Mani/Pedi in my house tomorrow!

Tomorrow will be a first for me.. I am having someone come to my house to do my mani/pedi! Until last week, I thought that I was fine just going to the club here to get it done. I have been getting increasingly more annoyed when I go there though. They do a good job, but it always takes forever. It seems like I always have to wait an hour or so before my turn, and I feel like everyone is always telling a joke. About me. I am sure that I am overreacting about that, but I feel like Elaine in there. Everyone making jokes in a foreign language that I don't understand. I can catch most of it if I am really paying attention, but I like to read while I am there, so I am usually paying attention to what I am reading instead of working hard to listen to what they are saying and trying to make sense of it. I can communicate much more easily when I can ask clarifying questions, and have the person slow down, and repeat what they are saying if need be. But when I am trying to be nosy and listen to someone else's conversation I usually only comprehend enough to worry that I am the butt of the joke :) That in itself isn't the biggest reason that I am switching to having someone come to me. Nor is the fact that I think the lady sneaks her friends in in front of me (Oh I just want to get the color gel in her hair... It will be just a few short minutes. 20 minutes later we finally get the show on the road, only to be disrupted a few more times for touch ups and rinsing.) Usually I go and I am not really in a time crunch, but have a deadline a couple hours out. I ALWAYS get out just in time, and once I even had to leave before they finished painting my toes. The worst part, though, is that I have never seen them clean the tools. Maybe I am being paranoid, but I am pretty sure I'm not, because everyone I know here agrees... The tools are not properly sanitized. They are very liberal with the cuticle cutting here too. Getting a fungus is just a matter of time. Soo... Tomorrow Johana's friend who does nails is coming first thing to get me whipped into shape :) Hopefully it is nice to have it done here. Johana says that she does a great job, and is very careful. Hopefully that is the case!



So this weekend, I prepped for my date tomorrow by buying all the tools I need for manicures and pedicures. I bought everything at Fedco which was a pricey way to do it, but everything I got is so cute! I ended up only spending like $25 so it wasn't too bad, but I definitely could have bought everything cheaper somewhere else. Fedco is an import store that is pretty much my favorite place. The other big import store is Pepe Ganga, and everything there is usually super expensive. But it is THE place for American toys. So at Fedco, they have body/hair products, and some other import stuff. We ended up buying a TON there because the kids needed a new bodywash/shampoo, and they break out with just about everything. So I bought them some baby stuff there, and me and Carlos both got some hair products, plus all my other stuff, then we bought two big bottles of cologne. When we checked out, they said that they had a free gift for us, and they wrapped it up and put it int the bag. When I got it out, the first thing I noticed was that it was French. The second thing I noticed was that it cost about $90. I couldn't believe my eyes, I had to look at it a few times. I was shocked that we would get such a great free thing!



And then I realized what it was. It is self tanning lotion. One of those gradual you get darker as you use it creams. Who here needs that???? You can use it for a week, or you can go to the pool for 30 minutes. People here don't really want to look too tan anyway! Johana had no idea what it even was for. She was clueless. All she did was look at me, with a very confused look on her face, and ask "por que??" Well I know why it is popular(ish) in the US, I don't know why they would have it here. But oh well, they will be getting more business from me. So I guess it was worth it to give it away. Not like they would ever sell that to a Colombian anyway :) I bet it has been sitting on the shelf and is almost ready to expire, and they thought, "YES!!! A foreigner!!!!" You can't complain with free stuff though, can you?

On another note.. We had two huge successes in the kitchen today! Johana gets all the credit for the guacamole! I had told her once that I like it spicy. I am a big fan of a spicy guac. Here though, it is near impossible to find jalapenos. Johana found some somewhere downtown, and bought them for me! They were very small, but much hotter than the ones I am used to. I put one pepper into a large bowl of guac and it was almost too hot! We ate it today for lunch on patacones (fried green plantains) and it was so delicious that I wanted more this afternoon. I didn't want to do more patacones though since they are fried. I wanted something lighter. I really wanted some tortilla chips, but those aren't super popular here, so I couldn't just buy them at the market. I went searching for some other option. I found a bag of corn tortillas and I figured it shouldn't be too tough to make some chips out of those. So I went to work. I cut each tortilla into 6 pie shaped pieces, and sprayed them with butter flavored PAM, then put some lime juice and sea salt on them, then stuck them in the oven. OMG they were delicious!! I don't know if I will buy them ever again! It was so easy to do these, and they were so good! Also, 30 "chips" only set me back 175 calories! Plus, they felt good to eat, not at all greasy and guilt inducing!

