I was asked by a friend if I wanted to take a day trip to Barranquilla, a city about an hour and a half ride north of Cartagena. My friend, Michelle, said we would be making some purchases from the new Price Smart (a Costco type store) that just opened up. I never pass up an opportunity to visit a new city.
Because the company the purchases were for needed many items, two cars were taken.
Michelle and I were not the only females going, the wife of another employee of the company was also going. I met her just as we were going to leave. Her name is Evelyn and she is from Honduras. Evelyn told me right away that it was Central American Independence day. She had on a beautiful blue shirt and white pants along with a pin of a United States flag next to a Honduran flag. As she was explaining her excitement about the holiday, she was radiant and full of energy and light. When she learned my name she told me it would be confusing for her because we know another woman in the office who has a similar name to mine. I told her whatever she called me would be fine.
As we went to go in the cars, her husband had expected her to ride with him and Michelle and I would ride in the other car. She immediately asked if we could ride together. Hence, the three women rode together and her husband went with another man in the other car.
It was one of the funnest car rides I have ever been on. Evelyn speaks English very well, (she will tell you she doesn't, but she does) despite learning as an adult when she moved to the States.
My Spanish is slim to none, so we had fun telling stories about getting around in a different country when you don't know the language. The funniest story she told involved her going to the garden store in WalMart. She needed fertilizer, but didn't know the word for what she needed.
She explained, "I needed something for my plants and I didn't know the word, so I went up the woman and said, 'Excuse me, do you have cow shit?' She looked at me and said, 'You mean manure.' And I said, yes, this is right." We hooted over that one. I told her my story of trying to find turkey at the grocery store. I asked for a 'pollo grande' (a big chicken) and we laughed over that too.
We spent the entire car ride talking about all sorts of things, laughing and just enjoying each others company. Not once did she talk about what wasn't available here, or what she didn't like or why other places are better. I just loved her spirit and her energy. We went to the big box store, loaded up on items and then went to lunch. We ate, laughed some more and got back in the car for another hour and a half ride, which went by quickly because of how much fun we were having. It was really fun because her husband had to ride with us because the other car was so full of merchandise. At one point we were laughing about something and I used the word 'booby' and she said, "Oh, my husband told me to use the word, 'breast' because 'booby' is not nice. Well, of course I took that as an invitation to say the word 'booby' as often as I can. (I can only hope she is not banned from hanging out with me anymore!)
Anyway, even though we didn't spend time in a museum or beach or park or anything others consider fun, I had the best time with someone who just appreciated being in the moment. Thank you to Evelyn and Michelle for one of the funnest times I have had in Colombia.
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