Mattress and a Firetruck
So I was walking home the other day and saw a firetruck in the outside lane on the main street of town. I thought something serious was going on and then realized that the ladder was extended to a top floor of an apartment building. Thinking that some daring rescue was happening I looked up to see the ladder and a large mattress being moved into an apartment. Hehehehe! Random! Got to love Manizales!
Girl with the Short Skirt
A different day I was walking home and happen to start walking about 10ft behind a girl in a short jean skirt with some dark leggings. As I walked behind her I noticed that she was drawing some attention from old men (with their wives), 13 year old boys, and just about any other living male that passed her. The few minutes that I was walking behind her I saw 11 guys pass her then turn around and take a second look!!! It was quite funny to watch it all happen. Guys are so predictable!!!!
Shopping Shenanigans
Diego and I went out shopping on Saturday to get some new jeans and bathing suits for me. It was quite strange in that I cried when I thought I would be happy and I was happy when I thought I would cry. AND....Diego would get on me for doing something that is completely polite in my mind.
In preparation for our beach vacation Diego and I went bathing suit shopping for me since my other bathing suits were quite old. Normally, when I have to buy new suits, a few things like tears, frustration, and embarrassment come with it.....but not this time! I was able to to find 2 bathing suits that support and cover all the necessary parts while also being a true 2-piece rather than my tankini wannabe bathing suits of the past! I am quite excited for our vacation, because it's the first time in a long time that I don't feel super awkward and embarrassed! Vacation in 5 weeks!!!
Diego and I went to a little shop that had a very large selection of bathing suits which took quite a while to go through. Diego also started reminding me that I shouldn't put away any of the suits that I was looking at. Each one was on a hanger inside a plastic bag that folded them up (making it impossible to see what they looked like without taking them out completely! Of course I felt obligated to put them back on the hanger and inside the bag. Diego actually took one from my hands to stop me!!! Apparently in Colombia, it's better to just leave things randomly and messily throughout the store so the salesperson can put it away "properly". I claim that having an OCD dad has taught me to memorize exactly how things are organized, arranged, etc, either way I left about 8 or 9 bathing suits for the woman to take care of....I felt so bad!
So after feeling elated from finding the perfect bathing suits, I thought we could easily find me some jeans and every one knows that jeans are less stress than bathing suits to find. Not true!!! At least for me in Colombia. So I am a size 12 for US sizes, but since I live in a country where women are much smaller in both stature and frame, it is not so easy to find jeans. I tried on a pair of 12s and couldn't even get them up. I tried on 14s and couldn't get my thighs in them. My waist was fine, but skinny jeans apparently don't go well with my "Swedish Farm Girl Thighs". The sad thing is that most stores don't seem to carry sizes bigger than 14 so I am officially too big still for most stores. How's that for a slap in the face! So after some tears and a hug from Diego, we decided that I will just wait for a few weeks (and further progress on my "get healthy plan") and then I can go back and try it again.
Anyway, after all the surprises/tears Diego and I built up quite an appetite for Chinese food (American-Chinese food!!!!) and we had quite a lunch. Hopefully, in a few more weeks I should have some new jeans and not have to wear Diego's anymore!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Life as usual with a picnic!
I have been a very bad blogger and it has been almost a month and a half since my last blog. So to start us off, we'll talk about Valentine's day. My Valentine's Day was actually the Friday before. Diego's flowers arrived early for me and I couldn't believe how beautiful (and large) they were! It was pretty cute, because he was so worried that the flowers weren't good/big enough. I have no idea why he would have doubts, because I thought they were incredible especially with the "Birds of Paradise" which are the orange flowers in the shape of a bird's head. Later that night we ate at an incredible restaurant with the most delicious steak with blue cheese dressing along with the tomato filled with beef, cheese and an amazing sauce. Oh....and we can't forget the sundae!! 
After Valentine's day, Diego took a mini-vacation after a lot of nagging on my part. While he loves his job, it is very stressful so he went to visit his family in Bogota and Ibague. I have to admit I enjoyed having some time to myself and doing as I pleased. One of the things I enjoyed was that I didn't have to remake the bed every morning because someone (Diego) always messes up the covers! I even took pictures as proof! But, by the end of the 5 days, it was nice to have him back. Considering we spend all day, every day together, I think it is important to have some time apart. Plus I kept forgetting my keys (a lot of extra walking and some extra work to get into the house!
Anyway we had a nice lunch with sandwiches, carrots and blue cheese dip, and chips. It was nice to just have a lazy day at the park, but Diego and I have decided we need to buy a volleyball and an American football. I miss playing sports even if it is just playing around.
On Sunday, Diego and I went for a long walk and were on a hunt of our own. From the apartments we used to call "heaven" we could see a few other apartment complexes that were absolutely gorgeous. Recently, there was a mudslide directly below "heaven" and since it is on a cliff we decided we should demote it to "former heaven" or "Alto perro" which is the name of the neighborhood. Anyway, we were searching for the apartments we saw, but we had no idea how to get there so we just kept trying every street. Eventually we found them and OMG they are so pretty. They are surrounded by a forest area and the only thing you can hear are the birds. All of them have perfect size (big enough for 2 chairs) balconies and it's the same distance to work that we are now. The only problem is that it nicer so it's too expensive to rent there and Diego and I are a few years away from buying a place (damn student loans hehehe) plus we are still unsure of future plans. I think when it comes to the US vs Colombia debate, Diego and I could be fine living in either country so it just depends on opportunities.
Anyway, to wrap things up our scuba trip planning is going well. May 13-21 in Taganga and we are staying at a hostel called Casa Holanda that has a 2 for 1 Happy Hour every night and a breakfast included!!! We are so excited! Diego especially since this is his first scuba diving trip and I am excited for sharks....maybe I'll get to touch one this time (I missed my chance last time). I feel pretty good about going scuba diving now that I am healthier and more active....now to get Diego playing futbol (soccer) again!
