Bags of ketchup!

Different blog post

I'm sure by now you can tell, Bogota is different! Love it, but it is different.
The city is big, the people are slow, the air is cool, and the streets smell like delicious meat/ trash all at the same time.
I wanted to dedicate one blog post to all the differences in Bogota. Well, not ALL the differences but all the ones that I find humorous. 

#1: THE CONDIMENTS!

Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING comes in a bag here! Ketchup (or salsa de tomate), mayonnaise, jelly, milk... all comes in a bag!

BTW one friend, one of your gifts is a bag of ketchup. I know ketchup is your favorite, and you want something Colombian..so BAM. perfect gift. 









#2: THE SOAP!

Every single time I go to wash a dish, wash my hands, wash SOMETHING, I always see a bucket of soap! Sometimes it's blue, green, or pink. Personally, i like the pink one...it smells like bubble gum!












#3: (this is just in our apartment, but still different) WASHING DISHES!

The sink in our apartment does not work all that well. So, to prevent flooding in the kitchen, we have to make sure all the water goes into this bucket. Once the bucket fills up we have to take the water and pour it down the toilet. fun huh?
Now, it is annoying BUT it also makes me realize how much water we waste! Instead of letting the water run and run and run while we hand wash the dishes, we have to constantly turn it off so the bucket doesn't fill up so quickly. It's great for the economy!

I'm sure we also save a lot of water because we only have one working shower in this apartment. ONE shower, and 13 (up to 17) volunteers! The hot water works for about 1 minute...if you are lucky :)  But hey, clean is clean! I am grateful for the cold shower, soap, and my clean soft towel. 
#4. THE SUGAR!

Brown sugar. everywhere i look. so sad.

OK, not really sad. I'm just being a weenie and I want white american sugar!
You know, since I am on the subject of food... everything here just taste a little different. The ketchup, the bread, the coffee, the sugar, the meat, THE CHEESE! I think it's because it is all fresh and isn't processed. America sure does like to process the crap out of their food. So I suppose i shouldn't be complaining. I am eating pretty darn healthy here.


But i sure do miss fat.


#5. THE SIDEWALKS.
No pic. But just imagine a death trap everywhere you turn! My poor friend Lupe had already hurt his ankle on the dangerous mountain, now he has to watch his every step on the sidewalks! I would say the streets are safer to walk on but the taxis here don't care if they hit you. THEY LITERALLY SPEED UP WHEN YOU ARE IN THE STREET! They really need to find a new hobby.

#6. MONEY MONEY MONEY
I have never seen so many people asking for money in my whole life. You walk down the street, someone asking for money. You get in a taxi, someone puts an item (like candy) on the window so that you buy it before the light turns red and they have to get out of the way. You get on the bus, someone gets on and makes a speech about needing money.
Even though I cant understand their speech about needing money (because it's obviously in Spanish) I do get annoyed! But then, my social worker side thinks "maybe they really do need money and would it be so bad to give them 1,000 pesos" I am such a conflicted soul!
What gets me the most is the kids begging for money. Three occasions now I have had a child come up to me, say this sad little speech in spanish, and give me the saddest look. Then I look across the street and see the parent just watching. IT MAKES ME SO MAD! #1, get your own money! #2 so dangerous for your child #3 its 9:00 at night, your child should have a full belly, in bed, getting ready for school the next day! ggrrrrrrrrrrrrr

#7. RANCH
Is it too much for a girl from Texas to get some delicious ranch for her french fries or pizza :(
Seriously Colombia, I'll even eat it if it came in a bag!

#8. LOVE
People here are  A LOT slower than Americans. At times, my American side does come out and I want to hurry up! But, is it so bad to slow down? no. its not.
People here take longer lunches, have longer conversations, and walk a little slower. It's nice.
They also know how to give a great hug and a kiss on the cheek. I feel like if I went home and started kissing people on the cheek I would end up with a court date for sexual harassment.

#9.  WEATHER
I think I am in love with the weather here. No wonder people are slow, it feels great outside!!!!

#10 EATING
Even though I have complained about the food, I have to admit it is good and healthier for me. They don't fry everything under the sun. They don't put 10 pounds of cheese on everything. I have not found any sort of sweet tea. I go down the chip aisle and only see about 10 types of chips instead of 100. It is a pretty simple life here. Fresh fruit, veggies, chicken, potatoes, and rice!

