The view from my bed of the sun rising over the mountains that border Bogota.Wow. After a crazy week of transporting my bike from Washington to Littleton (stripped pedals = bike-boxing Amtrak misery), packing up my house with the heroic efforts of my family, a couple wonderful send-off parties (Thank you FCU & Harveys! Thank you Gabi & Sandip!) and an amazing Thanksgiving dinner cooked by my sister...
...I am here. I am in Colombia. I arrived late Friday, and have spent a rather glorious weekend walking around the city, adjusting to the difference in altitude, and pinching myself. After the excitement and inspiration on the bike trip and the crazy hecticness of last week, I had somehow pushed out of my mind that I was actually going to be here.
What are fun tidbits that I have I learned so far about Colombia?
*That Colombians love ice cream. Even in the rain. It's amazing: there are families, couples, all types of people lining up for ice cream everywhere we go. And it's not too warm - maybe in the 50s! What happens when it's hot?
*That wicked high-speed internet can co-exist in the same apartment with an ice-cold shower.
*That arepas are small, thick corn tortillas which taste really good with butter.
*That you can get Dunkin Donuts in Bogota.
As you might sense, right now, the hard work to come seems a bit distant. I am reveling in the excitement of discovering a new city, the process of getting to know my new teammates, and laying the groundwork to stay healthy and well-balanced amidst what I expect to be overwhelmingly intense work. I woke up my first morning here and went to yoga with Gilberto and Trish, my two teammates. In yoga, I stretched and sang (yes, in Colombia, apparently, you sing in yoga class!). Yesterday, Gilberto took me on an urban tour, and we dallied in flea markets, experimented with Colombian food, and saw a movie. Life here, so far, is blessedly fun. The heaviness I feel now is about knowing how much I am going to miss people from home and sadness at leaving a life which has been so fulfilling and nurturing in Littleton.
On the plane and since I got here, I do keep thinking about the last service I went to at the Unitarian Church in Littleton. Fred Small, the minister, talked about being thankful. He said:
"To be thankful is the hardest thing and the easiest thing in the world...It’s the easiest thing in the world for anyone to be thankful when we really pay attention...By being mindful of the present moment, we remember the gifts of life we enjoy just by being alive."
I am humbled and overwhelmed and deeply thankful for all of your support. I have really been paying attention to this support...and it helps me enjoy my arrival here and feel that I am floating on all of your well-wishes in this new stage of my life.
That's all for now - off to meet with the bureaucracy and get my papers in order.
Graffiti in downtown Bogota which reads "Yankees out! No to the Free trade agreement! No to oppresiion!"
