Colombian Culture, Colombia Adoption and Raising Colombian Kids

I have never had altitude sickness before when visiting Colombia. But, always before we have lived at 4,500 ft, and the ascent to 8,661 (the altitude of Bogotá) wasn't too much of a stretch. This time, however, we are coming from Sea Level and I have to admit I am a bit concerned -- especially for my little Colombianito. Last year, we took him from our 4,500 feet to the top of Pikes Peak (14, 110) -- a nearly 10,000 foot climb in 2 hours. He turned blue in the lips and started vomiting. We had to pack up the car and head down the mountain -- much to the chagrin of older brother. This time, we plan to stay at that high altitude for 3 weeks, and unfortunately for us, Acute Mountain Sickness (Altitude Sickness) is most common in children. Ouch!! For adults, there seem to be medical and herbal solutions, but nothing for kids. Double Ouch! The good news is that symptoms usually disappear withing a few days. However, if they get worse, it could lead to high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAP...

The Colombian Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism has announced a new campaign to increase Colombian tourism -- by Colombians. While the last 6 years have seen an increase of 10% in international visitors to Colombia, there has been little growth in domestic tourism. Colombian officials hope to change that with a new campaign called "Vive Colombia -- el país que llevas en el corazón." Watch the campaign video here: http://www.citytv.com.co/videos/42898/campana-vive-colombia-el-pais-que-llevas-en-el-corazon

Our trip to Colombia was an amazing, frustrating and beautiful time in our lives. I'm sure any adopted parent will tell you that they'll never forget their first days getting to know their child and everyday I wake up I still can't believe that we are the parents to this little hurricane! During our time in Bogota, we had many ups and downs and many special moments, but there is one moment that I almost missed: Meeting my son's foster family. Because we sent a relative to our son's independent medical exam we were able to get our son's foster mother's information and the morning we left we called her and asked if we could meet her and her husband to thank them for the love and care they gave him. I won't lie when I say I was somewhat hesitant to do this. What if she was crazy? But I thought, at the very least we must thank them. Our child is the person he is today because of their love and care, it's the least I can do. So we arranged to meet th...

El Dorado Airport can be crazy. CRAZY I tell you. You need to go three hours before you flight. It doesn't always take three hours but many, many times I've gone three hours before my flight and barely made it to the gate on time. This is especially true if you are going on an early morning flight. Here's what you can expect when you leave the country. 1) Bring with you a copy of the Sentencia and the birth certificate. Our facilitator made us a little airport packet. Immigration will ask to look at this, sometimes they keep it! (Yet another reason to get lots of notarized copies of everything). It is their right to do that. 2) There are some weird airport exit taxes in Colombia, sometimes they are included in your ticket, sometimes not. I don't understand the rules and never have, but regardless the airport personnel will help you figure it out. They usually send you to get your passport stamped at this special " Impuestos " window and then someti...

Okay you made it! Time to say goodbye to your Colombian friends and family, eat your last empanadas and wonder if the flight home is going to be smooth or bumpy? We had less then 8 hours from the time we got our visa till the time we got on our flight, but we still managed to do something which I highly suggest to other parents. 1) Get a copy of your child's entire file. This requires you to leave a written request and a notarized copy of your Sentencia with Bienestar. You can do this any time after the Sentencia is final. The file we got contained some very interesting information that was not included in the Referral. I highly suggest it for your child's benefit. When he gets older and starts to ask questions we can tell him "Here it is, we got everything for you." 2) Likewise, you can go to the hospital where your child was born and request a full copy of his medical records . We didn't do this, but I think it would've been a good idea if we had the...

