Five Weeks together as a family

Time is going very fast. However, we are ready to return home. We have not heard anything on the Judges Strike. They were supposed to talk yesterday, so we are hoping they return to work soon. In the meantime, we enjoy Colombia.


We have settled into a daily routine, so we don't have much to report. Our day begins with breakfast, an activity at the hotel, then we go to the pool at Jose's house. Around 1 PM, we eat lunch with Jose's family, and then rest (Siesta) until around 2 PM. Then, we head back to the pool until 5 PM.

After our day of swimming, we go back to the hotel, eat dinner, then play a game, look at photos or read books, and then around 8 PM the boys get ready for bed.
So, this is pretty much our day.


Our communication with the boys is improving. Every day we continue to learn a few more Spanish words, and everyday, we teach the boys a few more words. They do not have any motivation to learn English, as the language spoken here is Spanish. They are able to communicate with everyone, so there is no reason for them to speak English. We believe that once we return to the US, and they realize that everyone speaks English, they will learn it quickly. They do repeat a few words that we say, and they love the kids songs that we sing to them. They are getting good at Row Row Row your boat- I think it is because of the repetition.
They also know some phrases like "no more monkeys jumping on the bed" and "You've got mail!" Much of their communication is nonverbal, and they are getting very good at taking our hands and showing us what they want.


I am going to include some photos of the resort. The landscape and flowers are spectacular here. The weather is around 80 degrees and humid. It generally rains everday during the afternoon. I would compare the weather to that of Southern Florida.







Today (Saturday) after lunch and Siesta at Jose's house, we went to watch Jose play a game of soccer. After that game, Jose and his sister Daniella took us to a huge market. For those of you who know what the "Seven Mile Fair" is, I would say it is similar to this with many vendors selling everything from clothes, to shoes, to perfume, jewelry, luggage, electronics, etc., etc., etc.


Sunday afternoon, we are going to a horse show at a fair here in Bucaramanga.

We ask that everyone pray for our speedy return to the US. We are missing our home, family and friends.


Joyce, Eric, Diego and Jeferson

Weekend travels

Uno Problemo -

We have adopted an Ostrich!

more on this later!

Our weekend was very busy, and we got to enjoy more of Bucaramanga, the surrounding area, and most especially Jose, his family, and their truly inspirational hospitality.

On Saturday, Joyce was still fighting a cold, so she decided to hang out at the hotel all day. Eric, Jeferson, Diego, Jose and Sister Daniella visited a park in Bucaramanga where there were many water sculptures and fountains. However, Eric forgot to take the camera with him (he left it in the car), so sorry, no photos! However, Joyce does want to see this park, so we may have to take another trip there. Joyce won't forget the camera. This is not a formal park so much as it is a very tranquil area for business people to congregate/conduct business in a park like setting. The location is set on a hill with multiple routes for the water to cascade down into various pools, small rivers, and ponds. Each pond has a multitude of fish in them, of various sizes. The fish appeared to be Japanese Coy with the largest I would easily estimate at 24". All in all, I would not say this place was "authentic Colombian" as you could easily find a similiar corporate park at home just about anywhere.

After the park, we went to something truly "Colombian" - a horse parade. Yup - you got it, the entire parade consisted of nothing but horses! The festivities certainly rival that of the best tailgate parties of a Brewer, Badger, or Packer Game - complete with mucho, mucho alcohol. There were horse owners from all over the area - all with them simply parading up (and down) the road. The boys loved to see all of the horses. The Colombian Passion and Pride was evident throughout the entire parade. The Colombian Flag, colors, zest for life, and alcohol comsumption were displayed. Below are some photos from the parade.

Look at all the people! And this stretched for

many blocks in each direction!

The people simply parade their horses up the street!

Meeting and Greeting the entire way.

Please note: due to the proximity of the horses and the parade participants, the kids were on our (Papi, Jose, or Daniella) shoulders the entire time, that is until this guy pulled Diego off my shoulders and posed for a picture. I was not impressed until I realized his intentions were good, he was not THAT drunk, and was actually a pretty nice guy to pose for pictures with the kids. Diego was the first to "pose" with him, then Jeferson, then a mad rush of other people have their kids pics taken with him too. I bet he was there placing kids on and off the horse for 30 minutes, and that horse never moved except his head. They really are well trained.

You can sort of see Diego placed back onto my shoulders, and Jeferson taken off Jose's shoulders and placed on the horse. I was mildly surprised that Jeferson was not the lest bit scared - he is a bit shy of larger animals, but possibly because he was "above the horse" from the start. Either way, I was happy to see him not be afraid.
After this mad dash of people wanting their pics taken with this guy, I decided it was time to go. I was never really worried about the kids safety (AS LONG AS THEY WERE ON OUR SHOULDERS). I did see horses "acting up" a bit, but nothing very serious like kicking, rearing up, or even plowing into people - after all, I am positive the horses were not drunk.

