So I know that it has been a long time since I last posted....in my defense there has been a lot going on. A trip to Ibague (great fotos of the park on facebook), teaching class at Bata, an eye infection, starting my new job at Presence. It's been a lot to do and I've been too lazy to get on here and write.
I'll start with teaching an English class at a factory called Bata. It is through an English school here in Manizales and I have to admit that I have had a lot of fun with it. I am known as "crazy teacher" (I believe or at least want to believe "crazy" in a good way) and normally have 2-3 students a day. However, there is a total of 9 students in my class so you can imagine how difficult it is to deal with absences and teaching more advanced material if they weren't there for the previous classes. While I like the class it is starting to conflict with my new job....because its from 6:30-7:30 in the morning.
Shortly after starting the class at Bata I developed an eye infection that looked somewhere between pink eye and the puffiness of a black eye. The doctor said it was probably from the same virus that causes chicken pox, but we're not sure. The medicine he gave me worked and it was gone in about a week.....but for that week I felt like the hunchback of notre dame!
Next comes our trip to Ibague to visit Diego's great aunt and see his parents for a little bit. Ibague is a town about 5 hours south of Manizales, only because there is a giant mountain directly between the two....riding the bus was fun. Just imagine driving through the mountains of Colorado (not the nice freeway parts) for 5 hours....it wasn't horrible but it was not possible to sleep from the constant swaying left to right with all the turns. Anyway....my favorite thing about Ibague was the AMAZING park that they have near the centro. Diego and I relaxed for most of the weekend, but we also saw some potential apartments that his parents were looking at. They have since bought an apartment and are in the process of moving from Bogota to Ibague!!! I also ate lechona.....that is what I talked about in my last post. When you have a pig cut in half and stuff with rice and other food....I have to admit it was DELICIOUS!!! I made sure to walk straight to the table so I didn't have to see the pig's face!
The apartment is looking great....we have curtains and other little touches in the living room for color. I feel pretty good about the place. Of course we are slowly working on the "extras" for the kitchen and the rest of the place, but slowly we'll get it together.
Finally, I started my job at Presence this past week!!! I was absolutely terrified to start and it shows. The two or three weeks before I started the job I pretty much ate everything in the apartment so now I am dealing with the aftermath of that. When it comes to the job, I think I am really going to like it. The first few days were rough because I didnt sleep before my first day and then I was obsessing over what I learned the next few days. I feel better now though and I am starting to really understand the software and what it does. If I haven't talked to you personally about the job, I will give you a run down.
The software from Presence (the name of the company) is used by call centers to expedite the process.... more calls can be received or sent out. It includes phone, chat, and email services. I have to admit that the software does a very good job, but I feel sorry for the people who work at call centers that use the software. Some configurations of the software doesn't allow the worker to wipe his/her butt without someone allowing it to happen. Good for the company....harsh for the workers. My job is to translate the manuals, announcements, and actual screen commands to English (File on your internet browser is Archivo in Spanish so I need to change those things from Spanish to English). It' a challenge but its fun!
Diego and I are doing well....We play pool about once a week and go out to eat once and a while just to have some fun. We ate at an amazing sushi restaurant tonight and it was great to have a date night with him. It's not difficult to work with him at Presence, because he is always so busy and we work in different departments that don't have to interact....which I think is better for us.
Anyway, that is enough for now. Just know that we are doing well and are having fun. We do miss the US at times (especially when people talk about the holidays), but we still love to hear from you!!!!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Adventures in Grocery Shopping
1) I finally found reusable grocery bags.....if you go to the market everyday they are especially useful. I have about 20-30 that will take a while to be used up as garbage bags so I am excited about saving myself the guilt of having to throw away the extra few hundred that I could accumulate in the coming weeks. The funny part is when I bought the bags, the clerk tried to put them in a plastic bag...not sure if I should make an ironic joke or just blame the fact that reusable bags aren't that popular.
