This weekend was by far the hardest weekend I have had here. My little brother was rushed to the hospital and then subsequently rushed the surgery for a complicated case of enterococcus pneumonia. It is so hard to have family sick and in the hospital. it is immensely more difficult when you are on another continent. The whole weekend was spent worrying, panicking, looking at flights, then panicking some more, and then finally breathing a little more easy. It was terrible. Every fiber of my being wanted to jump on a plane and get there as soon as was humanly possible, but at the same time, I wanted to wait a little to see how things were progressing.. We are down to 14 days before we travel, and I didn't want to jump the gun. In the end, it all worked out because John is much better this morning! I am still keeping my eyes on flights in case I feel the need to get there early, but fortunately it looks like we can all leave together as planned. This has been a feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone. I was physically and emotionally exhausted by last night, and I don't want to ever have to feel that again. If I were home, I would have been in the hospital with my family, but here I just had to wait for updates. I avoided places that didn't have good data coverage for fear I would miss something, I sat by my phone for days and didn't want to do anything but sit and wait. Every time I waited longer for an update than I expected I panicked that someone was going on and no one had time to message me. It was terrible. Just terrible.
Now, on to happier topics...
We are beginning a ritual that is becoming all too familiar. The thought processes that come with getting ready to move (or go on an extended vacation). We did a huge grocery shopping trip the other day and it s supposed to be the last one. (We'll see about that :) Basically we need to think about what we will use in the next two weeks. For perishables, what do we really need? For other things, will it be good when we get back? Or do we need to use it up really quick. It's a weird way of thinking. For instance, we are getting a little low on toothpaste. Instead of buying more, i plan on just waiting until the last second to see if it can wait. I plan on bringing some whitening toothpaste back with me when we come back. Also, we are starting doing the organizing and getting our heads around the fact that we are going "home". I definitely am, and Carlos has come to feel like Cincinnati is a home for him too.
I am also compiling a list of things I plan to bring home with me. The few clothes I want to bring. An outfit or two for each kid (ones that are borderline small that they will likely outgrow before we come back and therefore I won't need to re pack it), also coffee, some popular cookies from here, maybe some plantain chips. Basically we are traveling very light. Our return trip with be much heavier, but this trip will be easy! I cannot wait to get back there. Especially with how this weekend has gone, I just really need to get home.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Countdown to Cincinnati: Initiated!
Well, the rain has stopped. It hasn't rained for about a week I think, and we have been so hot here. We got all those new screens installed and now it's hot hot hot. Too hot to keep the windows open :( While I was out walking with Delilah this morning, it looked like it was about to rain, but no such luck. All the clouds burned off, and we are back to the heat wave.
So being here, I have noticed that pretty much everyone here uses those fluorescent energy saver light bulbs. I am so not a fan. I like more homey low key lighting. So finally, at a new store here that I love- Home Sentry (a little like Bed, Bath & Beyond, with lots of American stuff), I found some natural light bulbs! I was so excited, and started switching out the lights in the apartment. I love the way it feels. It seems homey, and not so harsh and bright. Then I realized that all of a sudden all kinds of bugs were making their way in. As it turns out.. bugs are much more attracted to the natural light vs. fluorescent. UGH. This is a picture of the area around one of the lights after turning it off. Bug central.
So much for filling this place with natural light.
Another thing that way different than I am used to is the bill paying process here. Until this weekend, I was blissfully in the dark of how it's done. In the US, when you have a bill to pay, you just set up a payment online, or set up auto-pay from your bank account. In rare instances, you send a check. Here, none of those is an option. You have to take cash to the bank used by the company, and submit the payment. For instance, we had to go pay our HOA/administration fees. So Carlos had to withdraw money at his bank, we got the paper bill, took it to the bank where our HOA has an account, paid it, and then got the receipt. It took an entire morning. Since you can't bank online, or even use checks, the lines at the bank are ridiculous (just as you would assume).
