We are home from the weekend camping trip to Tayrona. Ryan and Kathy have stayed on for one more day to hike up to Pueblito, the ruins an old city, and then go snorkelling or scuba diving on the way back to Cartagena.
We left early Saturday morning for our first independent trip out of Cartagena. The bus terminal takes half an hour to get to and we arrived just in time to catch the bus we planning to catch. However, it took ten minutes to find change for the taxi driver; but luckily, we didn’t miss our bus because it left 30 minutes later than we thought it did. Overall the bus was a pleasant surprise. Aside from being a bit scruffy around the edges, the bus had big and comfortable seats, left on time, and travelled without blaring music or video. The bathroom was the only drawback. Aside from being, well, basic, it was strategically placed at the front of the bus, sharing its special aroma with all the passengers. In the end, it deposited us right where we wanted to go, the park entrance, and right on time.
We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant at the park entrance and then headed for camp. We paid our park fee and hopped in a truck for a ride to the trailhead. We made the 45 minute hike in to the first campsite with a Colombian travel agent and his son and a Colombian hippie who made bracelets and necklaces that was going to meet his friends. The walk through lush rainforests was beautiful. We did, however spend lots of time watching the trail for horse poop - all the supplies to the beachfront camps are taken in by horse. Aysha seemed to enjoy the ride in the baby backpack, but on later hikes preferred to doze.
The first beach was Arricefes. When we arrived, the first accommodation we came to, the most expensive, offered eco-cabanas with solar powered lights and 24 hour service. It was run by some official tourist agency and was way more expensive than any of the others. I can see people looking for a bit more of a luxurious holiday enjoying these, but they were not for us. We stayed at its neighbor (closer to the beach) for $3 a night. We opted for hammocks over the tents or the little rooms they had. Aysha did well in the hammock, taking turns sleeping on either Karla or me. Aysha's human mattress did not fare as well, and next time we may opt for one of the slightly sweaty smelling tents.
Arricifes sits on the a wide bay, separated by rocky points from sandy bays on either side. In this part of the beach the waves pound the shores. It is not only not recommened that anyone swim, it is forbidden. Although, after watching the waves for a while, it's hard to believe that anyone not dissuaded by their violence would be put off by a mere sign. Throughout the weekend, no one ever ventured near the water.
Even without the possibiltiy of swimming, Arricifes is cool and refreshing. Clouds intermittently block the sun and the wind off the water even justifies long pants in the evenings. On Sunday, we set out down the beach and along the trail to the next two bays. Right beside our campsite is another, that seems to cater to a more festive crowd. There were fires going and people sitting around them with drums and guitars. Past that, La Piscina (The Pool) is the first bay, where a line of rocks a couple hundred meters off shore make swimming a possibility. 30 minutes further along is Cabo San Juan, where more camping is available. From here, the beach is better protected by the rocky points and wading is a possibility. An hour above this beach is Pueblito.
The camping here was almost as nice, and the restaurant better than ours. Our restaurant was open for supper from 6:30-9:30, as well as for breakfast and luunch. We were hungry and seated at 6:30. It took two hours before we got our food. The restaurant has a couple of uh... shall we say areas where the relaxed atmosphere of the surroundings had triumphed. First, there was one person serving the 10 or 15 tables, and I would guess only one person preparing the food. The restaurant also kept costs down by producing only four copies of the menu, which needed to be moved around from table to table. Of course, it all worked out. By the time four people around one table had passed the single menu around and all had decided, the previous table's food had been prepared and the cook was ready for the next order. You could tell when an order came up by the ringing of a bell that would have made even Pavlov marvel. No matter what she was doing, when the bell rang, the waitress went to pick up the food and deliver it. More than once, our order or questions about the menu were interrupted by the arrival of someone else's food.
The waitress was a real sweetheart though. Once the dinner was done, she would sweep in and pick Aysha up. She explained that her last job had been taking care of kids and she missed spending time with them. She even pulled down one of the Christmas decorations (that were still up) so Aysha would have a little toy.
Monday morning we packed up, grabbed breakfast and began the hike back home. It was not quite as easy. From Cartagena we got a bus straight to the park. From Tayrona, we needed to catch a local bus into Santa Marta, the nearest town, then a cab to the bus terminal and a bus back to Cartagena. The bus we caught home was new and clean (with a great bathroom), but ended up stopping many times for passengers along the way, extending the trip by about an hour (It might be worth mentioning to some that after a three hours, any hour spent is a bus with a baby on your lap is governed by the same rule of determining the age of a dog).
