Trick or Treat...

Halloween is a big holiday in Colombia, almost more so than Christmas. I know that is hard to believe. I have always enjoyed the candy and fun games that go along with Halloween, but have never been one to "celebrate" the holiday. We soon realized at CNG that the halls and rooms are decorated in every imaginable shade of orange and black and everyone dresses up for Halloween, including administrators, teachers, and students. Last year, Alan was a basketaball player from the 70's and I was a clown. There are parades, parties, and lots of candy and treats. It is usually a fun day. This year, I decided to be the color green. Next to me is my math team, Dora the Explorer, a hippy, a gypsy and a scarecrow.:) I guess it is a fun day to dress up and enjoy candy and games!

My Cancelled Trip

It is cold and rainy in Bogota at this moment. My students have left for the day. I am here typing and dreaming. I am dreaming of Gorgona. Gorgona is an island in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Colombia. Colegio Nueva Granada stresses learning outside of the classroom. So every class from 6th grade to 12th grade go on a week long field trip to some place in Colombia to learn about the community, flora, fauna, rituals, and so on. The juniors were supposed to go to Gorgona. Gorgona is an exotic island that was used as a sailors' prison and rest stop for merchant vessels back in the day of Captain Morgan and Charles Darwin. We were going to visit the island and see the prison, view the plants, dive in the ocean with migrating whales, and enjoy the beach, sun, and fun.

However, the juniors decided they did not want to go this year and opted to stay in Bogota for extra teaching. Yeah for me. So here I am with the 50 some odd students who are not traveling to the Amazon, Llanos, or Gorgona. The seniors are in the city doing social work. So that leaves these juniors sitting in my class wishing they were elsewhere. And I am wishing to be in Gorgona. Good times! My folks used to always say that their are lessons that one can only learn later in life. My juniors will most likely look back someday and realize they passed up a chance to see a beautiful part of the world.

Now it looks like the juniors are planning a skip day for Friday. So that means me in my classroom all by myself. Yeah!

Big Boy in a Little Bed...

On Saturday, I went to the bank to cash a check and found the bank closed. A strange cough came over me while I trekked back home. Liz was running with her friends. I made it home and went to bed, at 1:15 in the afternoon. I thought it was the flu that I had caught, but the coughing, tightness of chest, and high fever strengthened over the weekend. Luckily, Liz and I had a three day weekend away from school. By Monday, I was faint and had begun vomitting. So Liz and I decide to go to the hospital.

How many of you have ever been to a hospital in a foreign country? This was my first time to the hospital and the ER here in Colombia. Liz and I made it through the triage part, and I was put on a tiny bed for observation. Apparently, I contracted a cousin of bronchitis. So I laid there in this baby bed with an IV in my hand, air supply, and Liz reading out loud from one of her "what women need to know about men" books. Everyone spoke spanish and seemed to enjoy seeing this gigantic gringo nearly breaking the bed and not fitting into the paper gowns. Honestly, they took incredible care of me; I don't remember much of it, but that is what Liz says.

Everything turned out all right. I haven't gone back to school yet. Tomorrow will be my first day back in class. I will teach for two days with my voice deeper than James Earl Jones and then the next weekend will come. I wonder what will lie in store for me.

Fun Day for a Picnic!

Today was a beautiful day for a picnic. After having to cancel our weekend hiking trip, we planned this picnic at a local park and the weather was great, no rain!! Unfortunately, Alan was at home sick, but everyone else was able to come and enjoy grilled food, playing frisbee, and some good conversation overlooking the mountains and a small lake. We were spontaneously joined by a group of kids from a local orphanage who were fascinated by the food we were eating; they had never heard of cupcakes or tasted cream cheese frosting (They thought it was so yummy-in the above picture with Ben). Overall, we missed our Big Al today but we had fun in his honor!!:)

You know it is going to be a great day...

You know it is going to be a great day when you leave your house late and are waiting for an even later taxi. Such was the beginning of our day. But, as we were waiting for our cab, our doorman came out to practice a little english with us. My first thought was, "I don't have time for this right now." Apparently, I did. So he spoke in spanish and Liz and I gave him the english translation. It went something like, "you are my great friends, not fat friends, but great friends."
He tried the english version a couple of times before blushing and saying that his english was very bad. Liz and I encouraged him to try the words again. We had time. He practiced some more and we encouraged him some more. Finally, the cab showed up, but before we left he blessed us in spanish saying, "God bless you today." Then he crossed us. We responded with the blessing in english but no crossing. He smiled big and returned to his post waving goodbye. Liz and I jumped in the cab and took off smiling as big as Tito smiled.

You know it is going to be a great day when your doorman blesses you, crosses you, smiles at you, and waves goodbye.