2) I also saw a new sight for me when it comes to meat. During my time in Mexico, I saw cow heads, pig heads, and just about everything you can imagine...or at least that is what I thought. Diego and I walked past a restaurant that had a special pork plate. I know this because there was a cooked pig (head, ears, feet, everything) that was missing his back half!!! I therefore could look into the pig's stomach and beyond....I didn't have my camera on me, but I'll try to find it again, because it was definitely unique!
3) Shortly after the pig exhibit, Diego was invited in to a strip club....while I was right next to him holding his hand. I don't know if that is normal in Colombia....maybe it would be normal in the US, but typically you don't walk by strip clubs so I remain a little confused and a little amused.
4) I have a confession. I am an addict- a guayaba addict. They make these delicious sweets down here that are sugared guayaba "bocadillos" or sandwiches and I am obsessed with them. Typically, you shouldn't eat more than 1 or 2 because it is made of real fruit and lots of sugar so it's pretty hard on the stomach. However, I was left alone with the "bocadillos" for a day....and I had no control!!! I will not mention the number of bocadillos that were eaten, but I will say that the taste of them makes up for the horrible stomach ache I had later that day.
5) Diego and I went out for a celebratory meal when I got a teaching job (just one class) with Cambridge. It was a super cool Italian restaurant that had small doorbell looking things at each table so when you needed/were ready for the waiter, they would come. Super amazing....everyone knows what it's like when the waiter rushes you or keeps bothering you or the opposite when you never can find them when you need them. I think this is a trend that needs to catch on.
Also during lunch, Diego had another "Fez" moment. I have concluded that Diego is my family's Fez. He says things that normally wouldn't be that funny (I'm e-screwed), but for some reason it's hilarious when he says it. Anyway, at lunch he told me,
"I love you even when you are crazy."
"Am I crazy?"
"Yes and I love you when you are crazy and are making movies in your head."
"I make movies in my head?"
"Yes"
"What are they about?"
"CRAZY SHIT!"
Enough said!
6) Ooooooo I almost forgot the other Fez moment!!! So Diego and I are quite focused on grocery shopping intelligently and cheaply. We wanted something to small to spoil ourselves with- ICE CREAM. However a container of icecream is between $5-$9 which means you need to choose carefully so you don't waste too much money. We studied the price per gram for a little while and settled on a cookies-and-cream ice cream. We grabbed the ice cream only to have Diego get really excited and see a "cheap" ice cream of his favorite flavor with Shrek and friends on the container. He was really excited, but the barcode number didn't match up. He went to check the price to be sure and.....and.....and.....it wasn't cheap at all!!! He returned it to the freezer with a "Fuck you, Shrek."
2) I also saw a new sight for me when it comes to meat. During my time in Mexico, I saw cow heads, pig heads, and just about everything you can imagine...or at least that is what I thought. Diego and I walked past a restaurant that had a special pork plate. I know this because there was a cooked pig (head, ears, feet, everything) that was missing his back half!!! I therefore could look into the pig's stomach and beyond....I didn't have my camera on me, but I'll try to find it again, because it was definitely unique!
3) Shortly after the pig exhibit, Diego was invited in to a strip club....while I was right next to him holding his hand. I don't know if that is normal in Colombia....maybe it would be normal in the US, but typically you don't walk by strip clubs so I remain a little confused and a little amused.
4) I have a confession. I am an addict- a guayaba addict. They make these delicious sweets down here that are sugared guayaba "bocadillos" or sandwiches and I am obsessed with them. Typically, you shouldn't eat more than 1 or 2 because it is made of real fruit and lots of sugar so it's pretty hard on the stomach. However, I was left alone with the "bocadillos" for a day....and I had no control!!! I will not mention the number of bocadillos that were eaten, but I will say that the taste of them makes up for the horrible stomach ache I had later that day.
5) Diego and I went out for a celebratory meal when I got a teaching job (just one class) with Cambridge. It was a super cool Italian restaurant that had small doorbell looking things at each table so when you needed/were ready for the waiter, they would come. Super amazing....everyone knows what it's like when the waiter rushes you or keeps bothering you or the opposite when you never can find them when you need them. I think this is a trend that needs to catch on.
