HI!
So this morning we (cristina and her 3 kids) left Simijaca at 5 am (woke up at 330) to go to Chia. But first we went to Calupa, a small town way up in the mountains (3000ish meters high) because my cousin Cristina had to check up on some cows (shes a vet). While she was doing her vet thing, the kids and I played "im going on a picnic and im bringing" game..but instead we changed it to "vivo en una finca y tengo..(i live on a farm and i have..)" It was so funny!! we made it bilingual to make it tricky and because some animals we couldnt think of in spanish (we couldnt think of animals that began with Q or U in spanish) so i told them in english..You had to be there...After we went to the mall in Chia because they had to go to a funeral today and didnt have black clothes, except the stores didnt open until 11 and we were there at 930 (struggle). So meanwhile we went to our aunt Lilys house (my moms twin). And the stress began haha...my aunt is very very verymuch like my mom (but even more OCD & anxious) and her hubby is umm..a character. I napped for 2 hrs at my aunts (thank God she let me!) amd work up frozen..omg it is soooo cold here!!! I was ready to get on the next plane to Boston seriously. In the evening we went to my cousin claudias house to hang out with her kids and Cristinas kids (once they got back from teh funeral). Those couple of hours without Cristinas kids felt so long and boring..love those little rascals! I was a little disappointed that Claudias son and daughter are kind of snobby..they have had a different childhood than the other kids (city life verse country life) among other factors. But anyway...we all played for hours at outside (i almost died, I think ive had one too many arepas, I was out of breath). blah blah blah what esle ......Idk im feeling a little homesick I feel like i have been in colombia forever!!! I still have a week left!! I just want to be in simijaca with cristina nd her kids, its so much fun and stress free!! but now im in Chia and being juggled from house to house. I think the cold weather is getting to me!! Im sure if it was warm I would be way more eager to be here lol
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Brrrrr its chilly in Simijaca!!! During the day its like sunny spring time and at night its like a cold cold fall day in Boston. My cousin Cristina paid the internet service today so theres internet in her house nowyay! Im going to catch you up real quick on what ive been doing, but quick because my little cousins just got back from school so I want to hang out with them (best little cousins in teh world!) Right now I am in Simijaca at my cousins house (my aunt Lucita´s old house, its beautiful!) The kids were at school and my aunt and cousin were working all day so I relaxed in the morning, watched tv and laid out in the sun with the dogs. It is soooo quiet and peaceful over here, all you can hear is birds chirping and the occasional mooing of cows. living the life...but anyway Ive been busy busy here with the fam :)
On thursday we had lunch at my cousin`s Claudias house for her bday, her hubby made lunch! After that my aunt Lucita and her hubby Frank and I drove to Simijaca (2hrs away from the capital), we arrived to my cousin Cristinas house because Cristinas kids wanted to hang out with me haha, and they wanted me to go with them to school the next to see them dance. Friday morning I took my little cousins to school since their mom leaves to the farm really early. We walked to their school which is around the corner (down the dirt road and onto the main street)..omg my cousins are soo cute! They showed me around their school (which is really small) and my cousin Jose Ignacio (josi) introduced me to all his friends (Im the cousin from the united states..kinda a big deal lol jk) Their school had a presentation because it was celebrating 29 yrs, every grade performed a dance from different regions of Colombia. it was so much fun! After that my cousin dropped Josi (9yrs old), Salome (12 yrs old) and I in Chiquinquira (the town nearby) so I could buy a bathing suit. We walked around the entire town for like 3 hrs it was so much fun Ive never gotten to walk around it before. Its hard to explain what the town looks like so you have to see the pictures. It was cool because my mom went to boarding school in that town, so it was cool thinking what it mustve been like when she went to school there (we walked by her school) BTW my mom is from Simijaca (I think Im repeating myself from previous blogs..) FRiday night Cristina took us to her new farm and we hung out there for a long while she organized the farm house. See last year Simijaca or well this region in Colombia, had a really bad winter. It rained non stop which caused the river next to my family´s farm to overflow. The entire farm and nearby land was completely flooded like 10 feet or more. A bunch of their cows drowned and some were able to be transported to another farm higher up the mountain. The farm was flooded for about 6 months and not until a year later (now) could my family bring cows back to their farm and start over again. Its been really hard on them because they have a dairy farm, so they sell their milk to a dairy company Alquira (its like the colombian version of Hood) They went from having 150 cows to 20. But anyway, the river border was fixed and it hasnt rained alot so they should be better this year =)