Sunday Routine

As we have gotten used to our Sunday ritual of walking 25 minutes to the Transmilenio(the light rail), taking it north for 30 minutes, then hopping on another bus for 15 minutes to get to church every Sunday, we have begun another Sunday routine. We decided a couple of weeks ago that after church we would get off the train at Parque Virrey, near our house, (the park I often run in), and stroll through on our way home. That Sunday we happened to be hungry for lunch, so we stopped at an outdoor cafe on the park and enjoyed a small lunch while watching the Sunday activities in the park. We decided we needed to start doing this every Sunday. So today (the picture is of Alan at the cafe today) was our third Sunday in a row to have an entire 5 hours of uninterrupted time together from our beginning walk in the morning to ending with lunch in the park in the afternoon. It is so nice to be able to be quiet, peaceful, to talk about life, reflect on what God taught us in church that day and to enjoy the people with pets jogging, playing, biking, and enjoying their Sunday afternoons, too! Thank you, Lord, for your creation and for giving us quiet days like today. May each of you be blessed with some quiet, peaceful time!

The next time I have to come in here, I'm crackin' skulls!

Bender: Yeah, I've got a question. Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?

Vernon: I'll give you the answer to that question, Mr. Bender, next Saturday. Don’t mess with the bull young man, you'll get the horns.

Yeah I am in Saturday school. It is 7:06am and I am in charge of 12 students. Some are here for tardies, some are here for disrespect of a school employee, and at least one is here because something was found in his locker.

So now I am the "man." I don't want to be the "man," but to them I am. So they sit in my room while I write on this blog and work on some Master's course work. They can't put their heads on the desk. They can only sit quietly, and I smile. I smile not because I like this punishment, but because I have the Breakfast club running through my head.

I want to give the kids hugs. They looked so pitiful coming to school this morning. I have the Molly Ringwalds and the Emilio Estevezes and even one Ally Sheedy. I have one Anthony Micheal Hall who looks like he was put in prison. I even have one Judd Nelson who has been here every Saturday for the last month. He says he loves tradition, so he is starting one for himself. I can't help but laugh.

I volunteered today because our Vice Principal has a newborn baby girl. So I am the "bull." I can't wait to give them the line. But will they even catch the meaning? I don't know, but I can't help but smile.

A moment of sweetness

Liz and I normally take a cab to school in the morning. We would arrive to school five minutes before school begins if we took the school bus. We like to get to school at least an hour before the kids arrive to prepare for the day, therefore we take a cab. Liz and I end our days at different times. I will either go work out in the gym or play basketball, and Liz will usually go running with her friends in some parks. So, we usually meet up at home around 6:00pm. So that leaves me getting home on my own. I choose to walk.

The walk home is all down hill. Our school is at the top of the mountain, and our home is at the foot of the mountain. The walk home is along a very busy street. The street is lined with very posh homes and apartment buildings. Cars speed by, as if there is no speed limit, and I walk on the uneven sidewalks. I usually read a book or listen to music to make the walk seem shorter. It takes about thirty minutes to make it home. It is like walking down Broadway Street in New York City, with mountains. It is noisy and smells of pollution. But there is this one place along the walk that I enjoy. Most of the buildings are apartments with very few homes on the street. But there is one place that is nice.

It is a home with trees and bushes lined on the rim of its property. You can barely see the house but the flora and fauna are what make me smile. They creep out over the fence and make a tunnel to walk through with shade and aroma. For those two minutes of walking through this section bring a smile every time. The noise is quieted, and I hear birds. The odor of pollution is crowded out by the scent of flowers and blossoms. I soak up the moment. For an instant I am in a garden and it is only me. Then I pass though the tunnel of trees and back out into the traffic to finish my walk. Life is okay. Even when we rush by to things unseen, there is a moment of peace in the garden of life that all is lost and a moment is gained.

I love my walks home, because for two minutes I see God's hand, and I smell his scent in this modern life of mine

Feels Like Freedom

Today is the first day of October and what feels like the first day of freedom. Last night was the last night of one of my Master's classes in Education. Here is a photo of our class. I am the one behind the camera. Can you see me? Of course not! This was definitely a multicultural class. We had 21 students and one professor. We represented 5 different schools in the Bogota area. We came from many cultures which included Colombia, England, Scotland, Canada, the States, and of course Texas. I learned a lot of good information from my classmates and professor (the guy in the gray goatee). The Brits even taught me a new slang called Cockney Rhyming Slang. You should give it a butcher's hook, but not while walking up the apples and pears to drop a Richard the 3rd. It was a long two weeks of teaching, studying, and being inside from 6:30am to 8:00pm daily. So today, I got up at 9 and went for a walk. I enjoyed this city I live in. I just walked. I breathed in the air, stared at the clouds, and enjoy David Crowder crooning in my ear. It is amazing the things one learns. It is amazing what one forgets.

After a little while, I called Liz and she met me for some more walking. We did some reading in the park, window shopping, grocery shopping, and napping in bed. It was a great two weeks, but it has been an even better day. Enjoy your day today.