"You work for those gringos don't you?"

Today is another rant session. It has been a while, but it high time for another since I learned some horrifying and very unflattering things about my neighbor. I think that regardless of who you are, and what country you live in, you need to treat other people with respect no matter who they are. Johana had been keeping her eyes open for a job for her mom. Well she found one. Unfortunately. The woman she works for is HORRENDOUS. I would go so far as to call her abusive. When Johana went down to see her, to apply on her mom's behalf, she knew that knew this woman was a tough cookie, maybe not the nicest lady, but her mom needed a job so a grumpy gal isn't the worst thing in the world, right? First, the lady said, "You work for those gringos, don't you?" Which I take offense to since it was not at all in a friendly context. The lady insisted that Johana tell her how much she makes, when Johana told her, she was emphatic that that was way too much. Also, she asked Johana what her hours were, and Johana said, 7-4, but sometimes I come late and leave late, or get there early and leave early, or they let me come late or leave early depending on what they are doing. Again, the lady didn't agree. She told Johana's mom that she will NEVER be late, and she will NEVER leave early. Then She asked if Johana had a uniform (she doesn't) her mom does. A dress (how can you clean in a dress??). These last things are annoying, not very fair, and definitely not ideal for an employee, but those I can let slide. The rest of this is where I have a problem.. First of all, she locks Johana's mom in the apartment when she leaves. That's right, she has a lock on the outside of the door with which to lock people inside. Not only do we not lock Johana in, we give her the key if she needs to leave for something and we are going out. What if there is an emergency?? She is stuck in the house. At least the apartment is low enough (2nd floor) that she could jump if she absolutely had to. Also, the lady follows behind her when she is cleaning, and runs her finger over surfaces and says that it is still dirty (which I highly doubt it is), so she needs to re-clean it. Also this nut job has a serious problem with the fact that Johana takes my kids outside to play. There are paths and walkways within the limits of our building and sometimes Johana likes to take them down there. She gets tired of being cooped up in the apartment all day, and they all like to get out too. Sometimes she takes them out to the playground, or the lake to feed the fish. It is really not a big deal. Well this lady thinks it is. One day she asked Johana what I was up to that I couldn't take my own kids out to play. Johana was just like, oh she's busy, and brushed her off. The lady was like, oh I don't like that. I don't like that one bit. Their mother should be playing with them. Besides your job is to clean, not to take care of the kids. So you shouldn't do it. Which I also take offense to. I hired Johana to do what I want her to do.. If I want her to take the kids for a walk, I have every right to ask her to. It isn't like I have different people for cleaning and for taking care of the kids. I don't make her stay late to finish cleaning that she should have been doing but was babysitting instead. Johana doesn't have a problem with that, and either do I. This lady also has a problem with the fact that I don't coddle them every time they seem a little upset. Emma fell once and cried for a second and it was over, and I looked over the ledge to investigate and I told Johana, "Oh she's fine, you don't have to run her up here" and I guess the lady heard. She was disgusted with the fact that I didn't run down to see Emma and give her hugs and kisses, and then bring her up to take care of her. I mean come on. Toddlers trip ALL the time. If I spent time running to comfort them every time they had a bout of tears, or a fall, that's all I would be doing. My philosophy is brush it off, you're fine. When Emma came up, she didn't even have a scrape on her. Obviously, as soon as one of them actually gets hurt, I am right there with a hug, a kiss, and a band aid. But they need to learn how to take care of themselves, and I run over to comfort them every time they look like they might fall, they will never learn to just brush it off. Also, another thing that irks me about this woman, is that she constantly tries to get Johana's mom to bring her up here so that she can see our apartment. No one knows why, but she keeps bringing it up. I should note that Johana's mom refuses to bring her up here. It is just weird. Also, they insist upon keeping the windows closed at all times so flies don't come in. But they also don't use an A/C. So it has to be like 90 degrees in there. Johana's mom gets paid terribly too. Half as much as we pay Johana (which I can't believe she can live off of). And less than what I make in 8 hours working at the hospital. For a whole month. Needless to say, the search is on for a new job. I told Johana that if she needs to leave to talk to people or get info during the day, be my guest. Apparently there is another potential family looking, and they live in the complex, so hopefully that works out. Johana also told me that when she got this job, people were telling her not to take because it would be too hard for her to work here since I am American and I don't speak Spanish. Well I for one am so relieved that she didn't listen because she is perfect for us. She friendly, has a good attitude, she doesn't walk around with a sour look on her face like some of the other workers I see here. Anyway, the nerve of some people. Just to celebrate the fact that I am a cool boss, and Johana is a treat to be around, I served up two key lime pie martinis. One for me, one for her. She was very delighted and asked if she could stop cleaning to drink it, I said of course you can!!