Over the weekend my aunt Lucita, her hubby, Cristina and her three kids and I went to the state of Santander (north) to the cities of San Gil and Bucaramanga..it was soooooooooo warm there!!!! Thank God!! We drove through really tall mountains and canyons, it was beautiful (i took alot of pics) On the way to Bucaramanga, we went to a national park called Chicamocha. We went on a cable car that took us down and up a mountain and across a river. And I went on this huge swing that swings over the mountain cliff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was crazy! Your feet dangle over the mountain like a gazillion feet high haha It was actually not scary while on the swing, but when you watch people do it, it looks freaking nuts!!! That night we arrived to Bucaramanga, and saw DArk Knight (in spanish!) On the way back to the hotel we took a taxi and we got freaked out because the cab took us in the opposite direction of the hotel and drove down a sketchy dark side street (my cousin her daghter and i thought we were going to be jumped, the boys didnt even notice what was going on) Turns out the cab was taking us to another hotel which has a smiliar name as the one we were staying at lol
On Sunday my aunt and cousin decided to end the trip quick and return to Simijaca that night instead of Monday because they had too much to do (sounds like my parents). Sunday morning I went to see a family friend since she lives in that city, she moved from Boston in January. It was nice to see where she lives and see how she is doing. During the day we went to a water park and then stopped in San Gil (small town up in the mountains) and then arrived last night to Simijaca. Btw driving through canyon was nuts!!! The road is sooooooooooooooooo curvy!!!!!!!! WE were all getting motion sickness! And the cliffs are kinda scary too haha
ok i cant think of anything else to write...oh tomorrow Im going to Raquira this some village to buy gifts for everyone !!!!woo woo lol
ok im going to chase the dogs in the yard and play with my little cousins!! bye!
On thursday we had lunch at my cousin`s Claudias house for her bday, her hubby made lunch! After that my aunt Lucita and her hubby Frank and I drove to Simijaca (2hrs away from the capital), we arrived to my cousin Cristinas house because Cristinas kids wanted to hang out with me haha, and they wanted me to go with them to school the next to see them dance. Friday morning I took my little cousins to school since their mom leaves to the farm really early. We walked to their school which is around the corner (down the dirt road and onto the main street)..omg my cousins are soo cute! They showed me around their school (which is really small) and my cousin Jose Ignacio (josi) introduced me to all his friends (Im the cousin from the united states..kinda a big deal lol jk) Their school had a presentation because it was celebrating 29 yrs, every grade performed a dance from different regions of Colombia. it was so much fun! After that my cousin dropped Josi (9yrs old), Salome (12 yrs old) and I in Chiquinquira (the town nearby) so I could buy a bathing suit. We walked around the entire town for like 3 hrs it was so much fun Ive never gotten to walk around it before. Its hard to explain what the town looks like so you have to see the pictures. It was cool because my mom went to boarding school in that town, so it was cool thinking what it mustve been like when she went to school there (we walked by her school) BTW my mom is from Simijaca (I think Im repeating myself from previous blogs..) FRiday night Cristina took us to her new farm and we hung out there for a long while she organized the farm house. See last year Simijaca or well this region in Colombia, had a really bad winter. It rained non stop which caused the river next to my family´s farm to overflow. The entire farm and nearby land was completely flooded like 10 feet or more. A bunch of their cows drowned and some were able to be transported to another farm higher up the mountain. The farm was flooded for about 6 months and not until a year later (now) could my family bring cows back to their farm and start over again. Its been really hard on them because they have a dairy farm, so they sell their milk to a dairy company Alquira (its like the colombian version of Hood) They went from having 150 cows to 20. But anyway, the river border was fixed and it hasnt rained alot so they should be better this year =)
Over the weekend my aunt Lucita, her hubby, Cristina and her three kids and I went to the state of Santander (north) to the cities of San Gil and Bucaramanga..it was soooooooooo warm there!!!! Thank God!! We drove through really tall mountains and canyons, it was beautiful (i took alot of pics) On the way to Bucaramanga, we went to a national park called Chicamocha. We went on a cable car that took us down and up a mountain and across a river. And I went on this huge swing that swings over the mountain cliff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was crazy! Your feet dangle over the mountain like a gazillion feet high haha It was actually not scary while on the swing, but when you watch people do it, it looks freaking nuts!!! That night we arrived to Bucaramanga, and saw DArk Knight (in spanish!) On the way back to the hotel we took a taxi and we got freaked out because the cab took us in the opposite direction of the hotel and drove down a sketchy dark side street (my cousin her daghter and i thought we were going to be jumped, the boys didnt even notice what was going on) Turns out the cab was taking us to another hotel which has a smiliar name as the one we were staying at lol
On Sunday my aunt and cousin decided to end the trip quick and return to Simijaca that night instead of Monday because they had too much to do (sounds like my parents). Sunday morning I went to see a family friend since she lives in that city, she moved from Boston in January. It was nice to see where she lives and see how she is doing. During the day we went to a water park and then stopped in San Gil (small town up in the mountains) and then arrived last night to Simijaca. Btw driving through canyon was nuts!!! The road is sooooooooooooooooo curvy!!!!!!!! WE were all getting motion sickness! And the cliffs are kinda scary too haha
ok i cant think of anything else to write...oh tomorrow Im going to Raquira this some village to buy gifts for everyone !!!!woo woo lol
ok im going to chase the dogs in the yard and play with my little cousins!! bye!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
¡que frió!
