Costena Trip to Santa Marta

We travelled to Santa Marta this past weekend on the Carribean Coast of Colombia for a little Thanksgiving get-a-way. We had a wonderful time exploring the area with its beautiful beaches and mountains, spending time with friends and just resting together.


The pictures are 1) a woman from Tagonga, a small fisherman's village on the border of the largest national park in Colombia, Parque Tayrona. She was selling coastal treats and shy of getting her picture taken. 2) Alan with his diving buddies. They only did two dives because there were some fierce storms that caused visibility to be low. 3) Liz with the girls on a secluded beach in Parque Tayrona...it took 3 hours to get to it- but boy were the waves and hush of the ocean worth it.

Anniversario de Iglesia

Yesterday, Liz and I went to church to enjoy the service. Little did we know that a party was about to take place. Our church was celebrating their 15th anniversary this past week and Sunday marked the end of the celebration. We had our church people plus the two church plants in attendees and we were busting at the seams. The original missionaries who started the church were also there to share some testimony. We sang, shared words, and finished the service with lighting candles and placing them in a cross to represent both evangelism to Colombia and the repentance for our sins. The service lasted a little over two hours and it was followed by a good lunch and dessert. It was a wonderful time of celebration and rememberance. Our church is now splitting into two churches (for good reasons) so that the ministry can be doubled and shared with more people in Bogota. It was truly amazing to witness and be a part of this church's history.

3 Meals in 3 Nights

Thursday was Liz and my 5th Anniversary. We celebrated quietly at a fancy, romantic dinner. We enjoyed each other, remembering the past and discussing the future. The following night, Liz and I enjoyed a bigger dinner with two different families from our church. It was fun, loud and in three languages. Last night, my wife and I, along with 15 other people from our school celebrated Thanksgiving dinner. This was our second annual "Colombian Family" Thanksgiving dinner. Colombia does not celebrate Thanksgiving, but our school does. So we get a holiday to vacation. Most of the teachers travel because it is cheap and no on else travels during that time. Our group will be splitting up to go to Santa Marta, Barichara, Cartagena, and other places. So we decided to celebrate this weekend.

We had a wonderful time of cooking, eating, playing games, and talking. It was another of those surreal times when I thought that I would never have experienced this kind of situation if Liz and I hadn't chosen to come to Colombia.

Breaking Bread

Some say that sharing a meal is sharing a friendship. Last night, Liz and I went to dinner with some friends from church. We were invited by Kim and Lee to have dinner at a nice restaurant in Bogota. They are missionaries from Korea to Colombia. They have two young children, whose smiles and hugs light up the room. We were accompanied by a brother and sister duo who are involved in our church worship team and youth group. So the six of us decided to meet for dinner to talk and enjoy each other's company. What an odd site we were. Our group included two tall gringos (one who wore a Canadian t-shirt), four Koreans, and two Colombians. We spoke three different languages throughout the meal. We got the stares, but we didn't care. There we were sitting around the same table drawn from all over the world and now in Colombia living life and learning from each other. It was truly a blessed time. It is wonderful to have these friends who bring a new view to the table. It was a fun night of sharing a meal.

Five Down & More to Come

Tonight, my wife and celebrated our 5th Anniversary as a married couple. Work was busy and we barely saw each other during the day, but we enjoyed the night together. We shared a wonderful meal in the World Trade Center of Bogota. We cannot believe how quickly time has past, but we relish in it this week. Thank you for supporting us and sharing in the wonderful times these past few years!

Got Milk?

One of the subtleties of living in a different country is adjusting to some minor changes in diet. One of those for Liz and I was that of milk. In the States, we would buy milk by the gallon, and we would have to drink it before the expiration date. Here, in Colombia, we drink "long-life" milk from liter bags (as shown above). One of the first things that Liz and I had to figure out was how to open it and then how to place it back into the refrigerator so that it does not spill.

One of our first ideas was to buy a plastic container and pour the milk into it to store. That was a pain and it just didn't seem right. Finally, a Colombian told us about the container for the bag and how easy it is to use. It took us a while to find this container, but we prevailed. Now we drink "long-life" from liter bags which is held in a plastic container.

Life and its subtleties.

National Census

Today, Liz and I had to take the Colombian National Census. It has been a while since I last remember a census. In the States, I remember that my family received a packet with a scan-tron answer sheet that we bubbled in and sent back through the mail. It didn't seem that hard. Well, in Colombia, they send you a notice of when a person will stop by your house to ask you questions. Our census was today, and the rule goes that you are not allowed to leave your home until the census is over which could be anytime that day from 6:00am to 7:00pm. Some of our friends had their census on Sunday or even on a national holiday. Ours was today, which means we could not go to work.