When we got home, the AC was the first thing to go on, and then we took advantage of the multiple bathrooms to all hop into a tub and scrub off the days of grime. It was all worthwhile - every last itch bite, blister and nocturnal waking to a squirmy baby. Ryan and Cathy kept the camera for their hike up to Pueblito, so photos will be slightly delayed. Sorry!
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Friday, January 27, 2006
Off for the Weekend
It’s been a while since the last update. Ryan and Kathy arrived last weekend and we have been having fun since.
This weekend we are going out to a party tonight and then we’re off to Tayrona National Park tomorrow morning for a couple days of camping on the beach.
The party is at June’s place. She arrived on the same flight as us in August, but she teaches kindergarten at another school. She is retired and has a great place in the old city. She appears to be having a great time here and seems to have made lots of friends. We bumped into her (like we do every once and a while) this week and she invited us over.
Tomorrow morning, we’ll be off on the 7am bus to go to the beach. It will be Aysha’s first camping trip!
Aysha is getting closer to walking and can take a few steps between attending adults.
This weekend we are going out to a party tonight and then we’re off to Tayrona National Park tomorrow morning for a couple days of camping on the beach.
The party is at June’s place. She arrived on the same flight as us in August, but she teaches kindergarten at another school. She is retired and has a great place in the old city. She appears to be having a great time here and seems to have made lots of friends. We bumped into her (like we do every once and a while) this week and she invited us over.
Tomorrow morning, we’ll be off on the 7am bus to go to the beach. It will be Aysha’s first camping trip!
Aysha is getting closer to walking and can take a few steps between attending adults.
Monday, January 16, 2006
New Roles for Aysha
Copy Cat- Aysha has started to copy things we do. This weekend, I was blowing up the air mattress (she was on it watching me) and when I took a break she crawled over to the valve and put her mouth over it. Today she went over and picked up Karla’s water bottle and tried to drink from it. The cap was on so she just held it up to her mouth and made sucking motions with her mouth. Once we had the air mattress blown up, Aysha really liked to bounce on it, first by herself and later by mom or dad (then, not so much by herself anymore). Just before we left Kuwait, we slept on one for a couple nights and she loved to bounce on that one when she was much smaller.
Bottomless Pit- She’s a hungry girl. There’s nothing that gets eaten in her presence without her crawling over or at least pointing to let you know that she wants to try some. In fact, she rarely wants to just try it. She wants to share with you.
Sad-to-see-you go Girl- Since we got home, Aysha has started crying when we leave for school in the morning and then when Claudina leaves in the afternoon. This can be prevented if she is distracted when the leaving party leaves.
There has been no more progress in the walking department. Karla and I tried a bit of coaching tonight, but she just couldn’t balance herself. On the hard tile floor, we always catch her, which I don’t think is any motivation for her to improve her steadiness.
Thankfully, she has stuck to her sleeping schedule. One improvement that she seems to have adopted after the Christmas holiday is that she is more willing to sleep in. On weekends, we can scoop her out of the crib when she first gets up at 5 or 6, change her and plop in between us for another hour of sleep (or more!). With the dark Canadian mornings and late nights with Grandma and Grandpa, she got use to sleeping a bit later.
One last miracle to report, two days after we got home, we received a phone call in the evening. It was the real estate agency calling to tell us that the owner had decided to fix the AC for us. The next day, a repairman came and took the parts that needed to be replaced. There was not a little scepticism at the business office at school over whether the AC would really be repaired. Saturday morning was almost gone when the phone rang to let us know that someone had arrived to fix the AC. After a few hours of work, the AC was fixed. One of the blower fans has been fixed so well that it no longer turns off, even when the whole AC system is shut down. This is good news for the visitors to come. We can accommodate you in comfort!
Bottomless Pit- She’s a hungry girl. There’s nothing that gets eaten in her presence without her crawling over or at least pointing to let you know that she wants to try some. In fact, she rarely wants to just try it. She wants to share with you.
Sad-to-see-you go Girl- Since we got home, Aysha has started crying when we leave for school in the morning and then when Claudina leaves in the afternoon. This can be prevented if she is distracted when the leaving party leaves.
There has been no more progress in the walking department. Karla and I tried a bit of coaching tonight, but she just couldn’t balance herself. On the hard tile floor, we always catch her, which I don’t think is any motivation for her to improve her steadiness.
