Colombian rides

I always enjoy seeing what kind of cars are driven in other places, and in Cali there is quite a range. You see legions of tiny cabs, smaller than the iconic Chevette, then the occasional SUV preferred by the affluent. Renualts are popular here as well as Latin American Chevrolets you’ve never seen, and a horde of motorcycles and scooters, mostly under 100 cc.

The real treasures, however, are the older cars that have made their way here and have been kept in operating condition (which is a relative term). Here are photos of two such gems we stumbled across recently (not literally):

Here is a Hudson in surprisingly good condition.

And a type of car I have never encountered before, a Zastava 1300:

Contact Information!

So now that we have an apartment and a cell phone, here is our contact info.

Jessica and Clayton Maring
Avenida 8a Norte, No. 14-35
Barrio Granada, Cali, Colombia
Sud America
Telefono Celullar: 310-452-8669

That last part is our cell number, and if you send us something it would be good to include it after the address. To call it from the states however, you would need to first dial the coutry code, 57. If you use skype, just choose the country Colombia, and it will add the country code for you.

Our apartment is a good size. A bedroom, living room, bathroom and big kitchen. Lots of windows and high ceilings make it feel bigger than it actually is. 3 locked doors stand between us and the general public, so it feels pretty safe too. It´s only 2 blocks from my school and 7 blocks from where clayt will start volunteer work on Monday (a human right organization, more on that later from him). Hope you can come visit us sometime, we would love to share this beautiful place with all of you!

Shopping for The Essentials (and I don´t mean Neal Diamond records)

Fact: Apartments in Colombia generally come two ways – fully furnished or completely empty. By completely empty I mean there is no refrigerator, stove, or even hot water heater (people don’t seem to use hot water for much beyond showering here). As the furnished apartments cost about double that of the bare apartments, we went with the latter. We were lucky enough to find a place that did have an electric hot water heater in the shower and a gas double-burner in the kitchen. And so, we have been on the streets buying the first appliances of our lives, as well as the necessary furniture. It has been a daunting process. Given our limited Spanish, the conversations have gone something like this (from our perspective, of course):


Salesperson:
Blah blah blah blah?

Us:
…We need a refrigerator.

Salesperson:
[gesturing at a much too large fridge] Blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah?

us:
[looking at each other]… did you get that? Me neither…

Salesperson:
Entiende? (Do you understand?)

us:
…No…

Salesperson:
OK. [gesturing at the much too large fridge] BLAH.. BLAH.. BLAH.. BLAH.. BLAAAH. BLAH.. BLAH.. BLAH.. BLAH.. BLAAAH. Blah blah blah blah?

us:
[with uncomfortable smiles]… ummmh… Mas pequeño por favor…

And so on, until we are sitting at a desk and they are writing a sales slip for the items we looked at. No, we are not buying said items. Salespeople here insist on writing you a sales slip so that you can bring it back if you decide to buy it (or maybe they just wanted to avoid doing this all over again next time). Given my comparison-shopping, I must have collected 20 of those slips.

You may be surprised to hear that we were able to procure all of the essentials in this manner.

An Early Birthday Gift

Last Saturday Clayton came home (we have an apartment now, more on that later) with an early birthday gift for me - a mini-pinscher puppy, and he´s just a month and a half old. He is of course one of the cutest things in the world (see photos below) and quite the charmer. When we are out and about, women of all ages flock to him and kiss him profusely. His name is Aureliano. I named him after the main character in the book 100 Years of Solitude, my favorite book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who happens to be a Colombian author. So, it seemed a fitting name. He has vaccines and papers, which means bringing him home to the states when the time comes shouldn´t be an issue.
So, here he is:

Real Quick!

So things have been very busy! We have an apartment, we have a new little puppy, my job is going well, clayton is tutoring and looking for work and studying spanish, i got a great evaluation for my first teaching observation, we are enjoying colombian food, and we´ve made a few friends! We don´t have internet at home yet so posting has been difficult. We´ll try to post pics and info about everything soon. We´re doing just fine!

Well... that´s new!

