We are going to Medellin!

There are two things here that always surprise me here. The first is how hot the sun is. I don't just mean how strong it is, there are basically two different climates here- in the sun and in the shade. When you are in the sun, it is HOT HOT HOT and you start to sweat almost instantly, but while in the shade it is breezy and cool. I notice this phenomenon every time I go to the market. When we leave the parking garage, the fist 1/2 of the walk is shaded from other buildings, and every morning I think, oh wow! it is so fresh and cool today! Then I get in the sun. Before I know it, i'm wiping my forehead. I guess that is why people here can tolerate wearing pants. They stay in the shade!

Also, I never get used to people staring at me whenever I open my mouth. As soon as I start to talk, people's heads whip around, they start whispering, and they don't look away. Carlos said that there are plenty of people here who have never heard someone speaking in another language (except on tv). Even waiters and busboys just stare and stare. Since Bucaramanga isn't really much of a tourist place people here don't need to know English. And no one who comes here (except me I guess) without knowing Spanish. I am pretty sure I am the only one here who doesn't speak fluent Spanish.

So Carlos just started a collaboration with some people from Medellin, and WE ARE GOING THERE FOR A LONG WEEKEND!!!!!! Carlos needs to go and teach them about collecting newborn screens and what to do with the samples, etc. So he will go to work, and we will go along for the ride :) Carlos has been wanting to go back since it has been about 15 years since he's been there, and that amount of time has completely changed the city. It is now considered a safe place to visit, and there are actually a lot of American tourists who go there! According to the people we had lunch with yesterday, most everyone there knows at least a little English. (Tour guides, hoteliers, people in the service industries) And- they have a ZOO!!!!!!! We are experiencing a serious case of zoo withdrawal in this house. Every time the kids see any animal they freak out. "Oh mommy! Look!! A bird!!!!" They also have tons of museums and parks in Medellin. They have an aquarium inside of a children's museum! I know the kids are going to have a blast, and I think I will too! We are going at the end of the month, so I have plenty of time to do research and find all the things that we want to do! I am so excited! I can't wait to add another place to my Colombian travels list :)