On a more fun note, my recent experimentations have been in the kitchen, but they have not been food. I have been working on my drink making skills. I started my experiments with margaritas. I got a craving, and looked up recipes, then I went to Carrefour to see of they had all the ingredients. Surprisingly, I found tequila AND triple sec there, which was a big surprise. Then I went home, we squeezed the limes and oranges and I enjoyed a nice refreshing margarita with my patacones and cilantro lime rice. Then we had a party at our house this weekend. I changed the recipe a little and also blended it with a little bit of ice. We ran out of oranges, so I had to use other fruit juices. I made many pitchers and the winner was the one with peach juice. A few people even asked for the recipe and said I should open a bar :) haha let's not get carried away!


This week has been all about key lime martinis. First of all, we don't have all the typical ingredients here. So the first one (made with frozen coconut milk and plain limes) was a disaster. The recipe calls for either heavy cream, or coconut cream. I used coconut milk instead. That was bad. The frozen milk was a bad consistency, and it didn't really do nice things for the drink. Also, plain limes taste different than key limes. Then my MIL called and told me that her friend brought over some tiny limes and did I want to try them? I think that they may have been key limes! Also, I bought some pina colada mix since it says that it is made with real coconut cream. Today's version was MUCH better. Johana even liked it! The first time I made them, she tasted a spoonful and made a face. She wasn't a fan. Today was a quite different story! Another plus was that I used a real(ish) martini glass instead of just a plain juice glass. I think this made a huge difference. I say ish because they are sold as ice cream dishes, and don't have a stem. But there is a lot more space for the graham cracker rim with these :)

Cooler weather!

It has started raining here. It isn't really the rainy season yet, but we have had some very rainy nights. It is good because it cools it off in here but there has been some flooding in nearby Giron, the area between us and the farm. Also, the mountains we drive up to get up the Carlos' parent's house have mud and rock slides that sometimes block lanes of the road. It becomes a mess. I hope things are ok when the rainy season really starts.



You can see in the pictures, we used to have a clear babbling brook, but it has become a muddy rushing river. Look close for the brown river that you can see next to the top of the building and it snakes around. Also, you can see that the lake is about to overflow over the side.

I have talked before about how bad some drivers are here. No one follows the rules. So this next thing should not have surprised me. People here LOVE to park in reverse. Rarely do people park in the normal American way (drive in, and reverse out). Here, people like to park in reverse, then when it is time to leave, they just drive right out. I am not a fan but nevermind. So I was in a grocery parking lot and noticed that about half the people were parked my way. I was baffled. I had never seen so many people parked the way I like to park. Then I saw the signs. They translate to "please park in reverse". I guess once someone told people to park in reverse, all of a sudden, they were itching to park the other way!

There is one thing here that I have been missing. Hot showers. At home, I LOVE to take a hot hot shower. In my opinion, if I don't get out all blotchy, it's not a good shower. Here, though, a hot shower is not the same. Its so hot, so humid, and the only kind of shower that is refreshing and recharges the batteries is a cooler one. I don't know why this upsets me so much, but it does. I would much prefer a climate controlled house with a hot shower :) But oh well, I live close to the equator. I better get over it.