Another looksie around the apartment:

By Sunday night, every volunteer has to write what projects they will be at during the week. I am #2, and as you can see... i love Hogar :) 

A map of Bogota with a mark of all our placements. The address is written down for each project, so if you are super white (like me) you can just write down the address to give to the taxi driver. Sometimes if you sound too American they might try and take advantage of you. Although, handing someone a piece of paper sends an "American" message too. DANG IT, i cant win. Anywho, I like taking the bus anyways. Its cheaper, less bumpy, and easier to get lost and make for great blog stories. 

Dish Duty! Every week day, for breakfast and dinner, there are two people assigned to clean dishes. 

View of the living room. This is where we hang out in the evenings. I love the window, it has the best view for sunset! 

This is the view from my room. That is an attorneys office and I think some of them should just live there! They are always working! They get to work around 8 and I swear most of them do not go home until around 8 or 9:00. (BTW, its 10:30 right now and i still see about 6 people working) Even though they work a lot I know they get a good view of the volunteers sometimes. Personally, I have changed once or twice, forgetting the blinds were not shut....ops. My roommates have been caught doing work outs in the room. Other volunteers have been caught dancing around the living room. So great.

So see, some differences. Some I like, some I could live without...but all around a great experience. I will defiantly appreciate my water more when I go home. I'll try not to kiss people. I will thank the city of Irving for making safe sidewalks and crosswalks. But, I'll also remind people to slow down and enjoy a conversation. Maybe even give out more free hugs :) 

That's all for now! 

ADIOS AMIGOS!

Museums and Cotton Candy!

MUSEUM DAY

September already!?!

I cannot believe it is September! Time is really flying by.
Yesterday in the volunteer house, I experienced my first round of "newbies." 4 new people in the apartment and that means,  I AM NO LONGER A NEW PERSON. 
It really is a great feeling to actually know what you are doing (or pretend that you do)


Now I feel like a real Colombian. Ok, that's taking it a bit far, but I do feel more comfortable here.

Saturday I was as lazy as anyone could ever be.
I literally stayed in my sweat pants until 4:00. Ate popcorn for lunch and caught up on my television shows. BEST.DAY.EVER.

That night, me and 2 other volunteers decided that we needed a pasta night! We cooked some spaghetti and I made meatballs. Now, I didn't have all the ingredients that I would normally have at home but they came out pretty darn good! Go Erika.

Sunday I decided it was time to stop being a bum!
A group of us went to the Gold Museum because it's free on Sundays... who doesn't like a free activity!

The museum turned out to be pretty neat. Lots of gold shiny objects, history, and culture. Between all the emeralds and gold, I can see why so many people love Bogota :) 

After the Gold museum, we went back to the Plaza because the newbies wanted to check it out. Even though I had already seen it, the experience was very different on a Sunday.  A lot of vendors, people, and food! Not as many pigeons this time, so there was no "round 2 of giving Erika a mild heart attack"

So many issues in Texas and in Bogota :) 
I like these pictures, it shows that I am still being Erika. It's been 3 weeks, I think it's time to let these volunteers know that I'm a little cray cray.

After eating pure sugar and my mini photo shoot, it was time to see another museum.

 Botero Museum 

- Fernando Botero is a famous figurative artist.

Mona Lisa

                                                                                   Nakey lady

Ew... bananas. 

This was my favorite painting, it made me giggle. I want to go home, get some paint, and make one for myself !

Today was a great day in Bogota!

Being away from home is hard at times, but having great volunteers around me has made my experience much easier!

We are all stuck in this apartment together, volunteering everyday together, eating meals together, washing dishes together, and actually having conversations at night because we have no television to watch.

In college, I was never the person that got involved in too much. I didn’t join a sorority or attend football games. I only got involved once I entered the social work program because it ended up being more like a family.

That’s how this experience feels.

Some people are only here for a week, others for 8 months, but we all pull together and make everyone feel like they are entering a home. No one gets left out or pushed to the side.

It doesn’t take long and you can start to really be yourself, make fun of each other, and tell your roommate that you have to fart.

It’s a pretty great volunteer family J

ADIOS AMIGOS

I miss food.

I miss America...
I've decided that I will always live in Texas. Why? BECAUSE:

- Ranch dressing
- Dr. Pepper
- Waffle House
- Snuffers
- Cheese itz

My non-fatty reasons: 

- Smiles on the street
- Big hair
- English
- The SUN
- fried pickles (OK another fatty reason, but oh well... i love food)

Because of these reasons, and more, another volunteer and I decided to have "American Mondays"
Every Monday we eat American food!

Don't get me wrong, the food here in Colombia is great! It's defiantly different from what I am used to eating at home and is making me branch out and try new things. But, I just need some grease in my life. I need to be a fatty and have something fried and delicious in my mouth.