Thankfully, she has stuck to her sleeping schedule. One improvement that she seems to have adopted after the Christmas holiday is that she is more willing to sleep in. On weekends, we can scoop her out of the crib when she first gets up at 5 or 6, change her and plop in between us for another hour of sleep (or more!). With the dark Canadian mornings and late nights with Grandma and Grandpa, she got use to sleeping a bit later.
One last miracle to report, two days after we got home, we received a phone call in the evening. It was the real estate agency calling to tell us that the owner had decided to fix the AC for us. The next day, a repairman came and took the parts that needed to be replaced. There was not a little scepticism at the business office at school over whether the AC would really be repaired. Saturday morning was almost gone when the phone rang to let us know that someone had arrived to fix the AC. After a few hours of work, the AC was fixed. One of the blower fans has been fixed so well that it no longer turns off, even when the whole AC system is shut down. This is good news for the visitors to come. We can accommodate you in comfort!
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Bar Mitzvah!
I said I would post pictures, and I will. Tomorrow.
One of my students is having his bar mitzvah tomorrow. His dad came in before the end of school in December and asked if they’d cancel school so the whole grade 7 class could go. The whole class has decided to go – the family even set up a bus to take us there, so class is cancelled tomorrow. So I tonight am getting ready for the big event – preparing lesson plans for the one student that isn’t coming and the elective (mixed class from grades 6-8) and getting my clothes pressed and ready.
One of my students is having his bar mitzvah tomorrow. His dad came in before the end of school in December and asked if they’d cancel school so the whole grade 7 class could go. The whole class has decided to go – the family even set up a bus to take us there, so class is cancelled tomorrow. So I tonight am getting ready for the big event – preparing lesson plans for the one student that isn’t coming and the elective (mixed class from grades 6-8) and getting my clothes pressed and ready.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Back at Home
It was a long haul, but we made it back in one day. Our first flight from Calgary to Toronto left almost an hour late. We had to hurry to make both of our connections, but we made it, exhausted but relieved, back home to warm and humid Cartagena.
Aysha slept relatively little on the plane, preferring to socialize with whoever she could. On the way to Toronto she tried to help the grade 9 student next her with her Fahrenheit 451 homework in between peeks at anyone open to a wave and smile. The neighbour was travelling with her family, which included two younger kids, and was very sweet to Aysha. In Toronto, we hustled through the terminal, stopping only long enough to buy a bottle of Crown Royal at duty free. They made the pre-boarding announcement just as I popped into duty free and I was hurried along by the duty free staff who needed to go and deliver the goods to the passengers: “Where are you going? Bogota? Hurry up!” Aysha kept up her friend-making on the way to Bogota, looking between the seats and down the aisles for someone who would smile and wave back at her. The day before, on the way to Saskatoon, she sat by the aisle and waved at everyone in the line as they filed by to find their seats.
Bogota was another rush. They were supposed to send our bags straight to Cartagena, but we picked up three off the belt and had to give them back to Air Canada to send to Cartagena. We were lucky that one didn’t come out, or we would have tried to carry them all with us through the airport. Our last flight was mostly empty and Aysha slept through most of it. She cried during the decent. She’s only cried twice on a plane – both times arriving in Cartagena. The flight attendant came over and asked if it was here ears that were bothering her. She disappeared for a minute and came back with two styrofoam cups, which had napkins wet with warm water in the bottom. We were instructed to place them over Aysha’s ears to help her equalize the pressure. Aysha, having woken up to pain in her ears, was too cranky to have anything to do with cups on her ears. (Note for the curious and scientifically minded: My own experiments observed no difference in the pressure of an ear covered by a cup versus an uncovered ear; however the cup did significantly reduce the volume of the crying, especially when the baby-side ear was covered.)
I was thrilled this morning to get up with Aysha at 6:30 and have the sun there to greet me. I never remember feeling the winters as being so dark when I live in Canada. I knew the days were short, but arriving home from 6am sunrises and having to wait until 8:30 to see daylight, it felt like it the day was half over before we it was light. I’m sure being an early riser contributed to the effect.
Today is very conveniently a holiday. Claudina is here and looking after Aysha while Karla is finishing her grading and I am trying to catch up on some emails that I had thought I would have time to send over the holiday and otherwise get organized after the trip. It was after midnight by the time we got home and Aysha to bed. It would have been a very rough morning if we had had to get up at 5 to get to school and teach today. I highly recommend that everyone follow each vacation with... a holiday.