On another note- I am getting better with getting out and doing stuff on my own. I made a trip to the new mall today. I love going weekday mornings because it is so empty. Since it is new, it is always PACKED. Especially the new Exito grocery store. I prefer to shop when it isn't pure chaos. I have to say that being in Colombia has been good for me when it comes to shopping. As people who know me well know. I have a shopping issue. I may go so far as to say an addiction. I buy so much that I don't need, and that I subsequently don't use. When I go into a superstore, I leave buying much more than what I went in for. I am such an impulsive buyer. I have been stressing a lot here because I feel like I am spending a lot of money, so I buy a little less.. But in reality I spend less than I would in the US.The exchange rate varies, but it is about 1.850 pesos per dollar. When I go shopping though, for some reason I feel like is it more like 1.000. For example, this morning I spent about 360.000 pesos. In my head, I felt like I spent about $360, but in reality is it under $200. I think I feel like money goes too fast because I usually use cash. It is so different to watch the money leave my hands instead of using a card and you swipe it, and are on your way. Also, I have to ask Carlos for cash since I have no access to any. Since a lot of places don't take credit cards, you need to use cash. It is a way different way to live than I am used to. I can't think of any place in the US that doesn't take cards. Here though, a lot of places don't. One of those places is my "Starbucks". You are probably expecting me to say that I am talking about Juan Valdez. I am not. My fave coffee place here is El Gualilo.

The tipping point for me is the fact that when you buy a large frozen and blended coffee you get a reusable plastic cup! Also, they have light frozen coffees! For some reason, I prefer drinking out of a plastic cup at home than a glass. I have yet to find plastic cups that I like here until now!

Emma & Charlie Prada Prada?

As long as I have known Carlos, I knew that the naming system in Colombia is different. In planning to come here, I figured that since I took Carlos' name, I would fit in great since it is a Colombian surname. I haven't had too many issues. Just a lot of questioning why I don't have another last name. Not to mention the fact that no one can pronounce the name, "Katie". The ones who are really having an issue are the kids. Women here don't change their name. It is unheard of. It is a way to identify their roots, and families. The first last name they have is their dad's last name, and the second is their mom's last name. The "main" last name is their dad's but they use both of them. So at school, time after time, even though I have corrected them 3 times now, all of the kid's papers say "Prada Prada" since both of us have the last name Prada. I explained to them that Yes, we are both Prada, but it is because I changed my name when we got married, so just Prada. When I complained to Johana about it, she looked very confused. I explained that in the USA it is common for women to change their last name so it is the same as their husband. And the whole family has one last name. I told her that as far as the United States is concerned- my last name is Prada, and that's all. She was dumbfounded. She had no idea at all that American women did that. She said that she too had been wondering why the kids only had one last name. I thought that my saying that I changed my name was enough information for the teachers to gather our family only has one name, but after talking to Johana, I realize that the idea of one last name for the whole family is very foreign to them. On Monday I will have to explain it a little better :) It always surprises me when I find things that to me seem like common sense are not the same here. Some things are way beyond my sense of normal. Like cutting people off on the road without regret, or driving on the wrong side of the road, and honking at people going the right way. 

Meanwhile, I am 42 days away from being here illegally. First step is getting the kids' documents done. Since their dad is Colombian, they are already Colombian citizens, we just need to take them to get their ID numbers. Once that is done, I will have the proof I need (that I am the mother of Colombian citizens) to get my Cedula. Which, for me, is like a green card. I need this in order to do anything here. I can't work, get a bank account, nothing without this. Whenever you use a credit card here, you give them the number. Sometimes when you pay for things with cash, they also ask you for it. Carlos said it is to prevent people from buying tons of merchandise and then selling it as a way to launder {drug} money. I always feel so sheepish when I have to explain that I don't have a Cedula. They look at me like I am an alien because I have a credit card and no Cedula. Carlos has every right to get me a credit card (like he did) but it isn't common. Another thing different here is that bank accounts and money are not pooled in a relationship. I used to think it was weird when Carlos would buy presents for the kids, and then make sure to clarify with them that the presents are from him. Growing up, my mom did the present shopping for both of them, and we knew it. But we also knew that the gifts were from both of them. Here, the parents each have their own money, so they often buy gifts separately, and therefore specify who each present is from. Also, even as a married couple, we cannot have joint accounts here. As far as I know, there is no such thing. As far as the bank is concerned, I have no right to what is in Carlos' bank account. Anyway, back to the Cedula... I don't know if I need to go to Bogota, or if we can do it in Bucaramanga... Either way, it needs to get done. I don't want to be an illegal alien and get deported :) Imagine that. How the tables have turned!!