Our first Monday = PAPA JOHNS PIZZA!

I cannot describe the happiness my heart felt while eating this pizza...but I'm going to try:

- It was better than smelling a rose

- It was better than finding $5 in your pocket 

- It was better than winning a game of Monopoly 

- It was better than seeing a baby smile  

See, so much happiness in just one slice of pizza. (OK i had two slice, but you get the point!) 

Next American Monday will be great, i just know it! 

My favorite place in Bogota:

(The orphanage) 

I cannot describe how much i love this little place! So far, in Bogota, I have done so many projects and they have all been great; but there is something about this place that has my heart.

I love that when you walk in the kids just run to you! They have so much love and want so much attention. In a way, I can see how it is sad. They don't have a mom, dad, sister, or brother to shower them with love and attention so they have to get it from another source.

The staff at the orphanage does a great job at giving positive attention to these kids but there are so many kids that I'm sure they want/need more!

It does make me reflect on my own life growing up. Always having a mom to hug every morning, or a dad to talk to when I needed advice. A grandmother that gave me more love and affection than anyone could ask for. It's sad to think any child has to grow up without that. You look at these kids and think "why would anyone not want you!"
I think I might come back with like 10 kids. I just love them all.


Tutoring 
Our Englishes classes, to the kids who are getting adopted, are going AMAZINGLY WELL! These kids are so bright and eager to learn! The biggest trick to learning English (or any subject in school) is to make it fun!

Twister helps the kids learn right from left, and colors in English. PLUS, it's just a fun game :)

                                             



                                                  Guess Who helps them learn colors, parts of the face, and asking questions in English. We play this almost every time we see the kids, they love it! (you can also turn the card around and play with animals)

GO FISH alphabet version!
This, obviously, helps the kids learn their alphabet in English and each letter had a word with it. So it expands their English vocabulary. I don't want to brag, but I won the first game.

Why I also love Hogar

Not only are the great kids great, but they have the BEST bakery in the whole world!

I think my favorite desserts have come out of this little place :) 

Once we are done tutoring, we will pop into the bakery and see if Veronica (the baker) needs any help cooking, cleaning, or taste testing. Veronica speaks English pretty well, so we are able to communicate with her easily. On Thursday, August 30th, it was doughnut making day! Of course we stopped by to help! 

I think we did a pretty great job! They were delicious, of course.

Next week at Hogar, I will help tutor and also start teaching a kindergarten class. I will work on teaching them numbers in English. I am very excited to work with my favorite age group!! 

5 weeks left!

I am starting to really love it here in Bogota! (These pics I stole from a volunteer, stolen pics are the best!)

 The food is good, the people are nice (well most of them), and the weather is fantastic! 

I do have my moments of weakness, and I start to really miss my family and friends. I wish my tiny one friend could box herself up and come down here with me. She is so small and white, but I know we would have so much fun! I think about how my boyfriend would hate the food because he would need more flavor, but would love the view of the mountains and city. Plus all the art work everywhere :)
I want everyone to join in this experience with me! I guess that's why I try to be so detailed and honest in my blog; I want everyone to feel like they are here with me! So by the way, if you have any questions feel free to ask! :)


 I have never lived on my own or been away from family longer than a week. So this experience really is brand new to me!
It's funny, you start to miss the little things about home..things you don't think about missing until you don't have it!
Like: 
- Having ketchup in a bottle (every condiment here comes in a bag...so great)
- Toilet paper! (I have to pay for toilet paper if I am at a public bathroom! -_- )
- Using as much water as you want to wash dishes. (Colombians know how to conserve water!)
-HEAT (its so cold in the apartment sometimes!!!)
- Driving ( I miss driving so much! I want to just get in a car, and drive!)
- Using American money (I miss using a penny)

But, on the other hand, I am gaining more life experience than I could have ever hoped for. The future social worker inside of me is just jumping with joy! I think taking a break from school to come here and get a "hands on" experience was a FANTASTIC idea... i do not regret it!

I have about 5 weeks left here in Bogota, the time really is flying by!

Within these next few weeks I will:
- visit a Colombian jail
- visit blind children
- teach a class on my own
- continue tutoring
-help with a painting project at the orphanage
- more site seeing and visit museums!

I AM EXCITED!

ADIOS AMIGOS!

When Erika tries to be adventurous...

Driving 4 hours away seemed like a fun weekend getaway...

Having a weekend away seemed like a great idea! Get fresh air, learn more about the Colombian culture, see beautiful waterfalls, put some emeralds in my pocket and eat local food. 