So we are within a month from the Flying Pig. My family is doing the relay, and we have two teams set up! It will be so fun, but I have just one problem... I am completely out of shape. I have barely done anything since we have been here, and this morning I went out for a run. Who are we kidding? A run walk. I have a lot of work ahead of me if I plan to run 6 miles. But I did 13.1 last year and it was fine.. So hopefully this year is the same :)
The countdown is beginning!!!!!!!! We go home in 19 days! I love it here, and everything here is great.. But I am homesick. We have been here over 3 months, and I am used to being around my family daily, so it has been a long time away. The time has flown, but just in the last week or two I have just really started getting antsy to get home. I miss going places with my family and seeing them all the time. I also am really missing outdoor activities with the kids. There space here to play outside a little, but it is different. We don't have a great zoo with all kinds of animals, we don't have parks to go to, and most importantly, I don't have friends and family here. I love doing stuff with Carlos' mom during that day, and doing that is one reason that I wanted to come here in the first place.. But nothing compares to the feeling of being home. I have never felt unsafe here, but I always have my guard up. I also always feel like I am attracting attention. I don't really feel like I blend in here totally. Especially if I am speaking. It will be so nice to be in a comfortable place, where I can really relax, put my feet up, and enjoy the suburban life :)
So being here, I have noticed that pretty much everyone here uses those fluorescent energy saver light bulbs. I am so not a fan. I like more homey low key lighting. So finally, at a new store here that I love- Home Sentry (a little like Bed, Bath & Beyond, with lots of American stuff), I found some natural light bulbs! I was so excited, and started switching out the lights in the apartment. I love the way it feels. It seems homey, and not so harsh and bright. Then I realized that all of a sudden all kinds of bugs were making their way in. As it turns out.. bugs are much more attracted to the natural light vs. fluorescent. UGH. This is a picture of the area around one of the lights after turning it off. Bug central.
So much for filling this place with natural light.
Another thing that way different than I am used to is the bill paying process here. Until this weekend, I was blissfully in the dark of how it's done. In the US, when you have a bill to pay, you just set up a payment online, or set up auto-pay from your bank account. In rare instances, you send a check. Here, none of those is an option. You have to take cash to the bank used by the company, and submit the payment. For instance, we had to go pay our HOA/administration fees. So Carlos had to withdraw money at his bank, we got the paper bill, took it to the bank where our HOA has an account, paid it, and then got the receipt. It took an entire morning. Since you can't bank online, or even use checks, the lines at the bank are ridiculous (just as you would assume).
So we are within a month from the Flying Pig. My family is doing the relay, and we have two teams set up! It will be so fun, but I have just one problem... I am completely out of shape. I have barely done anything since we have been here, and this morning I went out for a run. Who are we kidding? A run walk. I have a lot of work ahead of me if I plan to run 6 miles. But I did 13.1 last year and it was fine.. So hopefully this year is the same :)
The countdown is beginning!!!!!!!! We go home in 19 days! I love it here, and everything here is great.. But I am homesick. We have been here over 3 months, and I am used to being around my family daily, so it has been a long time away. The time has flown, but just in the last week or two I have just really started getting antsy to get home. I miss going places with my family and seeing them all the time. I also am really missing outdoor activities with the kids. There space here to play outside a little, but it is different. We don't have a great zoo with all kinds of animals, we don't have parks to go to, and most importantly, I don't have friends and family here. I love doing stuff with Carlos' mom during that day, and doing that is one reason that I wanted to come here in the first place.. But nothing compares to the feeling of being home. I have never felt unsafe here, but I always have my guard up. I also always feel like I am attracting attention. I don't really feel like I blend in here totally. Especially if I am speaking. It will be so nice to be in a comfortable place, where I can really relax, put my feet up, and enjoy the suburban life :)
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Redecorating!
We have been deep into the job of redecoration. The apartment we live in was my in-laws apartment and was already furnished and set up great. But it was set up for a middle aged couple. Not a family of 4 with two toddlers. My biggest gripe (one that can't be fixed) is the flooring. It is so hard, and so slippery. I never feel like the kids can play freely because the floors are so hard and they always fall while climbing like monkeys. The only thing we can do is put down rugs.
We have done this, but it's not the same as actually putting plush carpet down all over the house. I would be all for that except for the cleaning aspect. As I have said before, we get ants and bugs in here. Johana mops the floors twice a day since any residue left on the floor lures them in. I don't even want to think about what would happen if we couldn't mop the floors and disinfect them.
The next thing I didn't like was that there was no good place to sit down, relax, and put your feet up. There is a super comfy couch in the main room, but it's only good for putting feet up if you are the only one on it. Also, there isn't really anything to do in that general area (i.e. watch tv). One of our favorite things to do in Cincinnati is watch TV or movies while lounging on the couch together after the kids go to sleep. This leads me to my next point.. The TV. There is a TV room here, with a couch TV, and internet/MagicJack. This is all pretty good, except for the fact that it is a closed off room. I hated trying to use magic jack because as soon as i walked out of the room, it cut out. Also, since the kids can't be left unattended (thanks to the floors, other non toddler-proofed things, etc) they need to both do the same thing. If one wants to watch Bubble Guppies, and the other wants to play with toys they are out of luck. Also, most of the stuff sits on a shelf that is built onto the wall. Everything (tons of cords and cables) is open and free for the grabbing. So they definitely can't be left alone in the TV room. Carlos and I were able to watch our shows at night, but that room gets hot since it doesn't have A/C. Also, the TV shares a wall with the kid's room, so the sound would sometimes wake them up.