Also during lunch, Diego had another "Fez" moment. I have concluded that Diego is my family's Fez. He says things that normally wouldn't be that funny (I'm e-screwed), but for some reason it's hilarious when he says it. Anyway, at lunch he told me,
"I love you even when you are crazy."
"Am I crazy?"
"Yes and I love you when you are crazy and are making movies in your head."
"I make movies in my head?"
"Yes"
"What are they about?"
"CRAZY SHIT!"
Enough said!
6) Ooooooo I almost forgot the other Fez moment!!! So Diego and I are quite focused on grocery shopping intelligently and cheaply. We wanted something to small to spoil ourselves with- ICE CREAM. However a container of icecream is between $5-$9 which means you need to choose carefully so you don't waste too much money. We studied the price per gram for a little while and settled on a cookies-and-cream ice cream. We grabbed the ice cream only to have Diego get really excited and see a "cheap" ice cream of his favorite flavor with Shrek and friends on the container. He was really excited, but the barcode number didn't match up. He went to check the price to be sure and.....and.....and.....it wasn't cheap at all!!! He returned it to the freezer with a "Fuck you, Shrek."
Monday, September 13, 2010
Cleanliness....Who's right? Who's wrong?
So after briefly singing Janet Jackson's "What have you done for me lately" because of the title of the post, I will now focus on some very serious questions at hand.
Diego says that Colombians are very particular about when and how often someone should shower. First of all, he says they must shower at least once a day. Okay, fine. I'll give him that. But more strangely, they must shower in the morning!! He told me that children who go to school without showering in the morning (proof found in the wet hair) are made fun of the way that heavier kids are made fun of in the US!
Considering the fact that I have been a night-time shower taker since ummmm birth, I find that very strange. I personally have severe issues with dry skin after showering once a day. I skip washing my hair one day or try to only wash the key areas so I don't dry everything out so much. I need my natural skin oils!!! That might be "too much information" for some people, but it's the truth. The idea that you would have to shower at night if you were dirty during the day only to wake up the following morning to take another shower seems ludicrous! My skin and hair would all fall out if I did that.
I have to reiterate that this is all according to Diego. Maybe it's something he was told so he would take a shower as a kid. Maybe it's a Bogota thing. I'm not sure....but it seems very strange in deed.
Diego says that Colombians are very particular about when and how often someone should shower. First of all, he says they must shower at least once a day. Okay, fine. I'll give him that. But more strangely, they must shower in the morning!! He told me that children who go to school without showering in the morning (proof found in the wet hair) are made fun of the way that heavier kids are made fun of in the US!
Considering the fact that I have been a night-time shower taker since ummmm birth, I find that very strange. I personally have severe issues with dry skin after showering once a day. I skip washing my hair one day or try to only wash the key areas so I don't dry everything out so much. I need my natural skin oils!!! That might be "too much information" for some people, but it's the truth. The idea that you would have to shower at night if you were dirty during the day only to wake up the following morning to take another shower seems ludicrous! My skin and hair would all fall out if I did that.
I have to reiterate that this is all according to Diego. Maybe it's something he was told so he would take a shower as a kid. Maybe it's a Bogota thing. I'm not sure....but it seems very strange in deed.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
What I'm thinking is......
1) What I'm thinking is that trying to post the pictures of my apartment on the blog is a little too much time. So for any of you that didn't see them yet, go to my facebook page and see amazing pictures of the apartment, city, and a trip to "Coffee World" (that's my name for it at least).
2) What I'm thinking is that Colombians in general do not drink much during a meal....they really only drink their juice, water, soda, whatever it is until after they finish their plate. That's nothing crazy, but it is something that I noticed especially when we were staying at the boarding house with 8 other people.
3) What I'm thinking is that I look better in Diego's jeans than I do in my own. Is it a little depressing that I fit into someone's jeans that is 6 inches taller than me....of course. But do I LOVE the fact that my wardrobe has expanded some.....HELL YES!!!