So now you've got Sentencia. You've got your child's Birth Certificate. You've got your child's passport! What's next? Embassy Rounds! 1) First you have to go see an Embassy doctor who will make sure that your child does not have any contagious diseases. This is a public health precaution not an actual doctor's visit, so don't expect your doctor to actually give you any health advice. The guy who saw Elian grumped at us "That kid is active!" My husband said, "Well he's a toddler". Many kids will need some vaccinations which can be given at the same appointment. The doctor will give you a sealed envelope to be taken to the embassy. DO NOT OPEN IT!!! The envelope will say this in big letters, but still it bears repeating. DO NOT OPEN!!!! Okay, I feel better, I've done my duty! 2) When you have gathered the following: A copy of Sentencia Your child's passport The medical results Your child's birth certificate The conform...

After a quick break to catch my breath we're back to tell you the story of our last week in Bogota and all the legal hoops we made it through to come back home! Here's what you can expect to happen when you get SENTENCIA ! 1) Your lawyer will submit your paperwork as I described in my last post. Then you will wait around. This part is exceedingly boring, but after the drama of our last week, I would tell future parents to enjoy the calm because things get WILD the week you leave. 2) Your lawyer will call you and tell you that the judge has signed Sentencia and when you're appointment is to sign the papers. Our lawyer called us on a Monday morning and we went Monday afternoon at 2:30 pm. I have heard that some judges like to meet the families before they sign, but we never saw our judge. 3) You arrive at the court, and in Bogota anyways, it's all extremely disappointing. No judge, a million people looking for who knows what and PILES of paper everywhere. In Colombia, di...

What to do when spending endlessly long weeks in Bogotá waiting for Sentencia . If you have children ages 4 to 13, I would highly recommend spending a weekday morning at DIVERCITY . DIVERCITY is a mini city for kids inside a huge, new shopping mall in the North of the city-- the Santa Fé . Kids over 3 pay about $5 to enter (parents cost about $3). For the price of admission, they are issued a $20 divi dollar pay check. Once inside they cash the $20 check at the bank and learn how to use an ATM card. Then, they can start spending or earning money. They earn money by working at different occupations- police detectives, fire fighters, foot loop packers, coke bottlers, veterinarians , pilots, farmers, TV station announcers , Radio announcers, beauticians, insurance agents, supermarket clerks, paleontologists, architects, authors, discotheque workers, etc. They spend their divi money if they want to go on safari, watch a play, climb the rock wall, play arcade games, take bus rides, or...

Cell phones in Colombia are omni-present. Everywhere! Most people have pay as you go phones and if you were going to be in Colombia for more than a few weeks I would definitely recommend buying one. You can get one for about $25. If you will be there just a week or less you can probably make due buying “minutes” from cell phone call vendors who hang out on the street. Usually they stand around on the street wearing a vest that says minutes and with a few cell phones chained to their persons. There are also differences in cost when you call between cell phone companies. For example it is my understanding that it costs more to call between Comcel and Movistar than it does to call from a Comcel phone to another Comcel phone. Phones can be charged with minutes at groceries stores like Ley or Exito or at cellphone stores, which are pretty common. Something else to know about Colombia is that because the person who calls is the one that pays people ALWAYS answer their phon...

There are two ways to get around Bogota that are easiest for those who are new to the city: Taxis and Transmilenio. There is also a really extensive bus system but since there are not maps available I wouldn’t suggest it for foreigners. Transmilenio –This is a hybrid between a subway/bus system. The busses run on fixed routes that are completely separate lanes from other traffic. These routes have platform stations where you buy a ticket and wait as if waiting for a subway. Transmilenio is safe, clean and fast. According to my husband, it has dramatically changed the traffic situation in Bogota. Taxis –The easiest way to get around. Compared to taxis in the U.S., Bogota taxis are dirt-cheap. To understand how the billing works look at the taximeter at the front of the taxi. The number will correspond to a price that is listed on a laminated sheet attached to the back of the seat. This sheet should also have a picture and information about your taxi-drivers registrat...