Another thing that I would like to say: For some reason that I have not been able to find out, Johana thought that I didn't like patacones. Patacones are fried green plantains that are absolutely delicious. Then they are topped with meats and other items. We fry plantains in the US all the time, and I do in fact love them. Unfortunately, her thinking that I didn't like them deprived me of eating these for the past 5 months. The horror!!! Also, note the rice on the side. It is absolutely delicious. It is our Chipotle knock off cilantro lime rice, but it is so much better than Chipotle because it has a huge kick of lime, not just a splash. Johana is a master chef!!

There are Americans here!!!!!!!!!

We have our puppy!!! I haven't had a chance to blog since last week because I have been busy with her. Not to mention just totally preoccupied with basking in the glory of my free mornings since the kids are at school! I had forgotten how much work a puppy is though. I had in my mind a miniature Lucy to snuggle with and follow me around, go on walks with me, etc. What I got was a wild puppy who wants to chew everything (even the kids), is 6 weeks old and requires a ton of work and time, and hasn't been fully vaccinated, so isn't allowed outside the house. This means that the TV room has now become Delilah's room. Since she can't go outside she uses this room to pee and poop on newspaper. It smells like a puppy room. Thankfully she is (almost) paper trained so I don't have to do a ton of extra clean up. I bought puppy pee pads this morning, so we will see how those work. They are supposed to eliminate some of the smell. I hope so.



I think that this morning was a turning point in my time in Bucaramanga. Carlos claims to have known that there was an American school here, but until this week, I didn't know that it was an actual American certified school, with real life Americans! I went there because a friend of ours said that she knew someone there who would be able to teach me Spanish. So I went to meet with her. The place was CRAWLING with Americans!!!! It was like walking through a portal and I was back in the USA! It was the first time since I have been here that I heard real un accented English. I was able to hold out my hand and speak in English without doing the awkward start in Spanish, and try to feel out if the person speaks English, or if they will have to try to understand my broken Spanish. Apparently they hire Americans for 2 year contracts at the school. I talked to someone in HR and they asked me to send my CV and then they can put me on the list as a substitute teacher. I told them that I wasn't qualified, since I am a nurse, not a teacher. They said that since I speak English, I am qualified :) I also fond out that there is a Spanish class that some of the teachers go to. So I will definitely be going to that too. I am just so excited that I found people with something in common with me! I know it is kind of cheating to make American friends, it isn't necessarily help me fit into the Colombian culture. But either way, I need friends and this will help me feel like I belong here!

A Pet!! A Pet!! A Pet!!!

The kids started school this week!!!! I am so excited and so are they! Since we got here, every time we drive into the complex, and Emma sees her school she squeals, "School mommy! My school!" So she has just been itching to go back. I have been itching for them to go too. I have to admit, I have been having a difficult time here this time. I do like it here, that hasn't changed, but I have felt very isolated this last month. Emma and Charlie have been bored I think, and they have been getting destructive and cranky. I still don't really have friends here, and there isn't really anything for me and the kids to do other than stuff in the neighborhood. I have been feeling a little like i've been in a prison. It is great when we are with Carlos going to do stuff, but I feel like my whole life revolves around when Carlos gets home from work. So I get very stressed when he is late, or if he has to work through lunch. I hate that feeling. It is so much better when I have stuff to occupy my time and my mind. It is hard too because most people work. I do have some friends here, but they all work, so that doesn't fix my problem during the day. One of our friends though might know someone who can give me Spanish classes! Fingers crossed. That will help a lot because it will be easier for me to make friends around the neighborhood if my Spanish is a little better.

I did find a friend here though! She speaks English, and has a daughter close to Emma's age! She even agreed that there is not a lot to do with kids here, so I felt a little better that I wasn't just being dramatic!

Also, in very big and exciting news: We are getting a puppy!!!!! Another little pug is coming into the Prada clan! I am so excited because as I have said before, my kids need a pet! Whenever we go out and see a dog, both of them squeal in excitement and want to pet it. They are going to FLIP when they see our new little family member! I will post later with pictures of her!