4) What I'm thinking is that roller-coasters are not as common in Colombia than they are in the US. When we went to the "Coffee World," there were a couple small roller-coasters that normally would be considered the smaller, not-so-scary roller-coasters at an amusement park in the US. The endearing part of it was that each time the small roller-coaster got back the entire crowd waiting/watching cheered the victors for their amazing survival. I'm almost a little jealous of their excitement. It takes a lot for me now to really get my adrenaline pumping. It's like firework shows.....once you have seen Thunder over Louisville it's hard to be excited about any other show.
5) What I'm thinking is that I am a little too competitive. First, it should not surprise any of the family....I had to stop myself from being too serious about a game of pool. One reason is that I sucked....horribly!!!! And if I stayed serious I would want to stab myself with the pool stick. Another is that it was a fun game that we made up so that 8 people could play. Luckily, I was with Diego's coworkers who are so much fun and I had a great time.
6) What I'm thinking is that I want to continue giving English lessons even if I find a different job. There's something about people wanting and excited to learn that will always keep me coming back for more as a teacher. I had my first lesson on Thursday and it went really well. I think I like to make a difference on a more individual basis and we all know that my multitasking ability (in regard to dealing with 20 students at a time) questionable.
7) What I'm thinking is that I am a master cook!!! Not really, but I took off the skin and ribs from the chicken breast I bought the other day.....that's got to count for something.
8) What I'm thinking is that I LOVE our washer/dryer!!! It's amazing when you don't have to wash your clothes by hand or wait 3-4 days for them to dry in a small space with no sun and little air. Plus our washer/dryer sings a beautiful song each time it finishes. I haven't caught it on video yet.....but soon....very soon!
9) Finally, what I'm thinking is that the statues here in Manizales are the funniest, collest statues ever. There are some human statues that look like they have war paint on, there are bulls walking down the side of a building, there are bulls jumping out of a fountain, it so much fun!!! I am going to try to take more pictures to post them soon!
2) What I'm thinking is that Colombians in general do not drink much during a meal....they really only drink their juice, water, soda, whatever it is until after they finish their plate. That's nothing crazy, but it is something that I noticed especially when we were staying at the boarding house with 8 other people.
3) What I'm thinking is that I look better in Diego's jeans than I do in my own. Is it a little depressing that I fit into someone's jeans that is 6 inches taller than me....of course. But do I LOVE the fact that my wardrobe has expanded some.....HELL YES!!!
4) What I'm thinking is that roller-coasters are not as common in Colombia than they are in the US. When we went to the "Coffee World," there were a couple small roller-coasters that normally would be considered the smaller, not-so-scary roller-coasters at an amusement park in the US. The endearing part of it was that each time the small roller-coaster got back the entire crowd waiting/watching cheered the victors for their amazing survival. I'm almost a little jealous of their excitement. It takes a lot for me now to really get my adrenaline pumping. It's like firework shows.....once you have seen Thunder over Louisville it's hard to be excited about any other show.
5) What I'm thinking is that I am a little too competitive. First, it should not surprise any of the family....I had to stop myself from being too serious about a game of pool. One reason is that I sucked....horribly!!!! And if I stayed serious I would want to stab myself with the pool stick. Another is that it was a fun game that we made up so that 8 people could play. Luckily, I was with Diego's coworkers who are so much fun and I had a great time.
6) What I'm thinking is that I want to continue giving English lessons even if I find a different job. There's something about people wanting and excited to learn that will always keep me coming back for more as a teacher. I had my first lesson on Thursday and it went really well. I think I like to make a difference on a more individual basis and we all know that my multitasking ability (in regard to dealing with 20 students at a time) questionable.
7) What I'm thinking is that I am a master cook!!! Not really, but I took off the skin and ribs from the chicken breast I bought the other day.....that's got to count for something.
8) What I'm thinking is that I LOVE our washer/dryer!!! It's amazing when you don't have to wash your clothes by hand or wait 3-4 days for them to dry in a small space with no sun and little air. Plus our washer/dryer sings a beautiful song each time it finishes. I haven't caught it on video yet.....but soon....very soon!
9) Finally, what I'm thinking is that the statues here in Manizales are the funniest, collest statues ever. There are some human statues that look like they have war paint on, there are bulls walking down the side of a building, there are bulls jumping out of a fountain, it so much fun!!! I am going to try to take more pictures to post them soon!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
That Can't Be True!