Ok, so this entry is not all about complaining..... As I mentioned before, we are slowly working to make this apartment more user friendly for us!
First, the TV in the TV room started to die. The screen started going out a few weeks ago so since we were in need of another one, we bought one and had it installed in the main room. This way we would be able to let the kids watch a cartoon and also play with their toys if they wanted. Also, it lets me watch something while the kids are playing if I want to. Very important :) Also, we feel like now we have a central area for everyone. A real family room!
The next step was getting the couch. I looked at a ton of couches but it proved difficult shopping without my trusty translator (Carlos) with me. The first day I went out looking with my MIL I kept saying, no I want a softer couch. After showing me a few that were not softer at all, they would always take me to a velvet couch that was (like is traditional here) hard as a board, where you need to sit straight upright. Not lounging material at all. It was then that I realized that they thought I meant that I wanted a softer material covering the couch. Also, to my dismay, I realized that affordable but good couches are few and very far between. Most of the couches we looked at, especially the ones I liked were easily over $3,000 some upwards of $5,000. This is something I am totally dead set against. Maybe at some point in my life, when my kids are grown up, and we have extra money, I will be happy to spend that on a nice sofa. But never will I pay that when I have two forces of destruction living under my roof. For the same reason, I was also adamant about fake leather. Well, we went to a small, hole in the wall place with Carlos' friend. It was a far cry from where his mom took me shopping, and was actually an upholstery store.
I was ready to call off the search and not go in because I thought it would be a huge waste of time. Was I ever wrong!!!! They custom made our couch with the cushion type, L-formation, and synthetic "leather" that we wanted. And it was 1/3 of the price of some of the other couches that I had been looking at. I was a little nervous about telling Carlos' mom about it since we had gone shopping together for a couple days at all the places that she thought would have good and reliable furniture. Then we ended up going to some hole in the wall place. To my surprise, she said they had bought their first couch at the exact same store! We love the couch, and we are back to our old pre-kids routine of watching something on TV together, Carlos working, me falling asleep on the couch :) It is nice to kind of get back to the way things were!!
Next problem.. The cables, cords, etc. being where they can be grabbed. At home, in Cincinnati, we have a huge mantle area that all of our electronics sit on top of. No kid in my house can reach any of it. I even need a chair to get to the surge protector. Here, since there is no such thing, I have been left scrambling for ways to hide all of the outlets, cords, and wires.
It is exhausting. Well not for long!!!! We are having cabinets and shelving built under and to the side of the TV. I am SO excited for that. Now, the cables are being covered by the TV box which isn't all that nice to look at :)
This is what I am basing my idea on, except that the area underneath will all be covered by doors.
Another little thing we did this week was add bars and screens to more windows, and get screen doors! These things weren't really totally needed but do make things a little better. We had screened and barred all the windows except two. One is in the kitchen so it doesn't need to be barred, it is high up, and we can lock the kitchen at night anyway. But it didn't have a screen either, and I would have to close it as soon as it got dark out, which resulted in the kitchen being horrifically hot and humid in the evening. The main room gets sticky and hot too. Even with the one screened window open, without the cross breeze we needed the A/C on every evening. I had been trying to figure out a way that we could have the patio doorway screened, but since the doors open so far, we thought anything we did would get destroyed by the kids. SO we had our trusty handyman come over and check it out, and of course he had an idea to make it work :)
So now we have all of the big windows barred (except in the kitchen) and screened! Also, with the screen doors we should be able to keep the A/C off a lot more! Our electric bill was one of the highest it has been last month. A little over $150, which is not bad at all compared to our Cincinnati bill in the middle of summer! But I know we can get it down lower with the screen doors open in the evening!
The only shame is that we are leaving in less than a month, and won't really get to enjoy it all until we get back.
We have done this, but it's not the same as actually putting plush carpet down all over the house. I would be all for that except for the cleaning aspect. As I have said before, we get ants and bugs in here. Johana mops the floors twice a day since any residue left on the floor lures them in. I don't even want to think about what would happen if we couldn't mop the floors and disinfect them.