Photos of Christmas and the Birthday will be posted soon. I promise. For the past two mornings I have been up and checking my parents’ blog. With Jenny and Dave, they have just begun a road trip from Fernie to Panama City, from where they will fly over to visit us. They bumped a moose on the road (no injuries or damage) in their last entry and I have been eager to hear more. I now better appreciate how some of you feel when you check for an update and there’s just the same old photos and news.
Aysha slept relatively little on the plane, preferring to socialize with whoever she could. On the way to Toronto she tried to help the grade 9 student next her with her Fahrenheit 451 homework in between peeks at anyone open to a wave and smile. The neighbour was travelling with her family, which included two younger kids, and was very sweet to Aysha. In Toronto, we hustled through the terminal, stopping only long enough to buy a bottle of Crown Royal at duty free. They made the pre-boarding announcement just as I popped into duty free and I was hurried along by the duty free staff who needed to go and deliver the goods to the passengers: “Where are you going? Bogota? Hurry up!” Aysha kept up her friend-making on the way to Bogota, looking between the seats and down the aisles for someone who would smile and wave back at her. The day before, on the way to Saskatoon, she sat by the aisle and waved at everyone in the line as they filed by to find their seats.
Bogota was another rush. They were supposed to send our bags straight to Cartagena, but we picked up three off the belt and had to give them back to Air Canada to send to Cartagena. We were lucky that one didn’t come out, or we would have tried to carry them all with us through the airport. Our last flight was mostly empty and Aysha slept through most of it. She cried during the decent. She’s only cried twice on a plane – both times arriving in Cartagena. The flight attendant came over and asked if it was here ears that were bothering her. She disappeared for a minute and came back with two styrofoam cups, which had napkins wet with warm water in the bottom. We were instructed to place them over Aysha’s ears to help her equalize the pressure. Aysha, having woken up to pain in her ears, was too cranky to have anything to do with cups on her ears. (Note for the curious and scientifically minded: My own experiments observed no difference in the pressure of an ear covered by a cup versus an uncovered ear; however the cup did significantly reduce the volume of the crying, especially when the baby-side ear was covered.)
I was thrilled this morning to get up with Aysha at 6:30 and have the sun there to greet me. I never remember feeling the winters as being so dark when I live in Canada. I knew the days were short, but arriving home from 6am sunrises and having to wait until 8:30 to see daylight, it felt like it the day was half over before we it was light. I’m sure being an early riser contributed to the effect.
Today is very conveniently a holiday. Claudina is here and looking after Aysha while Karla is finishing her grading and I am trying to catch up on some emails that I had thought I would have time to send over the holiday and otherwise get organized after the trip. It was after midnight by the time we got home and Aysha to bed. It would have been a very rough morning if we had had to get up at 5 to get to school and teach today. I highly recommend that everyone follow each vacation with... a holiday.
Photos of Christmas and the Birthday will be posted soon. I promise. For the past two mornings I have been up and checking my parents’ blog. With Jenny and Dave, they have just begun a road trip from Fernie to Panama City, from where they will fly over to visit us. They bumped a moose on the road (no injuries or damage) in their last entry and I have been eager to hear more. I now better appreciate how some of you feel when you check for an update and there’s just the same old photos and news.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
The Cattle Aren't Lowing and Another Reason to Come to Cartagena
The cattle aren't lowing. The baby is not awake. Maybe I've been listening to too many Christmas carols.
I do have time and energy to post to the blog. Tomorrow is the last day of exams and the day before we head home to Canada for Christmas. It's pretty exciting. Calgary is showing clear sunny skies and highs of -7. It's pretty exciting.
Today, I finished my first set of exams, the English ones, which are the ones that take longer to correct. Tomorrow, it's Social Studies, which is mostly short answer and multiple choice questions. I might be being a little optimistic here, but I have a chance of getting them all done tomorrow afternoon and coming home empty handed. Karla is not so fortunate. There's just a bit of packing to be done tonight, a PTA Christmas feast tomorrow afternoon, a 4am taxi ride to the airport, and we'll be back on snowy, frozen ground in no time.