So, a couple of days ago a car bomb went off in the middle of the night. Apparently, it was pretty loud. It went off a couple of kilometers from us. We slept through it. Unfortunately, many poor people here sleep on the streets under business awnings and the overhangs of entranceways. Some of these people were sleeping in front of the justice building where the bomb went off. In terms of safety, remember this for some perspective: about seven years ago Jess and I were only a few miles from the Pentagon when it was struck by an airplane. For more, here is the Reuters article:


Four killed in suspected Colombian rebel car bomb

BOGOTA (Reuters) - At least four people were killed and around 20 more wounded by a car bomb in the Colombian city of Cali in one of the worst urban attacks this year, authorities said on Monday.

The suspected guerrilla bomb hit the local court building in Cali, near Colombia's Pacific coast where drug traffickers transport cocaine shipments north to the United States and Mexico, officials said.

"The bomb was located near the court building ... and unfortunately four people were killed," Cali Mayor Jorge Ivan Ospina told local Caracol radio.

Police said they believed FARC guerrillas were responsible for the attack.

Violence from Colombia's four-decade war has ebbed under President Alvaro Uribe, a hard-liner who has used billions of dollars in U.S. aid to send troops to drive Marxist FARC rebels back into the remote jungles and mountains.

Urban bombings are more scarce, but fighting continues in some rural areas, especially regions where coca leaf is grown to make cocaine that has helped fuel fighting.

Seven people were killed when a bomb exploded in a small town in mid August. Authorities blamed rebels who they said were retaliating against efforts to eradicate coca crops.

FARC guerrillas have been battered to their weakest in years by Uribe's U.S.-backed security campaign and several top commanders have been killed this year. But rebels remain a force in remote areas, aided by profits from drug trafficking.

(Reporting by Patrick Markey, Editing by Sandra Maler)

The adventures of Mr. Clayton

The sidewalk area on many roads is not a public sidewalk per say, but more of an extension of the building in front of it. As most buildings in our neighborhood are connected within a block, the walkways are also connected. However, each building owner appears to have the privilege of selecting the materials to construct the walkway, and of choosing the height of said walkway. This makes for a rather hazardous walk, like walking across abutting mini-plateaus. This requires vigilance. However, because we are fairly new here, we are often looking at this or that, and can be lulled into a false sense of security by any unusually long stretch of consistent walkway. This can end in tears. And then I think to myself, how can I hope to be vigilant against the terrorists if I can’t even be vigilant about the ground beneath my feat? A side note, did you know you are at a much greater risk of foot injury when wearing flip-flops? It must be true. I saw it on TV. Knowing is half the battle.

I have a sneaking suspicion that I am like Mr. Bean here. I don’t speak the language well, so I don’t say much and make a lot of dumb faces. Also, I look somewhat different. I am a bit more stout than your average Colombian. Also, Colombian men do not tend to wear shorts or baseball caps, which I wear just about every day. So, I amble around the streets, looking like the square peg, smiling and nodding dumbly, or possibly saying “Good evening” in the afternoon.

And then there are silly situations I come across where I try to help others. Sometimes it comes off; when I picked up a woman’s hair clip or pointed out a few pesos a man had dropped. Other times it is awfully Mr. Beanesque. Today, for example, I was walking down the road on my way to the grocery store. I had just had a pleasant exchange with a man that wanted to sell me “big shrimp” (I declined, but it ended amiably enough), when a brillo-type pad fell at my feet (picture Mr. Bean). This was more of an industrial abrasive pad, I guess. I look up to see a young man looking down at me. We both looked at each other for a moment. The young man three stories up, so I wasn’t sure if I could get it back up to him.

He didn’t indicate that I should, but I picked it up and gave it a perfect toss, but alas, he fumbled it and back down it came. Like a good Mr. Bean, I picked it back up and gave it another toss, this one somewhat errant. Keep in mind, we are on a busy street and I have some onlookers now. Down the pad comes. A third time, I give it a mighty toss (it takes a lot of force to throw a brillo pad up three stories), and this time it is just out of reach. On its descent, the wind catches it and pulls it into the first floor balcony. The young man gives me a “that’s OK” wave off, but I’m sure he was thinking “why didn’t I just go down and get it? I’d be back up by now.”