HI! I flew into Bogota yesterday and have been with my mom's family in Chia (its 15 min away from Bogota the capital, like saying Quincy and Boston). I am sooooo happy being over here, my moms family is so much fun and loving. I really feel at home with them. Later today we are driving to Simijaca which is 2hrs away I think, its the farm area where my family grew up. I love it there! its just farms and little towns. Then during the weekend my fam is taking me to San Gil which is further north-west because its warm/hot over there (Thank God). After that I will be in Simijaca until Thursday and return to Bogota...then Ill be with my other cousins who are taking me out to partyyyyyyyy and rumor is that they are taking me somewhere warm as well during that weekend. Right now it is sooo cold!!! Its prob 50 degrees brrrrrrrr I was not ready for this cold haha In Medellin it was high 80s (miss it ) But whatever Im loving it here...
Right now I am in a little store where you can make phone calls and use the computers. To be on the internet for an hour is 1000 pesos which is $0.50 (soooo cheap!) My family doesnt have internet in their houses so whenever I get a chance I will go to one of these internet stores to update my blog =) Hope everyone is doing well byeeee
Right now I am in a little store where you can make phone calls and use the computers. To be on the internet for an hour is 1000 pesos which is $0.50 (soooo cheap!) My family doesnt have internet in their houses so whenever I get a chance I will go to one of these internet stores to update my blog =) Hope everyone is doing well byeeee
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Q´hubo!!
HII!!! I miss you guys!! I have been really busy I havent been able to update my blog. Let me just say that my brain is getting confused!!! I feel like its hard to write right now in English because Ive only been hearing and speaking spanish...I've been here for just a week, imagine what its going to be like at the end of the month lol! Today I spoke to Doyle, Dani and Emily on the phone, it was so weird hearing English lol but anyway, let me fill you in on what Ive been doing. I think I left off in my last entry that on Wednesday night I went to the movies with the two young nuns to see Valiente (the new disney movie Brave..sooo cute!) Thursday night I went to see the Ballet Folkorico with my aunt. I think I wrote about that already....? ok, Im going to break down the past couple days...let me warn you, this entry is going to be lonngggggggggg!!
(pause, trying to remember what I did....)
Friday:
oooh yea I remember now, I did nothing haha. I was at the convent alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll day. My aunt was busy since shes the principal so I walked around the campus and listened to music in my room. Oh and I hung out with Sor Gladys (one of the young nuns) while she taught first holy communion preparation class. That was fun actually, the students were so funny! but my camp counselor instincts were kicking in when the girls were getting a little rowdy lol wait quick sidenote, I am SO hungry!!!! Over here they have breakfast, big lunches (aka dinner) and small dinners (consisting of crackers and fruit) Today I ate breakfast late so when I had lunch I was still full from breakfast and didnt eat much...then for dinner I had crackers and drank panela haha i want some yummy bread mmm..Anyway, Friday night i was suffering from cabin fever since I didnt leave the convent grounds at all. I was itching to get out and frolic in the city. See the thing was that on Friday the festivities for the La Feria de las Flores were starting so there was sooo much going on in Medellin. There was a concert with zion y lennox, j balvin, and a bunch of other artists. Instead of frolicking I was watching tv with the nuns and they went to bed at 8! The young nuns felt bad for me so they put on a zumba exercise dvd so we could dance lol how cute! later that night I went from having cabin fever to being sicky lol (from the food or the water) Thank God I was only sick for a day, one time when I came to colombia I was sick for a week!!! so yea that was Friday..
