viviendo la vida colombiana...

King 

I just posted all my photos at this url: http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeCOWjli5YtnBQ
Their quality is slightly better and they're basically in chronological order this time.

...can be found at: http://sesmi1.people.wm.edu/fotos6/index.html

I'm home! The following is a post that I wrote while on the second leg of my flight today:
Well. I decided to be high-tech and type my last official post while on a plane. We just took off from Miami and I should be in Richmond(!) in about 2 hours (I’ll obviously be posting this later…)
Yesterday was a day to remember—a perfect ending for my trip. But first, the much-anticipated birthday party for Beatriz:
It was supposed to start at 5, but Maru showed up with some of her co-workers around 4:15. Great. The apartment started filling up around 6:30, and people were still coming at 8:30-9:00. There were musicians—2 guys who played flute, sax, guitar, panpipe, etc. and sang—hired by my favorite female Colombian (Lucía). There was a HUGE paella (I’ll post pictures ASAP) and lots of alcohol.
When Lucia found out that I had no plans for my last day in her país, she decided to mend that. She and Alberto whisked me away after the party (we left around 10:30) and we chilled at their house (= I got to spend another night in their wonderful apartment).
Then yesterday morning we got up and headed straight to Monserrate, a well-known church at the top of a mountain that overlooks the city. It was 600 m above the city (which is already really high): sooo cold, but the view and the bulla de la ciudad (city sounds) were quite impressive. We went up and down by a train-like thing called the funicular. Anyway, A+. I took some really good city photos. And I thought I wasn’t going to make it there…when we got back to the parqueadero, there was a guy there with his llama and he and Alberto insisted that I ride it, so there’s also a picture of that (notice my llama bag); = camel in Morocco; llama in Colombia.
Then we went to a really beautiful library (Virgilio Barco) and crossed the street to walk around el Parque de Simón Bolívar (the Central Park of Bogotá). We lunched at a pasta restaurant, then, sadly, Lucia had to go to work for a meeting and I had to say good-bye (but not forever!) to her.
Then Alberto dropped me off at the apartment, where I finished my packing (what little bit was left) and I had some issues with Beatriz. He informed her that I was going to say good-bye to them yesterday because I wanted to (why not?) go to a concert of Ayen’s band at a bar that was going to be really late. So they dealt with that.
María Isabel (Alberto’s daughter and Ayen’s sister) picked me and my tons of luggage up at 8, me despedí de Maru, Beatriz, Jorge & Sammy (their Yorkie) and off we went to her apartment (to drop off my luggage and so she could change clothes). Then the two of us went to dinner at a crepes restaurant (YUM) and searched desperately for an ATM that would accept my check card. After 3 failures by foot, we drove to a Davivienda ATM where I knew it would work.
Then we headed to the bar. I don’t remember what it was called, but it was fun. When we arrived a guy with a really good voice was performing some well-known Latino songs. That guy finished his set, there was an interlude of Colombian songs (Carlos Vives, etc.) before Ayen’s band came on stage. It was alternative style, but in Spanish. And I LOVED it. Supposedly they’ve already had air time in Bogotá on a couple stations, and I think they could go places because they’re really talented. Georgia showed up at one point, and then later, Alejandra (Ayen’s girlfriend). It was very entertaining even though I didn’t know any of the words like a lot of their loyal fans do; hopefully I’ll be able to buy a copy of their first CD and then I WILL know the words…
We left around 12:15 and, as a result, by the time I was ready for bed back at Maria Isabel’s apartment, it was already around 12:45. I fell asleep almost immediately (new place and I had my own room there, too!), but it was only really a nap. Oh, yes. Because Alberto was there at 4:40 AM to take me to the airport, which means I woke up at 3:50 to take a shower and get ready. Good grief. We got to the airport in record time and he stayed with me through all the waiting in lines and annoying things. I was very sad when he had to leave me (not allowed to go any further)—he was like my dad here. (But I get to see my REAL dad in 2 hours!!!) Everything worked out ok—my baggage at least made it to Miami for me to bring through customs; we’ll see if it makes it to Richmond with me. Now it’s snacktime on this tiny airplane (seats a whopping 39 passengers; one flight attendant), plus my battery is running out. PEACE.

So. Yesterday was pretty wonderful, too. Jorge rode with me to an ATM, then Alonso took me to BLAA, but for the FIRST time I was binder-less. Indeed, and I brought one of my (four) new purses, my llama one, and waited for Sandra to show up.
She did, and off we went. We hit up several mercados de artesanias colombianas, then lunch. At a restaurant called El edificio (literally, 'the building'). It's an old 8-story office building downtown that's been converted into a restaurant by day / bar by night. Very reasonable prices and AWESOME food. I think we sat on the 3rd or 4th floor--great view (almost every floor is part of the restaurant, either dining space or kitchen space). I ordered a create-your-own pita with mozzarella, romaine lettuce, spinach, corn & carrots, and to drink, pineapple juice with herbs (odd, but good). I treated Sandra since she's been so nice to me (and saved my life last time...) and we got a lady there to take a photo of us so now y'all can put a face with her name.
Then we climbed to the 8th floor where there was a clothing sale--all stuff made by 2 girls. I bought a really cute green apple purse and Sandra special-ordered a skirt.
Then we headed to more mercados, where I finished all my souvenir shopping.
Since we still had time before Alonso was supposed to pick me up (back at BLAA), she took me to La Plaza del Chorro, where the city was supposedly founded long, long ago. Quaint, and I forgot to take pictures--sorry.
Then we trucked back to BLAA and waited for Alonso, who was late (as usual).
That was my day, basically. When I got back to the apt, I went ahead and pretty much packed my carry-on (because we all know how much I love packing at the last minute...)
Just a sampling of my typical breakfast (what I had today): A tall glass of fresh-squeezed OJ, a cup of tea, a mandarin orange, a piece of watermelon, 2 grilled cheese sandwiches, a fried egg, and crackers. Not by choice. Beatriz forces me to eat, and I've given up fighting...I just eat less later on during the day.
P.S. Happy belated (but my cards were on time, I hope) birthday (yesterday) to Rachel and Professor Tandeciarz!!!