As I walk away, I am struck by an odor. It is coming from my throwing hand. Now don’t get too worried. It wasn’t an unpleasant odor, but rather a familiar odor: pungent, yet somehow addicting, with a faint trace of petroleum. Walking down the street I must have smelled my hand about five times (Mr. Bean-style: wrinkling my nose as I take it in, a hint of investigative tension in my furrowed brow). And then I place it and a Prustian moment washes over me: it is chrome polish. I am transported to the first thaw of spring in years gone by, when I would pull out the cleaning supplies and give my motorcycle a good scrub, then shine it to a brilliant gleam (Again, see Mr. Bean: face turned to the sky with a faraway and wistful expression).

But I am pulled back to this world in one of those all-too-human moments, when the ground under my feet deceives me: the level drops a half-foot or so, and I am sent stumbling and flailing past a busy open-air restaurant of lunchers. I do not give them the satisfaction of looking back. And I carry on…

Looks like we made it...

OK, OK… lets get the preliminaries out of the way. We arrived safely and on time in Cali, only minus a few bags. We got those Tuesday, so overall, it was a successful trip. A guy was waiting for each of us, identified by a sign with our name on it (we had separate flights due to my circuitous frequent flyer ticket). I’ve never had the guy waiting with the sign with my name on it before. I always thought I’d feel more important. I didn’t.

When I got to the hotel, Jessica was already there. You can see our temporary digs below (Jessica has an obsession with showing you foreign bathrooms; luckily for you, unoccupied). The hotel is fine, and is in a great part of town. My cooking is suffering, given the fisher price cookset I have, but I will remedy that.

Cali has a lot of palm trees and foliage, and couldn’t be less like Mongolia. It rained for two hours yesterday. I am pretty sure that is longer than the sum of all rain activity over the year and a half we were there.

Jess has a good feeling about her job. She got a warm welcome, and the school appears very organized, well-established, and well-supplied. As we speak (or as I speak, I guess) she is teaching her first class. I, on the other hand, have no job, no prospects, and no way to ask about it much (porque mi espanol es muy menor). I am enjoying strolling about during the day, doing some grocery and supply shopping, tracking down various things, and making an ass of myself while I attempt to speak Spanish.

Case in point, when people come up to me to panhandle (it appears that there are a number of homeless in the city), they often begin with a long explanation in Spanish telling why they need money (I assume). Because everyone here speaks Spanish, this is perfectly reasonable. I however, have difficulty understanding when people talk quickly, and string a lot of sentences together. For my first few days here, my stock response was “thank you… no,” instead of the “I’m sorry… no” that I had planned. This drew strange expressions from the panhandlers as they struggled to understand what I was thanking them for.

In any event, I’m sure we’ll have many stories to tell about my fumblings and bumblings in Spanish. For now, let me give you some of my quick thoughts about our new surroundings (please take them with a grain of salt, as we have only just arrived):

1. Spandex is popular among the women here, for both tops and bottoms. Tube tops are especially popular.

2. We arrived on a holiday weekend, and the city seemed calm. Now that I have seen a typical day, I can see that this is a vibrant city. Music pushes in at you from multiple directions. People flow through streets narrowed by street commerce like blood cells. I saw a student march today aimed at keeping education affordable. They chanted and marched in perfect unison, and the strength of their voices was invigorating.

3. Learning Spanish well will be difficult. Walking through the streets, attempting to transact and interact show me that it is much easier to say “I’m going to learn Spanish there” than to actually do it. Luckily, the fact that most of my job opportunities depend on it should keep the fire stoked. I think it is just easier for Jess.

4. We again find ourselves in a valley of mountains, however, unlike Ulaanbaatar, these mountains are steep and green with trees.

5. One of Jessica’s co-workers today told me that they have something like 2,500 fruits here. If we stayed here for a year, we’d have to try 6.8 fruits a day to try them all. On a side note, they do not have the 2,500 varieties of dairy that Mongolia boasts.

We’ll leave you with a few more pictures from our first few days here, and the promise of more to come.

here´s the shower head, electrical wires exposed but the water is hot so who cares?


our hotel room kitchen, nicer than our mongolian apartment kitchen!


a view from our kitchen window of a hill, 3 crosses glow all night, every night.


the bathroom - small, but oh so normal.


a view from the kitchen (no other windows in our room!) during the morning.


City streets on a holiday weekend.


Another city street with Jessica walking ahead, not wanting to stand next to the tourist taking photos.