And now the new reason to come to Cartagena: the dentist. I had my first Colombian dental experience this week. I had a filling replaced. The office was small and not nearly so full of fancy equipment as the Kuwait dentists office, but the dentist was patient and conscientious. The whole visit consisted of an exam, an xray and the filling. It took about an hour and a quarter. It cost $40. I figure that anyone needing any dental work should come to Cartagena. Sure the flight and the work will cost a little bit more, but it's worth it for a week in the sun. Heck, I even opted for the more expensive procedure. Between the exam and the actual drilling, the dentist asks if you'd like the filling done with anesthesia, or without. In my best Spanish, I had to ask, "Does anyone have this done with nothing?" Yes, according to the dentist, they do.
Otherwise, this last week has been a sometimes slow, sometimes quick countdown to this weekend. At school, everyone has spiralled inwards, getting excited about their own Christmas plans. For al the other holidays, teachers group together and go out and explore, but for Christmas, almost everyone is headed home or to meet someone somewhere. However much Christmas has changed - been altered by Santa and gift giving and overindulgence, it's still packs a punch. It's the one holiday that most makes people think of home and loved ones.
I do have time and energy to post to the blog. Tomorrow is the last day of exams and the day before we head home to Canada for Christmas. It's pretty exciting. Calgary is showing clear sunny skies and highs of -7. It's pretty exciting.
Today, I finished my first set of exams, the English ones, which are the ones that take longer to correct. Tomorrow, it's Social Studies, which is mostly short answer and multiple choice questions. I might be being a little optimistic here, but I have a chance of getting them all done tomorrow afternoon and coming home empty handed. Karla is not so fortunate. There's just a bit of packing to be done tonight, a PTA Christmas feast tomorrow afternoon, a 4am taxi ride to the airport, and we'll be back on snowy, frozen ground in no time.
And now the new reason to come to Cartagena: the dentist. I had my first Colombian dental experience this week. I had a filling replaced. The office was small and not nearly so full of fancy equipment as the Kuwait dentists office, but the dentist was patient and conscientious. The whole visit consisted of an exam, an xray and the filling. It took about an hour and a quarter. It cost $40. I figure that anyone needing any dental work should come to Cartagena. Sure the flight and the work will cost a little bit more, but it's worth it for a week in the sun. Heck, I even opted for the more expensive procedure. Between the exam and the actual drilling, the dentist asks if you'd like the filling done with anesthesia, or without. In my best Spanish, I had to ask, "Does anyone have this done with nothing?" Yes, according to the dentist, they do.
Otherwise, this last week has been a sometimes slow, sometimes quick countdown to this weekend. At school, everyone has spiralled inwards, getting excited about their own Christmas plans. For al the other holidays, teachers group together and go out and explore, but for Christmas, almost everyone is headed home or to meet someone somewhere. However much Christmas has changed - been altered by Santa and gift giving and overindulgence, it's still packs a punch. It's the one holiday that most makes people think of home and loved ones.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
It's beginning to look a little like Christmas
Karla and Aysha are out to look for a few Christmas things - they have been for a while and I am waiting for them to get home to reheat dinner.
Christmas has arrived in Cartagena. The decorations and trees are up everywhere. At night (any time of night), we can look out and see the glowing trees in people's apartment windows. There are lots of lights decorations everywhere too - trees and pointsettias and butterflies. The trunks of all the trees around out apartment buildings are wrapped in little lights that flash all night. It's festive, but it just doesn't quite feel like Christmas. Last night was our school concert. I though, "I'd better get dress up a bit nicer than I usually do." So, I got out a clean pair of dress pants and a fresh shirt - you know, the usual Christmas gathering outfit, less the sweater. The students and Colombian staff all arrived in their shorts and t-shirts ; they looked ready for a family picnic, nice but definitely relaxed. The concert started with "White Christmas", which just about summed it up for me - as much as people try to be Christmas-y here, it just won't be the same until I get home and see the snow, feel cold and Christmas trees everywhere.
I also found out that Friday, the third last day of classes before the exams (and the day of my test) would be partly cancelled so that the Cartagena Soccer team could come and play against our school team. It was a good thing I went to the Christmas concert, otherwise, I would have been blissfully unaware that my test was not going to be able to be held on Friday until Friday morning when I got to school. I am often frustrated by the school's cancelling of classes without notice. It discourages me from planning too far in advance.
Marilyn and Cody visited. It was great to have them here and it forced us to get out and do all the things that we are too lazy to otherwise do. It was exhausting to keep up with them on the weekends, then with Aysha all day and be ready to go back to school. We kept moved Aysha's crib into our bedroom, which upset her rhythm and kept us busier than usual.