Latest batch of photos can be found at: http://sesmi1.people.wm.edu/fotos5/index.html

Friday: I finished Los ninos de la calle y sus ambiciones: cuentos and browsed through Gamin: mi vida con los niños de la calle and Pedagogía de inadaptados sociales (not helpful). Came back to the apartment and found a table full of old ladies playing bridge (cheating, every single one of them). There was no food waiting for us because Beatriz had decided we could wait until they dinner-ed, but I was hungry (hadn't eaten since breakfast 8 hours earlier), so Carmenza made me a cheese sandwich...not that I'm incapable of making my own sandwich, but in that apartment they must think I am. Anyway, I played around upstairs until Beatriz made me come down. Torture, I tell you. I can only pretend to laugh at those jokes for so long. Dinner, when it was finally served, was deliciosa. Not sure exactly what anything was, but it was all good. Then (hallelujah) Lucía showed up. I was ever so delighted. She whisked me away to their apartment (well, we made a detour to Blockbuster to rent 3 movies). We watched Hable con ella (DVD; Almodóvar; good, but very sad) and then I fell asleep. Stress-free. In a large bed. In my own room. And it was wonderful.

Saturday: Woke up to migas made by Alberto...it was kind of like Groundhog Day since the exact same thing had happened a week earlier. YUM. Goodness all over again. Then we went party-shopping for Ayen (Alberto's son, not Maru's son)--Lucía and I walked to the grocery store (a brisk 15-20 minute walk) while Alberto drove. The weather = qué lindo: the PERFECT day--70s, sunny, light breeze. They bought tons of stuff, Alberto drove it all back, and Lucía and I walked back, buying avocadoes (sp? well, I know they're aguacates en español) and flowers from street vendors on the way. Then Lucía and Flor (their housekeeper) prepared lunch (I helped a little) while Alberto did...I don't know what. Then the party. My normal residence's inhabitants had been invited (news to me), so they showed up just as Alberto and I were returning from a quick run to a closer grocery store for some herbs. And so did Ayen and his girlfriend, as well as María Isabel, Alberto's daughter, and Georgia (a couple hours later). The food was good, but would have been better without all the cilantro. Party ended, guests left, back to L&A and me. Ayen let us borrow his VCR so we could watch the 2 VHS movies we'd rented. I finally got to see La vendedora de rosas--very sad and hopeless; will definitely have to try to get it and watch it again in the States to analyze it with a more critical eye (it's not for sale here--not yet, anyway). And we watched an odd movie, also Colombian, called La estrategia del caracol. We ate popcorn (the real kind with real butter drizzled on top) and I went to sleep again. Alone. In my own room. (I just can't get over how happy that made me).

Sunday: Rainy, so we didn't try Ciclovía (main streets in the city are only open to bikers, skaters and pedestrians on Sundays from something like 8 AM-2 PM). Alberto made eggs, but this time with rice and onions and other ingredients, and they were quite tasty, yet again. Then Lucía and I headed off. We drove about halfway to downtown and parked in a parqueadero so that we could take the Transmilenio (prestige of a subway, but: nice, new buses that have exclusive lanes and promise to be safer than typical buses in the city) al centro (note to Jen: the experience was much better than ours in Granada). We got off at the Museo del oro stop and headed straight to the artesanías colombianas market (well, one of many) where I shopped shopped shopped. Lucía haggled quite a few prices down for me. And we found a gringa(!)--there was a girl my age from San Francisco shopping at one of the booths and Lucía could tell that she wasn't Colombian, so I asked her if she spoke English and small-talked from there. Then we got back on the Transmilenio to ride back to the car and headed to a couple malls to shop more. Then we picked up Alberto and met...one of Lucía's sisters? (same last name, not sure of the relationship) and her husband at a really nice Spanish restaurant next to the World Trade Center--yes, there's one here, too. (I think the restaurant was called Las Cuatro Estaciones.) Very ritzy and very expensive, but her sister's husband paid ;-) Then we went back to their apt to grab my stuff and Lucía dropped me off at my normal residence. Same atmosphere as usual, but...oh, well.

What a blast. I wish all my days here had been like this weekend. I was so relaxed and happy.
I think today will be my last day researching at BLAA. I checked out several articles and found more sources I can ask for through ILL, but there´s really no reason for me to spend anymore days here. It's very stressful waiting on the sidewalk for Alonso and dealing with all the hateful stares of people who pass me as I wait. And I still have a few things I need to buy.
P.S. In 4 days I will be on my second flight leg to...RICHMOND! It has been a productive research trip, but I am ready to go home.
P.P.S. Sandra just stopped by my cabina as I was editing this and invited me to lunch tomorrow. And promised to take me on my last few shopping errands. Perfecto. That means I have to come back to this library one more time, but I won't be doing any research unless I absolutely have to do so (if Beatriz makes me leave early and I'm forced to do something while I wait until it's time to meet Sandra).