It's been a great summer!

We leave for Colombia in 2 days. We just wanted to thank everyone who went out of their way to help us out this summer, or took the time to visit once or twice! It was great to see so many people while we were home, and I think everyone has heard enough about Mongolia for a while! :) Here are some photos of the rest of our summer - we've enjoyed all your company, and hope some of you will come visit us in warm and sunny Colombia!

here's clayton opening his birthday present - 12 hand selected specialty beers. I think he liked it!


We got to reunite with our kittens (now manly cats)! But I don't think they remembered us.


We went for an overnight visit to Virginia Beach to spend time with my sister and her family. It was great to see them, and fun to play in the ocean too!


Me with 2 of our nieces, before having a nice dinner on the boardwalk.


Me and my sister Elaine!


Clayt and Paul during the very fun DC monument bike tour, enjoying each other's company.


We went camping for a weekend at a state park in Kentucky with my brother, sister and her family. Here's me and bella hamming it up while playing frisbee.


Here's Clayt, being the ever antagonistic uncle!


Me and Hannah -- it's a rare thing to get this sort of smile on camera from her!


Here's all of us, except Bill (he was taking the picture) - Hannah, Miranda, Clayton, Jessica, Bella, Dawn, and Brian.


And lastly, we went to Annapolis last weekend to visit friends Molleda and Koy. Here we are after a few hours of singing karaoke!


We'll post again once we're settled in Cali. I start work on Tuesday and we need to start apartment hunting right away, and find a place for Clayt to take spanish lessons. So, once things are under way, we'll post with details on everything!

Congratulations Mongolia!

Here is (part of) an article from ESPN describing Mongolia's first ever olympic gold medal!

Mongolia has won its first Olympic gold medal ever with Tuvshinbayar Naidan's victory over Kazakhstan's Askhat Zhitkeyev in men's 100-kilogram judo.

Naidan, who upset defending Olympic champion Keiji Suzuki of Japan in his opening bout, scored a waza ari with just under two minutes remaining, then added on two yuko to seal the victory Thursday in Beijing.
Azerbaijan's Movlud Miraliyev took bronze by scoring a waza ari over Poland's Przemyslaw Matyjaszek. The second bronze went to Henk Grol of the Netherlands, who defeated Georgia's Levan Zhorzholiani.

Naidan, 24, who switched to judo in 2000, used a traditional Mongolian wrestling technique to humble Suzuki in their opening bout, and then trounced Zhitkeyev in the final.

"There are no words that can describe my happiness," Naidan said. "After winning this gold my first thought is to thank my parents, my coach and all the people who have supported me in the past."

While not lacking in skill or technique, the burly Mongolian achieved success largely through his brute strength and determination.

After arrogantly throwing Suzuki off the tatami for ippon and automatic victory, Naidan bullied, barged and bruised his way to the final, where a hapless Zhitkeyev was the victim of three scoring throws.

Mongolia, wedged between Russia and China, has a population of only about 3 million. It is probably best known as the home of 13th century warrior Genghis Khan.

Zhitkeyev's silver gave Kazakhstan its first judo medal, and added to an already impressive haul by central Asian athletes.

"This medal has been a long time coming for my country … And now there it is. I am thrilled and happy," Zhitkeyev said.

Our First Month...

...We'll be staying at a hotel close to my school. Here is a link to the hotel website, and the contact information (address and hotel phone number) are on the site: http://devgroupcolombia.com/clients/sunriver/index.html

And here is a link to the school's website: http://www.colomboamericano.edu.co/

Cali, Colombia

Here's a map of Colombia, so you can see where we'll be living next! We will be leaving on August 16th. We'll be living in Cali, which is the third largest city in the country, and about an 8 hour drive from the capital city, Bogota.


If you want to read all about Cali to know more about what we're getting ourselves into, check out the info on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cali
We will keep this blog going rather than start a new one. So keep checking back!

We left just before it all hit the fan....

Here is an article about what's been going on in Ulaanbaatar this week.



ULAN BATOR, Mongolia (AFP) - Mongolian President Nambariin Enkhbayar declared Tuesday a four-day state of emergency as protestors went on the rampage in the capital claiming that weekend elections were rigged.