Speaking of healthier, the "let's-get-healthy" plan is going very well for me- 33lbs and counting. Diego even tried my pilates video on Sunday....it was a lot of fun to watch him, but at the same time I was so proud of him. I am running for about 45 min M,W,F and pilates on T,TH. I hope to keep going with it until my birthday then maintain whatever weight I'm at then until Christmas. Fingers crossed for keeping up the good lifestyle!
Friday, January 28, 2011
OMG I forgot to write about Christmas and my anniversary!!!
About 10 seconds after posting, I realized I haven't written anything about my 1st Christmas with Diego (and without my family) and our 1st anniversary!!! Big moments that I would like to remember meaning that I HAVE to write it down....my memory is already gone. If there are no pictures or written stories, it's practically gone.
Christmas wasn't as difficult for me as Thanksgiving and I had a lot of fun. First, Diego and I had to work Christmas Eve so we couldn't go to his parents for Christmas which was a little sad. I am used to having a lot of people around at Christmas so it would have been nice to go, but it's a possibility for next year. I had some skype video calls with the family on both Christmas Eve and day which helped a lot, because they just set me on the table so that it was like I was actually there.
I had made cheesecake, brownies, empanadas, bunhuelos (the bread that looks like balls- see facebook pictures) and eggnog. In Colombia they only celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. What I didn't know is that they don't celebrate it at the same time. I was expecting to have food and eggnog with music and open up a couple of gifts around 7 or 8. That's when Diego told me that we had to wait until MIDNIGHT!!! Well, I had worked in the morning and spent the afternoon running to the store and cooking so I was quite tired. Diego was as well so we took a nap.....at 10:00pm!! We woke up in time to open a few presents and talk some more so it was nice.
Christmas day celebrations were something new for Diego, but I think he like them (although he didn't like waiting the extra day to finish opening presents hehe). We started off with a Colombian traditional breakfast with tomales which are nothing like the ones that you will see in the US. They are quite tasty though and very filling. We opened up some more presents and then played with them in true Christmas tradition....I kicked Diego's butt in UNO like 5 times! If I remember correctly we took another nap and went for a walk then saw the 7th Harry Potter movie that night. I was very excited because I understood everything they were saying and it was in Spanish!!! I do have to say that the "bad guys" need to work on their pronunciation....they do not speak very clearly. LOL
Overall, I would say it was a GREAT Christmas. Though presents and activities were low key, it was nice to start some new traditions with Diego. Only 2 1/2 weeks later we were celebrating our 1st anniversary!!!
Our anniversary was also very low key....I think that's how we are in general. Because we had gone out so much during the "feria" and for New Years (delicious sushi), we decided to make things more personal and have a stay at home dinner.....that Diego cooked!!!! He wouldn't tell me what he was going to make so it was a surprise. He made pasta carbonara (pasta with cheese and bacon) and wine. Luckily we had a center table arrangement from our friends' wedding to make the table look even nicer. It was a very nice dinner and a good anniversary.
Christmas wasn't as difficult for me as Thanksgiving and I had a lot of fun. First, Diego and I had to work Christmas Eve so we couldn't go to his parents for Christmas which was a little sad. I am used to having a lot of people around at Christmas so it would have been nice to go, but it's a possibility for next year. I had some skype video calls with the family on both Christmas Eve and day which helped a lot, because they just set me on the table so that it was like I was actually there.
I had made cheesecake, brownies, empanadas, bunhuelos (the bread that looks like balls- see facebook pictures) and eggnog. In Colombia they only celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. What I didn't know is that they don't celebrate it at the same time. I was expecting to have food and eggnog with music and open up a couple of gifts around 7 or 8. That's when Diego told me that we had to wait until MIDNIGHT!!! Well, I had worked in the morning and spent the afternoon running to the store and cooking so I was quite tired. Diego was as well so we took a nap.....at 10:00pm!! We woke up in time to open a few presents and talk some more so it was nice.
Christmas day celebrations were something new for Diego, but I think he like them (although he didn't like waiting the extra day to finish opening presents hehe). We started off with a Colombian traditional breakfast with tomales which are nothing like the ones that you will see in the US. They are quite tasty though and very filling. We opened up some more presents and then played with them in true Christmas tradition....I kicked Diego's butt in UNO like 5 times! If I remember correctly we took another nap and went for a walk then saw the 7th Harry Potter movie that night. I was very excited because I understood everything they were saying and it was in Spanish!!! I do have to say that the "bad guys" need to work on their pronunciation....they do not speak very clearly. LOL
Overall, I would say it was a GREAT Christmas. Though presents and activities were low key, it was nice to start some new traditions with Diego. Only 2 1/2 weeks later we were celebrating our 1st anniversary!!!
Our anniversary was also very low key....I think that's how we are in general. Because we had gone out so much during the "feria" and for New Years (delicious sushi), we decided to make things more personal and have a stay at home dinner.....that Diego cooked!!!! He wouldn't tell me what he was going to make so it was a surprise. He made pasta carbonara (pasta with cheese and bacon) and wine. Luckily we had a center table arrangement from our friends' wedding to make the table look even nicer. It was a very nice dinner and a good anniversary.
Life in the New Year
It has been a while since I have written so I felt like I needed to do a short post.
Diego and I brought in the New Year in true Colombian fashion at a friend's house. There was lentil throwing, grape eating, dancing, and lots of music. New Years is a big deal in Colombia so it felt like it was a block party with everyone in their open garages/driveways/streets partying together. I didn't see any balls drop (not that I waited up for that in the US every year), but I did see a small hot air balloon (personless) catch on fire. There are some great pics on facebook of the group trying to send a hot air balloon in the air, but the wind kept pushing the fire onto the actual balloon before they could get it up.