I've been playing games with myself in the car to pass the time it takes to go to and from BLAA (at least a half hour each way):
1. the license plate game (writing down where all the cars are from)...so far, I've seen:
-STFE DE BOGOTÁ
-BOGOTÁ, D.C. (same thing as the first one, but more recent)
-LA CALERA
-PAMPLONA
-CHIA
-ZIPAQUIRÁ
-CALI
-MANIZALES
-MOSQUERA
-FUSAGASUGÁ
-GIRARDOT
2. writing down all the cool graffiti messages I see on buildings and walls (most are political and, obviously, all are in Spanish--ask me if you want explanations):
-Ya viene el niño Dios-espérelo
-Estudiantes con la USO
-UP VIVE (w/ the sickle)
-Patria o muerte (like Patrick Henry´s "Give me liberty or give me death!")
-Contra el autoritarismo
-Viva huelga en Ecopetrol (empresa colombiana de petróleos)
-¿ALCA? ¡AL CArajo! (makes me laugh hysterically every time)
-Resistencia Activa
-¿Gobierno?
-No nos dirán cómo pensar
-No al ALCA y al TLC-fuera Yanquis (oh, I feel so welcome)
-Ecopetrol = patrimonio colombiano
-No olvido UP
-No ALCApitalismo
-ALCA = miseria

...and a sign just for Nino and Jinny: DRY CLEAN-F.O.B.

Sorry that it's been a few days since I've updated. I haven't been super busy, but Maru's been using the computer a lot (and since it's hers, she's allowed to do that) to do grades. I'm chillin like a villain to batanga.com's flamenco station and procrastinating, something I rarely do with much success. I'm super tired because I was stupid last night and drank a bottle of Coke right before going to bed (and, as a result, didn't get much sleep because I was wired).
The last few days have been spent, well, here at BLAA for the most part. I've read quite a few books since my first little list, most in their entirety, including Bibliography on Street Children (I know, it's not an actual book, but I found lots of sources that I can hopefully borrow through ILL when I return to the States), ¿Chicos de la calle o trabajo chico?: ensayo sobre la función paterna, El hogar de la calle, Los agujeros negros (a children's story that wasn't helpful, but I still read it), and yesterday I finished Punto de encuentro: Plaza de Bolívar.
I also browsed through the poemarios Cinco formas de la luna, Los frutos de la espera and Sueños de julio.
Now I'm about halfway through the book Los niños de la calle y sus ambiciones: cuentos.
Last night I was so annoyed with all my stuff everywhere that I started packing. Yep, that's how anxious I am to return home. I packed all my worn clothes and all the skirts I know I won't get to wear (thanks to female Colombian custom during the rainy season), plus all the books and things that I've already read/used or don't plan to read/use before I leave. And I packed my carry-on for this weekend so I don't have to worry about that when I get back this afternoon.

I really dig these Spanish keyboards. I wish I had one at home. I can type the following without any special Alt+ codes:
¿ ¡ ñ Ñ
Enter = Intro, Caps Lock = Bloq Mayús, etc.
I'm sure there's an easier way to put tildes on vowels, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet.
The only issue I have is switching between these and the English one on my laptop because the symbols and punctuation are located on different keys, but that's an issue I can actually handle.

I just realized that I don't think I've specifically mentioned security here, so here goes...(some examples):
1. I'm in a gated community
2. our apartments have a doorman and you can't get in or out of the building without him or, after hours, without a key
3. when I go to BLAA I have to walk through a metal detector and open my purse and if I have, say, a digital camera or a laptop, I have to register them (the guards know me now)
4. I can't bring anything more than pens, a binder, and my wallet into the actual book areas of the BLAA (that guard knows me now, too)
5. I have to unregister anything I registered, get frisked, and pass through a metal detector before leaving BLAA
6. I can't just take any taxi, I have to have one called to come pick me up, and I can't talk about much (i.e., no mention of gamines, no "I'm a student", no "I'm from the US"...) for fear of being kidnapped
7. I can't take a regular public bus under any circumstances
8. whenever we go to a shopping center by car, they use those mirror things to check under the car, open the hood and trunk, and make you open the back door (always happens to be my side) so their dog can check for...drugs? bombs? not sure...
9. you have to open your purse when you go into the malls, too, as well as when you go into museums, banks, wherever
10. there are surveillance cameras EVERYWHERE
11. many students at CNG have personal bodyguards who chill on campus while their charges are in classes
...that's all I can think of for now, but if I come up with more, I'll add them to the list.

Yesterday was fairly uneventful, but still not too bad. After posting about Friday, I sat around until Beatriz told me we were going out (ok...) She called a taxi and then realized right before it arrived that she didn't know where the house key was. Luckily, the driver waited long enough for her to find it, and off we headed to Unicentro, the oldest mall in Bogotá. The ride was almost as fun as my first taxi ride, but it lacked curves and hills. We had lunch at this create-your-own pasta place, then window-shopped. I decided to look for a denim jacket for the sake of fitting in here since EVERYONE has one, and finally did, after making my purse significantly lighter. Beatriz bought a magazine featuring the wedding in Spain (the prince) since all of Colombia is enamored with the couple and the ceremony, then we headed back, by taxi again, of course.
Then the next fiasco...the key wouldn't work in the door for Beatriz, so she called José Manuel, the portero (doorman, kind of), and he couldn't get it to work either. Because of someone's fetish with frigid rooms, our balcony door was still open, so Jose Manuel climbed around to the balcony from outside and got in that way, saving the day.
More food, more relaxing...that was basically my day.