Saturday:
wow this is a struggle, I forget what I did during the day (looking through my camera to refresh my memory) Oh yes, in the morning I just relaxed here in the convent (still a little sicky) They served me lunch (aka a 3 course meal) I almost died lol In the afternoon we went on a little road trip to Santa Elena, a LITTLE town that is known for its beautiful flowers. Alot of the flowers that are used in the festival of the flowers come from that area and the big flower arrangements are made there (check out my fb pics). So we drove there almost an hour, when we got there we drove around for literally 5 minutes in the main plaza, and then left lol After we went to another town that is known for woodwork. The town was very colonial looking over there so it was cool to see. At night my cousin Camilo (his great grandfather is my great uncle) picked me up and we partied all night wooo woooo!!!!!! It was the first time I ever partied in Colombia..it was soooo much fun being out where all the locals hang out!! At first we went to his best friends apartment with his friends and then went to the area where all the cool kids go (imagine an area like fanueil hall where theres alot of bars slash clubs) We drank and danced all night...omg they mostly played reggaeton!!! Boston needs places like the ones in Medellin, they have clubs (clubs dont look like clubs in Boston, its more like a restaurant looking place where people eventually move tables to dance) that play just hip hop r&b and reggaeton! We got home around 330am, I slept over my cousin's house thankfully.. imagine arriving to the convent at that time lol...ahh and my cousin's cousin got so sick, poor thing is only 17 and was drinking vodka for the first time. I had sooooooo much fun that night, everyone was sooooo friendly!!! Actually pretty much everyone over here is very friendly and caring and affectionate. Oh! One of my cousin´s friends was raised in Florida so I had someone to speak English with. It definitely helped because sometimes I dont understand what people are saying because they use Colombian terms Ive never heard before. Im trying to learn and use the terms so I can blend in haha..aka beware I will be using Colombian slang when I get back home lol
Sunday:
We were lazy all day watching the parade of antique cars and listening to music..it was awesome being in pjs all day just hanging out with family lol I havent done that in a while!! In the evening Camilo, his sister Carolina and friends went to an event called Sonido sobra ruedas where there were ALOT of pimped out cars like in the fast & the furious. At night they were like 4 different concerts playing. We went to the reggaeton concert...slash the first band was an awfulllll reggae band and the second was some weird electronic music. The audience was NOT happy, people were getting rowddyy!! It was a bit much, I was disappointed in my people. For those who have been to a summerjam concert at the comcast center, imagine being in the lawn seats (people get crazy) but like times 5!! People were throwing cans, bottles, rocks (one hit Camilo's head) , trash and it was REALLY crowded. At one point, a camera man was setting up his camera to film, and the crowd got pissed because he was "blocking" our view. People threw bottles at the guy..it was awful!!The guy ended up setting up his camera somewhere else. AND when the first two bands were playing, the audience were pretty much booing them off the stage (the bands didnt get the memo though). Once reggaeton started the crowd settled down and was happy lol I saw J Balvin, which was exciting because I know alot of his songs, and other Colombian artists. Maluma, this Colombian artist who I had never heard of before was amazing!! And he is sooooooooooooooo cute :) Nicky Jam performed too, it was funny he refers to himself as Paisarican because he loves Colombia (Paisa = people from this region in Colombia, and Rican as in Puerto Rican) AFter the concert we drove around in my cousins' pimped car and ate some HUGEEEEEEEEEEE hotdogs. Check out the picture on fb, these hot dogs are the size of my face lol Hot dogs over here are no joke, they come with everything not just ketchup. DELICIOUS!!! When I get back home I am going to make those hot dogs for you guys mmmmmm
Monday:
Monday morning we woke up at 5am because Elquin and Camilo had to work (they manage the school cafe) This whole city is up by 5 or 6am People get to work so early and there are classes that start at 6AM!!!! Imagine having class at that time!! I remember I struggled with my 8am classes in college, I cant picture having class so early. Luckily Im on vacation so as soon as I arrived to the convent/school I passed out lol. BTW its 4am, I guess im not sleeping tonight...and I can hear showers running so the nuns are waking up now.