The following week was quite interesting with a beautiful wedding of two of our friends (fun, photoshopped pics on facebook) and the feria (fair) in town. I learned that Colombians LOVE beauty queens. They have a "Queen" for everything in Colombia....Queen of Coffee, Queen of Water, cities, states, and anything else you can think of. The parades were pretty interesting....not quite as organized as I am used to, but still fun. We saw one of the parades from the bus (in the opposite direction) because it couldn't really move anywhere. People simply stopped their cars on the street to watch the parade....while blocking the traffic!!! LOL There was another "parade" which consisted of every person in Manizales (maybe all of Caldas) that had horses. They all rode down the street....not the most diverse parade I have ever seen, but it says something culturally. Diego's brother, Sergio, came to visit us during that time so he was able to see the firework show (pretty good) and some tennis matches for a tournament that was happening.
On a more personal status update....I am feeling very happy and comfortable here. Like I said in an earlier post, I was pretty scared of my future here for 2 months from before Thanksgiving to Christmas. Between frustrations with the apartment, my job, my body, the rain, and missing family it was really tough. Of course, I still miss family at random times and would love visitors, but I feel like I found my niche here. The weather has been great since New Years, I have a better idea of what is expected of me at work, and I have been working out religiously since Christmas.
I think working out has especially helped my mood (or rather mood swings). To be honest, I feel likes it's a "Dog Whisperer" thing. If you wear out the dog, he get rid of the pent-up energy and laid back to get upset/obsessive about things--same thing for me. Well....my dad always compared to raising kids to training dogs....I guess that has been passed on. Anyway moving past the dog comparison, I am quite proud of myself for getting up every morning at 5:20 to go for a run before work. It's been challenging with the altitude and some of the hills, but it gives me something to work on. Diego doesn't run with me, but with the weather nice we go for long walks on the weekends (while listening to the Harry Potter audio-books hehehe). So overall, I am just feeling much better. I also want to point out the "Dancing with the Stars Workout Video" is a lot of fun and quite challenging at times (took me a while to get a lot of the foot work) so I highly recommend it to someone looking for something different to do in house while it's too cold outside or busy at the gym.
Anyway...enough about me! Skype me or email me for updates about YOU!!!!
Diego and I brought in the New Year in true Colombian fashion at a friend's house. There was lentil throwing, grape eating, dancing, and lots of music. New Years is a big deal in Colombia so it felt like it was a block party with everyone in their open garages/driveways/streets partying together. I didn't see any balls drop (not that I waited up for that in the US every year), but I did see a small hot air balloon (personless) catch on fire. There are some great pics on facebook of the group trying to send a hot air balloon in the air, but the wind kept pushing the fire onto the actual balloon before they could get it up.
The following week was quite interesting with a beautiful wedding of two of our friends (fun, photoshopped pics on facebook) and the feria (fair) in town. I learned that Colombians LOVE beauty queens. They have a "Queen" for everything in Colombia....Queen of Coffee, Queen of Water, cities, states, and anything else you can think of. The parades were pretty interesting....not quite as organized as I am used to, but still fun. We saw one of the parades from the bus (in the opposite direction) because it couldn't really move anywhere. People simply stopped their cars on the street to watch the parade....while blocking the traffic!!! LOL There was another "parade" which consisted of every person in Manizales (maybe all of Caldas) that had horses. They all rode down the street....not the most diverse parade I have ever seen, but it says something culturally. Diego's brother, Sergio, came to visit us during that time so he was able to see the firework show (pretty good) and some tennis matches for a tournament that was happening.
On a more personal status update....I am feeling very happy and comfortable here. Like I said in an earlier post, I was pretty scared of my future here for 2 months from before Thanksgiving to Christmas. Between frustrations with the apartment, my job, my body, the rain, and missing family it was really tough. Of course, I still miss family at random times and would love visitors, but I feel like I found my niche here. The weather has been great since New Years, I have a better idea of what is expected of me at work, and I have been working out religiously since Christmas.
I think working out has especially helped my mood (or rather mood swings). To be honest, I feel likes it's a "Dog Whisperer" thing. If you wear out the dog, he get rid of the pent-up energy and laid back to get upset/obsessive about things--same thing for me. Well....my dad always compared to raising kids to training dogs....I guess that has been passed on. Anyway moving past the dog comparison, I am quite proud of myself for getting up every morning at 5:20 to go for a run before work. It's been challenging with the altitude and some of the hills, but it gives me something to work on. Diego doesn't run with me, but with the weather nice we go for long walks on the weekends (while listening to the Harry Potter audio-books hehehe). So overall, I am just feeling much better. I also want to point out the "Dancing with the Stars Workout Video" is a lot of fun and quite challenging at times (took me a while to get a lot of the foot work) so I highly recommend it to someone looking for something different to do in house while it's too cold outside or busy at the gym.
Anyway...enough about me! Skype me or email me for updates about YOU!!!!
Friday, December 31, 2010
New Year's Traditions in Colombia
Here are some fun things you can try for New Year's:
- Yellow underwear: good luck in life
- Red underwear: Good luck in love
- Lentils in the pocket at midnight: brings money for next year
- Carry a suitcase/passport if you would like to travel.
- Drink a glass of champaign with some jewelry inside.
- Eat 12 grapes with the 12 chimes of the clock and a wish for each month
- Bread with wheat stalk (don't eat the wheat stalk) means prosperity
- Jump over a bucket full of water (means you will cross the ocean)
- 3 potatoes in a plastic bag. 1 of those fully peeled (meaning very little money coming next year), 1 randomly peeled (means average amount of money), 1 not peeled at all (means good money coming). Each person picks a potato from the bag to see what type of money you should expect for next year.
No one knew of something for luck in jobs, but I'm sure if you carry a job listing page or something symbolizing work/job.
Hope this helps and you can try something new for this year!
- Yellow underwear: good luck in life
- Red underwear: Good luck in love
- Lentils in the pocket at midnight: brings money for next year
- Carry a suitcase/passport if you would like to travel.
- Drink a glass of champaign with some jewelry inside.