After Mami saw the pics, I am not sure she was impressed that I had the kids in such close proximity to the horses, but my explanation of the shoulders ride would allow me to get kicked by the horse instead of the boys may have sufficed.

On Sunday, Jose's family picked us up and we drove into the mountains. Along the way, we stopped at a small stand alongside the road, where they were selling corn on the cob, and also a colombian food called Arepa. These are similar to pancakes, but are made with fine ground corn rather than flour, and taste like corn bread. They sandwich Conqueso (cheese) in between the pancakes, and fry it on a griddle. They are very tasty.

Next, we continued on to a church in the mountains where we attended mass. It was a very open and airy church, and seemed to be recently built. The mass was pretty much the same as our Catholic masses, but it was all in Spanish. After mass, the priest said a special prayer, and blessed our family. We did recognize the "Our Father" but could not understand the words.

Family photo in front of the church at the fountain.

After church, we went to a restaurant in the mountains, and had a delicious lunch. We ordered a large plate of meats and potatoes, that we all shared. The restaurant was very unique. We were told that this is true "Colombian Food". We have to say that since we have arrived in Bucaramanga, all of the food has been absolutely delicious.

This is the kitchen of the restaurant. When we first aproached the kitchen, the chef cut a small portion of meat right off the bone for us to try - it was so good we knew we were in for a treat!


This is a picture of the owner of the restaurant, and the chef (red shirt)! Notice all the meats either cooking, drying, or curing by the smoke of the fire. We had a few kinds of sausage (chorizo) that I can not pronounce or even pretend to spell, a few types of beef, some pork.

The owner was so hospitiable once he found out Eric was an American, but had a Colombia Lapel Pin on, he got a tour of his entire house, met all his family and several of his friends - He was like a rock star surrounded by all these people. All they wanted was to shake my hand and to speak English to them so they could hear it. I recited the prayer "Our Father" to them, and they stood in stunned silence until I was done, then they all gave the sign of the cross, erupted in laughter, more pats on the back and still more hand shakes. Eric even showed a little girl (about 7) that he could jump rope with her (for a few moments). Of course, more pats on the back, hand shakes, and laughter. The people here are inspirational!






This is a picture of the other grill manned by the owners son. Again, notice all the meat on the grill. Unfortunately, he missed all the rock star treatment. He started to walk with us towards the house, but his father sent him back to tend to the grills - Hey, someone has to do it!

Here is a picture of us all after eating, we are all quite full, and the food was so good, there was hardly a single morsel left.

After lunch, we visited another part of Club Campestra, which is the hotel we are staying at. This is a park and lake about 1 hour away, that all the guests can visit. The lake is manmade, but reminded us of our visits to the lakes in Northern Wisconsin. At the park, they had sailboats for kids, paddleboats, kayaks, a nice beach, childrens play area, trampolines, and a bar and restaurant. We just relaxed and enjoyed the park. Since it is situated higher in the mountains, it was very windy and rather chilly. However, that didn't stop the boys from going into the water. They loved the water and of course the sand on the beach. It made perfect roads for the hotwheel cars. The adults (excluding Eric!) just relaxed and enjoyed the day.
Below is a wall of geranium plants. I had never seen geraniums grow so large. They were absolutely gorgeous!


Eric also got to enjoy a horse ride at the park.


A spectacular view of a canyon in the mountains from the park.

Very Windy!!!

Eric loved this! He was like a kid with all of these toys.

Below are some photos of some fields where coffee is being grown. It went on for many acres. Here is a picture of the coffee plants and coffee beans.

We left the park around 6 PM and headed back to Bucaramanga. On the way back, we stopped to visit with relatives of Jose. As we have found with all of his family, they were very warm and welcoming. They absolutely adored Jeferson and Diego.

After this full day, we were back at the hotel. All of us were exhausted. At this point, we decided that Monday would be a quiet day for us, as we were so active over the weekend, and needed a day to rest!

Adios


E, J, D & J

City of GIRON and a COLOMBIAN FARM

Hola,

The last few days have been very busy. Jose's family is being so generous in making us feel welcome in Colombia.

On Wednesday, we visited a a church in a town called Giron. The church is 500 + years old. THAT IS TWICE THE AGE OF THE UNITED STATES. The church architecture and the statues were fantastic. We all enjoyed some treats while we were there.

City Center Park- with many vendors

Looking down one of the streets. All of the buildings look like this. The roads are all cobblestone, and lined with small shops and eating places.


Photos inside the church.

This is an example of the wood carving throughout the church

FANTASTICO!!!!