Monday I finally got to go to the poor areas to do some community service. I only got to go once because the priest just was released from the hospital. Also, its kinda dangerous over there so the nuns were very protective of me and didnt want me to be there for long. I'm getting a little sleepy so I will write about my experience of being over there later. It was an impactful experience so theres alot I want to write about it.
At night I went out with Camilo and his friends to a "fonda", its hard to explain what it is but pretty much a restaurant area where each restaurant has a theme to celebrate the festival of flowers. We spent the night listening to vallenato and drinking guardo (aguardiente = typical Colombian alcohol). It was fun...a little too much fun hahaha..ahem. We got home around 3, it was embarassing because Camilo forgot his keys so his parents had to open the door for us haha thankfully Elquin & Margarita are really laid back so they just laughed at us lol
Tuesday:
If youre still reading this entry, I really appreciate it!! what a great friend!! Ill make this quick!!! I hung out with Camilo and his family, then tried to see the main parade of the silleteros (check fb)with my aunt& the young nuns (it didnt work out, there were wayyyyyyyyy to many people downtown to see the parade, plus the nuns and my aunt get really nervous being out, especially in crowds), after we went to a really nicely decorated mall with the festival of flowers theme (there are seriously about 10 malls over in Medellin, I feel like there is one in every corner around) anddddddddddddd at night I helped the young nuns to decorate the auditorium & set up for the mass tomorrow (actually its in 3 hours)
Wed:
sooooo its 430 Im going to take a quick nap and then get ready for the mass. Today is my last day in Medellin, Im flying to Bogota (Colombias capital) in the afternoon. Im soooooooooooooo excited to be with my mom's family over there. Idk if Ill have internet access so who knows when my next entry will be.
Hope everyone is doing well!!!!!! Send me messages on fb to update me on whats going on with you..miss you guys!!
(pause, trying to remember what I did....)
Friday:
oooh yea I remember now, I did nothing haha. I was at the convent alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll day. My aunt was busy since shes the principal so I walked around the campus and listened to music in my room. Oh and I hung out with Sor Gladys (one of the young nuns) while she taught first holy communion preparation class. That was fun actually, the students were so funny! but my camp counselor instincts were kicking in when the girls were getting a little rowdy lol wait quick sidenote, I am SO hungry!!!! Over here they have breakfast, big lunches (aka dinner) and small dinners (consisting of crackers and fruit) Today I ate breakfast late so when I had lunch I was still full from breakfast and didnt eat much...then for dinner I had crackers and drank panela haha i want some yummy bread mmm..Anyway, Friday night i was suffering from cabin fever since I didnt leave the convent grounds at all. I was itching to get out and frolic in the city. See the thing was that on Friday the festivities for the La Feria de las Flores were starting so there was sooo much going on in Medellin. There was a concert with zion y lennox, j balvin, and a bunch of other artists. Instead of frolicking I was watching tv with the nuns and they went to bed at 8! The young nuns felt bad for me so they put on a zumba exercise dvd so we could dance lol how cute! later that night I went from having cabin fever to being sicky lol (from the food or the water) Thank God I was only sick for a day, one time when I came to colombia I was sick for a week!!! so yea that was Friday..