- Eat 12 grapes with the 12 chimes of the clock and a wish for each month
- Bread with wheat stalk (don't eat the wheat stalk) means prosperity
- Jump over a bucket full of water (means you will cross the ocean)
- 3 potatoes in a plastic bag. 1 of those fully peeled (meaning very little money coming next year), 1 randomly peeled (means average amount of money), 1 not peeled at all (means good money coming). Each person picks a potato from the bag to see what type of money you should expect for next year.
No one knew of something for luck in jobs, but I'm sure if you carry a job listing page or something symbolizing work/job.
Hope this helps and you can try something new for this year!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
This is not me on my soap box I swear!!!
It has been a while since I have had an actual post about my life here and with the holidays coming up I thought a "Christmas Card" review would be a nice way to finish out the year on my blog.
Diego and I have been working at Presence together for a little over two months now and things are pretty good. For a while I was a little frustrated with my job simply because I was searching for things to do and the difference of opinion to some of the corrections are made- my boss' Harvard style vs my more simple and understandable style. But it is much better now...I think we have found a happy medium and we are working things out as we go. Anyway, I'm not going to lie I LOVE being busy at work. I actually become quite obsessed and people around me are shocked because I look "tan seria" or "so serious". There is never a rush on finishing things, but I still work quickly. Luckily, I don't have the same pressure that Diego has. Since he is in support normally if there is a problem then it needed to be fixed yesterday so there is a lot of stress that comes with his job.
Diego and I are also doing well....we have come to the conclusion that the "honeymoon" part of being together again after so much time apart has faded, but we are working through it. I have to give him credit, I was very VERY difficult to live with for a few weeks there during the Thanksgiving holidays and after. But I feel like myself again- not sweating the little stuff and laughing instead of bitching when things go wrong. It's funny all the little things you learn about each other and the give and take on how to deal with things that really annoy you. So far so good- we just can't lose our sense of humor!
The weather is starting to get a little better which has been great. It still rains almost every day but now it rains a little less and we keep the sun and blue skies longer during the day. It feels weird to be here during Christmas...kind of like visiting Florida during Christmas time. There are lights everywhere and you feel the holiday spirit, but it's just not as strong as when you have cold weather and snuggle up in a blanket with hot chocolate (with a little big of eggnog in it) and watch White Christmas. I have become quite the eggnog maker....the problem is that I have now figured out that if I know how to make it, it doesn't have to be a seasonal drink. For those who don't know, I can drink eggnog like a fish drinks water.
We have had up decorations since a little before Thanksgiving and I put pictures on facebook....but more should be coming. I have to give Colombia credit...they do have a certain flare for decorations, however, individuals (not businesses and building so much) seem to love blinking lights and I mean blinking lights on crack....like crazy blinking lights....but I digress. The Cable (business/shopping district outside of the centro) where I work has the most beautiful display of lights in a little park are. Diego and I are planning to go there and take pictures this week (ahem but someone continues to work late). At the factory where I taught my English class, they had lights everywhere of flowers and flamingos and tropical birds. An interesting change and I respect it considering that is what much of Colombia experiences during Christmas. Why should they be putting up decorations of snow and pine trees if that's not what they know?
Another Christmas topic is one of thanks. Diego and I have already received "gifts" from family and we cannot tell you how much we appreciate it. We will post pictures of some things we buy using the money given (nice shelving unit for the wall, a nice clock for the family room, diploma frames, etc). We also went out to eat using some Christmas money at a DELICIOUS restaurant where I ordered the most excellent lamb with a blue cheese sauce (pictures on facebook).
Diego and I LOVE food (not that anyone can't tell), but we try to stay money conscious and stick to going out once maybe twice a week, but normally to cheaper restaurants. Diego and I are so into food (and also cheap) that we crashed a Christmas party for a company of about 600 people. We got a half bottle of rum and 2 plate of lechona out of it. Remember lechona (which is delicious) is the food that is stuffed inside a pig including rice, meat, and peas and cooked. So when you see the pig, it looks like it got a good tan, but is missing it's back half.
With Christmas and New Year's coming up, I will have a lot of new experiences. Christmas will be just Diego and I, because it's not really safe to drive on the roads between cities with all the landslides so we can't go visit his parents. It will be strange for me, because I am used to be surrounded by the family but to be honest it feels easier than Thanksgiving did. We are trying to mix some traditions together (Diego has never opened presents on Christmas morning) and trying to come up with different things to do to make sure that it feels special. New Years should be a LOT of fun. Colombians have a lot of traditions which I will post before New Years so you all can take part in them if you like.
I think that will be all for now. I will post pictures on the blog later, but you can also look on facebook. There are some fun ones from a Bachelorette party that I threw with the girls from the office- I couldn't put up any of the pictures with our "special poster" where we played pin the penis on the naked man. But there is a good picture of everyone staring at something hard but you can't see what!
Happy Holidays everyone!!!!
Diego and I have been working at Presence together for a little over two months now and things are pretty good. For a while I was a little frustrated with my job simply because I was searching for things to do and the difference of opinion to some of the corrections are made- my boss' Harvard style vs my more simple and understandable style. But it is much better now...I think we have found a happy medium and we are working things out as we go. Anyway, I'm not going to lie I LOVE being busy at work. I actually become quite obsessed and people around me are shocked because I look "tan seria" or "so serious". There is never a rush on finishing things, but I still work quickly. Luckily, I don't have the same pressure that Diego has. Since he is in support normally if there is a problem then it needed to be fixed yesterday so there is a lot of stress that comes with his job.
Diego and I are also doing well....we have come to the conclusion that the "honeymoon" part of being together again after so much time apart has faded, but we are working through it. I have to give him credit, I was very VERY difficult to live with for a few weeks there during the Thanksgiving holidays and after. But I feel like myself again- not sweating the little stuff and laughing instead of bitching when things go wrong. It's funny all the little things you learn about each other and the give and take on how to deal with things that really annoy you. So far so good- we just can't lose our sense of humor!