The Church welcomes all of God's Creatures while seeking resbit!

We are not sure the significance of why these people are on their knees. They are carrying candles, and are praying as they advance to the alter on their knees. We saw many many people and entire families doing this.

We are enjoying some treats.

We find their treats very sweet, and most of them gooey!

It is very nice to experience life as a family here in Bucaramanga. Jose's family has invited us to lunch at their house everyday. We usually go there a little before lunch, so the boys can have a little pool time. Then of course after lunch, you have to rest during "Siesta". What a concept. Literally, everyone rests for about 1-2 hours. This is the norm for businesses here. People eat lunch around noon, rest , and then return to work after about 2 hours. Siesta is very common here.

Then, around 4 Pm, we travel to Daniella's (Jose's Sister) school, to pick her up. On this particular day, we stopped at an arcade. The boys are content just sitting on the motorcycles. We didn't even have to put any money into them.

Diego, after scoring a goal while playing Papi in Air Hockey.

Jeferson Scores Too!

I also took a photo of the bathrooms (Banos), as it is very common here to have to pay to use a public restroom. There is a bathroom monitor who charges 300 pesos (15 cents) for you to enter. I am not sure if this included toilet paper, as you usually do not find toilet paper in public bathrooms. It is also common to have no toilet seats in public restrooms.

Daniella and her friend!

Colombian Farm - September 11, 2008

On Thursday, we were invited to Jose's Aunt and Uncles home and farm. They live on an actual working farm. They have a family, that lives on the property, that assists them with the farming. We were so fortunate to visit the farm. They have horses, cows, chickens, pigs, rabbits, ducks, ..... all the animals that you would see on a US farm. The animals even look and sound the same!!!!! It was very fascinating to observe, and the boys loved the animals. Jefferson was a bit more shy around the animals, but enjoyed looking at all of them. Mami carried him most of the time.

Most of the horses at this farm are either former Champions or current Champions, and a lot of the farm business concerns breeding. The horses' pedigrees are traceable for many generations.

Here are some of the latest awards, the earliest was 2006, the latest July 2008. The "older ones" are stored in the tack room of the individual horse. We are told some of the awards go back to 1980's.

This farm is organic "everything" - right down to the manure (above) selling the milk from the cows about an hour after milking - now that is fresh!

Jeferson with Jose's sister, Daniella.
Go Packers- Jose displaying his favorite NFL Football team!!!!!

Friday ----- September 12, 2008

Today after breakfast, we took the boys to the driving range at the resort here, and they were hitting some golf balls. Papi, showed them the perfect swing. The golf course here is spectacular. Diego actually did quite well for his first time ever seeing a golf club. One of the biggest issues Diego has not figured out is if he is left or right handed. Papi was compelled to get a left handed club after Diego swinging with the club head "upside down". He may be a lefty as this appears to be a more fluid/natural swing for him. Jeferson could not have been less interested, but did like to pick up the golf balls and place into the bucket. We will work on that.

Here is a shot of the signature hole. The green is above!

This is your view from the tee!

Just one of the fantastic holes here at Campestre!

Eric also took the boys to the pool, for part of the day, so Joyce could visit the mall. She had been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to do this. The malls here tend to be more "boutique" style. When you enter the store, the staff sort of hovers around wanting/waiting to sell you something. I just say "No habla Espanol" (I don't speak Spanish), and they usually leave me alone.

We cannot express how much the boys love the pool. I think they would live there all day, if given the opportunity.



This evening we returned to the hotel, and after the boys were asleep, Papi snuck out for a movie with Jose's parents. Mami is fighting a cold now, so she said she would stay at the hotel with the boys. Besides, a movie in Spanish is not something she really wanted to discipher at the end of a day. Eric can home stating the movie was in English with Spanish subtitles - and Papi says Angeline Jolie is "HOT" in any language.

The boys have been doing great. Everyday, we all seem to understand each other a bit better. We feel like we are really bonding as a family. We are getting more of a routine, a things seem to be going much better. Temper tanturums have been present, but they are usually over "normal things" such as not drinking their leche (milk), or wanting "gaseosa" over "jugo" (soda over juice). Diego did manage one "nasty one" in the last three days, and even bit Papi really hard in the side while walking ignoring him for the tantrum! One of "those" in where Papi wanted to put him through the wall, but gives hugs instead - while complaining how much it hurt.

Jeferson loves to chat on the phone. He is always the first to answer the phone when it rings.

In this photo, he is talking with a pretend person on the other end.

We are happy that so many people are enjoying our blog. It is great to read all the comments from everyone. Please keep them coming, we live for them.


We have a busy weekend planned. We are going to visit more areas around Bucaramanga.


Chow for now.


Joyce, Eric, Jeferson and Diego.