For people that are reading this blog that do not know me very well, or not know me at all, I am not one to sign up for an outdoor activity. I like air conditioning, I like television, I like to be inside. 

BUT, when in Colombia, do as the Colombians do. 

I mean, so far I have done a great deal that is outside of my comfort zone: 

- walking long distances

- talking to old people

- giving hugs

- letting nuns kiss my face

- eating beans and eggs with every meal

- getting mugged and continuing with my trip

- pretending i know Spanish when all i can really say is "hello my name is Erika and I have no idea what you are saying" 

SEE, so brave! 

Why not leave the city, go up in the mountains, and experience the real Colombia. 

WELL I'M GOING TO TELL YOU WHY IT'S A BAD IDEA...

Let's start off with the 5 am bus ride. -_-
When a Colombian person says "the bus leaves at 5 am" what they really mean is "the bus will leave at 6:30" Apparently there is this thing called "Colombian time" which means, "we do things 1-2 hours later"

OK, in America we rush rush rush. So slowing down a bit to smell the roses isn't too bad.
We also ended up getting lost a couple of times which made me feel very uncomfortable... being lost, in the mountains! So bad.

The positive side: 
The bus ride to our destination was BEAUTIFUL.

It's nice to see so much GREEN! Back in Texas I am only used to seeing brown and yellow grass. Not in Bogota! It's the real deal :)








After a few hours of a bumpy drive, we arrived at this huge waterfall! We were served breakfast and then given about 30 minutes to explore the waterfall.
It was raining and really cold, so I did not get in the water! But other people that were on the trip dove right in! I just enjoyed looking at the waterfall and taking pictures...again, it was just beautiful!



^ People getting read to jump in!

After the waterfall, we headed out to the emerald mines of Bogota! Again, it was a very bumpy ride and at times the driver would get so close to the edge of the mountain I was sure we were going to slide off and die!
(Do not be alarmed, we did not slide off and die... I could not write this beautiful blog right now if we did)

We could not take our bus all the way to the emerald mines because the road was too small, so we ended up taking different cars to the mines. The driver got turned around a couple of times but I just sat back and thought to myself "this is why i love my GPS or Google maps"

When we finally arrived at the mines, only a certain amount of people could go in so we had to take turns. While i waited, I did notice that I was no  longer in the city.

Mountains, pigs, and chickens, OH MY. 

Side note:  I also realized, "HEY, im going to get sick because my nose hates fresh air, it needs polluted city air!"











 About an hour into taking pictures of the chickens, it was time to see emerald mines!
 FYI: When preparing for this weekend, the coordinator did say, "prepare for a dirty weekend"

Well, after walking in mud and poop, I decided they should have told us, "prepare to feel like you haven't showered in 3 weeks." BIG difference.

Doesn't this bridge look questionable! I was so scared to walk across it!
Erika's brain:
- how old is it
- what kind of wood is this
- how much weight can it hold
- is it possible to survive the fall if it breaks





Ok, so I'm tired, hungry, wet (from it raining ALL DAY), smelly and muddy. (Plus a little bored from looking at chickens for an hour.)
But it's OK! I am about to go into a mine and get a really great experience.

(Sorry to ruin the end of my story, but this is the most exciting thing I saw at the mines.....)

Want to know why my face went from this (left pic) to this................... > 

because this is all I saw:

 

Water, darkness, and questionable smells.

Alright, maybe I am being a bit of a baby. Being inside the earth is pretty cool, and at one point we did have to turn off all our lights and stand in the complete darkness. But when I hear "emerald mines" I WANT TO SEE SOMETHING SHINY! Just a little glimmer of something.... even if its fake!
Do as the Americans do: take peoples money, throw some glitter on the wall, and give people a good show. Maybe when we get to the end of the mine, have fake bats chase us out and think we are going to get eaten alive! Dramatic? Ok, maybe a little :)

 Just so you all know,  I looked soooooo good on Saturday!

My hair, my orange looking skin, my dirty clothes. I could have seriously found myself a second boyfriend. (Just kidding john)

After my "exciting" trip to the emerald mines, we took another car ride to a different part of the mountain. we were dropped off, told to walk about 20 minutes down a path, and we would come up to a farm where lunch was being served. (Just so you know, it was about 5:30... that is not lunch time, but I suppose it's Colombian lunch time)

A 20 minute walk... HA HA. More like 40 minutes! In the mud, rocks, dirt, and I think more poop. Down big hills, up big hills, through questionable grass and plants.When we finally saw the farm, our hungry eyes focused on the prize of lunch, one of my fellow volunteers (lupe) rolled his ankle :(   I KNEW those rocks and mud were a accident waiting to happen. He should really take Bogota to court. 