The weather is starting to get a little better which has been great. It still rains almost every day but now it rains a little less and we keep the sun and blue skies longer during the day. It feels weird to be here during Christmas...kind of like visiting Florida during Christmas time. There are lights everywhere and you feel the holiday spirit, but it's just not as strong as when you have cold weather and snuggle up in a blanket with hot chocolate (with a little big of eggnog in it) and watch White Christmas. I have become quite the eggnog maker....the problem is that I have now figured out that if I know how to make it, it doesn't have to be a seasonal drink. For those who don't know, I can drink eggnog like a fish drinks water.
We have had up decorations since a little before Thanksgiving and I put pictures on facebook....but more should be coming. I have to give Colombia credit...they do have a certain flare for decorations, however, individuals (not businesses and building so much) seem to love blinking lights and I mean blinking lights on crack....like crazy blinking lights....but I digress. The Cable (business/shopping district outside of the centro) where I work has the most beautiful display of lights in a little park are. Diego and I are planning to go there and take pictures this week (ahem but someone continues to work late). At the factory where I taught my English class, they had lights everywhere of flowers and flamingos and tropical birds. An interesting change and I respect it considering that is what much of Colombia experiences during Christmas. Why should they be putting up decorations of snow and pine trees if that's not what they know?
Another Christmas topic is one of thanks. Diego and I have already received "gifts" from family and we cannot tell you how much we appreciate it. We will post pictures of some things we buy using the money given (nice shelving unit for the wall, a nice clock for the family room, diploma frames, etc). We also went out to eat using some Christmas money at a DELICIOUS restaurant where I ordered the most excellent lamb with a blue cheese sauce (pictures on facebook).
Diego and I LOVE food (not that anyone can't tell), but we try to stay money conscious and stick to going out once maybe twice a week, but normally to cheaper restaurants. Diego and I are so into food (and also cheap) that we crashed a Christmas party for a company of about 600 people. We got a half bottle of rum and 2 plate of lechona out of it. Remember lechona (which is delicious) is the food that is stuffed inside a pig including rice, meat, and peas and cooked. So when you see the pig, it looks like it got a good tan, but is missing it's back half.
With Christmas and New Year's coming up, I will have a lot of new experiences. Christmas will be just Diego and I, because it's not really safe to drive on the roads between cities with all the landslides so we can't go visit his parents. It will be strange for me, because I am used to be surrounded by the family but to be honest it feels easier than Thanksgiving did. We are trying to mix some traditions together (Diego has never opened presents on Christmas morning) and trying to come up with different things to do to make sure that it feels special. New Years should be a LOT of fun. Colombians have a lot of traditions which I will post before New Years so you all can take part in them if you like.
I think that will be all for now. I will post pictures on the blog later, but you can also look on facebook. There are some fun ones from a Bachelorette party that I threw with the girls from the office- I couldn't put up any of the pictures with our "special poster" where we played pin the penis on the naked man. But there is a good picture of everyone staring at something hard but you can't see what!
Happy Holidays everyone!!!!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
A Reasonable (and Calm) Look at a Controversy
Anyone who checked out my facebook account on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week probably saw a heated debate between 2 of my friends and myself. Some saw it as too intense.....most saw it as passionate people arguing over a very controversial issue. Each person is entitled to their own opinion and most of the time I can understand why people come to the conclusions that they do. I would like to present my argument against the new procedures...hopefully in a way that doesn´t seem offensive or too intense since I have had time to think about it some more.
I would like to state that I am NOT against advancements or enhancements to security for airports. I simply do not wish to trade my dignity and 4th amendment rights for a false sense of security.
Before going over my objections and concerns about the ¨enhanced¨ security, I would like you to keep something in mind. One airport has not been breached since 2002 and is not exactly in the safest part of the world to put it mildly. Security lines normally last only about 30 minutes. They do not use X-Ray vision machines or feel your intimate body parts The screeners at the Ben Gurion airport in Israel make eye contact with every passenger and ask them simple questions, watching to see how the person behaves rather than peeking at what’s on their body. How much would it cost to train TSOs compared to the $170,000 price tag of EACH machine and many larger airports have 5-10 machines.
Recent Attacks & Attempts
To start, I would like to examine the attacks and attempts in the post 9-11 world since that expression is so popular with supporters of the new procedures. First, 9-11 terrorists did not use any type of bomb device...they used box cutters or knives. Clearly for those type of things to make it through security was a sign of the lack of security we had and we immediately incorporated new security features to improve the situation.
What about attacks after 9-11? Arguably there have been two major terrorist acts since 9-11: Madrid and London. Both of those attacks happened on subways inside a city. Should we expect the same security procedures to take place on a daily basis in order to get on a subway or train. I´m sure people of Chicago or even NY would have something to say about that. These attacks also show that air transportation is not the main focus for terrorist groups.
What about recent attempts in aircraft that were not successful. Well, in the last few months we have seen attempted bombs make their way through boxes and packages like in the case of the London plane headed for the US- not on a person. Even today, a news story about a suitcase was found with bomb-like features in Germany- not on a person. I have also read news stories about bombs being sewn into animals which were foiled simply because the surgery was so bad, but the method could have worked- not on a person. These are just a few examples of how even if attacks are planned on a plane, the new invasive procedures could not catch them because they have nothing to do with people and try to avoid anything to do with people.
Ways Around It
While the new procedures are able to see better what is under our clothing and on our bodies, it cannot see what is IN our bodies. The press that the new procedures have gotten will certainly have alerted and prevented any prospective terrorists from trying to hide anything on the outside of the body. Without being too grotesque, there is enough room in the orphases of our body that could easily pass through the new security features. Why do I need to be violated if something can get through so easily? I am not saying that these machines or pat downs are not effective for finding things on the outside of the body, but it wouldn´t take much to find something small enough yet effective enough to do some damage that can be inserted inside the body. Not to mention the other options above that completely avoid the new procedures.