Yesterday the Colombian courts finally re-opened after winter recess which means we can now formally submit paperwork to request that our adoption be finalized. We met with our lawyer today (Oscar Abril-comes with great recommendations and was very nice) to finish up our paperwork and get everything started. Here's what we did today: 1) Authenticate documents: Today we headed over to the notary to authenticate the following documents. 1) A request to finalize the adoption 2) Power of Attorney for our Lawyer 3) A letter saying that we legally allow that Elian be taken out of the country by either myself or my husband. (This is only in the case that my husband leaves before me). To authenticate the documents you need 1) The Documents (your lawyer gives these to you) 2) ID's (passports or cedulas) 3) About 14,000 pesos Colombianos 2) Because my husband is Colombian he also gave the lawyer his "pasado judicial" which is the Colombian criminal record clearance. In some cas...

This morning we went for our “Integracion” meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to meet with the psychologist and talk about how the first week went. This is also the time when you would give your final confirmation that you are 100% sure you would like to complete the adoption. The meeting is very simple; you spend about ½ an hour talking alone with the psychologist. Bienestar claims that this is not a meeting where you are judged, but rather a sort of follow-up visit designed to help you with the transition. I don’t mean to be skeptical of their intentions, but I would assume that this is where Bienestar would intervene if they thought something was amiss with the match. Our meeting was very simple. Since Elian was sleeping through the whole meeting we just talked about how our week went and what we had learned. We talked about what Elian eats, what his favorite things to do are and discussed the emotions we felt. She also asked us about how our week had compared to our ...

Hi everybody, Well I can't believe that not only has our day come but it's almost over! I'm writing this at 9:00 pm Bogota time Tuesday night. This morning we met our son and he is more amazing than we could ever have imagined. For any of you that are waiting for Encuentros I hope this will give you an idea of what to expect. Our day started this morning when we arrived at Bogota ICBF at 8:30 am. It's kind of a weird 70s style building, the kind that quite obviously has been added on to over time. After we checked in we were taken to the Encuentro rooms which are in the back. They are designed for children and painted all sorts of insane colors with Disney murals and what not. I am a bright color person but even for me it was a little much. Here's how it all goes down: 1) The Social Worker and Psychologist come in to talk to you. They review with you the information provided by the foster parent. Our foster mother sent a beautiful photo album with pictures of the ti...

When talking about the food of Tolima , there is probably nothing more Tolimense than their signature dish -- LECHONA . In fact, the production of Lechona for fiestas in Tolima dates back several centuries. It really IS what's for dinner in Tolima at just about any big celebration -- weddings, baptisms, Christmas, New Year's etc. What is Lechona ? In a few words, stuffed roasted pig. How is it made? First, you take the 50 pound pig and debone it and clean it out --making sure to leave the skin intact. Next, you take all of the ribs and meat and chop them up with an axe and add them to about 10 pounds of pork meat (cut in small chunks) and marinate ( adobar ) it all in a mixture of garlic, green onions, cumin, salt and pepper. Then, you cook the meat in lard. You also prepare rice, peas, and potatoes to add to the mixture. When all the stuffing ingredients are mixed together, you stuff the pig and then sew it up. You cover the skin with bitter orange juice and cook it all ...

A great Saturday or Sunday afternoon excursion while staying in Bogotá is to visit the Salto de Tequendama -- mentioned on Monday. The waterfall itself is about 137 meters high and is located just 30 kilometers from Bogotá. I recommend seeing it on a weekend as the traffic in Bogotá is lighter and you will be able to get through the city's traffic easier. There are some ASADEROS at the falls where you can enjoy traditional Colombian food. We visited this place the weekend after we picked up our son. At almost 2, he loved to wander around the grounds eating arepas. Our 5 year old enjoyed the story and taking pictures. Just a cool place to say you've visited. (Update March 2010) Just got an e-mail from an adoptive family in Bogota and need to say that visiting the Falls From December - March during a drought is not a good idea. Not much of a falls. The picture is from an October visit after a rain storm.