But, on the plus side, he rode a horse back to the car... so he has a great story to blog about now! 

Anywho, the farm: 

 It's about how I imagined it.
Cows, chickens, dirt, and a roof so you dont get wet.

 A Colombian tamale

When I hear the word "tamale" I think of a delicious Mexican treat that is full of meat, chicken, and/or beans. Well, I was very wrong to expect that when I arrived at the farm. The picture to the left is what was put in front of me. It's a giant corn husk and when you open it, it's full of rice,beans,egg, potato, chicken, and beef. Basically like a giant plate of food put into a husk and warmed up.
A few things: 
- I LOVE chicken. Ask anyone, I would eat chicken everyday if I could. But when you have chickens walking around you while you eat their cousin... it takes the joy out of eating.
- My food CANNOT touch on a regular plate at home, so it was REALLY  hard to eat food that is all mixed up in a corn husk thing. But I am trying to not be picky and always have an open mind. trying is the key word.
- my dinner = 3 boiled potatoes. (one that was in my tamale and two I stole from Lupe) and about 3 bites of the meat.

After we ate "lunch" it was time to walk back to the bus and head to the little town of Chivor. When we arrived I was SO TIRED and very excited to see what my "home stay" would be like!
Not to be a negative Nancy.... but my home stay was a home fail!
Let me paint you a picture: 

Me and another volunteer walk with one of the coordinators of the trip (not a lady involved with my volunteer program, this is a lady who is with the weekend trip) and we end up at a store/house (family owns a store and their house is in the back.) The coordinator talks to the family for a while, asking if it's OK that we stay at their house. I was under the impression that these people already knew we were coming.. NOPE. So after a couple of odd looks from this family, they agree that we can stay. We are put into a back room, with a bunk bed, smelly sheets, and off to bed we go.

Ok, my positive side:
- so kind for the family to let us stay! if some lady came to my house asking if two girls could stay the night, i would say "NO NO NO they cannot!"
-Luckily, other volunteers had a pleasant home stay and those families were expecting them. I guess I just don't have the best of luck on this trip!


That's about all the positive notes I have. When you shower under a pipe, and sleep on questionable sheets.. your positive outlook on life and sunshine smiles just go out the window.

I swear this blog is almost done....

The next morning the two of us woke up, got dressed, and awkwardly walked out the door.
We headed to the center of the town to set up our "American presentation"
That's right. American presentation.

According to the head coordinator of this project, the people of Chivor do not know much about America, or any other place that is not Bogota.

Presentations: 
New Zealand and Australia (two volunteers that went on the trip are from New Zealand and one volunteer on the trip is from Australia) They had a great set up! Maps, pictures, facts, and Vegemite! (I was brave and tried Vegemite... -_- )

America: 

Presenting America is harder than you would think! We are so diverse in food, fashion, and culture. We have everything! It really is great. ( I MISS HOME!)
I think our little presentation came out pretty good. We only had about 1 1/2 days to put this together, so I would give the American team an A+

The hit of our presentation: 
One of our fellow volunteers had a friend come with her for the weekend and he looked a lot like our Presidente! So Lupe decided to put a sign on him, give him a flag, and take photos with people. They loved it!
(He also decided to give out free american hugs since we didn't cook anything)

< American Hug


            Barack Obama >
So great.

My fellow volunteers who came on this Colombian mountain adventure! 

The end... 

Overall, I paid for an experience.

I NOW KNOW: 
- Erika does not belong outside in the mud
- Erika wants American food
- Erika likes being on time
- Erika will need physical therapy when she gets home
- Erika is a weanie

BUT ALSO,

Colombia is beautiful. The people, the view, the culture. They have about half of what I am used to having at home and yet, they still have this beautiful view on life. I think America is such a great country but also very spoiled. I bet about 90% of the population has no idea of whats outside the USA. 

I think I'll stay in the city for the rest of my life, but at least I can say that I climbed a muddy Colombian mountain, showered under a pipe, breathed in questionable mineral air in a mine, at lunch at a farm, and survived a bumpy 6 hour bus ride!

This trip is hard...much harder than I expected. It really is a love/hate relationship. Most days i love being here because i love helping the kids, meeting new people, and gaining all this experience that I would NEVER get from a textbook. But another part of me misses home at least once a day and wishes I could just watch 5 minutes of tv and eat a cheese it.

But, I'm here and I'm doing it!!!!!!
That's it for now!


ADIOS AMIGOS!