Last weekend we went to a friend's house to show him how to make lasagna the "american" way. He and his family were all impressed with clayton's cooking skills. And as if they weren't impressed enough, we sang karaoke after dinner and clayt blew them away with his heartfelt rendition of "My Way." Here are some pictures from the fun.
.... the US Embassy sends you an email like this:
U.S. EMBASSY
BOGOTA
WARDEN MESSAGE
March 20, 2009
The United States Embassy is sending this Warden Message to remind
American citizens traveling to or residing in Colombia that Bogota and
other parts of the country remain a high threat environment for
terrorism and crime. This month is the first anniversary of what the
FARC is calling "Black March", which marks the deaths of three senior
FARC leaders in March 2008. While the Embassy possesses no information
concerning specific and credible threats against Americans in Colombia,
Americans traveling or residing here are strongly encouraged to continue
to exercise caution and remain vigilant.
American citizens and U.S. interests remain targets for terrorists and
criminal elements. All U.S. citizens are encouraged to exercise
caution. All official and personal travel outside of Bogota by Embassy
personnel is subject to review. In addition, the Embassy advises all
American personnel to avoid areas where foreigners are known to
congregate. Throughout Colombia, Embassy personnel are prohibited from
taking mass transit (e.g., public and private buses, metros, etc.) and
frequenting outside cafes and street-side exterior dining areas. The
Embassy strongly advises all Americans to refrain from using mass
transit as well.
U.S. citizens in Colombia should be proactive in taking security
precautions. They should vary their travel routes and the times of
their arrivals and departures, and remain aware of their surroundings.
U.S. citizens in Colombia should avoid large public gatherings or
demonstrations.
For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should
regularly monitor the Department's Internet web site at
http://travel.state.gov
Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts can be found. Up to
date information on security can also be obtained by calling
1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States, or, for callers outside
the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.
These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time,
Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). American citizens
traveling or residing overseas are encouraged to register with the
appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate on the State Department's travel
registration website at https://travelregistration.state.gov
In case of an emergency, please contact the Consular Section at the
Embassy in Bogota, Carrera 45, # 24B-27, Bogota, D.C., Colombia.
Emergency telephone contact may be made 24 hours a day at (571)
315-0811.
One of the things that makes living here so nice is the people we meet. So, here are a few photos of our friends and us, enjoying good times together!
Here I am with some of my co-workers from the Colombo Americano. Andres, Me, Alejandro, and Carla (the boys are Colombian, and Carla is from Taiwan, and happens to live right next door to us!)
Here are Juan and Clayt, moving our game of RISK, so we can eat the delicious dinner his mom cooked for us. We were at his apartment for the night to meet his mother, who was visiting from Bogota.
Here are Ximena and I, at a nightclub called LuLu's. Ximena is also a volunteer at the Defensoria with Clayton, they work on a lot of projects together. She is the one who invited us for the Calbagata, and to celebrate New Year's with her family.
Me and Alejandro, a co-worker from the Colombo, who has the best English i have ever heard from someone who has never been to the States!
Clayton with his co-workers, the Defensor - Andres, and Ximena, out for a night interview that just turned into a night of fun.
Clayton and Juan - apparently Juan did or said something very funny! Colombians have great senses of humor, it's nice to be around people who always make you laugh!
We have finally figured out the secret to uploading pictures successfully! So, hopefully that means we will be posting more regularly again.
About a month ago I started a volunteer job at an orphanage called Casita de Belen. It houses about 40 young orphans (children who are left on the doorstep, some as young as 7 days old, and other children who are removed from their families because of abuse). During the day they also have a school program for children from very poor families. The children are there for the school day, get lunch and snacks, and after-school care until their parents can pick them up. The place is swarming with children. I go on fridays, my day off from my regular job, and help with the babies, play with the kids, and teach 2 hours of English lessons. The kids are so warm, so loving, so eager to hug you. It's been a great experience so far. So, I was telling my one class of students (at my regular job at Colombo) about my experience, and they were interested in helping. So, they came with me twice, to help with giving lessons to the kids, and to visit with the little ones. I think it was a nice experience for my students and the kids as well.
Here's one of my students, Natalia, with one of the little ones.
Me with a little guy who liked to touch my face!
Snack time!
This little one wanted to be held a LOT, cried whenever we put her down, which is of course understandable, and sad.
Another shot of snack time.
Reviewing the english names for animals with the grade 3 students.
My student Diego with his group, playing a memory game i made for the kids.
Then, this past weekend, we were invited to go to the "finca" of the family who founded Casita de Belen. A finca is like a summer house, outside the city where people go to spend the day on the weekends. This finca was pretty impressive, with a large main house, 3 smaller cabins for staff and etc., and a stable for 17 pure-bred horses, seen below.
Here we are in the front yard, enjoying the rare opportunity to have our photo taken together!
Here I am in front of the house, enjoying the view. There were beuatiful flowers everywhere you looked, and an amazing view of the mountains.
Here we are horseriding! The horses were tall and strong, and a little willful, which made it a little scary for me... but we enjoyed it nonetheless, and had good company too, as the people we were riding with have been riding horses for over 13 years!
Some of the beautiful flowers around the house.
There were 3 baby horses born within the last month, and this was one of them!
Another picture of the vast array of flowers around the grounds.
And, lastly, a current event that wasn't so fun. About 11 days ago I was walking past clayton in the kitchen, and hit my foot against his heel in passing. Hurt pretty bad but we thought it was probably just bruised. 9 days later when it still hadn't improved much, I finally went to the doctor to get x-rays. They confirmed I had broken it, and ordered me to stay at home off my feet for 8 days. So, no going to work for me this week! Unfortunately, I didn't help it heal much in those 9 days before going to the doctor - i thought it would just get better, and was trying a little tough love, trying to do things like normal - going running twice, and even out for a night of salsa dancing... apparently not the best thing to do for a broken toe...
So, here i am at home self-medicating with ice on my foot and a glass of wine!
