¿Quién es este Señor. Amazon?

We are able to receive packages here in Colombia from Amazon.com and other internet sites from the US.  Packages arrive about once a week and there are always many boxes for people ordering products online that they either can't find here or are cheaper from the States. Drivers from Colombia pick up the packages from the airport and deliver them. One of the drivers asked someone about the return address of most of these boxes. "Who is this Mr. Amazon? He sends so many packages to people!"
At face value this is a hilarious question with an easy answer.
However, when I think about it more deeply, who is this Mr. Amazon?
Colombia does not lack in material goods, yes, some things are very expensive, however, you can find whatever you want here. Food products are a bit trickier. I can't find pure vanilla extract. Not to say it's not available in other parts of Colombia, but here in Cartagena, I can only find imitation vanilla flavoring. I digress...
My point is that while living in what is considered a developing nation, I have access to almost everything Mr. Amazon has to offer. I can order food, clothing and anything else I may need and get it delivered here.
Am I missing out on being creative with local ingredients and products I can only find here? If I want a shirt or shoes, I simply go online and purchase those items. Prices here are very high due to Colombia's high import tax. (I understand that the new free trade agreement between Colombia and the US may help lower this tax, if not eliminate it altogether)
If I could not purchase anything from the internet, I would have to be much more selective in what I purchased. Perhaps I would notice that I didn't need those cute sandals because the sandals I have are just fine. Or, that I can cook with imitation vanilla. It tastes the same after all.
I wonder what will happen to humanity in the long run now that we don't have to do without anything, as long as you have the money, you can buy almost anything, thanks to Mr. Amazon.

Do You Go to the Gym?

I was in my neighborhood supermarket checking out when the woman waiting behind me in line started talking to me in Spanish. I smiled and told her I don't speak Spanish. She then started talking to me in English. She asked, "Do you go to the gym?"
I was so happy! In the split second before I answered her I had a big smile on my face thinking that I made a new friend. Maybe she was in my Rumba class. Do I remember seeing her? Maybe she saw me on the eliptical machine or something. Regardless, I was thinking of how great it is I am making Colombian friends and now seeing the locals in the store and I will get to converse with them. I answered enthusiastically, "Yes! I do go to the gym. I go to the Rumba class. I love it."
She looked at one of the items that I was buying and pointed to it and said, "If you go to the gym, you really shouldn't be buying that, it is very fattening."
Wow.
There's a lesson in not making assumptions about what others are thinking.
I didn't even know how to respond to her. I was purchasing frozen dough that I was hoping would turn out to be fillo dough so I can make Egyptian meat pies and baklava for my friends.
I was crushed and perplexed at the same time.
"Um, okay." I responded. I still bought the dough, because I am not in the habit of doing things complete strangers tell me to do.
I was thinking that I would never tell someone I never met not to buy something because I think they need to work out instead. I guess this woman thought she was helping me. Not sure.
I have been told that here in Colombia, when someone refers to someone else as "fat," it is not derogatory, just a statement of fact.
For those of you who don't know me, I am not fat, I am not skinny either. I will say with confidence that the size and shape of my body hardly warrants comment by complete strangers.
So, that woman did not turn out to be a new Colombian friend I made. She, well, I don't know anything about her because I did not want to continue talking about what I should and shouldn't purchase. I packed my groceries, paid for them and left.
The encounter does make for a good story, so for as insulting as that woman was, I thank her for making me and my friends laugh.

Moon Over Cartagena Bay

Iguana, Views and Napkins...

Iguana we saw in the bushes of a hotel parking lot.

We were told that around 300 ships come into Cartagena bay each year. Here's one leaving.

Napkins for normal families here in Colombia.