I think yesterday was the most fun yet. I got to BLAA a little late because of having to take the taxi, as already mentioned, and didn't get much work done, but I did look through a bibliography on street children and hope to be able to get some of the books mentioned in it through ILL when I return to the States.
I met Sandra at the information desk just fine--I was looking for a girl with purple (really cool) glasses and she was looking for a blond (dead giveaway in this country). She's Lucia's niece (and Lucía, La Flaca, is the wife of Alberto, who is one of Maru's many cousins) and she's 23 and just finished her history thesis here at La Universidad Nacional. Anyway, we went walking around, exploring la Plaza de Bolívar and ambling along all the sidewalks I usually see from the car on the way back from BLAA. We hit up a cute restaurant called Andante where I made the mistake of ordering a salad whose contents I didn't know (and therefore didn't like very much of it). The pasta with pesto was good--my first time trying it--and the juice--strawberry--was incredible. Then we went to a cheap bookstore to browse, then hit up one of many mercados de artesanías colombianas here.
On the way to that, I had remarked about how I wanted to take home all these homeless dogs who roam the streets and we kept passing and being passed by this one really cute, fairly young black dog. Then all of a sudden, a careless bus driver came bombing through and hit and killed the dog. I started crying and Sandra knew I was upset because of my very recent comment about it. I just don't understand why these jerks can't just slow down. People and dogs get killed all the time by bus drivers who are in too much of a hurry and there's no excuse for any of it.
Then we headed over to MAMBO (el Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá) and looked at some really cool art (as well as some that perplexed me). One exhibit about coffee was really fascinating. Then we headed over to the other side of the museum where there's a really tiny, cheap theater. We waited for a while, it was really hot and stuffy and sickeningly full of cigarette smoke. I passed out while standing there, so Sandra dragged me outside to get some fresh air. She bought me some water and I got a little better, so we finally went in. We watched a Colombian movie called María Llena Eres de Gracia and it was incredible. Very sad, but excellent. I'm going to try to buy it when I get back to the States. I was SO happy spending time with someone my own age who's also a bookworm (even better).
Then we met Lucía, one of her sisters, and Sandra's dad, who's one of her brothers, near el Museo Nacional. We cruised around the city for a while, dropped off Sandra's dad, and headed to her sister's house, where we picked up HER daugher Camila and another girl (who I later realized is their housekeeper or something because she didn't sit with us later at dinner). Now, if you count, that's 6 people in a small stick-shift car made for 4...Then we headed to Lucia and Alberto's apartment, where we had dinner. YUM. We had rice, fried dough thingies (forgot their name), and garbanzos in a really good tomato-based sauce. We chilled there for a while, during which time Lucia called Beatriz to tell her that I was still alive and that, since it was already bedtime here (7:30...), I was going to spend the night there. Lucia also had me try coca tea (not legal in the States, of course, though it's from a different part of the coca plant than cocaine), which I really liked. We all rode together (7, since Alberto was with us that time) to drop off Lucia's sister and company, then Sandra. Then we headed back to the apartment and I went to bed almost immediately. I got the best sleep I've had since I got here, maybe because it was so quiet and because it was a bigger bed.
When I woke up, Alberto made me migas (de arepa), which is a type of broken bread, cooked with eggs and onions and things--it was super yummy--along with tea and pan de girasol (bread with sunflower seeds in it). We looked through magazines for fashion (for my fabulous adviser) and movies, art & books about gamines. Then Alberto brought me back, I took a shower, started my laundry, and here I am. Maru and Jorge have gone to a birthday lunch (for once I wasn't dragged along) and I suppose Beatriz and I will have almuerzo soon. PAZ.

Welp, I survived my first (I think) taxi ride, and in a city notorious for dangerous taxis at that. The trick is to call a taxi to pick you up (the car's in the shop today--that's why I had to take the taxi in the first place). When you get in, the driver asks you for the clave (key), which is the last 2 digits of the phone number from which you called the taxi (in my case, 10). I guess that's for security purposes? (I felt like I was giving the password to enter into a secret society's lair.)
I don't think the driver thought I was "suspicious" because I knew from my pre-taxi briefing from Beatriz & Jorge NOT to say I'm here doing research and NOT to say that I'm studying gamines. He got me to BLAA in record time (25 minutes--it usually takes 35-45 w/ Alonso), but maybe that's because he took a different route (what a gorgeous view of the city! and it's actually sunny right now!) and was taking the mountain curves so fast that I could hear the tires squealing (but I'm fine, Mom and Dad, I promise). It was like a ride at Busch Gardens, except cheaper (10,000 pesos, which is less than $5) and WITHOUT a seatbelt.
Now I can only hope that I find Sandra (Lucía's niece) ok (I'm sure she won't have any trouble finding ME) to go to lunch and that Lucía can take me home, because otherwise my ride back will be questionable...
Oh, yeah, and another confidence boost for me: The guards that I pass every day recognize me now and I brought my camera today, so I knew I had to register it with the same guy as always at the entrance. Anyway, I was prepared with the serial # and my passport # written on my hand (he laughed), and afterward he asked me (in Spanish, of course, but I'll translate for the benefit of the majority of my readers), "Where are you from?" I told him the US, and he asked, "well how long have you been in Bogotá?" and I said 2 weeks, so he asked, "but you already speak Spanish that well?" and I said I'd been studying it for 8 years and he said,"well you speak very well" and I thanked him. And my happy meter rose considerably.
Happy birthday to Jinny!!!

Beatriz kicked me out (to the library) early because she needed to go shopping for Jorge's (her husband/Maru's dad) birthday party. Therefore, I had more time in the library, and since I know my attention span isn't 6 hours long, I updated all these blogs and replied to e-mails in between reading and taking notes.
Then when I got back to the apartment, I got no lunch/dinner, oh no, instead I had to get ready to go to Beatriz's weekly costurero (the same group of little old ladies--the point is to sew, from the verb 'coser', but all they ever sew together is lots of gossip-filled stories) at Tía Aurita's apartment. There was food there and I tried some, but saved plenty of room for the party later on in the evening. I did try a piña colada (ok, I guess) and passed up the sangría since I already knew I didn't like it from my first day here.
Then we rushed back to our apartment to finish preparing for Jorge's party...
What an experience. I met a lot of Maru's family, with my favorites being Lucía and Alberto (and of course, Tía Aurita and Tía Olguita, but I already knew them). El vino tinto flowed freely (no thanks, I think it's gross), but most of the men made their own drinks. There was lots of finger food, including a really good paté (sp?), cheeses, and finally, two AWESOME cakes that Georgia had made. YUM.
Alberto gave me his impressions of Williamsburg (as a good train stop; I miss you, Williamsburg!!!) and Lucía promised to have her niece call me to go out and do something (she called this morning to tell me her niece is supposed to call me tonight). What a chatty bunch--this family is absolutely crazy. I wish we had a party like this every night.
Everyone cleared out by around 10:15 (party "started" at 7, but like true Latinos, no one other than Georgia--who's half-German--arrived befoe 7:30). Then we went to bed.
Today Beatriz and I are going shopping for postcards, stamps, books, and I don't know what else, plus I think we're going to el Museo de Oro (gold museum)--in other words, I'm taking a break from the library. Laters, yo.
P.S. I´m definitely returning on the 11.