Another unique Andean fruit (native to Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru) is known in Colombia as LULO (in Ecuador--Naranjilla). The lulo plant ( Solanum quitoense ) belongs to the nightshade family. It grows in humid climates where there is a lot a rain. Though the fruit is native to the Andean region, it's delicious juice has inspired farmers in other areas of the world to plant and cultivate the fruit. I was surprised to find out that there are Lulo farmers in Florida. The taste of Lulo is acidic, and has been described as a cross between Rhubarb and Lime. It is high in calcium, phosphorus, niacin and vitamin C. You can request a glass of lulo at most restaurants and it really is something not to miss out on! When I first went to Colombia 15 years ago, I fell in love with Lulo juice. Since bringing home the plant or fruit would have been frowned upon by US officials, I chose to bring home several bags of TANG -- yes, I mean the powdered fruit drink. While in the US we have one flavor...

Native to the Andean region, Tomate de Arbol (Tamarillo) is a fruit that is often used to make juice in Colombia. The juice has a bitter sweet, kind of acidic taste. However, don't be confused by the name, it tastes nothing like a tomato. It is most common in the Eje Cafetero and el Valle. The trees that grow the fruit are usually found between 1500-2500 meters above sea level, in temperatures between 15 and 22 degrees celsius. The fruit itself is high in fiber, and vitamins A, B, C, and K. It is also rich in calcium, iron and phosporus. Make sure to give it a whirl while in Colombia. Or purchase the pulp and make oyur own juice at home. Here is a link: http://www.fruitpulp.ca/product/Tamarillo *Photo by ximenacab http://www.flickr.com/photos/ximenacab/2634815284/sizes/l/

Talk of Semana Santa, may give the wrong impression that there are only Catholics in Colombia. This is not true. While the majority of Colombians are Catholic, Article 19 of the Colombian Constitution of 1991 guarantees the freedom of religion and recognizes all religions are valid under the laws of the country. The Government itself does not keep official statistics on religious affiliation. However, in March 2007, a survey by the newspaper El Tiempo found that about 80% of Colombians consider themselves Catholic, though there is a footnote that not all are active practitioners. Another 13.5% of the population reported following another Christian based religion including Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons, Episcopals, Pentecostals , Jehovah's Witnesses, etc. An additional 4.5% of the population is divided between Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Taoists, Indigenous, and other religions. Additionally, approximately 2% of the population is agnostic or non-believers. According to...

The parents of adopted Afrocolombianos and particularly Afrocolombianitas will appreciate a discussion of hairstyles. Afrocolombians consider hairstyles, particularly braiding, a cultural expression. The traditional Afro-Colombian hairstylist would work from home. She would use special combs and conditioners to style, hydrate, and color the hair. Most of the products that they use are natural and are found in the flora and fauna of Colombia. Escoba Babosa or Malvacea -- Conditioner http://www.flickr.com/photos/22012266@N02/2730552744/ Otoba -- Conditioner http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/vrrc/med/MYRI-otob-lati-col-1340785.jpg Guasimo -- Shampoo http://www.jardinbotanicocali.org/boletin/semillas08.pdf Salvia -- http://www.jardinbotanicocali.org/boletin/semillas08.pdf Jagua -- http://www.jardinbotanicocali.org/boletin/semillas08.pdf Going to the hairstylist is considered a social event. From the times of slavery, information was passed along at the meetings. In addition, information...

Bucaramanga is the capital of Santander. It is called the Beautiful City and the City of Parks. It is a middle sized city and its metropolitan area is actually composed of four cities, Bucaramanga, Giron, Floridablanca, and Piedecuesta . A fifth city/town called Lebrija is not part of the metropolitan area, but it is really close and this is actually where the International Airport of Palonegro is located Since the city is located 3,146 feet above sea level, the temperature is a comfortable 78°F all year long. This means that people dress in Spring attire year round. So, if you’re going to the ICBF office or court, you don’t have to wear a suit, just think of whatever you’d wear to go to your office during spring time, and for women -- sandals are appropriate. For the rest of your stay, casual dress is fine. However, T-shirts are typically considered to be underwear, and therefore, a polo type shirt or a collared shirt is a better choice. The people of Santander are really helpful an...