Things I love...

Things I love about Colombia.
• When I brown the meat there is not fat juice that comes out!!
• I have to walk everywhere.
• Cano. The Yellow lab that has become my baby. He is growing so fast. Don’t worry mom and dad, I promise you, I am training him.
• How beautiful it is. Everyday the sky shapes itself into amazing forms of color.
• The gym is only a block away, and I walk there.
• School has lunch and it’s good. It usually consists of meat and then more meat, but its good. Sorry Flay, you would not survive.
• I get prep periods. This is something I didn’t even know could exist and it’s amazing. I mean someday I even get bored with all the time I have.
• Women of all sizes don’t give a crap and just let it hangout. And I mean Hang out.
• The mall has a ceiling that opens and closes when it rains. Also the fact that the mall has already put up Christmas decorations and it is not even Halloween.
• It rains every time I try and go grocery shopping.
• Walking home in the rain, with a dog bag, a school bag, a dog, and an umbrella.
• Seeing people I know at the grocery store, gym and streets.
• That it’s not LA.
• I can have a washing matching! It is amazing. I can’t even put into words how one matching as changed my life.
• It rains at 3 everyday when the kids are going home.
• Talks on the bus with everyone as we go home.
• Traveling.
• Speaking Spanish
• I have a doorman and a maid. For those that know how clean I am, this is another thing that has changed my life.

So lucky!!

So everyday I am blown away with the generosity of the people of this country. This past weekend I was invited to a fellow teachers finca (farm). It was amazing. The trip started with an hour shopping stop, to pick up the food that the cook would prepare for us. We arrived at the finca and promptly enjoyed the swimming pool. This pool looks out over the most breathtaking terrain, with birds and palms keeping us company as we swam. Later in the day we went for a horseback ride. Unlike other rides where the horses know where to go and you really don’t have to control them, this ride was more of an adventure. We took the horse around the finca to pick up a horse that was off wandering. After, climbing the breathtaking terrain we crossed the river, and just like out of a movie, all picked different diffractions to chase down this horse. It was very much like, the movie, The River Runs Through It. My favorite part of the whole experience was when we got back and discovered the little puppies that had just been born. They were not even a month old, sooo cute. Don’t tell my mom, but I was even promised one! I am so excited. I just wonder if this is a smart decision for the puppy. After cuddling with my puppy we rode our horses off into the sunset. That night for dinner we enjoyed tacos, with actual hot sauce. One thing Colombia does not believe in is hot sauce, so it was sooo nice to have some really spicy food. The rest of the night involved, drinks, cards and lounging on the hammock. I lounged on the hammock while everyone else played cards, as I was still feeling sick. I have been fighting something. It was an amazing weekend, put on by amazing people. I feel lucky to have such experiences that show me amazing scenery and allow me to meet and hang out with some of the most caring, and welcoming people I know.
Updates other then Colombia: My friend had the most beutiful baby boy! I can't wait till I can go and see him
My other friend is getting married. This comes from the girl that last year did not know what was to become of her, but I am soo excited and know that she is making the correct decision. Lastly, I am getitng a puppy. He is so cute.

Mark's B-day/ Annis's Battles!

So Tonight was Mark's B-day. First off Venessa his ever-kind wife made him wear a birthday crown on the bus:) He looked very cute!
Anyways the real point of this blog, his b-day dinner. So there we are spending the big bucks and having Sushi. It was sooo yummy. I miss my local joint Barcelona. Back to the story, there we are eating when we hear this bumping music. You might be thinking car, but oh no, it was a campaign truck with dancing girls. They were full on having a dance party on the back of the truck. All the people around came out on their balconies to watch. It was very much the scene. The girls wore one piece lime green suits with the man's name who was running the election plastered across their tummies. Very hot. I would love to say they were amazing but lets be honest I could have taught them a thing or two.
So after our little dance show I had to go buy presents for my secret friend. A secret friend is just like a secret Santa and yes we are doing it in September for no good reason other then that we want presents. The best part of all this craziness is that we got to make a wish list for our secret friend. On my list I had, rope, garlic press, wine, can opener and ice cream. All the basics. So anyways, there we are at the store standing in line. Venessa makes some joke about buying condoms for my secret friend. We giggle and then the lady in front of us decides that she wants to be part of the condom fun and picks them up to see what we are laughing at and then shows her husband who smiles at the infuego condoms. By this point Venessa and I are bright red.
So this is about when the old lady with the bread tries to cut me. Literally she just walked straight up and stood in front of me. So in my fab Spanish I decided to put her in her place. I don't know why I pick the battles I do, I mean an old lady, but anyways that was the battle I wanted to win. Hence, I announced that there were many people in line and cut the old lady off:0 I am so badass.

Frusterations/Rant/Pitty Party.