Just to update those of you who are following this and have a vested interest in my schedule, Caryn (my sister) is hopefully changing my return flight date from June 15 to June 11 for me (I was having issues getting in contact with the AA office here in Bogotá). I should arrive in Richmond at the same time, 4:10 PM, just 4 days earlier. Basically, I´ll only be missing one day (the 11--I wasn´t planning on going on the 14) at the library and now I´ll be able to make it to my gramma´s 86th birthday party. It´ll cost more to do this, but I think it'll be worth it...

I think my FedEx package (CLOTHES and drugs) is supposed to get here today--we'll see...JUST arrived, and I had to pay 48,000 pesos...tax? Dang, that's like...over $20. What the heck? And I KNOW it must have cost Mom & Dad a fortune to ship the stuff in the first place.
Today I got back into the library routine. I spent a long time browsing Filosofía del gamín and typing notes, then I stumbled upon a HUGE book written about fictitious gamines, BY a gamina (which I didn't know until I started reading). The guy running la sala de investigadores today told me that the author was actually supposed to be coming to BLAA at around 5 PM today for some reason, but since I don't dictate my own schedule, I couldn't hang around to meet her. Qué lastima :-(
Since those shipping taxes wiped me clean (really, I have less than 1,000 pesos in change now), I need to hit up the ATM tomorrow. And I would like to go ahead and buy my postcards and stamps and go shopping for books. We'll see what happens, since tomorrow is Jorge's birthday. I'm OUT to try to straighten my poor wrinkled clothes that travelled miles and miles to meet me. I wish my family, friends and Williamsburg had been in that FedEx box instead...that would have made me even happier.

While listening to my "almuerzo" CD out of sheer boredom, I remembered something cool that happened on my first day. When I went to the 2nd grade Mother's Day play at CNG, I felt so cultured: they opened by singing "A Dios le pido" (Juanes) and closed with "Fruta Fresca" (Carlos Vives), 2 of my absolute favorite songs--PRECIOUS. I sang along, as did most of the parents in the audience (for those of you who don't know, Juanes and Carlos Vives are both very famous Colombian singers).

Yesterday I had the most fun yet (no sarcasm)--it made up for a lot of my bad days. Georgia came and drove me, Beatriz, Tia Aurita and Tia Olguita all around.
Our original destination was La Catedral de Sal, a huge underground cathedral created in a salt mine in Zipaquirá (about an hour outside Bogotá). The scenery along the way was incredible, smack dab in the Andes. And the conversation never stopped since las tías don't know how to stop talking. Tía Aurita teased me for being so quiet and refused to believe that I talk so little in English, too (Ieven though it's true).
We got there around 11:45 and there was a long line just to get in, so Georgia and I bought our tickets and waited (the three sisters decided not to go in). It rained, but not too hard, and we had jackets, so it wasn't too bad. (There was also a hilarious family waiting in line in front of us that kept us entertained.) We finally reached the entrance about 45 minutes later and bypassed a guide (Georgia had been several times before), starting our own tour. It was a little chilly since it was underground, but we were hauling it since we knew we wanted to go other places afterwards. Inside are basically the Stations of the Cross, all carved out of salt deposits, with really hott black lights to illuminate the otherwise dark path. At the end is a huge cathedral and there was actually mass taking place when we got there. We turned around and headed back out--by that time I was hot (literally). Tía Aurita had bought empanadas in our absence and made me try one, so I just picked out all the meat.
Then we decided to look for real lunch. Tía Aurita was convinced that there was a great place called ColFrance (a Colombian/French cheese shop) in a town called Ubaté "about 30 minutes" away (in the opposite direction of Bogotá), so off we went. When we reached the town 45 minutes later in the pouring rain, we couldn't find the place SO we asked for directions. Turns out the restaurant is in the NEXT town, "about 15 minutes further," so 20-25 minutes later we found it. We got there around 2:55 and sat down, only to discover that lunch there ends at 3:00 and they refused to serve us. SO we asked where we COULD get lunch, and a girl working there said there was a good place "about 8 km away" (same direction), so we stumbled upon it about 10 minutes later (see El Pescadero in photos). It looked like a dive, but the food was actually really good, as was the service, and prices were ridiculously cheap (all 5 of us ate for less than 35,000 pesos, and 1 USD = around 2,700 pesos). I had my first yuca--quite tasty. At one point Beatriz said she thought the place smelled like marijuana, and so Tía Aurita said, "entonces a probarla!" (then let's try it!) She is a HOOT.
(The joke of the day was that we were headed to Chipinquirá, which is apparently pretty darned far away from Bogotá, and by that point we almost made it...)
Then the group decided dessert was in order and since that place doesn't serve dessert, we headed back TOWARD Bogotá and stopped at a place called Lacteos de Ubaté (in Ubaté, obviously), where everyone but me (I was stuffed) had fresas con crema (strawberries with "cream," which looked suspiciously like yogurt).
Then Georgia decided to take us to Cucunubá, which was wayyy out in the mountains. The town looks very colonial (Latin American-colonial, not CW-colonial) and very quaint. We stopped by a shop where scarves and blankets are made by a human-run loom (the guy there did a demonstration for us) and then went to a horse farm (beautiful estate) where one of Georgia's clients (the only Colombian to compete in the Olympic dressage competition) lives. He ended up giving us a tour and so by the time we were ready to leave, it was already dusk.
We set back off toward Bogotá (almost 2 hours away) and couldn't call the apartment to let Maru know where we were for quite a while because there wasn't a cellular signal that far off. We stopped at one point for drinks, but other than that came straight back. The drivers on those curvy mountain roads are even crazier than those in the city (I think they're the same ones). A solid line seems not to mean "don't pass" and passing on curves is expected, I think. Luckily, Georgia is a very good driver.
By the time we reached the city, we were crying from laughing so hard--most of the time at stupid things (reminder to self: NSQ).
And here is where I end. I'm bummed because today is apparently some sort of holiday here and, as a result, not ONLY does Maru not have school, but Alonso has the day off, which means no library for me. This is not cool--I do not want to sit around this apartment all day because it drives me CRAZY.
Photos from these adventures can be found at: http://sesmi1.people.wm.edu/fotos4/index.html
Happy birthday to Professor Root!!!