I copied a bunch of music off of Marilyn's iPod and discovered dynamic playlists on my own - in iTunes, you can create a playlist that selects it own songs based on some criteria that I set up - like songs that are less than 30 days old, or songs that haven't been played recently. I have been meaning to make some playlists since I got the iPod so I could have easier access to my favourite songs, but have never got around to it.
Alright - Karla and Aysha came in in the middle of this post - it began about 6:30, but now it's close to 9:30 and time for bed. Tomorrow I'm going on a field trip to see a Spanish play and then there's the big football game. In case you are thinking that my Spanish has developed enough to attend a play, it's not. My new hope for learning Spanish is that when Aysha starts to speak it, I will have to learn it to keep up with her.
Good night.
Christmas has arrived in Cartagena. The decorations and trees are up everywhere. At night (any time of night), we can look out and see the glowing trees in people's apartment windows. There are lots of lights decorations everywhere too - trees and pointsettias and butterflies. The trunks of all the trees around out apartment buildings are wrapped in little lights that flash all night. It's festive, but it just doesn't quite feel like Christmas. Last night was our school concert. I though, "I'd better get dress up a bit nicer than I usually do." So, I got out a clean pair of dress pants and a fresh shirt - you know, the usual Christmas gathering outfit, less the sweater. The students and Colombian staff all arrived in their shorts and t-shirts ; they looked ready for a family picnic, nice but definitely relaxed. The concert started with "White Christmas", which just about summed it up for me - as much as people try to be Christmas-y here, it just won't be the same until I get home and see the snow, feel cold and Christmas trees everywhere.
I also found out that Friday, the third last day of classes before the exams (and the day of my test) would be partly cancelled so that the Cartagena Soccer team could come and play against our school team. It was a good thing I went to the Christmas concert, otherwise, I would have been blissfully unaware that my test was not going to be able to be held on Friday until Friday morning when I got to school. I am often frustrated by the school's cancelling of classes without notice. It discourages me from planning too far in advance.
Marilyn and Cody visited. It was great to have them here and it forced us to get out and do all the things that we are too lazy to otherwise do. It was exhausting to keep up with them on the weekends, then with Aysha all day and be ready to go back to school. We kept moved Aysha's crib into our bedroom, which upset her rhythm and kept us busier than usual.
I copied a bunch of music off of Marilyn's iPod and discovered dynamic playlists on my own - in iTunes, you can create a playlist that selects it own songs based on some criteria that I set up - like songs that are less than 30 days old, or songs that haven't been played recently. I have been meaning to make some playlists since I got the iPod so I could have easier access to my favourite songs, but have never got around to it.
Alright - Karla and Aysha came in in the middle of this post - it began about 6:30, but now it's close to 9:30 and time for bed. Tomorrow I'm going on a field trip to see a Spanish play and then there's the big football game. In case you are thinking that my Spanish has developed enough to attend a play, it's not. My new hope for learning Spanish is that when Aysha starts to speak it, I will have to learn it to keep up with her.
Good night.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Holiday Blues
I've got the holiday blues - but only because our holiday is nearing an end. We've spent the last week at home doing not much, and it has been blissful (despite that I've been sick with my usual chest cold). On Tuesday it is back to school. I feel as though I could use another week to catch up on on the school work I thought I would get done, but somehow didn't find the time or energy for. I did manage to read three novels this week, which is great considering that when the holiday began I was still working on a novel that I'd started in April!
Aysha is busy playing at my feet and grunting away. That means it will be time for me to change her diaper soon. I've just asked her if she has "stink" and she has smiles in her eyes (the soother is in her mouth). She makes me laugh.
A week or so ago I took some photos of our street after a morning of strong winds. I wanted everyone to see the ineffective drainage that makes walking even two blocks to school an exercise in flood navigation on occasion. If my post works, you will have already taken a look at these. Visitors should definately bring a pair of sandles that can get wet!
Well, time for me to change that diaper!
Aysha is busy playing at my feet and grunting away. That means it will be time for me to change her diaper soon. I've just asked her if she has "stink" and she has smiles in her eyes (the soother is in her mouth). She makes me laugh.
A week or so ago I took some photos of our street after a morning of strong winds. I wanted everyone to see the ineffective drainage that makes walking even two blocks to school an exercise in flood navigation on occasion. If my post works, you will have already taken a look at these. Visitors should definately bring a pair of sandles that can get wet!
