Tomorrow we celebrate our one-month anniversary in Colombia. It’s been an interesting time, full of ups and downs, and while we’re feeling much more settled, there is a lot of adjusting left to do.
We’re still living with my in-laws, Rubén and Gaby. Their new condominium was supposed to be ready on August 17, but the family who is vacating that condo is unable to move into their new building because there were problems with the remodeling. Having Rubén and Gaby’s belongings at our house has been helpful, however, because we are still waiting for our dishes, clothes, toys and other household items to arrive on the ship from Houston. The boxes that left our house on June 28 arrived at the Port in Cartagena just last Friday evening, and they should be moving through customs sometime this week. After the port agents go through the stuff, and charge whatever they want for processing, the pallet will make the 700-mile trip up the mountains to Bogotá. The shipment we originally thought would take 3 weeks and cost $5000 will end up taking three times the time and nearly twice the cost we anticipated. The good news is that we didn’t ship furniture!
Living with Rubén and Gaby has been helpful in more ways than just borrowing their things. They have both been a tremendous help to us in caring for Catalina and Gabriela. Rubén makes Catalina’s breakfast every morning, heating the the milk on the stove, cutting fruit with careful precision, and serving the bowl when she says, “Abuito - quiero avena.” (“Grandpa, I want oatmeal.”) Gaby can’t get enough of her namesake. She pushes Gabriela around the house in the stroller and makes her fruit and veggie purees. The baby is much more comfortable with both grandparents now and, though she still prefers Mommy over anyone else, her eyes light up when she sees them.
We found a great preschool for Catalina just a block away from the house. Cometas (kites) is located in a big Spanish-style house that has interior and exterior green space visible from every classroom. We knew it was a good fit for Catalina when we went to visit the director, and our daughter didn’t spend a minute by our side. She explored the playgrounds, read the books and helped all the teachers set up their rooms. She was an instant hit with the teachers, and they all greet her by name every day. Unlike in the US, where Catalina was always one of the smallest kids, she’s the tallest in her class. She’s slightly older than most of the other 13 students in her group. Some of them haven’t turned four yet, and those who turned four last winter and spring have moved on to pre-kindergarten at elementary schools. We think that having Catalina in a preschool close to home is a good move for the next few months. Being taller and older than the other kids help give her the confidence she needs while she improves her Spanish skills and adapts to the culture. She’s learning new words every day, and she’s come home happy, carrying the arepa she made in cooking class and showing us moves she learned in beginning ballet. One day she attended and English class, where the students learned about the letter A. They made alligator masks as a craft, and Catalina came home talking all about her “cocodrilo.”
Though I don’t quite have the home, work, childcare routine down pat yet, I have found a great place to exercise. (Those who know me know how important that is!) There’s a big gym called BodyTech about five blocks away from us, and it’s the closest thing Bogotá has to the 24 Hour Fitness I left in Houston. Body Tech is big on monitoring the medical progress of its patrons, so Juan Carlos and I both had appointments with a doctor when we signed up, and personal trainers developed exercise routines for us. We have the routines on a paper, and we’re supposed to take them to the trainers so they can follow our progress. Being monitored is a little strange for both of us, who are used to exercising on our own, but I guess it’s a good system to keep clients both safe and motivated.
As in most countries I’ve visited, the first activity I participated in at the gym was group exercise classes. It’s always interesting to me to see how the classes reflect the culture. Classes here start 10 to 15 minutes late, so I’ve stopped bothering to arrive on time. Students and instructors greet each other with kisses, and there is more stopping for chatting and drinking water than there are in most US classes. Also, the aerobics instructors here seem to be more concerned about having participants learn the routines than in getting a good workout for themselves. They stop frequently to make sure the students know what comes next, and sometimes they sit at the front of the room or walk outside while we do the entire routine by ourselves.
So far, in the eight or nine different classes I’ve taken, all of the instructors have been men. There are many more male participants here than in the US, and I’ve never seen men so good at step aerobics! The step classes here, not surprisingly, are less athletic and more choreographed than their US counterparts, and that has been an adjustment for me. I get strange looks when I put the step up higher than everyone else, but I know I have to do that to get my heart rate up. Though the step and dance-based classes aren’t very physically challenging for me, they do give my brain a workout. There is a lot of syncopation, with twists and turns that would leave most Americans dizzy. I’m determined to leave my gringa-ness behind though, so I keep going until I can do the classes without having to think so hard. Fortunately, we have Body Pump, spinning and kickboxing at the gym too, so I can get some intensity when I need good stress relief.
Some stresses are different here; some are the same. Just like in the US, Juan Carlos and I keep each other in check and put the everyday nuisances and frustrations in perspective. Fortunately, that’s not difficult to do. We’re blessed to have a supportive family, a lovely home and two children who are God’s greatest gifts to us. We’re humbled by and grateful for the opportunities we have and the chance to make this once-in-a-lifetime journey together.
No comments:
Post a Comment