how addicted I am.

So, I have been living at the church building because my housing has yet to work out.  So that has been interesting.  Already living there are a couple and their 2 1/2 year old adorable daughter.  So that has been fun and interesting.  I am very very ready to have my own place and not feel like I am intruding for once and to just feel completely and 100% at home.  That is where my apartment comes in!  Oh I can't wait!  Today, I went on a little trek (which I will talk more about in a second) early early in the morning and then when I got back everyone was gone!  So, I took advantage of the fact and played some music really loud and was pulling a dance chore party.  I got a little cleaning done while listening to the music haha.  It was a lot of fun to just be a little ridiculous and not have to worry about bothering anyone.

There is a gentleman from Illinois visiting right now.  He is in the area talking about his experience with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) which is a Mennonite organization that I think is just incredible.  He has worked for CPT for 7 years and then for the last 3 years he has been traveling around off and on telling people in The States, Canada, and Colombia about the work that they do with CPT.  There are teams in Palestine, Iraq, and Colombia.  In Colombia they work with farmers and "get in the way" when paramilitary or guerilla teams try to come and force them off their land.  They stand in between the intruders and the farmers and try to start a dialogue with them.  Sometimes the people listen.  Sometimes they don't.  Sometimes they leave and other times they don't.  However, many people's lives have been saved because of these CPTers who are risking their lives to make these guerillas and paramilitary groups think about what they are doing before they do it.  If you are at all interesting in hearing more about what they do their website is www.cpt.org It really is an incredible ministry.

So!  A date has been set for me to move into my apartment!  I am super pumped!  I am beyond ready for this!  June 1st that baby is ALL mine!  That will be one week from today!  When did June 1st become one week from today?  WOW time has really flown by and I have been here for almost 5 months now.  Wow...  Anyway.  I am excited.  I will have internet at my disposal, food in my fridge, a shower that works, and being able to play music without being worried about disturbing anyone!  Woot!

OH!  So, while I was sitting on the internet in the food court today a friends father, who I have only meet once, came up to me and said hello!  It was really fun and random (not so random after I found out he works at the school right next to the mall haha).  Then he came over with lunch and he had bought me lunch and we ate together and it was hilarious and awesome!  When I said that he didn't have to that he said "nonsense!  When one Colombian is eating everyone with them has to be eating!"  Haha.  Nice guy

Day 131 - Friends and McDonald's

So, since my last post things have been really interesting!  But... we currently don't have internet so I haven't been able to post anything about it :P

I went to a little indy movie theater with a friend last week.  It was really fun!  It was a Korean film with Spanish subtitles.  It was a really weird movie but I really enjoyed it.  I love going to little hole in the wall places like this and now that I know where it is I may have to check it out again sometime!

On Mother's Day a group of young people from the church went to the mall and hung out there.  It was a great time!  We got ice cream and shared some burritos from the food court and then went to see the Avengers!  It was such a nice time to be able to connect with people around the same age as me and to feel like I actually have friends here.  That maybe sounds cheesy but it was a great feeling, haha.

The church also recently had a barbecue to celebrate their time with Amanda and Gamaliel here on the coast.  It was such a special time to be able to hear stories and to hear how they have touched so many people here.  Gamaliel and Amanda have really had an incredible ministry here and they will leave some big shoes to fill!!  Luckily, I don't think that we could have picked a better pastoral team to fill them.  They will most certainly be missed and their absence will not go unnoticed.

Another big thing going on right now is my housing... I have an apartment all picked out and it is empty and waiting for me... but something has happened and I have no clue when I will be able to move in.  Here in Colombia there was at one point a habit of people to move into an apartment and they would just stop paying rent but continue to live there.  So... now if you don't have Colombian credit (which I don't) you have to have two or three co-signers for you apartment.  Understandably.  But, these co-signers have to have both a salary and own a home.  With most people here it seems to be one or the other.  We did find three people though, but one of the people didn't notarize their paper and they are currently out of the country.  Whoopsies.  So... there is a possibility that I will have to wait until they return in June and I will live in the church building for a couple of weeks.  Or there is one last ray of hope and I might be able to move in on Monday.  I am trying not to get my hopes up and I am trying to be the happiest and as patient as I can be in this situation.  However, I am so excited about having my own place!  I feel like a little kid the night before Christmas... it just can't come fast enough!

God has a plan and He will work everything out.  I just have to be patient.