I do not think terrorists are un-intelligent. They are misguided or angry or maybe even being forced to act in that way, but they being a terrorist doesn´t qualify them as stupid. Innovation is just as natural to them as Internet hackers and the products people sell to protect you from them. It is a never ending game of advancing the tactics except in the case of airport safety, the ¨protection¨ from the terrorists is very personal and very invasive.
How Far Can It Go
That brings me to my next point. Some people say that the new procedures are not that invasive or they are worth it to keep us safe. But I have to ask.....where is the line? If orphases, dogs and cats, and who knows what else are the next phase in planting bombs, what are we going to be subjected to next. Stronger X-Rays to see in the body? More thorough manual searches? At what point will it stop becoming more invasive. Remember 9 years ago when we couldn't go the gates anymore? We were disappointed, but we understood. Remember when we started to have to take our shoes off and throw away our water bottles? We were annoyed and maybe a little disgusted to walk barefoot at the airport, but we understood. Remember when we didn´t have too worry about every single bottle of liquid that we were carrying? It was nice, but all of the changes since 9-11 were understandable. We slowly changed the system so that we were safer. None of these changes however involved invading our personal space, modesty, or took away our right of being innocent (and being treated innocently) until proven guilty. They all were things outside of our body that did not expose us in a derogatory way to any person or persons.
Untrained/Unprofessional TSOs
Part of the problem with the new procedures that include firm touching of the hands and fingers to the genitals and breasts along with clear scans of our bodies is that the TSOs are not always the most professional and well-trained employees possible. I have read articles (which always must be taken with a grain of salt), where a teenage passenger heard the scanner operator tell the operator on the computer (in another room) ¨We got a real looker coming through.¨ That normally would not offend anyone if someone wasn´t looking at our naked bodies. Those two employees could have easily talked about her after work....about her naked body.
Another story which originally did not get any press, but currently is resurfacing is about the TSA employee, Negrin, who attacked a fellow employee Osorno after months of derogatory and humiliating comments about his genital region. It was during training and Negrin went through the machine while Osorno and other agents were examining the computer screen. In this case, they clearly knew one another which is not normally the case, but it still shows that the people operating the machines or performing intimate searches of their body are not always mature professional people that I can trust not to humiliate me.
Modesty
I am religious person and around family and close friends I am not the most modest person, but I am very in regard to what people see of me or feel of my body when they don´t know me. I don´t even like it when the doctor (male of female) has to give me a breast exam or something as simple as feeling on my belly. I don´t like people touching me or looking at me in an exposed way....regardless of the circumstances. I guess I am more modest when I am the one being exposed to a person that is not exposed at all. The locker room or beach isn´t as bad (though I try to keep decently covered), because everyone that is there is at the same level of exposure. It´s multi-directional rather than solely directed at me.
I have been traveling a lot lately and I have found that I love traveling in dresses because they are typically loose fitting and comfortable, but still look nice. Sometimes I wear very thin leggings and sometimes I don´t. The scanning machines have more difficulties with loose fitting clothing since sometimes the overlap of material can block the radiation from your skin, therefore, appearing as if you have something. So after you have submitted yourself to being looked at, you must now be groped to make sure whatever it was is nothing harmful. Someone´s hands will be firmly rubbing up and down my legs and along my groin with as little as a thin pair of underwear. I know some defenders of the procedure would just say ¨Don´t wear that kind of outfit,¨ but (not including a thick pair of jeans) I think most material would allow too much to be felt along your private areas.
Americans don´t even like to touch each other on the arm or leg while in public areas. From the day we are born, we are taught to not touch each other. Think back to 1st grade when the teacher constantly reminds children to sit at their own desk and leave the other students alone. Or your mother telling you not to touch strangers when in line at the grocery store or hell not to let strangers touch you in your private areas. I know when I was in grade school we had multiple presentations about ¨Stranger Danger¨ and inappropriate touching. It´s hard to be raised in a culture like that and suddenly be told that the areas your significant other or doctors are normally the only ones to touch will now be looked at or touched by strangers.
Criminal
I have never been convicted of a crime. I have never been arrested. I have never even had a traffic violation. I am not a criminal. The new procedures to me are equivalent to what criminals are put through. An intense pat down including genital areas are performed by policemen on people suspected of carrying drugs or weapons....this is done when they have good cause to believe that person has something on them. Before a person goes to jail and while they are in jail, a strip search is done to ensure no weapons or drugs are being hidden....once again because they are either convicted criminals or enough evidence has been found to show that they could be dangerous in one way or another.
Why should it be that anyone who wants to fly home for the holidays should be the equivalent to a criminal. Many people would say that if you don´t want to be safe and go through the new security features, then don´t fly. Well, my friend Dustin had an excellent response to that "don't fly if you're scared of flying." I do not have a choice in the matter. It has been a few years since the last ocean liner made passenger journeys across the Atlantic from the US to the UK. There is one ocean liner in existence Queen Mary which is mainly used for cruises. If I want to go home, I have to fly. If I fly, I have to be subjected to some type of procedure that I personally find humiliating.
Skin Cancer
I would first like to say that most worries about cancer in regard to the radiation used are overstated. I know that. However, radiologists and oncologists have both said that there are cases when radiation even in small doses could (not will) affect some (not all) people. I am not trying to scare anyone into thinking the imaging machines will affect everyone, most people, or even a lot of people. But the question I have to ask is, if the hundreds of millions of people who travel every year ( I read 800 million) go through the scanning machines and .001% of them are affected by them (because of bad genes or whatever reason) that is 800,000 people. That is a thousandth of 1%. Is that percentage to high? What about .00001% that still amounts to 8,000 people----that is one billionth of a percentage which I´m sure is significantly smaller than what the FDA would require for the machines to be considered safe. There were less than 8,000 people killed on 9-11.
If anyone has the FDA report which explains the possible side effects of the machines, please send it to me. I do like to be well-informed.