Well, time for me to change that diaper!
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Back in the Saddle
Karla has been encouraging me to post a couple of the photos I took of Aysha in the morning before we went to school, and I just did. They should be right below this post. Now don’t skip right to the bottom just to see the pictures... they’ll still be there when you’ve finished reading this. I haven’t posted in a long time. Karla took over for a couple weeks and I have been doing other things. I took a bunch of photos of some of my students, first at a sports tournament and then on a team-building field trip. I have been having fun posting them on the flickr website. I took tons of action shots with the digital camera and a few turned out well. The students were either very impressed with their pictures or begged me to delete them.
It’s Novembrinas in Cartagena – a week long holiday that only happens here. The highlight of the week is the crowning of Miss Colombia. We talked about going to Tayrona, the national park about 3 hours away to camp (or at least stay in a cabin) by the beach for a few days. However, we looked at treadmills on the Thursday before the break began and decided to invest in a treadmill instead of spending our money travelling. That’s what a baby does to you. We’re staying at home, where it’s safe and comfortable. The idea of staying on a beautiful beach, but having to battle bugs and entertain a hot, sweaty little girl is not as enticing as having a machine to walk on in our home.
In Kuwait, we always had a gym in our apartment, but here no apartments seem to have gyms. There are a couple of gyms that we could get memberships at, but they are expensive and inconvenient –a half an hour walk away. So we have a big black noisy machine in between the dining room and living room, sort of almost out of the way.
One important thing I learned during the treadmill purchase is that Colombia is not a good place to change money. Banks, for what I suspect are reasons related to preventing terrorism, have nothing to do with foreign money. You can’t buy or sell any foreign currency at a Colombian bank, or transfer money to another country. The only place to change money here are either through suspicious little money change shops in the streets or through black market money changers. The shops were offering 2100 pesos to the US dollar and the guys on the street 2500. The official rate is around 2275 pesos to the dollar. The Lonely Planet warns against the guys on the street who are able to skim money off as they count it. All of the little money change shops almost never had rates posted, but all quoted the exact same rate. In fact, the two shops that I did find that had rates posted, offered a slightly worse rate. Canadian dollars were even worse. The shops were offering 1300 pesos when the actual rate is about 1950.
I have been listening to quite a bit of Al Franken. For a week, I was downloading his TV show, which I believe was the first hour of his three hour radio show. The one hour was great. It was a fairly serious commentary on the US news. I’ve tried to listen to the podcast of 3 hour show, but it’s too long and I always find my attention drifting off to something else. He talks to senators and members of congress who point out things that you don’t otherwise hear. There was a Democrat from the government that wanted to start cancelling contracts for the rebuilding of Iraq. Iraq isn’t being rebuilt because the American companies that got the contracts though they would be welcome, but now can’t leave their hotels in the Green Zone. The work doesn’t get done, and the Iraqis are more convinced the Americans came for their oil and not to rebuild their country. Until the existing contracts cancelled, new contracts cannot be given to Iraqi companies who are able to do the jobs.
Well, it’s I know you’re eager to see those new photos and Karla’s getting Aysha into some clothes to head out and see the gang by the pool. It’s only about 5 weeks until we get home for the holidays. It still feels a long way off here, but I suspect you’ve already heard the first of this year’s Christmas carol muzak.
It’s Novembrinas in Cartagena – a week long holiday that only happens here. The highlight of the week is the crowning of Miss Colombia. We talked about going to Tayrona, the national park about 3 hours away to camp (or at least stay in a cabin) by the beach for a few days. However, we looked at treadmills on the Thursday before the break began and decided to invest in a treadmill instead of spending our money travelling. That’s what a baby does to you. We’re staying at home, where it’s safe and comfortable. The idea of staying on a beautiful beach, but having to battle bugs and entertain a hot, sweaty little girl is not as enticing as having a machine to walk on in our home.
In Kuwait, we always had a gym in our apartment, but here no apartments seem to have gyms. There are a couple of gyms that we could get memberships at, but they are expensive and inconvenient –a half an hour walk away. So we have a big black noisy machine in between the dining room and living room, sort of almost out of the way.
