Back In Cartagena..

I am back in Cartagena after being in the States for seven weeks. I had a wonderful time while away visiting friends and family. I did miss my friends in Colombia and my lifestyle here (by lifestyle, I mean my housekeeper). One of the big differences in how I live in the two countries is that I drive every day in the States. Where I live in Cartagena, I can walk to the supermarket, doctor's offices, restaurants and the beach. I only need to get in my car if I am driving to my children's school.

I walk everywhere here for errands and for exercise. I love the walking path that is right in front of my apartment building. (Pictures of the path above) The path is around Cartagena Bay and people walk, run, bike and rollerblade in the early morning and evening. It is too hot to walk during the middle of the day.
The other huge part of my life that I missed is my housekeeper. It is hard for "average" income people in the United States to afford domestic help on a regular basis. Here help is extremely affordable. I have my housekeeper come three days a week, she cooks, cleans, does my laundry and she has also been helping me learn Spanish. She has become part of the family and we missed her while away.