Colombian Culture, Colombia Adoption and Raising Colombian Kids

There are a lot of mixed feelings about being home. We love Colombia! The boys are already planning another return trip. This time everyone wants to go to the Amazon -- my new theme "A Amazonas en el 2011". We will see if it all works out, but I am cautiously optimistic. That said, the boys were happy to see familiar signs and hear familiar sounds, and particularly to see familiar friends again. We are a family with a home in the US, but part of our hearts in Colombia. Therefore, we can't say "Adiós", just "Hasta la próxima."

Our mandatory last stop in Colombia is always Crepes and Waffles. It has just become a tradition. Amazingly, there is now a Crepes in El Dorado airport -- how convenient after the short flight from Cali and before a long one to the US. Crepes not only has delicious food, but they have a very interesting work force. Most of their employees are women and single mothers. In a time in Colombia where many businesses refuse to hire single moms, Crepes and Waffles promotes it. As far as ordering, I am a rut kind of person. If I'm ordering something once and I like it, I order the same thing every time. . My Crepes favorite is the Panne Cook with chicken and spinach. I love it :) especially with the Limonada. My sister-in-law is just the opposite, I think she likes to try something new every time. She ordered the Pita Vegetariana. It looked delicious and she raved about it! If you have tried Crepes and Waffles, what is your favorite menu item? If you are looking forward to your first expe...

Exact Quote: "Mom, mom, can you believe it? I learned to walk and ride a bike in Colombia!" Gracias Tío, Tía, Daddy, y hermanito :)

When I went to live in Mexico for study abroad, oh so many years ago, our teacher/advisor told us to avoid getting sick by not eating from street vendors. I diligently obeyed. However, my husband convinced me, on our first trip to Colombia, that some food can safely be eaten. I began to try Mango biche, arepas, roasted corn, and all sorts of food. I have never gotten sick from street food, well except for my trial of sugar cane -- that made me really sick ;). On our last night in Valle, on our way back from the Coffee park, we bought the most delicious arepas de peto right off street. Just thinking about them makes my mouth water. Don't be afraid of eating these delicious treats from a street vendor :)

Back in the day, or so my mother tells me, you could get house calls from doctors and other professionals. This is almost unheard of today -- but, not in Colombia. My sister-in-law has this woman come to her home to give haircuts, manicures and pedicures. The cost for each $5,000 pesos (about $2.50 US). We decided to take advantage of the savings and the males of our clan all got haircuts and I got and manicure and pedicure. The total cost with tip was $15 US. This is what it costs to cut just one boy's hair. Certainly something to consider before coming back to the US, a financial boon for you, and a boost to the local economy -- definitely a win/win!

We finally made it to the Eje Cafetero (the Coffee Axis). The Coffee growing region known as the Eje Cafetero consists of the departments of Caldas (Manizales), Risaralda (Pereira) and Quindio (Armenia). On a bright sunny morning, we were off to Quindio to go to the National Coffee Park. This park is truly on the list of PLACES NOT TO MISS !!! It is part museum, part botanical garden, part Disneyland. Unlike many of the other places we visited, the Coffee Park was a little pricey, however, I would recommend that you purchase the Pasaporte Multiple that currently is $49, 500 pesos (about $25 US). This allows you to see all of the attractions and ride any ride over and over. The 7 Aventuras costs less, but you can only do 7 things -- which means if you visit the museum you can only go on 6 rides -- this includes the chair lift to get you to and from the bottom of the park. If you use the lift, you are left with 4 things to do one of which absolutely needs to be the SHOW DEL CAFE. Do not ...

From the NOT TO MISS CUISINE files, comes the delicious Empanada Valluna. They are different from the Empanadas that my mother-in-law makes. For those, you can use the following link to her recipe: http://raisingcolombiankids.blogspot.com/2008/12/abuelita-carmens-colombian-empanadas-de.html . The Valluna version of the empanada are equally as delicious, but they taste different. They have meat and potatoes like those I was familiar with, but the spices are different. The woman that made them told me she uses tomillo (thyme) as one of the spices. This spice was definitely not on the list for my MIL's empanadas. These deep-fried delights are really not to be missed if you want to have a truly cultural Valle experience. Here is the recipe -- as with any recipe in Colombia -- no one knows how much of anything to use. I hope to test this out in the future, but for now, if you give it a try, and it works out, let me know the measurements you used: STEP #1 -- Prepare the MEAT In about 8...