Day 123 - Trip recaps and mosquito bites

This weekend was a very exciting one to say that least!  We went to a city/town about 5 hours away from Barranquilla, called Rioacha.  There is a Mennonite church there and, to the best of my knowledge, was one of the very first ones in Coastal Colombia!  When Gamaliel and Amanda started their term they worked at this church for a bit and then moved on to start their church planting in Barranquilla.  Because Gamaliel and Amanda have been such an integral part of this church they went to this church to say good bye before they left.  As of now they are planning on leaving to head to Armenia (in southern central Colombia, about 4 or 5 hours south west of Bogota) on May 21st.

It was so nice to be a part of this transitional time, both with Gamaliel and Amanda, but also with the church.  This was also a time for them to be officially introduced to their new Regional Coordinator for the the National Mennonite Assembly of Colombia, Mitzi.  Mitzi is also the new pastor at the northern church in Barranquilla (which is the church that I have been working in primarily).  We are SO happy to have Mitzi and her husband Jaime (Mitzi is the primary pastor in the team) as our pastoral team!  She was voted in completely unanimously.  I was really disappointed that I wasn't there for the vote, it was a public vote and from what I understood it was a very emotional experience.  I know that I would have been emotional at least!  Mitzi is an incredible woman and I know that if anyone can fill in Gamaliel and Amanda's VERY big shoes both in the community and the northern church, she and Jaime will be able to do that.

I am so disappointed with my lack of PICTURE TAKING!  I can't believe that I forgot to take more pictures while there!  I even took my camera... disappointing.  But, we went to the beach and found shells and there were also four baptisms in ocean and that was just an incredible experience to be a part of!

While in Rioacha I kind of had a mini revelation on to why I have turned into SUCH an introvert (which is really not normal for me) since coming here.  While trying to talk with some of the youth in the church I had to repeat myself several times because I wasn't understood and it was very... frustrating.  I have gotten to the point where I honestly understand about 75% of all conversations (unless they are about something COMPLETELY out of left field haha).  So that is nice.  But, for some reason I am just not understood when I speak.  I'm not sure if it is my accent or my grammar.  I have heard people with thicker US accents than I think I have speak here in Colombia though and they are understood fine so I am assuming my grammar must be atrocious.  This is a difficult realization because I kind of pride myself a bit on my English grammar... so that is a new feeling.  I have decided that I need to be MUCH more intentional about learning Spanish though... oh goodness.  This has been a long journey on that front.  Spanish grammar is so much different than English grammar.  But it really really is necessary.  Bring it on Spanish.  Bring it on!

The church in Rioacha has asked me to be in the process of thinking about spending long periods of time there with them.  They are thinking about maybe one to two week stretches every two months perhaps.  They also threw out a month at a time so... we will see how everything works out.  I will for sure be praying about that and seeking out guidance!  I would definitely like to do this but they are both big time commitments haha.

One thing that I am very excited about is that I will be meeting with our new pastor sometime next week to talk more about my role in the church and what exactly my job is here and where I can be better involved.  As of right now I really only "work" about two hours every week on Saturdays while helping with the youth.  Also, during the English lessons I suppose, but those have been sparsely attended recently haha.  It will be nice to go over everything again and kind of have a new beginning.  Since returning from home I have had a renewed sense of meaning and a much clearer head.  It will be wonderful having a more concrete idea of what all I will be able to do and how to help and keep myself occupied for this next leg of my journey.

In other transitional news, I will be moving into my new apartment VERY soon!  The exact date keeps changing but I believe I will be there by the end of next week.  I am beyond excited about this new transition!  I have always been a very independent person and it will be so nice to have that bigger sense of independence of living on my own and providing for myself!  Also, the view of being on the sixth floor isn't anything to complain about either :P.

Day 119 - Feeling rested and rejuvenated

(I started writing this on... last thursday I think.  So that dating is a little off haha)
Wow.  It must have been a while since I have been here because the new layout is a little confusing.

I recently was able to go home and attend the wedding of a very very good friend, the one and only Maggie Borton, now Kalm!  Also, her now husband Jon.  It was such a special thing that I was able to make the journey home and be able to stand up for two wonderful people on their wedding day!

While home I was told by a few people that I need to get better about blogging.  Whoops.  I will try!!

Being home was just what the doctor ordered!  It was such a blessing getting to see so many friends and my family and be in a place that was 100% recognizable and familiar.  I gained new perspective and got some ideas of what I would like to do during this leg of my adventure.  Needless to say I am pretty excited about what is going to come about!  I will post a little more about that when it actually happens though.

My mom made the cake so we went and dropped it off.  We had a little bit of fun with the photobooth that was provided for the wedding festivities!

I have awesome parents!

My mom made the AWESOME cake!  She thought it looked good enough to eat haha