Hair

There is an interesting phenomenon that I noticed here in Colombia and in Egypt. Women in both these countries love straight hair. They spend a lot of time and money blowing their hair straight, either with a blow dryer or chemically. When I was a teenager and would visit my family in Egypt, they would always tell me to brush my hair, because it was messy. I would explain that my hair is not messy, it's curly. There's a difference. They didn't think there was. My female cousins would tell me that my hair may be curly, but curly equals messy and I should really do something about my hair, like straighten it.
Once, when I was 17, I gave in to the pressure and let my cousin take me to a hairdresser in Alexandria, Egypt. After it was straightened, it was very long and flat. I actually didn't like it at all. I felt bald, even with all that hair. It sat so flat on my head. I straightened it once again a few years later after I was married. My husband didn't like it straight either. He loves my curly hair just as it is.
I noticed in Colombia that I haven't seen any women with curly hair. Almost every Colombian woman I have seen straightens her hair, just like in Egypt. I was talking about this with my two friends yesterday at lunch and they said they also noticed the lack of curly haired women here.
Last night I asked my husband to pick up bread from my favorite restaurant here. He came home later than I thought he would and he explained that the waitresses were talking to him about learning English. They knew who I was and they asked him about my curly hair. How funny is that?? I tried to get an exact quote as to what they asked about my hair, but he just said they commented on the fact that I have really curly hair. He said, they wondered about it.
There is a great documentary by Chris Rock called, "Good Hair," that I highly recommend watching. He focuses on the "hair culture" of African American women. Many women spend millions of dollars each year straightening their hair. The movie also addresses issues of identity and race, both of which play a role in how women accept (or not) their hair just the way it is.
I love my curls and (I also have no desire to spend more time on my hair than I have to) my daughter has inherited my curly hair. She did want a straightener and I did get her one. She does not use it everyday here. She uses it a couple of times a week and always for parties.
I don't know how she feels about curly or straight hair. I know she keeps it long and most of the time leaves it curly. I don't want to give her a complex either way. When she wants it straight, it is her choice to make it so.
I do lament that women feel they need to change something so central to who they are because of socially constructed ideas of beauty. Why do women in these two developing nations (I am sure there are many other nations that can be added to the list, I just haven't been there) believe straight hair is more desirable? I know sociologists and anthropologists have detailed answers this.
I ask it as food for thought.

Sex in the city

I was talking to my husband about the possibility of a Hooters opening in Cartagena. To me, such a place seems redundant. Many women here have large breasts thanks to implants and are not shy about showing off their cleavage. He agreed with me that he didn't think such a place is necessary, in fact, he pointed out that there aren't any strip clubs here. Prostitution is legal, there are brothels all over the country. The plus side of that is that the women are tested regularly and are taken care of.
I realized that there is little to no sexual repression here. Women are very open about their sexuality. Sex is accepted in a way that is surprising. There are condoms available everywhere. When we arrived in Bogota a few months ago, the hotel had condoms next to the sewing kit and little bottles of shampoo. At the checkout line in the supermarket, condoms are sold next to the chewing gum and snack chips, I have also seen them in bathrooms here.
I have not observed any cat calling here, men don't yell out rude things to women, which is not the case in other places I have lived, especially Egypt, where the catcalling has gotten so bad that there is an app that Egyptian women can use to find out which corners and areas have are the worst for groups of men standing around harassing women. But, I digress.
While it is refreshing that Colombians are open about sexuality, the dark side seems to be the underage prostitution here that is rampant. The major hotels in Cartagena have agreed not to support underage prostitution in any way and would support efforts to combat the crime.
Another downside is that some women here are encouraged to get breast and ass implants (those are another phenomena here) to try and attract a man to marry (or the man they already have pays for the plastic surgery). The emphasis for these women is less on education of the mind and more on the superficiality of plastic surgery to achieve the look of a model. That seems to be true in most of Latin America. Yes, I know there is plenty of superficiality in the US. However, that is balanced a bit by the desire to teach women and girls that it is just as important to get a good education.
Sexuality is part of who we are as human beings and it is interesting to see how different cultures express it.

My First Mass in Spanish

I attended an evening mass last weekend that was lead entirely in Spanish. I went with a friend and wanted to go even though I knew I would only understand a word here and there. I like going to places of worship of any religion. I find they tend to be peaceful places. I meditate and pray in my own way. I also like listening to the songs and the prayers said aloud have a rhythm that is calming to my soul.
So, off we went to mass and as I sat listening and at times kneeling (yes, I sit, stand, and kneel whenever the congregation does, when in Rome...), I tried to imagine what the priest was saying. I didn't get much. At one point, people laughed at something, then another time, many people raised their hand in response to a question. I didn't know what was being asked, so I didn't raise my hand. I didn't want to interrupt my friend's spiritual experience, so I didn't interrupt her and ask for a play by play every few minutes. I waited until the end of mass to ask her what the sermon was about. She said it was about being welcomed into God's kingdom. I asked her what the question was that he asked and she said, "He asked who wanted to go to heaven."
"Really?, I didn't raise my hand, in fact, not everyone raised their hand."
I thought about that and wondered why people wouldn't raise their hands. Do the people who didn't raise their hands not believe in heaven? Did they not necessarily believe in all the teachings of the church and didn't even want to humor the priest with raising their hand?
I thought it was mostly US Catholics that were ornery like that. My Catholic friends in the states vary in their spiritual beliefs and their views of the world. I found when talking to Colombian Catholics, there is the same diversity. My friend, who attends mass every day here, is very open minded. We talked about God and spirituality and we have the same view that religion is about people and God is so much bigger than that.