Saturday:
wow this is a struggle, I forget what I did during the day (looking through my camera to refresh my memory) Oh yes, in the morning I just relaxed here in the convent (still a little sicky) They served me lunch (aka a 3 course meal) I almost died lol In the afternoon we went on a little road trip to Santa Elena, a LITTLE town that is known for its beautiful flowers. Alot of the flowers that are used in the festival of the flowers come from that area and the big flower arrangements are made there (check out my fb pics). So we drove there almost an hour, when we got there we drove around for literally 5 minutes in the main plaza, and then left lol After we went to another town that is known for woodwork. The town was very colonial looking over there so it was cool to see. At night my cousin Camilo (his great grandfather is my great uncle) picked me up and we partied all night wooo woooo!!!!!! It was the first time I ever partied in Colombia..it was soooo much fun being out where all the locals hang out!! At first we went to his best friends apartment with his friends and then went to the area where all the cool kids go (imagine an area like fanueil hall where theres alot of bars slash clubs) We drank and danced all night...omg they mostly played reggaeton!!! Boston needs places like the ones in Medellin, they have clubs (clubs dont look like clubs in Boston, its more like a restaurant looking place where people eventually move tables to dance) that play just hip hop r&b and reggaeton! We got home around 330am, I slept over my cousin's house thankfully.. imagine arriving to the convent at that time lol...ahh and my cousin's cousin got so sick, poor thing is only 17 and was drinking vodka for the first time. I had sooooooo much fun that night, everyone was sooooo friendly!!! Actually pretty much everyone over here is very friendly and caring and affectionate. Oh! One of my cousin´s friends was raised in Florida so I had someone to speak English with. It definitely helped because sometimes I dont understand what people are saying because they use Colombian terms Ive never heard before. Im trying to learn and use the terms so I can blend in haha..aka beware I will be using Colombian slang when I get back home lol
Sunday:
We were lazy all day watching the parade of antique cars and listening to music..it was awesome being in pjs all day just hanging out with family lol I havent done that in a while!! In the evening Camilo, his sister Carolina and friends went to an event called Sonido sobra ruedas where there were ALOT of pimped out cars like in the fast & the furious. At night they were like 4 different concerts playing. We went to the reggaeton concert...slash the first band was an awfulllll reggae band and the second was some weird electronic music. The audience was NOT happy, people were getting rowddyy!! It was a bit much, I was disappointed in my people. For those who have been to a summerjam concert at the comcast center, imagine being in the lawn seats (people get crazy) but like times 5!! People were throwing cans, bottles, rocks (one hit Camilo's head) , trash and it was REALLY crowded. At one point, a camera man was setting up his camera to film, and the crowd got pissed because he was "blocking" our view. People threw bottles at the guy..it was awful!!The guy ended up setting up his camera somewhere else. AND when the first two bands were playing, the audience were pretty much booing them off the stage (the bands didnt get the memo though). Once reggaeton started the crowd settled down and was happy lol I saw J Balvin, which was exciting because I know alot of his songs, and other Colombian artists. Maluma, this Colombian artist who I had never heard of before was amazing!! And he is sooooooooooooooo cute :) Nicky Jam performed too, it was funny he refers to himself as Paisarican because he loves Colombia (Paisa = people from this region in Colombia, and Rican as in Puerto Rican) AFter the concert we drove around in my cousins' pimped car and ate some HUGEEEEEEEEEEE hotdogs. Check out the picture on fb, these hot dogs are the size of my face lol Hot dogs over here are no joke, they come with everything not just ketchup. DELICIOUS!!! When I get back home I am going to make those hot dogs for you guys mmmmmm
Monday:
Monday morning we woke up at 5am because Elquin and Camilo had to work (they manage the school cafe) This whole city is up by 5 or 6am People get to work so early and there are classes that start at 6AM!!!! Imagine having class at that time!! I remember I struggled with my 8am classes in college, I cant picture having class so early. Luckily Im on vacation so as soon as I arrived to the convent/school I passed out lol. BTW its 4am, I guess im not sleeping tonight...and I can hear showers running so the nuns are waking up now.
Monday I finally got to go to the poor areas to do some community service. I only got to go once because the priest just was released from the hospital. Also, its kinda dangerous over there so the nuns were very protective of me and didnt want me to be there for long. I'm getting a little sleepy so I will write about my experience of being over there later. It was an impactful experience so theres alot I want to write about it.
At night I went out with Camilo and his friends to a "fonda", its hard to explain what it is but pretty much a restaurant area where each restaurant has a theme to celebrate the festival of flowers. We spent the night listening to vallenato and drinking guardo (aguardiente = typical Colombian alcohol). It was fun...a little too much fun hahaha..ahem. We got home around 3, it was embarassing because Camilo forgot his keys so his parents had to open the door for us haha thankfully Elquin & Margarita are really laid back so they just laughed at us lol
Tuesday:
If youre still reading this entry, I really appreciate it!! what a great friend!! Ill make this quick!!! I hung out with Camilo and his family, then tried to see the main parade of the silleteros (check fb)with my aunt& the young nuns (it didnt work out, there were wayyyyyyyyy to many people downtown to see the parade, plus the nuns and my aunt get really nervous being out, especially in crowds), after we went to a really nicely decorated mall with the festival of flowers theme (there are seriously about 10 malls over in Medellin, I feel like there is one in every corner around) anddddddddddddd at night I helped the young nuns to decorate the auditorium & set up for the mass tomorrow (actually its in 3 hours)
Wed:
sooooo its 430 Im going to take a quick nap and then get ready for the mass. Today is my last day in Medellin, Im flying to Bogota (Colombias capital) in the afternoon. Im soooooooooooooo excited to be with my mom's family over there. Idk if Ill have internet access so who knows when my next entry will be.