Looking back at earlier entries, me di cuenta de que I hadn't actually talked about the street vendors. I thought NY and Madrid had crazy vendors, selling anything and everything on the sidewalks, but many of these street vendors (lots of children, los gamines, the ones I'm researching...) actually walk between the cars on streets and highways. You'll especially find them at stoplights. They sell bunches of roses, candy, cigarettes, candy, chips, cell phone covers & chargers, phone cards, lottery tickets, fruits...pretty much anything you'd run to the convenience store to buy, and much, much more. There are also beggars who just walk by pidiendo limosna, and kids who wash windshields. They will walk right up to your windows showing their goods, hoping you'll buy someting. Even making eye contact makes them think you're interested. And you better make it clear that you don't want window cleaners to work, because once they've started they expect you to pay.
On a somewhat related note, I've noticed that when I'm alone with Alonso downtown, he tends to give change (that he keeps up front) to begging children and adults, but only when none of my "family" is in the car. I think maybe they think it's wrong to do that, but I really admire him for being so nice; money seems to go a lot farther here for many things than it does in the States...I want to ask him about it, but I don't want him to think I'm going to "tell" on him.

So far I´ve read:
--> in my cabina:
1. El tesoro de la pordiosera (entire)
2. El delito de existir (entire)
3. ¿Quiénes son los gamines? Aspectos históricos y linguísticos (parts)
4. Réquiem por los niños muertos: Bogotá siglo XX (parts)
5. (just started) Filosofía del gamín
--> in the apt.
1. Los hijos de la oscuridad (entire)
2. (just started) At Home in the Streets (Tobias Hecht)

I just wanted to comment on a very big difference between Colombian social strata and that of the U.S. Here society is divided into 6 levels, with 1 being the poorest and 6 being the richest. The top 3 strata subsidize the bottom 3 (taxes, I guess?) And neighborhoods are very strictly determined by strata. (In case you hadn't guessed this already, I'm staying in a gated level 6 neighborhood.) I think this might actually work better than American society in some ways. Whereas we have machines or we do things ourselves, here people fill those jobs. For instance, at most gas stations there's no such thing as "self-serve;" someone pumps it for you. And as I've probably already mentioned, we have a driver who drives our car (owned by Maru's parents) for us Monday-Saturday. He knows EVERY shortcut in this huge city (I think he used to be a deliveryperson). And my family has 2 housekeepers: one, Zoila, comes 2 days a week, and the other, Carmenza, comes 3 days a week; sometimes my family has them both come or has them come more days (for instance, to prepare for company like me). Although I understand that we're helping them by giving them jobs, I don't like being waited on all the time. I get yelled at (by my "family") if I try to clear my dishes, which is something automatic for me anywhere in the States. It's frustrating, because I don't like being spoiled like that when I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Anyway, I just wanted to post these thoughts while they were especially on my mind. It's breakfast time (although I hate eating breakfast in the States, Maru's mom refuses to let me leave until I´ve eaten what I would consider a HUGE breakfast)...

Yesterday I hit my first (and, I've decided, only) library, la Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango, which is smack dab in the middle of Bogotá, which means it's around 35-45 minutes from here in traffic (and there's always traffic). I had to register my laptop and was frisked as soon as I walked in (at least my favorite researcher had prepared me for that), then wandered aimlessly.
I asked one guy where the la sala de investigadores was, and he told me, but said I had to put my backpack (and laptop) in a locker. [Them: 1, Me: 0.] So then I tried the lockers I'd seen near the entrance, but my bag was too big. And I found out I needed coins for the locker (I only had bills), so I begged the girl at the café for change. She wouldn't change my bills [Them: 2, Me: 0], but she kindly lent me a 200 peso coin (you get the money back when you're done with the locker).
Then I had to ask around for larger lockers. Found them, but realized I didn't have any pockets, so I smartly stowed my key elsewhere (ask if you're really curious).
Then I started looking for the sala de investigadores again, following the signs, but only found lots of empty cabinas and 2 chatty women, so I backtracked and waited in line to ask a lady for help. She took me to where I'd just gone and introduced me to one of the chatty ladies, Liliana.
At that point I had to hand over my carta de presentación, que sí vale (you're awesome, RR!), and fill out paperwork...I am now an official investigadora and, as a result, get my own cabina (like an office) with a really large table, a computer (with the library catalog, MS Word, and internet access, among other things). Liliana showed me how to use the catalog and request books. Although it's disappointing that I can't check out books (I knew that before I left the States), their organization system is impressive. Once you request a book online, you go to a particular desk (in my case, la sala general) and watch on an automated board for your ID number; when it shows up, you claim your books. And since I'm an investigadora, I can reserve up to 6 books for up to 15 days (normally you have to return books by the end of the day). So, I searched the catalog for a while and requested 3 books, then picked them up. I worked for probably an hour and a half, wasting too much time on a book that wasn't very helpful.
Then I knew I needed to call here and found out that the phones only accept ETB (Empresa Telefónica de Bogotá) cards, so I had to ask around to find out where to buy one. I called here, but by that time Alonso, our driver, had already left to pick me up (so the call was pointless in that respect, but at least I'm ready for next time). I claimed my backpack and browsed in the bookstore (this is also a museum), deciding to buy a book about children and education in Colombian (successfully used my Visa card). Then I had to go searching for the exit, which is far from the entrance, where I was once again frisked.
The scariest part of yesterday (and today) was waiting on the sidewalk for Alonso. My gringa-ness makes me stick out like a sore thumb on the streets, so everyone kept looking at me. I can't decide if they're staring out of amazement due to my blond hair and unusually tall stature, or out of hatred for the US.
Blah..the day went on, we got home, I almost passed out from exhaustion and realized that I'm sick. I hope it's a sinus attack and not allergies because all I have is Tylenol Sinus medicine.