It's Always Sunny in Cartagena except when it rains...

Since arriving the first week of August, the weather has been, for the most part, hot, sunny, humid and dry, except for the days it rains and the streets flood. (The streets flood every time it rains due to the city not having a proper drainage system.) The temperature does not fluctuate much so it will be consistently around eighty degrees, sometimes higher.
For those of you who live in a place that faces especially cold and snowy winters, this may seem like a dream. I will tell you that for me, perfect weather gets old after a while. I know I have only been here a couple of months and how could I still not be salivating over perfect summer weather almost everyday?
I lived in the northeast part of the US for most of my life. One of my favorite things about the northeast is its weather and the changing of the seasons. My favorite is fall. The leaves starting to change is always a site to see, especially in New England. I love the cool nights and wearing sweaters.
It is October and leaves on palm trees don't change color. I need to wear a sweater only when the air conditioning unit isn't working properly and it feels like a freezer in the apartment.
I also love the winter, getting snowed in and being forced to stay indoors and spend time reading or cooking is one of my favorite things too.
Yes, winter gets old by the end of February and I can't wait for spring. That's my point. I love going through each season, I get my fill of the weather and plants and then appreciate the next season right around the corner.
I actually love when it rains here. We have a view of the bay and we get to see some really amazing lightning storms. I will try to get some pictures the next time to post. The rain breaks up the monotony of the perfect weather days.
Maybe because I have lived through the different seasons do I know what I am missing. My guess is that someone who has lived their entire life here in Cartagena might not think snow, slush and cold wind are a charming break from clear sunny hot days.
I suppose I am thinking about this as a metaphor for life. I appreciate my family and friends in a way that I probably wouldn't had I lived a "perfect" life. I know that life is precarious, my father died at the age of 42, I was only 13 years old. This was after my parents divorced when I was seven years old. I appreciate every healthy day and every day that I can tell people I love them. I try not to take one positive thing for granted in my life.
I guess, I shouldn't take this awesome weather for granted either. Our stay here is temporary and before we know it, I will be back to the changing of the seasons, the rain, wind and snow of the northeast. Maybe, just like I don't take my family and friends for granted, I should say a prayer of thanks for the opportunity to live with such beauty each day while I am here.

My thoughts on the Collegio...

Living as an ex-patriot has many benefits and a few downsides. One of the many benefits is learning a new language, being immersed in a different culture and having a housekeeper for eight hours a day for about $15.
Some of the downsides are not learning the language fast enough and realizing that even a pre-schooler can go to the grocery store and clearly ask for what they want in Spanish, and you can't.
Another downside- when any issue arises here, the severity of it tends to become inflated and magnified, simply because of living in Colombia.
For example, there is an ongoing discussion about which bi-lingual school is better here, the Colombian school that follows the British system or the Colombian school that follows the American system. As far as I am concerned, they are both good Colombian schools. Each offer a bilingual education where about 30% of the instruction is in Spanish and the rest in English. For me, I chose the Colombian school that follows the American system because my children are older and are already used to that system. 
My priority for them is to learn Spanish.  Some parents here are worried about how "behind" their children will be when they return to the States. My answer to that is, 'How behind were they when they got here?' Not all school systems are the same in the US, some are ahead in math and science and some woefully behind. I find it interesting that some people feel entitled to a US education even when not in the US (but that is another blog post, yet to be written about the entitled attitude among some). 
The benefits for children from the US to be exposed to another culture and language far outweigh any negative aspects to the education here.  If I find that my children have fallen behind on either math or science, it is an easy enough remedy, tutoring and in a month or two, they will be right where they need to be.
I have found my children's school to be engaging and responsive to any questions I have had since coming here. The school also has a much richer arts program than any of the US schools my children have attended. They not only get music and art but also drama. Their art and music classes are well equipped and extremely creative.
My son will be in a play in his drama class and his part is entirely in Spanish! He invited me to go and said, "Mom, you can go to the play, but it's all in Spanish, you won't understand any of it."
While that is true, I probably won't understand it, the important thing is, he is learning so much from that experience. My children both take Spanish as a Second Language (SSL) classes everyday.
They are now teaching me how to say words and phrases in Spanish. 

Campaigns for local gov't parades in front of our bldg.