One important thing I learned during the treadmill purchase is that Colombia is not a good place to change money. Banks, for what I suspect are reasons related to preventing terrorism, have nothing to do with foreign money. You can’t buy or sell any foreign currency at a Colombian bank, or transfer money to another country. The only place to change money here are either through suspicious little money change shops in the streets or through black market money changers. The shops were offering 2100 pesos to the US dollar and the guys on the street 2500. The official rate is around 2275 pesos to the dollar. The Lonely Planet warns against the guys on the street who are able to skim money off as they count it. All of the little money change shops almost never had rates posted, but all quoted the exact same rate. In fact, the two shops that I did find that had rates posted, offered a slightly worse rate. Canadian dollars were even worse. The shops were offering 1300 pesos when the actual rate is about 1950.
I have been listening to quite a bit of Al Franken. For a week, I was downloading his TV show, which I believe was the first hour of his three hour radio show. The one hour was great. It was a fairly serious commentary on the US news. I’ve tried to listen to the podcast of 3 hour show, but it’s too long and I always find my attention drifting off to something else. He talks to senators and members of congress who point out things that you don’t otherwise hear. There was a Democrat from the government that wanted to start cancelling contracts for the rebuilding of Iraq. Iraq isn’t being rebuilt because the American companies that got the contracts though they would be welcome, but now can’t leave their hotels in the Green Zone. The work doesn’t get done, and the Iraqis are more convinced the Americans came for their oil and not to rebuild their country. Until the existing contracts cancelled, new contracts cannot be given to Iraqi companies who are able to do the jobs.
Well, it’s I know you’re eager to see those new photos and Karla’s getting Aysha into some clothes to head out and see the gang by the pool. It’s only about 5 weeks until we get home for the holidays. It still feels a long way off here, but I suspect you’ve already heard the first of this year’s Christmas carol muzak.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Halloween and Other Happenings
The witches, ghosts, and goblins were out early this year (the Friday before the 31st) with the annual school Halloween celebration. It was a big event, with decorations covering the patio the entire month of October as well as our school bells being changed to spooky howls and similar scary sounds (we have different bells for elementary, middle, and high school). As the Faculty advisor for middle school student council, I had to supervise the creation of the haunted house Thursday afternoon and evening (it took about six hours) as well as be there all Friday morning as we guided classrooms in turn through the house. Considering that I was on my own (our high school student council advisor and director had gone to a conference out of town), I think it turned out not too badly.
Jamie and I brought Aysha to school with us on this day, as she was the accessory that tied our costumes together. We went as Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and Wendy. I've already posted some photos, but may get Jamie to post a couple better ones, because they were taken in the morning and the lighting was better. The costumes were a bit tricky here - no Value Village to plunder, but I think we managed very well without spending a lot of money. The best part was Aysha's wings, which took some time to figure out. In the end we cut dishwashing sponge and covered it in three or four layers of tulle. We then pinned the wings to Aysha's shirt. Jamie even shaved his goatee and mustache for the occasion (Peter Pan couldn't have facial hair).
Right now we are on a week long vacation, but instead of exploring the country, we've decided to stay in Cartagena and save our money. We want to buy a tread mill to exercise with, and as these are not cheap, forgoing this vacation seemed the only way we could justify such a purchase. Besides, we're going to be home for Christmas very shortly (less than a month and a half away), and Marilyne and Cody are coming for a visit on November 23rd. We are excited about having our first guests!
I have been fighting a cold the past two or three days, and my aching head won't allow me too much time at the computer, so I will end this post.
Jamie and I brought Aysha to school with us on this day, as she was the accessory that tied our costumes together. We went as Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and Wendy. I've already posted some photos, but may get Jamie to post a couple better ones, because they were taken in the morning and the lighting was better. The costumes were a bit tricky here - no Value Village to plunder, but I think we managed very well without spending a lot of money. The best part was Aysha's wings, which took some time to figure out. In the end we cut dishwashing sponge and covered it in three or four layers of tulle. We then pinned the wings to Aysha's shirt. Jamie even shaved his goatee and mustache for the occasion (Peter Pan couldn't have facial hair).
Right now we are on a week long vacation, but instead of exploring the country, we've decided to stay in Cartagena and save our money. We want to buy a tread mill to exercise with, and as these are not cheap, forgoing this vacation seemed the only way we could justify such a purchase. Besides, we're going to be home for Christmas very shortly (less than a month and a half away), and Marilyne and Cody are coming for a visit on November 23rd. We are excited about having our first guests!
I have been fighting a cold the past two or three days, and my aching head won't allow me too much time at the computer, so I will end this post.
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