2) So as I have mentioned before, Colombians eat a lot of food. To the right is a picture of a plate of food that I ordered at a restaurant. It's bigger than it looks...They like to stack food whereas in the US we still like our food separated for the most part. Diego ate his plate and about 1/2 of mine. For the 2 weeks we stayed at the boarding house I finished a total of 3 meals (that was after I told her to give me less. That can't be true!!!! I have decided that there is something about Colombian food that makes me feel it faster so I get full very fast....cause lord knows I can kill 2 plates of Bob Evans "Big Farmer's Breakfast" in the US. And yes I did eat the chicharron (fried pig skin)....that can't be true!!! But actually it can!
3) My husband is an evil dictator wanting to take over the world!!!! See video for proof! That can't be true, can it? Further proof can be seen by his evil joy of the thought of eating little, adorable, innocent bird eggs!4) There are a few things in Colombia that seem backwards to me. First...they do not drink juice for breakfast, but they do drink it for lunch and dinner! That can't be true!!! Second, I cannot get in or out of my apartment building without the doorman. That can't be true!!! But it is!!!! The doorman is the only person who has the key to the building. So yes, that means sometimes I wait inside the building to get the attention of the doorman, who also works the 3 buildings near me, in order to let me out. Btw, the next blog will be devoted entirely to the apartment and furniture!
5) To go to the grocery store I have to climb these stairs....that can't be true!!! But it is!!!! There are 84 stairs plus the two sets of stairs to get in the apartment!! I love the challenge especially 7,020 ft up!! Take that Marie with your little 52 steps to your walk up!! Hehehehe! 
6) This is definitely true!!! I am the clumsiest person ever!!! Diego and I went to get some arepas and cheese along with some beer for our very first meal ever in the apartment. It was raining and I was in flip flops so when I walked down the stairs I slipped and slid down 3 or 4 stairs on my side. I have a large bruise on my hip along with a few other bruises down my leg!!!! Painful...yes. Embarrassing....hell yes!!!!! Luckily the arepas and beer were fantastic!!!!!!7) Finally, a couple pictures that are absolutely beautiful that just don't seem real to me! I love the dog picture, because he was doing the same thing I was.....hanging out in the middle of the road checking out the fantastic views!!!!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Life is funny/interesting
1) Colombians eat A LOT.....for lunch at least. Typically there is a LARGE bowl of soup and a large plate full of food. And yesterday even included another bowl of casserole. I never can finish my food! Lucky for me I am married to the human garbage disposal who eats all of his food plus about 1/3 of mine. I want to take a picture to show you...but there's a fine line between naive newcomer with a fascination and rudeness so we will see on that one.
2) I made a funny and didn't know it! I was at the dinner table with Diego and 3 other people trying to keep up with the conversation. I heard something about being together for 40 years and thought Diego had said we had been together that long. I gave him a "Are you kidding look?!?" for suggesting I'm old enough for that. Only when everyone started laughing really hard did I realize they said something along the lines of can you imagine being together for 40 years (like the boarding house couple). Therefore, my look was seen as...."hmmmm with this guy....40 years....I don't think so!" Hahahaha! I made a joke in Spanish without knowing it!
3) I am living in Oz. Seriously, we are somewhere over the rainbow! Those were a couple pictures that I took on Wednesday. NO PHOTOSHOP WAS INVOLVED IN ANY WAY!!! I have never in my life seen a rainbow so well defined. The sun was shining so bright and there was just a light sprinkle of rain. (BTW Mom, if you want to retire here know that it rains quite a bit, but usually just a little each day.) And the building on the left in the picture to the right is where Diego works....it's all glass on the other side! Quite fancy for Manizales.
4) If you notice at the bottom of the picture (Gramma, you can click on the picture to open it in another page and click it again to make it really big), there are a lot of statues painted in bright colors. These are found throughout the city along the roads, on buildings, in parks. I once saw a naked man sitting on top of a building and was quite surprised....I thought maybe that was the art college or something and it was a live action kind of art project. Diego said it was a statue, but since I haven't found it again I am unconvinced. If I do see it....I will definitely take a picture for proof so that you will believe me.