So I have been here for a month now and every once in awhile I am reminded of how I use to feel in school; frustrated. I was trying to think of another word for it but that one fits. Learning languages or being at school has never been an easy task. I have always had to work twice as hard as everyone else and ignore the headshakes of why I can’t grasp a concept yet. Here in Colombia it is not the concepts that I can’t grasp but the language. Someone can tell me the same word two, three, fifteen times and I still might not get. If they feel shocked at my slow learning curve they should only put themselves in my shoes and imagine how I feel. It has been a long time since I have had these feelings and I knew that I was going to have them but they still feel so raw. I remember being a kid and just wanting to pick up on things like the other kids, that desire to learn and express myself like I can in my head, yet the words never come out as eloquently as I want. My true friends know this about me and embrace it, yet when meeting new people I am never sure of how they will react when I get excited and say the wrong thing or can’t remember the word or get my sentences all mixed up. Usually it is pretty funny, but when learning a language it just seems kind of dumb and when I don’t know how people will react to my blunders I get more tongue tied and even quite. And we all know I am not quite. Okay enough of this pity party. I feel better just getting it off my chest. I know during my time here there will be many moments where I feel exposed and vulnerable and I guess it is good to remember these feelings so I can better relate to my students. I sometimes just wish my girls where here to be by my side and give my big hugs.
Okay, also, putting this is up on the blog is only to get better at sharing my feelings and being more open.

Why my internet is so slow...

Random thoughts and....
* It is hard to imagine a second grade class that is so out of control but that is what I have. It seems to me many days that things would just go on wihtout me as they hardly listen anyways. I know it has to do with the language but it is so frusterating and hard when everyday you try so hard and get so little.
* I love the lighting. It streaks across the sky, lighting up the clouds that hang low over the mountains that frame this city.
* Food poisining that takes out almost a whole city. Thank goddness that we had a long weekend or there would not have been anyone there to teach. It was the sickest that I have been in a very long time. I hate throwing up and just feeling like crap and that was how it went. It was a combo of the all bad sicknesses wrapped up in one. It was very intense.
* I was named queen of the town next to Armenia. I even got intervied. It was pretty funny because out of the whole group I was the only one that did not speak Spanish that well and I was the one they intervied. Queen Annie. Sounds pretty good.
* Wine making. Really it just involves alot of drinking and picking grapes. I am really good at the drinking part! The wine should be ready for Turkey day.
* My package form hell. So I mailed one small package down to Colombia about four months ago. Everyone else that mailed stuff down got there things but not me. For some reason I have to pay two hundred ontop of the money that I already paid. It has been a very silly process but also very frusterating. I miss my photos and the things that remind me of home. Thanks to my mom I should get the package very soon!! I am very excited.

I am sorry for the bullet list again. I felt guilty about not writting and just wanted to get some thoughts down. It seems very hard for me to articulate the experiences that I am having here and really relate my time here.

Random things/thoughts

• Tried to burn the apt down today. Had the gas stove and elective burner all running at the same time and could not get them off. It probably took me over an hour to figure it all out. You also have to light the stove with a match every time. This should be fun.
• Saw my classroom and school. My room is small and ghetto but everyone at the school seems great. There are cows that walk around everywhere.
• Watching the first thunderstorm roll across the hills. No rain yet, but lots of thunder.
• Everything in my apt. are mini. The Refrigerator and couctches. Kind of funny when you are 5’10.
• School bus picks me up right in front of the apt. Like we are kids again, but this time my legs don’t fit behind the seat.
• Everyone here has been so nice. Everywhere you turn, people say hi. Especially my doorman who carries my groceries up for me, and greets and helps me lug all my stuff upstairs. Oh, my face wash exploded all over my bag, so in my mini laundry room I tried to wash out the stuff that got ruined.
• I realized today that I have not bitten my nails since I got here. I think that is almost a full week! How amazing is that.
• Went downtown today by bus. It was fun, I saw so much and it reminded my of down town Los Angeles. We took the bus for about 50 cents. I saw everything from baby chickadees that had been died different colors, to Catholics at church, to getting your shoes fixed for less then two dollars.
• The doorman called and told me today, that I am not aloud to dry my clothes on the porch. When I asked why, he said because it was the near the entrance. I think that someone in the building complained because all I had was one shirt up to try.
• I asked my boss about dress code and what teacher were aloud to wear, she proceeded to take of her jacked, under witch she had a tight little red number. She then shimmied to for me. She then explained that she will wear a jacked over her shirt but then she said that if it get to hot, she takes it off and does not care.
• Figured out why the refrigerator does not work, the door does not shut.
• Soccer in Colombia is amazing. I learned more swear words then I thought possible and was amazed by the spirit for even a small local team.