The next thing I didn't like was that there was no good place to sit down, relax, and put your feet up. There is a super comfy couch in the main room, but it's only good for putting feet up if you are the only one on it. Also, there isn't really anything to do in that general area (i.e. watch tv). One of our favorite things to do in Cincinnati is watch TV or movies while lounging on the couch together after the kids go to sleep. This leads me to my next point.. The TV. There is a TV room here, with a couch TV, and internet/MagicJack. This is all pretty good, except for the fact that it is a closed off room. I hated trying to use magic jack because as soon as i walked out of the room, it cut out. Also, since the kids can't be left unattended (thanks to the floors, other non toddler-proofed things, etc) they need to both do the same thing. If one wants to watch Bubble Guppies, and the other wants to play with toys they are out of luck. Also, most of the stuff sits on a shelf that is built onto the wall. Everything (tons of cords and cables) is open and free for the grabbing. So they definitely can't be left alone in the TV room. Carlos and I were able to watch our shows at night, but that room gets hot since it doesn't have A/C. Also, the TV shares a wall with the kid's room, so the sound would sometimes wake them up.
Ok, so this entry is not all about complaining..... As I mentioned before, we are slowly working to make this apartment more user friendly for us!
First, the TV in the TV room started to die. The screen started going out a few weeks ago so since we were in need of another one, we bought one and had it installed in the main room. This way we would be able to let the kids watch a cartoon and also play with their toys if they wanted. Also, it lets me watch something while the kids are playing if I want to. Very important :) Also, we feel like now we have a central area for everyone. A real family room!
The next step was getting the couch. I looked at a ton of couches but it proved difficult shopping without my trusty translator (Carlos) with me. The first day I went out looking with my MIL I kept saying, no I want a softer couch. After showing me a few that were not softer at all, they would always take me to a velvet couch that was (like is traditional here) hard as a board, where you need to sit straight upright. Not lounging material at all. It was then that I realized that they thought I meant that I wanted a softer material covering the couch. Also, to my dismay, I realized that affordable but good couches are few and very far between. Most of the couches we looked at, especially the ones I liked were easily over $3,000 some upwards of $5,000. This is something I am totally dead set against. Maybe at some point in my life, when my kids are grown up, and we have extra money, I will be happy to spend that on a nice sofa. But never will I pay that when I have two forces of destruction living under my roof. For the same reason, I was also adamant about fake leather. Well, we went to a small, hole in the wall place with Carlos' friend. It was a far cry from where his mom took me shopping, and was actually an upholstery store.
I was ready to call off the search and not go in because I thought it would be a huge waste of time. Was I ever wrong!!!! They custom made our couch with the cushion type, L-formation, and synthetic "leather" that we wanted. And it was 1/3 of the price of some of the other couches that I had been looking at. I was a little nervous about telling Carlos' mom about it since we had gone shopping together for a couple days at all the places that she thought would have good and reliable furniture. Then we ended up going to some hole in the wall place. To my surprise, she said they had bought their first couch at the exact same store! We love the couch, and we are back to our old pre-kids routine of watching something on TV together, Carlos working, me falling asleep on the couch :) It is nice to kind of get back to the way things were!!
Next problem.. The cables, cords, etc. being where they can be grabbed. At home, in Cincinnati, we have a huge mantle area that all of our electronics sit on top of. No kid in my house can reach any of it. I even need a chair to get to the surge protector. Here, since there is no such thing, I have been left scrambling for ways to hide all of the outlets, cords, and wires.
It is exhausting. Well not for long!!!! We are having cabinets and shelving built under and to the side of the TV. I am SO excited for that. Now, the cables are being covered by the TV box which isn't all that nice to look at :)
This is what I am basing my idea on, except that the area underneath will all be covered by doors.
Another little thing we did this week was add bars and screens to more windows, and get screen doors! These things weren't really totally needed but do make things a little better. We had screened and barred all the windows except two. One is in the kitchen so it doesn't need to be barred, it is high up, and we can lock the kitchen at night anyway. But it didn't have a screen either, and I would have to close it as soon as it got dark out, which resulted in the kitchen being horrifically hot and humid in the evening. The main room gets sticky and hot too. Even with the one screened window open, without the cross breeze we needed the A/C on every evening. I had been trying to figure out a way that we could have the patio doorway screened, but since the doors open so far, we thought anything we did would get destroyed by the kids. SO we had our trusty handyman come over and check it out, and of course he had an idea to make it work :)
So now we have all of the big windows barred (except in the kitchen) and screened! Also, with the screen doors we should be able to keep the A/C off a lot more! Our electric bill was one of the highest it has been last month. A little over $150, which is not bad at all compared to our Cincinnati bill in the middle of summer! But I know we can get it down lower with the screen doors open in the evening!