5) Random moment the other day consisted of Diego giving the night sky a thumbs up with his arm outstretched. Then he said, "Hmm, my thumb is ALWAYS bigger than the moon." He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world to notice such a thing. I love my husband and the strange way his mind works. It brings a whole new world for me to look at in a different way.
6) Finally, Diego and I are hopefully going to talk to the real estate company that we have been working with to see about renting an apartment that we like (that I found...thank you Mom for the hundreds of Sunday house viewings as practice). We tried to go yesterday, but Diego got off work late and they were leaving for the day. Take a look at the site with a couple pictures....the description can be easily translated by an online translation site. And yes, it does say that it is 550,000 pesos per month. That comes out to be about $305 a month.
http://castrorosero.com/castrorosero/?p=1861
2) I made a funny and didn't know it! I was at the dinner table with Diego and 3 other people trying to keep up with the conversation. I heard something about being together for 40 years and thought Diego had said we had been together that long. I gave him a "Are you kidding look?!?" for suggesting I'm old enough for that. Only when everyone started laughing really hard did I realize they said something along the lines of can you imagine being together for 40 years (like the boarding house couple). Therefore, my look was seen as...."hmmmm with this guy....40 years....I don't think so!" Hahahaha! I made a joke in Spanish without knowing it!
3) I am living in Oz. Seriously, we are somewhere over the rainbow! Those were a couple pictures that I took on Wednesday. NO PHOTOSHOP WAS INVOLVED IN ANY WAY!!! I have never in my life seen a rainbow so well defined. The sun was shining so bright and there was just a light sprinkle of rain. (BTW Mom, if you want to retire here know that it rains quite a bit, but usually just a little each day.) And the building on the left in the picture to the right is where Diego works....it's all glass on the other side! Quite fancy for Manizales.
4) If you notice at the bottom of the picture (Gramma, you can click on the picture to open it in another page and click it again to make it really big), there are a lot of statues painted in bright colors. These are found throughout the city along the roads, on buildings, in parks. I once saw a naked man sitting on top of a building and was quite surprised....I thought maybe that was the art college or something and it was a live action kind of art project. Diego said it was a statue, but since I haven't found it again I am unconvinced. If I do see it....I will definitely take a picture for proof so that you will believe me.
5) Random moment the other day consisted of Diego giving the night sky a thumbs up with his arm outstretched. Then he said, "Hmm, my thumb is ALWAYS bigger than the moon." He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world to notice such a thing. I love my husband and the strange way his mind works. It brings a whole new world for me to look at in a different way.
6) Finally, Diego and I are hopefully going to talk to the real estate company that we have been working with to see about renting an apartment that we like (that I found...thank you Mom for the hundreds of Sunday house viewings as practice). We tried to go yesterday, but Diego got off work late and they were leaving for the day. Take a look at the site with a couple pictures....the description can be easily translated by an online translation site. And yes, it does say that it is 550,000 pesos per month. That comes out to be about $305 a month.
http://castrorosero.com/castrorosero/?p=1861
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Whew.....so many things so few days
We are in Colombia!!!!!!! After a emotional and stressful travel day, a brief rest with the in-laws in Bogota, a beautiful yet exhausting 9 hour bus trip to Manizales, and one very long, tiring, but still exciting day apartment shopping in Manizales I am filled with so many emotions I don't even know which ones to write!
TRAVEL DAY
I woke up on Thursday after a night of random late night packing, I woke up only to have to fix the weight in my bags and hurry out to the car without any sentimental feelings (better that way) and with a lot of help from dad with all my bags. When we pulled into the airport garage, we immediately saw Colleen and Sara who came to see me off and be my personal pack horses until then. Lol!