Hope everyone is doing well!!!!!! Send me messages on fb to update me on whats going on with you..miss you guys!!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
que bacano parce!
today was an eventful day! My sent me with Sor Helma's sister (older nutty lady) to do errands downtown ( we went to El Hueco again) and to the botanical gardens to see the exhibit of Orchids, Birds and Flowers. I took alot of pictures of the flowers..orchids are my favorite flowers :) Medellin is known for its beautiful flowers...afte that we were out all day on buses! We got on the wrong bus for almost an hour! I pretty much had a tour of Medellin lol riding these buses feel like being on rollercoasters no lie! First off, medellin is VERY hilly so there are alot of ups & downs & curves. Second, buses or cars in general over here drive so fast! Uh I'm feeling nauseous just thinking about it lol plus with the high elevation over here compared to Boston, it gets you a little loopy if you're not used to it. The buses don't look like the mbta buses...i don't know how to describe them, they are small & you pay the driver directly. I'll take a picture next time if there aren't ppl on the bus.
tonight my aunt took me to see a show performed by the folkloric ballet. It was amazing!!!! The theme was music and dances from the pacific & Caribbean coast of Colombia . A band opened the show , they were sooooo good! I recorded them, so it'll be up on fb eventually. After, the dancers performed accompanied by another band ( soooo good!)i took alot of pics and videos of this too...you should have seen the bodies of the guys dancers omgggg lol there was one guy who I was creeping on during the show he was tall dark and handsome (shocker) lol anddddddd at the finale of the show he pulledme on stage haha i almost died! But then i realized the dancers were bringing ppl on stage too it was fun i wanted to get it and really break it down (like at the club with Tasha & Dani lol jk) buttttttttt remembered that my aunt and another nun were sitting right there FRONT row so i kept it G lol overall the show was great and makes me appreciate Colombia for its diverse culture :)
I hope you're doing well over there in MA...and thanks Dani for this blog idea, its the only time I get to talk (well write) in english
tonight my aunt took me to see a show performed by the folkloric ballet. It was amazing!!!! The theme was music and dances from the pacific & Caribbean coast of Colombia . A band opened the show , they were sooooo good! I recorded them, so it'll be up on fb eventually. After, the dancers performed accompanied by another band ( soooo good!)i took alot of pics and videos of this too...you should have seen the bodies of the guys dancers omgggg lol there was one guy who I was creeping on during the show he was tall dark and handsome (shocker) lol anddddddd at the finale of the show he pulledme on stage haha i almost died! But then i realized the dancers were bringing ppl on stage too it was fun i wanted to get it and really break it down (like at the club with Tasha & Dani lol jk) buttttttttt remembered that my aunt and another nun were sitting right there FRONT row so i kept it G lol overall the show was great and makes me appreciate Colombia for its diverse culture :)
I hope you're doing well over there in MA...and thanks Dani for this blog idea, its the only time I get to talk (well write) in english
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
relaxing
hi I don't have much to write about but people keep asking me to add more posts haha. Lets see what have i been doing....yesterday i went to "El Hueco" with the young nun Sor Maria Teresa..it was alot of fun! Imagine downtown Boston where all the stores are mixed with a craxy huge flea market. There's a bunch of empty buildings that people set up little stores /stands in niches or holes hence the name el hueco. There where stands for everything!!!!!!! It was like if cvs, WalMart, bjs, home depot, radio shack, target and the mall were converted together into a flea market.i didn't buy anything, just people watched haha it was so exciting being surrounded by sooooo many Colombians!!!! And cute Colombian guys too :) omg and there were bakeries!!! And people selling cut up mango and sugar cane juice! We rode the train and bus there, it was cool I felt like a local :)
Today I roamed around the Convent and school grounds, shadowed sor Maria Teresa while she worked, sunbathed, and had lunch w. My aunt at the school cafe where Elquin & his wife work (he is family on the Duarte siide). Oh!!!!! His son Camilo wants to see J balvin with me!!! Yay!! And supposedly Zion y Lennox are performing too!! I really hope we end up going!