The only shame is that we are leaving in less than a month, and won't really get to enjoy it all until we get back.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Semana Santa!
This is super late, but we have been so busy the last week that I haven't had a second to stop and write an entry! So firstly: I got my visa!!!!
I also did all the paperwork for my Cedula Extranjeria! That is the document here that is like a green card is in the US. I thought there was supposed to be a waiting period before I could get that done, but since my mother of Colombians resident visa is good indefinitely, I was able to go and do the other paperwork too! At first, my thought was that I didn't really need a Cedula. Why? My visa is good as long as I want to be here, and it lets me work. Then I found out that I can work, but not in a regulated profession. I.E. anything that requires a degree. So I can't work as a nurse or a substitute teacher, or anything else really. So it was an easy choice to just get my C.E. I thought as soon as I had it, I would stop getting weird looks, and less questions.. What? Why don't you have a Cedula? Who doesn't have a Cedula? But come to find out, mine has fewer digits than a normal Cedula so I still get weird looks. Oh well! I'm official!! And Carlos and I got to go out on the town a little even! We didn't get much time alone because we had a full schedule of conference events, but it was still a nice break!
So here there are some very big culture differences this time of year. Last week, for Semana Santa (Holy Week) business is not as usual. Since this is a very Catholic country, all of the Holy days are observed. In the US, most of the celebration centers around Easter Sunday. Some people are out of school/work on Good Friday, but thats about it. Here, the celebration starts Palm Sunday, and continues until Easter, with Sunday being very low key. So Palm Sunday starts the festivities. At our church here in our complex, the Priest led the congregation around the lake and they walked around for the mass. Walking seems very popular here for Holy Week. For Good Friday, it is a tradition for a lot of people to walk to church.
There are two popular churches between here and where Carlos' parents live. The tradition in Johana's family is to walk to mass from their house, to the neighboring town, Giron. It is about 8 miles. Down treacherous mountain roads. So back to the big differences.
Palm Monday is a holiday here. A stay home from work holiday. We used Monday to go to lunch at a friend's family's house. It was amazing. They live in a super nice area up in the mountains overlooking the city. This is the neighborhood I strive to live in :)
It was so cool to go up and check it out. Then Tuesday Carlos went into work late, and then went for a couple hours in the afternoon. Same on Wednesday.
Maundy Thursday and Good Friday he had work off! Thursday we went up to La Mesa de los Santos with Carlos' parents. That is were there is a huge organic coffee farm but there are also lots of other farms, some little restaurants, and some little hotels. We ate lunch at a restaurant with ponies and trains, playgrounds, and dessert. Then we went to a big farm that is like a little mini zoo too! Of course we also had to stop for some coffee :)
Friday and Sunday we went to the farm for lunch. Sunday was very nice, but not the typical Easter celebration. I am used to having Easter Sunday be a huge production. Church, brunch, Easter baskets, candy, and all things pastel. Here is seemed like a normal Sunday but we had a delicious lunch with great people, and had a great day.. We even had an egg hunt! I was worried about being able to dye eggs since that is not a tradition here, but I got the great idea from a friend to use tissue paper.
It worked great! Some colors better than others.. Green yellow and orange didn't show up, but I think that was also thanks to the fact that all the eggs here are brown :)
On another note.. the laptop search is going into hyperdrive. I have a family of ants living in my close to death MacBook. Ants here are a part of life. They get everywhere this time of year. At the beginning of the rainy season, (right about now) they haven't been killed off by the rain, and they are out in full force. I HATE THEM. They aren't like the ones from Cincinnati, they climb up 12 stories to get to us and they are tiny. So small they look almost like moving dust particles. They are so gross because they get everywhere. I think at least one crawled into my laptop, that was far away from any food I might add, and had babies inside it.
Look for it crawling on the caps lock..
This is seriously the grossest thing ever, and I am ready to spray Raid into the inside of it to kill everything, even if it kills my computer too. I even caught some trying to mate on the screen.
The nerve. So starting now my blogs may become a little picture free for a little while, or they may be there but all bunched up at the end since that is what always happens when I use my phone. Wish me luck on that :)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)