However, laughs were quickly gone when I realized the booking website that I used was a piece of $%!#...and the two airlines that I would be using do not communicate with one another. Therefore, I learned I would have to get my bags in Orlando and recheck them in to get my ticket to Bogota.....after I had gone to Chicago. I have to say when the Santo's pull together we can do just about anything. I had one sister writing down my itenarary, one on the phone with JetBlue, my dad and Colleen on the phone with CheapOAir.com, and the others (Michelle Greg and Mom) trying to keep me from freaking out. After exhausting all efforts, I realized I would just have to suck it up and have an awesome work out trying to cart around my 4 suitcases and computer bag and purse in the Orlando airport by myself. So with many tears from I think just about everyone, I went on my way hoping that both my suitcases and myself could make it to Bogota.
After taking off an hour late from Chicago, I arrived to Orlando sprinting to get my bags, put them on the cart and sprint to the JetBlue Check-in where I was the last person allowed to check-in for my flight. Due to the graciousness of the check-in guy for United I only had to pay the extra baggage fees once. By the time I had made it to the gate I had time for quick phone calls to say I will make it to Bogota and scarf down a McDonalds plain double cheeseburger.
BOGOTA
Once I made it to Bogota, I met my wonderful husband in the customs line who waited for me there in case I had any problems. It took 2 cars to get all of our stuff and persons back to his parents house for a couple days rest. I have to say that while be separated from Diego was very difficult at times, I completely forgot about all that when we were together again. It felt like it was completely normal- a good sign if I say so myself!
TRIP TO MANIZALES
Anyway, we got our things together for the most incredible bus trip. I was excited to see what buses are like in Colombia after all my trips in Mexico and I have to say the are comparable. I watched The Shooter in dubbed Spanish and understood most of it, except for those key couple lines that let you understand a major plot twist. Everything is practice.
Anyway, I have to say the paisaje... Give me a minute. What is it in English? I have to look it up. Aha!!!! Landscape! The landscape of Colombia is just incredible. Everything is so green and alive here. There were tropical looking plants high in the mountain and waterfalls along the side of the road. And when the sunsets (including in Manizales) it is absolutely incredible. The sun peaks over the mountains to highlight the terrain and the organized chaos of all the buildings and roads.
We stopped for lunch (a few hours after we exepected due to traffic....although our bus driver did everything he could to pass many trucks (in a 2 lane road) going around hair pin turns. I think there is a system of honking to help out....but they could mean something completely different. Anyway, our lunch consisted of a huge bowl of soup, a huge filled plate of food and a drink for a whopping total of $3. And this was good food!!! I love that part about Colombia. After lunch the trip went pretty quick and we arrived in Manizales at about 7:30-8pm (we left at 10:30am).
MANIZALES
I have to say it was sweet/funny how much Diego was loved by everyone is that house. Isobel was excited and even the older, very sick senora was happy to see him. Isobel's helper, Cesy, I think has a crush on Diego because she kept giving me strange, appraising looks. They all joked around a lot which I am noticing is the hole that I am missing. I can't really understand most jokes and telling them is just as difficult.
We moved to Luz Marina's house the next day (Isobel's sister) and her house is HUGE! She has probably about 8 rooms of tennants. I think it's a good business in Manizales since all the universities are here. The house is nice with meals and laundry included, but I have issues sleeping because out room faces the very busy road. I have decided to go to sleep every night with my IPod as my savior.
So after spending a whopping 12 hours in Manizales we start apartment shopping. I can honestly say that in that first day on Monday we went down 6 floors to see the gates of hell, but we also went up 6 floors to see heaven. Hell was moldy, dark, no air, and just plain scary. Heaven was perfect except it was a studio apartment with no separate bedroom (apparently studios can have a separate bedroom here). Another interesting thing is that because the terrain here, you can enter the building and have your apartment on the first floor, but on the other side of the building there are 4 aparments below you that have large open windows to the street on the other side. So it's difficult to judge what you will see when it says you are on the 3rd floor...that could mean you have to go down three floors.
After seeing many more places over 2 days (including a house) Diego and I decided to go to a company for help. Diego works from 6-5 with 1.5 hours of lunch and the sun sets about 6:30 so it just doesn't leave us a lot of time to walk around, call the owners, get the keys to check it out.
I think I will end this post (it's already too long) and talk more about the city on the next one! Love you all and wish you could see this with us!
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