...woke up today, had to wait to leave because of pico y placa (explanation: to reduce the traffic during rush hour, you're forbidden to drive between 7-9 AM and 5-7 PM 2 days a week, based on the last number of your license plate; our days are Tuesday and Friday).
Alonso dropped me off at CNG so that I could meet with Sra. Amparo ("Amparito") de la Rocha, the Hogar Nueva Granada coordinator at CNG. (HNG is a school that was built and is supported by CNG, which I found out--from Ligia's granddaughter--is the richest and most prestigious school in Bogotá, where very poor children ages 2-7 can attend school for a very affordable price. They aren't gamines, but rather the next step up, in that most have homes, but the homes are in very poor condition--in fact, when heavy rains come, they often fall down).
Amparo walked me over to HNG, which is about a 5 minute walk from CNG but still on CNG property, and gave me a tour. The children are absolutely precious, and the financial and other types of support CNG gives the school are amazing. In addition to excellent facilities and materials, there are also a doctor and a dentist there. The CNG students mentor partner HNG students once a month, and they seem to get a lot out of the experience. And mothers from CNG volunteer there, fundraising or running the second-hand store on school grounds. I met quite a few children--SO ADORABLE!!! I think they feel genuinely safe and happy there, which is amazing considering their backgrounds and homes...
Amparo and I returned to CNG and I helped her label and stuff envelopes to parents asking for more donations for HNG until 1, when Alonso arrived to take me to la Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango (BLAA from here on).
I only had about an hour and a half there, but I got a little bit of reading done, so the time wasn't completely wasted...
When Alonso picked me up, he told me there was a protest/demonstration taking place in the Plaza de Bolívar, which isn't too far from BLAA. I had noticed a few more cops around, but thought nothing of it. I noticed (even more so today than yesterday) how many people stare at me as we drive by. I almost wish I had dyed my hair...
Now I'm back at the apartment, sicker than yesterday and ready for bed (I know, I'm a wuss).

I posted more pictures from yesterday and today (including a few from HNG) at: http://sesmi1.people.wm.edu/fotos3/index.html

Pictures so far can be found at: http://sesmi1.people.wm.edu/fotos2/index.html
Sorry they're so small...I'll try to fix that when I return to the States.

We have an internet connection here once again, but I can't get it to work with my laptop, so...very problematic, since I don't want to download sftp or my pictures onto Maru's computer.

YESTERDAY:
--afternoon: CNG teacher recognition banquet for National Teacher Day. They served paella (mmm-I picked around the fish).*
--evening: Beatriz (Maru's mom) took me along to a 95th birthday of the mother of Ligia, one of Beatriz's friends. Maru's favorite aunt, who had come to meet me at the airport, was also there, as were a ton of little old ladies. A cultural experience for sure...they all wanted me to talk before they began gossipping. We had appetizers, salad (lettuce, peaches and a really good dressing), a roll kind of like a quiche with spinach and things (muy rico), and cake.
*I had decided before I arrived that if I was offered alcohol, I would try it because, as Profe R said, it IS part of la cultura and I can legally consume it here. At the banquet, I tried sangría, thought it was foul, and therefore only drank a few sips. At the party, we had piña coladas--I drank almost all of mine--and champagne that was disgusting--so only one sip of that after the brindis. These are some drinking viejas, let me tell you. Maru's aunt wants me to try aguardiente and rum & Coke because they are "very Colombian", so we'll see.

Today: Georgia (fiance of Ayen, Maru's son), who is a horse vet here, took me to a horse show (de adiestramiento y saltos) on the outskirts of Bogotá (in a town called Funza). She's just as crazy a driver as everyone else here. You think rush hour in the States is bad? Well. This is ten times worse.
It was an all-day affair and thank goodness I had put on sunscreen because she, who isn't quite as white as I am (she's half German & half Colombian), didn't and got very burned on her face. I met lots of riders, owners, and horses--it was quite fun. It was nice to get out of the city, since we all know I'm not a city girl. I was surprised at the wealth apparent in the country club where the show was held because Funza is obviously a very poor town; I felt really guilty being there.
After the show, we had a late lunch at a Swiss restaurant called Eurolacteos. I had my first real fondue experience there and I think I would have liked it more if there had been less wine in the fondue.
I tagged along as Georgia went to two stables to tend to some of her patients.
Her car is quite a riot. She had to hit the battery repeatedly on four different occasions because the car wouldn't start--the last time in the middle of the city, at night, in the rain. Crazy.
Came back late and had dinner here--pizza and a salad I honestly do not like (very Mediterranean with lots of oil and vinegar and squash, eggplant, and peppers in it...) Then a well-known Colombian artisan and his wife came to deliver and install the stained glass window he'd made (that Maru had ordered for her parents as a gift). It was quite an affair, especially when, as they were trying to put it in place, it fell and only because of the artisan's quick reflexes did it not shatter into a bajillion pieces. Scary and hilarious. Once it was in place, we celebrated with cold pizza and...champagne. Yes, I drank my first glass of champagne (this was much better than last night's...) and I will have a picture posted of me and my glass later.