i was supposed to go to a town that is really low.income or as they say un barrio pobre, but the priest over there is hospitalized until Friday so we're going later this week. I just came back from visiting an elderly woman who lives nearby the school/convent. She lives in a really small humble home with her sick husband. I went with two nuns and 8 girls from third, second and first grade. They go twice a month to bring groceries to families in need.we also went to the lady's neighbor's house where an older woman lives with her 4 kids, some grandchildren and two orphaned kids. They talked about the struggles they had in their life and how they never had the chance to go to school and how they live really humble lives. The most moving part was to hear the students tell the family that they should keep faith and never give up. But it much more cuter hearing it from a 7 year old girl in Spanish. After we went back to the elderly woman's house and talked about what we learned. One of the nuns lectured the girls and called them out it was kind of funny, she was like "see Mariana that woman cried because she couldn't study and here you are doing bad in class!" yikes...one girl said when I get home im going to tell my mom she doesn't need to buy ipods blackberries computers unless she needs them for her job (apparently this girl's mom has boob and butt implants according to the nuns) haha..it was a great experience I hope I get to go on more trips.
Right now im waiting for the nuns to get out of a meeting (they have soooo many) and im going to see ice age at the movie theater woo woo! Hope everyone is doing well :D
Today I roamed around the Convent and school grounds, shadowed sor Maria Teresa while she worked, sunbathed, and had lunch w. My aunt at the school cafe where Elquin & his wife work (he is family on the Duarte siide). Oh!!!!! His son Camilo wants to see J balvin with me!!! Yay!! And supposedly Zion y Lennox are performing too!! I really hope we end up going!
i was supposed to go to a town that is really low.income or as they say un barrio pobre, but the priest over there is hospitalized until Friday so we're going later this week. I just came back from visiting an elderly woman who lives nearby the school/convent. She lives in a really small humble home with her sick husband. I went with two nuns and 8 girls from third, second and first grade. They go twice a month to bring groceries to families in need.we also went to the lady's neighbor's house where an older woman lives with her 4 kids, some grandchildren and two orphaned kids. They talked about the struggles they had in their life and how they never had the chance to go to school and how they live really humble lives. The most moving part was to hear the students tell the family that they should keep faith and never give up. But it much more cuter hearing it from a 7 year old girl in Spanish. After we went back to the elderly woman's house and talked about what we learned. One of the nuns lectured the girls and called them out it was kind of funny, she was like "see Mariana that woman cried because she couldn't study and here you are doing bad in class!" yikes...one girl said when I get home im going to tell my mom she doesn't need to buy ipods blackberries computers unless she needs them for her job (apparently this girl's mom has boob and butt implants according to the nuns) haha..it was a great experience I hope I get to go on more trips.
Right now im waiting for the nuns to get out of a meeting (they have soooo many) and im going to see ice age at the movie theater woo woo! Hope everyone is doing well :D
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
so quick entry, this is more to vent haha..being at this convent feels like being in a mix of a beauty contest like nuestra belleza latina & judgement day lol during breakfast I was interviewed one by one by each nun and my aunt. I feel like I have to give the right answers and speak perfect spanish (well close enough) or I will be voted off! Seriously though, I have to dress the right way, be super proper and smile smile smile lol At breakfast we were talking about the importance of knowing several languages, so I said i want to learn portuguese..my aunt said oh yes you have to learn portuguese and italian because you will be doing tours for your dad...uh excuse me?? those who know me well know that my face says exactly what Im thinking (FSGB coworkers usually say fix your face!) Then my aunt proceeded saying that emily and i have to carry on my dads company and do tthe tours! in the nicest and sweetest way possible I explained that I have my own career thank you very much. Ugh I am waiting until she tells the whole family what i said and then i will hear the complaints haha
Good news is that my moms family is waiting anxiously to see me and i am soooooo excited to see them next week!! Also, my aunt introduced me to two guys my age that are supposedly related to me that are going to take me around this weekend AND I might see J. Balvin on saturday woo woo!!!! Amd my cousin Nicolas might come to Medellin this weekend =) ok Im going to walk around the school and convent while my aunt works. I promise i will have more exciting posts..eventually.
Good news is that my moms family is waiting anxiously to see me and i am soooooo excited to see them next week!! Also, my aunt introduced me to two guys my age that are supposedly related to me that are going to take me around this weekend AND I might see J. Balvin on saturday woo woo!!!! Amd my cousin Nicolas might come to Medellin this weekend =) ok Im going to walk around the school and convent while my aunt works. I promise i will have more exciting posts..eventually.
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