"From 11:30 pm (1530 GMT) on Tuesday there will be a four-day state of emergency," said a presidential decree read out on state television.

The decree warned that anyone caught on the streets after the 10:00 pm curfew without documentation would be arrested. Public gatherings and independent media broadcasts were also banned.

The action came after thousands of people took to the streets of the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator on Tuesday to voice their outrage at weekend elections they claim were rigged.

The headquarters of the former communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) in the centre of Ulan Bator was set alight and looted, according to an AFP reporter and other witnesses at the scene.

Some of an estimated 6,000 protesters from the rival Democratic Party -- which claims the MPRP bought votes and used other tactics to win Sunday's election -- threw rocks at firefighters arriving to put out the blaze.

Police responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas but the clashes continued and the violence later spread to other parts of the capital.

A police station was attacked when protesters attempted to free rioters imprisoned earlier in the day.

Part of the Cultural Palace, which contains an art gallery, a museum and a theatre, was on fire early Wednesday as violence continued despite the emergency decree.

TV images showed riot police around the Cultural Palace apparently arresting people and firing rubber bullets in an attempt to secure the area. Later images appeared to show the situation was calmer.

Early reports said 30 policemen and 25 civilians had been injured.

A European photographer said he was been beaten by police when he attempted to take photographs of police violence.

Politics in Mongolia, a country of 2.6 million people sandwiched between China and Russia, has a recent history of turmoil and disputes, but such violence is rare.

The technically neutral President Enkhbayar -- previously with the MPRP -- summoned Prime Minister Sanjagiin Bayar and all opposition party leaders to an emergency security meeting earlier on Tuesday.

At the meeting, broadcast live on the privately run Eagle television, the MPRP-affiliated Bayar renewed his calls for restraint while blaming the Democrats for inciting the rioters after losing the elections.

Democrat leader Tsakhia Elbegdorj countered that MPRP corruption had prompted the riots and torching of the party's headquarters.

Before the unrest erupted, Elbegdorj said bluntly that "illegal activities" had robbed the Democrats of victory.

"This was a dark moment in the history of Mongolia," he added.

The MPRP, which ruled for decades under the protection of the former Soviet Union, says it won 45 seats in the 76-seat Great Hural while the Democrats have reportedly won 21 seats.

The General Election Committee has yet to make a formal announcement on the ballot.

"This election was run by one party. It is a false election," one of the protesters, Galsan-Namjillin Sukhbaatar, told AFP outside the MPRP headquarters.

Another protester, Enkhamgalan Dorjsuren, 34, said: "The people have come here to fight for their freedom."

The MPRP ruled Mongolia from its independence from the Chinese in 1921 until 1996, when it was beaten in elections by the Democratic Party.

In 2004, Mongolia's last general election, the MPRP and the Democrats were forced into a coalition that produced three different prime ministers.

The instability held up economic reforms and shook investor confidence, but the nation's economy still grew by 9.9 percent last year thanks largely to its vast deposits of copper and gold.

Enjoying Family and Friends

Some highlights since we've been home...
and our phone number is 202-527-8762.

Clayton with Linda (my mom)

me with my big brother Kenny.

My nephew and nieces, Nelson, Sara and Rachel.

The Whole Gang, my brother's family.

Me and my mom in Rochester

Bruce, prior to a frantic outbreak of hot-dog cooking.

Brett and his uncle at Wing Night at The Office in Kennedy, NY.

Clayt and Me, happy to be home.

Uncle Spencer, Grandma Pat and Clayton.

Zach enjoying a hot-dog.

We're Home!

For those of you who actually read this blog and have been checking for a new post, sorry it has been so long. Right now we're in Rochester and will be heading to DC on Saturday. The trip home was long, but we made it home safely and our first american meal was at a Denny's at 3 in the morning - delicious! We have been surprised by some things and less impressed with others... We thought it would be difficult to control the amount of fast food and junk food we eat, but it has been surprisingly easy. We thought we would love to hear everyone speaking English, but we simply find it distracting, whereas in Mongolia the speaking around us was always just background noise. We've been pleased with the roads, the beds, the dryer machines and the public libraries. I was shocked when I saw the size of the produce, it seems (is?) unnatural... When we get a cell phone number we'll post it, and then it's up to you to give us a call! We're here only for a short while before heading off to the next adventure... We will post a few photos soon.