General feelings about 4th Amendment Rights (and a little with 1st Amendment)
Finally, I have to address the infringement by the new procedure on my rights as a citizen. When it comes to American rights, laws, and the constitution, I know (as well if not maybe a little better) than the average American. I do not pretend to be a lawyer or well versed in court cases that would show precedence in this area so anyone that has knowledge on this subject please let me know.
¨The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.¨
I am sometimes very annoyed or frustrated by the American government, American policies, and sometimes Americans themselves, but I love being American. I have rights as an American citizen that give me a sense of pride and security, both of which are taken from me by the use of these new procedures. I am not proud that we are now that the majority of Americans have been ¨terrified¨ enough to allow images of their naked bodies to be taken or allow inappropriate touching of their bodies simply to get on a plane. I do not feel secure that these machines or pat downs will do what people expect they can do. I do not feel secure that my rights as an American won´t continue to be taken away.
I have the right to be secure my person and my belongings unless someone has probable cause to search me or my belongings. Trying to board a plane to go home or to go to work does not give them probable cause to violate my person. I was more than willing to give some room within the amendment especially with my belongings- having my bags X-rayed or opened and examined. I was willing to take off my shoes or be lightly patted if necessary when it came to my actual person. But my body- undressed or intimately touched and examined? That is too far. That is too much.
I am not one of those people who refuse to accept there are limits on the Bill of Rights or that they were made at a different time and therefore different needs needed to be satisfied (the 2nd amendment comes to mind). But we do have them for a reason and we need to protect them and ourselves from unfair violations. I refuse to continue down this road of sacrificing our freedom and dignity for safety.
Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
Benjamin Franklin An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania. (1759)
On a final side note....I have now fixed the setting where anyone can comment on the actual blog without being a member. I didn't realize I had checked the wrong option.
I would like to state that I am NOT against advancements or enhancements to security for airports. I simply do not wish to trade my dignity and 4th amendment rights for a false sense of security.
Before going over my objections and concerns about the ¨enhanced¨ security, I would like you to keep something in mind. One airport has not been breached since 2002 and is not exactly in the safest part of the world to put it mildly. Security lines normally last only about 30 minutes. They do not use X-Ray vision machines or feel your intimate body parts The screeners at the Ben Gurion airport in Israel make eye contact with every passenger and ask them simple questions, watching to see how the person behaves rather than peeking at what’s on their body. How much would it cost to train TSOs compared to the $170,000 price tag of EACH machine and many larger airports have 5-10 machines.
Recent Attacks & Attempts
To start, I would like to examine the attacks and attempts in the post 9-11 world since that expression is so popular with supporters of the new procedures. First, 9-11 terrorists did not use any type of bomb device...they used box cutters or knives. Clearly for those type of things to make it through security was a sign of the lack of security we had and we immediately incorporated new security features to improve the situation.
What about attacks after 9-11? Arguably there have been two major terrorist acts since 9-11: Madrid and London. Both of those attacks happened on subways inside a city. Should we expect the same security procedures to take place on a daily basis in order to get on a subway or train. I´m sure people of Chicago or even NY would have something to say about that. These attacks also show that air transportation is not the main focus for terrorist groups.
What about recent attempts in aircraft that were not successful. Well, in the last few months we have seen attempted bombs make their way through boxes and packages like in the case of the London plane headed for the US- not on a person. Even today, a news story about a suitcase was found with bomb-like features in Germany- not on a person. I have also read news stories about bombs being sewn into animals which were foiled simply because the surgery was so bad, but the method could have worked- not on a person. These are just a few examples of how even if attacks are planned on a plane, the new invasive procedures could not catch them because they have nothing to do with people and try to avoid anything to do with people.
Ways Around It
While the new procedures are able to see better what is under our clothing and on our bodies, it cannot see what is IN our bodies. The press that the new procedures have gotten will certainly have alerted and prevented any prospective terrorists from trying to hide anything on the outside of the body. Without being too grotesque, there is enough room in the orphases of our body that could easily pass through the new security features. Why do I need to be violated if something can get through so easily? I am not saying that these machines or pat downs are not effective for finding things on the outside of the body, but it wouldn´t take much to find something small enough yet effective enough to do some damage that can be inserted inside the body. Not to mention the other options above that completely avoid the new procedures.
I do not think terrorists are un-intelligent. They are misguided or angry or maybe even being forced to act in that way, but they being a terrorist doesn´t qualify them as stupid. Innovation is just as natural to them as Internet hackers and the products people sell to protect you from them. It is a never ending game of advancing the tactics except in the case of airport safety, the ¨protection¨ from the terrorists is very personal and very invasive.
How Far Can It Go
That brings me to my next point. Some people say that the new procedures are not that invasive or they are worth it to keep us safe. But I have to ask.....where is the line? If orphases, dogs and cats, and who knows what else are the next phase in planting bombs, what are we going to be subjected to next. Stronger X-Rays to see in the body? More thorough manual searches? At what point will it stop becoming more invasive. Remember 9 years ago when we couldn't go the gates anymore? We were disappointed, but we understood. Remember when we started to have to take our shoes off and throw away our water bottles? We were annoyed and maybe a little disgusted to walk barefoot at the airport, but we understood. Remember when we didn´t have too worry about every single bottle of liquid that we were carrying? It was nice, but all of the changes since 9-11 were understandable. We slowly changed the system so that we were safer. None of these changes however involved invading our personal space, modesty, or took away our right of being innocent (and being treated innocently) until proven guilty. They all were things outside of our body that did not expose us in a derogatory way to any person or persons.
Untrained/Unprofessional TSOs
Part of the problem with the new procedures that include firm touching of the hands and fingers to the genitals and breasts along with clear scans of our bodies is that the TSOs are not always the most professional and well-trained employees possible. I have read articles (which always must be taken with a grain of salt), where a teenage passenger heard the scanner operator tell the operator on the computer (in another room) ¨We got a real looker coming through.¨ That normally would not offend anyone if someone wasn´t looking at our naked bodies. Those two employees could have easily talked about her after work....about her naked body.