We enjoyed our morning of rest and reading. The census lady came to our place at about 10am with her Palm Pilot. We answered all sorts of questions about our legal documents, age, race (Can you believe they have North Americans as a race?), profession, and even how many books we have read this year. It was quick, easy and painless. We even gave our census lady an Apple Cinnamon Muffin we just baked for breakfast.

The rest of the day, from 10:30am on, was restful. Now Liz and I have to go to work tomorrow and then we have a three day weekend for another national holiday. So enjoy your weekend and read a book as will we.

Corre Bogota!!

I have ran quite a few races in my lifetime, all different and unique for their own reasons. Upon moving to Bogota, my good friend Sarah and I realized that we had running as one of our commonalities. We tried to find good places to run near where we live, adjusted to running in 9,500-foot altitude together, and tried to find some races here in Bogota. Unfortunately, their races are not posted in an organized manner, so after a year and a half of looking for races, the first race we were able to know about in advance was a Nike.com South American race being run in several South American cities today at the same time. Several of our other friends have taken up running as part of their exercise routine since moving here. So, we all signed up together for this race, knowing it would be fun and not taking it too seriously. Although, we did scope out the course and ran it a few times in advance. We were under the impression that it was a 10K, approximately 6.2 miles, on a 3-loop course.

As the race began today, right from the start the loop course added on an extra 2K. As I usually do when I run a race, I was trying to figure out times for certain distances, etc. while I was running, and realized that we must only be running 2 loops. This dream was shot when the race leaders came sprinting by us on our second loop, finishing their third loop. I was furious at the end of our 2nd loop, when we realized that what we thought was a 10K race was actually over a 12K race. I just thought to myself, only in South America would they change a race course and distance during a race and not let anyone know; talk about messing with your mind. In the end, we all had fun, enjoyed running together and the after-picnic in the park. Running has always been about being flexible, and today I got a good shot of that:)

Well, My Door Is Thicker Than Yours!

Today, I gave my class a lab to complete. They were to make table salt (NaCl) by mixing an acid with a base. I love lab days because I have a lab assistant who sets up the lab and helps guide the students during the lab. So, that frees up my time to be able to talk with my students about their lives. I find these days to be really fun for the students and myself. Today, I got into a conversation with a group about what they want to do after college and what their folks do for a living. One of the boys said that his mom is the Assistant Director for DEA at the U.S. Embassy. I responded that he must have a nice place to live. I asked him about the size of his entry door, a wierd question you might think. He holds up his fingers about a foot apart and smiles. He responds that it is thick for a door, especially when it is wood on steel; but it is designed for protection.

But, before I can marvel at the door, he motions to his friend in class and asks him to tell me how thick his door is. This kid holds up his fingers about two feet apart. I said he must be joking, but he shakes his head no and smiles. I asked him what his folks do for a living. He told me his dad is the Head of Commerce between the U.S. and Colombia. So, I ask if he helps to sell food or cars or other goods. He says no. His dad sells rockets. "Oh! Rockets, huh? Wow, so that is a pretty thick door then?"

I have ten minutes

I have ten minutes between the end of my chemistry class and the beginning of my Alabama Master's class. It has been a long day, but all is good. My wife woke me up at 4:30am this morning so she could get to school before six to grade her tests. I dressed in the dark hoping that I would match. I think I do, but I am a guy. I fell asleep on the couch while Liz, perky morning Liz, was talking to me and putting on her make-up.

Next thing I know, Liz is looking at me funny while staring at my face. She asked me if I feel alright. I say my eye is itchy and I am tired, but I feel fine. She tells me to look in the mirror. I do, and "Holy Cow" my eye is all red and puffy. It looks like I got in a fight or ate bad fish. So I scheduled a meeting with the nurse when I got to school. She does a double take and then asked if I feel fine. The fifty questions came soon after and she eventually put cream on my eye to soothe the itching. Now I have a puffy, red, and shiny eye. Great! The rest of the day I had to explain that I don't know what is wrong with my eye, but I feel fine.

Aye Caramba, Mi Vida Loca! I was in the hospital two weeks ago and now I look like the "Raging Bull" on a bad day. Maybe I should get a "Phantom of the Opera" mask. But, I have ten minutes of no questions and a little peace. Well, I just used my ten minutes to write so now I must go to my Master's class. More looks and more questions. Enjoy your day and be careful of the fish you eat.

Peace,
Al