Short and Long Term Future

Well we've got only 18 days left here in Mongolia. Due to the hand-foot-and-mouth disease outbreak (which has now infected over 1,000 people) I taught only 6 out of 32 hours last week, and will do the same this week and next week. It's kind of a bummer, as we wanted to be able to say goodbye to the little students.

So, we'll be in NY for 2 weeks visiting, and then we head down to DC for all of July and August. We will work, try to save money, and try to have a little fun too. Then at the end of August, we will move to Colombia where I have a teaching job waiting for me, and Clayt will find something either before we go or once we're down there. We look forward to the change in climate and diet!

And of course, we look forward to seeing all of you very soon as well!

Hand-foot-mouth disease hits Mongolia again

The government here has cancelled classes for grades K-2 for this entire week, and up to grade 5 for today. We will find out more tonight, as they will make an announcement on TV. Things certainly are never dull here! Below is an article about the situation:

Hand-foot-mouth disease hits Mongolia again
Monday, 12 May 2008
Deputy Prime Minister Enkhbold is heading an emergency committee to deal with the issue of nearly 200 suspected cases throughout Mongolia, including the capital Ulaanbaatar. Elementory schools have suspended their classes for Monday and several public events have been canceled.
The first case was reported last Thursday and since than the General Authority for Emergency Management (GAEM) has seen a rapid increase.

Disease Characteristics by the Community Health Administration
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is usually characterized by tiny blisters on the inside of the mouth and the palms of the hands, fingers, soles of the feet. It is commonly caused by coxsackievirus A16 (an enterovirus), and less often by other types of viruses.Young children are primarily affected, but it may be seen in adults. Most cases occur in the summer and early fall. Outbreaks may occur among groups of children especially in child care centers or nursery schools. Symptoms usually appear 3 to 5 days after exposure.
People can spread the disease when they are shedding the virus in their feces. It is also spread by the respiratory tract from mouth or respiratory secretions (such as from saliva on hands or toys). The virus has also been found in the fluid from the skin blisters. The infection is spread most easily during the acute phase/stage of illness when people are feeling ill, but the virus can be spread for several weeks after the onset of infection.
The rash appears as blisters or ulcers in the mouth, on the inner cheeks, gums, sides of the tongue, and as bumps or blisters on the hands, feet, and sometimes other parts of the skin. The skin rash may last for 7 to 10 days.

It's been a long time...

..since we've posted any photos! So below are a bunch. We've been so busy lately, and now time is just flying by. Clayton was hired as a consultant by Mercy Corps for a month-long project, which is really good for his resume and wallet! I took on a second job as a private tutor, and am enjoying the good amount of cash-in-hand that it provides me with. I also had another trip to the Mongolian hospital, this time for 5 days because of kidney trouble. Things are ok now. Since our last post, we have had 2 school picnics, a Mongolian Day at school, 2 going away parties for friends, 2 snowstorms, were on a Mongolian kids TV show, and I met with my students from CNCF one last time. So, here's what you haven't seen yet:
Enjoying the sea-saw

Meaghan and I on her last night in Mongolia!

A good-looking group of Americans living in Mongolia!

My last day of teaching with the students at CNCF.

Clayt and I on Mongolian Day at school, that's Clayt's own Deel, mine I borrowed from my friend Rachel.

Clayt with a khazakh student.

Me and the Tenth Grade Girls.

Purevdorj and Ariguun.

Here we are with our e-tickets home on the day we bought them. Can you tell we're excited?

Clayt teaching the boys how to play american football. It was an interesting game to watch, lots of touchdowns.

Me in front of a camel who looks unhappy about being tied to a rock.

On the set of the TV show "Let's Sing Together" which is hosted by 2 friends of ours. Once our episodes air on, they should be on youtube and we'll post a link.

This is our building's elevator. Cozy, smelly, and unpredictable!

Lastly, here is a photo of what the toilets look like here. We don't have these in the states, but here they are what are used in most public places and schools. I think it took me the first 6 months to get used to them, and I still don't like to use them. Notice the handle on the back wall to turn on water which acts like a flusher, but sometimes the water isn't running... notice also the ribbed sides for foot traction. Notice also the lack of toilet paper.