I'll post more when I have time to collect my thoughts, but I just wanted to let those of you who are following this know that I am fine. I arrived at El Dorado airport at around 7:20 last night after a long day of flights and layovers. Maru, her aunt, and her dad came to meet me; her aunt brought me Colombian roses!
The city is beautiful (rodeada por las montañas y los miembros del ejército en cada esquina). Her parents are already trying to make me fat and, gracias a Dios, I don't think el soroche has affected me yet. I'm here at Colegio Nueva Granada, where Maru teaches 4th grade. I talked to her class today and attended the 2nd grade Mother's Day musical, which was quite impressive and VERY nationalistic (¡Viva Colombia! I've definitely been converted). The children who attend this private school are the richest in Santafé de Bogotá and it shows...they will definitely be the polar opposite of the children whose literary representations I'll be studying.
All the people I've met seem very sympathetic to my research topic and more than willing to help; I can only hope that I will encounter similarly nice individuals at the library(ies) I plan to attack next week.
AND, on a related note...there's a chance that I'll be able to meet and maybe even work with Jaime Jaramillo, who is the author of the book I'm reading now (Los hijos de la oscuridad) and an incredible individual who has "saved" many gamines.
Hasta pronto (I hope--we don't have the cable internet connection right now at the apartment, hence why I'm trying to fit this in right now).

Today is the first of a two-day preparatory meeting for (all 6) Academy directors, professors and student assistants in Richmond. It's weird that I'm updating from a hotel room, but that's the beauty of being in a single room in a conference center, I guess :-)
Anyway, I'm very impressed with one of our Academy's professors in particular already. His name is Eduardo Gamarra and he's an older, experienced teacher originally from Arequipa, Peru. Today during one of our extended waste-of-time periods between activities he was talking about his philosophy about travelling to other countries. He said that he thinks that one shouldn't visit the cities of, say, Latin America because they're just "copias, bueno, malas copias de las ciudades americanas." I never really thought about that before, and I haven't been to one yet, but I think there's a lot of truth in what he said. It makes me feel guilty about going to Bogotá instead of to the less-altered parts of Colombia. However, I am somewhat restricted in what I'll be doing when I go to Colombia because I need to stay where I'm safe, and that's where my "family" lives, which in this case happens to be in a capital city. I suppose that, since I'm going more for the experience and the research than the whole tourist thing, it's ok, but I'm glad I heard his opinion before I went there. He's altered my opinion slightly, I think in a positive way.

Yesterday I ordered the four books that I was able to find relatively easily online--3 (La ciudad y los perros, Los hijos de la oscuridad & Niños de la guerra = Children of War) from alibris.com and 1 (At Home in the Street: Street Children of Northeast Brazil) from half.com.
And...I heard back from Maru. An excerpt from her letter:
"The inner cores of big cities are off limits for you and me. You wouldn't go to Harlem's slums alone to interview the homeless, nor can you do that here. You may find opportunities to speak to those who sometimes "park" at traffic lights, asking for alms, and that will be it. As far as theory goes, I am sure you will find enough in the libraries, as well as in the book titles you mentioned. The areas of the city where they live are extremely dangerous, I have been to some, (turning on the wrong street, downtown) by mistake, and never will I place myself or anyone I love in that situation again. My parents can attest that, in the occasion I am mentioning, we lost a mirror and one front light on the car, (with us inside, incapable of stopping it) the sides were scratched, and we were nearly stoned! and we are Colombians! all this happened while just being stuck in a traffic jam (...) I have a friend who is a nun, and she works with young single mothers, we can probably arrange for you to spend a day with her, she lives in a poor area and is doing incredible social work. She can probably help you interview some of them."
I am sure to have quite an adventure :-)

I just sent a desperate e-mail to Maru asking for assistance in acquiring the primary texts I would like to purchase. That would just be tragic to have the all information I need to know and money I need to buy the books and not be able to get my hands on a single one. I think I can probably get the Hecht one, but that's not exactly my best source, considering it's about Brazilian street children...theoretical framework, yes. Primary Colombian text, no. That darned marco teórico keeps coming back to haunt me.

I heard back from my two professor contacts (courtesy of the fabulous Dr. Root), Dr. Rodriguez-Arenas (of Colorado State @ Pueblo) & Dr. Forastelli (of Emory), last week. I am OH SO EXCITED because they gave me tons of awesome secondary sources and, more importantly...quite a few primary texts & sources (movies, photographic essays)!!! The problem is that I cannot find any of them available for purchase via the normal online booksellers (Amazon, B&N, Books-a-million, EBay...) and I definitely want to have them in my personal collection, so I'm somewhat clueless as to how I'm going to get my hands on my own copies. I'm so glad I got extra funding for my project, because the plane ticket ate up a considerable chunk of my original grant and I will need to buy lots of books, etc.
Last night my parents took me to H&M in Short Pump to start looking for climate-appropriate casual professional clothes (for the 70 degrees all year long city of Bogotá). EEEEEE!!! Maybe I should also look into dyeing my hair? Probably not a bad idea...