Another story which originally did not get any press, but currently is resurfacing is about the TSA employee, Negrin, who attacked a fellow employee Osorno after months of derogatory and humiliating comments about his genital region. It was during training and Negrin went through the machine while Osorno and other agents were examining the computer screen. In this case, they clearly knew one another which is not normally the case, but it still shows that the people operating the machines or performing intimate searches of their body are not always mature professional people that I can trust not to humiliate me.
Modesty
I am religious person and around family and close friends I am not the most modest person, but I am very in regard to what people see of me or feel of my body when they don´t know me. I don´t even like it when the doctor (male of female) has to give me a breast exam or something as simple as feeling on my belly. I don´t like people touching me or looking at me in an exposed way....regardless of the circumstances. I guess I am more modest when I am the one being exposed to a person that is not exposed at all. The locker room or beach isn´t as bad (though I try to keep decently covered), because everyone that is there is at the same level of exposure. It´s multi-directional rather than solely directed at me.
I have been traveling a lot lately and I have found that I love traveling in dresses because they are typically loose fitting and comfortable, but still look nice. Sometimes I wear very thin leggings and sometimes I don´t. The scanning machines have more difficulties with loose fitting clothing since sometimes the overlap of material can block the radiation from your skin, therefore, appearing as if you have something. So after you have submitted yourself to being looked at, you must now be groped to make sure whatever it was is nothing harmful. Someone´s hands will be firmly rubbing up and down my legs and along my groin with as little as a thin pair of underwear. I know some defenders of the procedure would just say ¨Don´t wear that kind of outfit,¨ but (not including a thick pair of jeans) I think most material would allow too much to be felt along your private areas.
Americans don´t even like to touch each other on the arm or leg while in public areas. From the day we are born, we are taught to not touch each other. Think back to 1st grade when the teacher constantly reminds children to sit at their own desk and leave the other students alone. Or your mother telling you not to touch strangers when in line at the grocery store or hell not to let strangers touch you in your private areas. I know when I was in grade school we had multiple presentations about ¨Stranger Danger¨ and inappropriate touching. It´s hard to be raised in a culture like that and suddenly be told that the areas your significant other or doctors are normally the only ones to touch will now be looked at or touched by strangers.
Criminal
I have never been convicted of a crime. I have never been arrested. I have never even had a traffic violation. I am not a criminal. The new procedures to me are equivalent to what criminals are put through. An intense pat down including genital areas are performed by policemen on people suspected of carrying drugs or weapons....this is done when they have good cause to believe that person has something on them. Before a person goes to jail and while they are in jail, a strip search is done to ensure no weapons or drugs are being hidden....once again because they are either convicted criminals or enough evidence has been found to show that they could be dangerous in one way or another.
Why should it be that anyone who wants to fly home for the holidays should be the equivalent to a criminal. Many people would say that if you don´t want to be safe and go through the new security features, then don´t fly. Well, my friend Dustin had an excellent response to that "don't fly if you're scared of flying." I do not have a choice in the matter. It has been a few years since the last ocean liner made passenger journeys across the Atlantic from the US to the UK. There is one ocean liner in existence Queen Mary which is mainly used for cruises. If I want to go home, I have to fly. If I fly, I have to be subjected to some type of procedure that I personally find humiliating.
Skin Cancer
I would first like to say that most worries about cancer in regard to the radiation used are overstated. I know that. However, radiologists and oncologists have both said that there are cases when radiation even in small doses could (not will) affect some (not all) people. I am not trying to scare anyone into thinking the imaging machines will affect everyone, most people, or even a lot of people. But the question I have to ask is, if the hundreds of millions of people who travel every year ( I read 800 million) go through the scanning machines and .001% of them are affected by them (because of bad genes or whatever reason) that is 800,000 people. That is a thousandth of 1%. Is that percentage to high? What about .00001% that still amounts to 8,000 people----that is one billionth of a percentage which I´m sure is significantly smaller than what the FDA would require for the machines to be considered safe. There were less than 8,000 people killed on 9-11.
If anyone has the FDA report which explains the possible side effects of the machines, please send it to me. I do like to be well-informed.
General feelings about 4th Amendment Rights (and a little with 1st Amendment)
Finally, I have to address the infringement by the new procedure on my rights as a citizen. When it comes to American rights, laws, and the constitution, I know (as well if not maybe a little better) than the average American. I do not pretend to be a lawyer or well versed in court cases that would show precedence in this area so anyone that has knowledge on this subject please let me know.
¨The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.¨
I am sometimes very annoyed or frustrated by the American government, American policies, and sometimes Americans themselves, but I love being American. I have rights as an American citizen that give me a sense of pride and security, both of which are taken from me by the use of these new procedures. I am not proud that we are now that the majority of Americans have been ¨terrified¨ enough to allow images of their naked bodies to be taken or allow inappropriate touching of their bodies simply to get on a plane. I do not feel secure that these machines or pat downs will do what people expect they can do. I do not feel secure that my rights as an American won´t continue to be taken away.
I have the right to be secure my person and my belongings unless someone has probable cause to search me or my belongings. Trying to board a plane to go home or to go to work does not give them probable cause to violate my person. I was more than willing to give some room within the amendment especially with my belongings- having my bags X-rayed or opened and examined. I was willing to take off my shoes or be lightly patted if necessary when it came to my actual person. But my body- undressed or intimately touched and examined? That is too far. That is too much.
I am not one of those people who refuse to accept there are limits on the Bill of Rights or that they were made at a different time and therefore different needs needed to be satisfied (the 2nd amendment comes to mind). But we do have them for a reason and we need to protect them and ourselves from unfair violations. I refuse to continue down this road of sacrificing our freedom and dignity for safety.
Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
Benjamin Franklin An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania. (1759)
On a final side note....I have now fixed the setting where anyone can comment on the actual blog without being a member. I didn't realize I had checked the wrong option.
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