A few months ago, back in the States, our car got a flat tire. We were told that it would be impossible to fix the punctured tire. In Colombia, however, a similar puncture on the same type of tire can be easily fixed in just a few minutes. This little detour was fixed in 15 minutes, no appointment, no waiting. AMAZING! Oh, and did I mention it was 6:45 am. Double Amazing!!

My sister-in-law's family owns a " finca " (kind of like a cabin, but with fruit trees instead of pine trees), just outside of Pereira . It is called el Alcarabán , after the birds that live on the property. The birds nest on the ground. If you happen to get too close to their nests, they whiz down at you squawking like crazy. You have to hit the dirt to avoid having them attack you. All of the boys thought this was hilarious . "They are dive bombing us!" Came the cry of four glee filled boys making machine gun fire sounds. The boys (and their mom) got to check out our Paso Fino skills on this horse. It is a pretty bouncy experience. And of course, what trip to the countryside isn't complete without a swim. Who cares that the rain made it a little chilly. Such an awesome experience. If you are ever invited to someone's finca -- GO!! They are a definite MUST!

Okay, the park not only has a swimming play land, but it also has a river. We arrived after a rain storm and it was running pretty high -- up to the boys' knees -- and my older son was sure that by walking in the river he was demonstrating his Bear Grylls skills . Anyway, they were able to walk the length of the river in the park (about 1/2 mile), while we followed along on a paved path complete with pretty covered bridges. At the top of the park, the boys (Dads included) were able to ride in inner tubes and enjoy a mud fight. If you ask my boys, this was one of the highlights of their trip.

Bewteen Buga and Tuluá, there is a wonderful water park. It offers a great kiddie pool (complete with little water slides) and adult pool area, restaurant, shelters, play area, and....more. The kids liked it so much that we went there twice. The first time it was a week day, and there was hardly anyone there. For several hours the boys and their cousins had the pools all to themselves. The second time was a holiday, and there were quite a few people there --more on that tomorrow.

Guadalajara de Buga is one of the oldest cities in Colombia. It was founded in 1555 at the order of Belalcazar. Today, it is most famous for its Basilica del Señor de los Milagros . The Basilica houses a special wooden statue of Christ. Here is the story: One day, shortly after the founding of the city (in a date unknown and unspecified), an Indian woman who had recently been converted to Christianity (who has no recorded name) was washing clothes in the river. Suddenly, she saw a small wooden statue if Christ float by. She grabbed it and went home and planted it in the dirt floor of her room. Upon awakening, she discovered that the Christ statue had grown. Soon, people were coming to see the Cristo de las Aguas (Christ of the Waters), as it became called. People began worshipping it and adoring it, kissing it, touching it, etc. Soon, the archbishop of Popayán heard of the statue and became angry. He ordered that it be burned. The story goes that in 1665, the statue was thrown into a f...

Let's face it, the butt of all potty jokes in Colombia is the overflowing trash can in the corner. What is up with that?!?! At this restaurant there was a sign which read (I tried to take a picture, but it was too dark and when I turned on the flash you couldn't read it sorry!), "To Our Foreign Clients: Please do not throw used toilet paper or feminine products in the bowl. It WILL clog! There is a can in the corner provided for your convenience." It struck me as I read this, "DUH! I haven't ever mentioned bathroom etiquette." If you don't follow the rules, this is where you can get in trouble with your host, your hotel staff, or your in-laws ;). The norm in Colombia (and might I add much of Latin America) is to not flush used toilet paper down the toilet. I know it seems unsanitary, and admittedly it can get a little smelly, however, that is nevertheless the norm. You can throw it in the can next to the toilet. That said, many times I have thrown t...

In El Valle, there are a number of places that you can go fishing. They are little manmade lakes that are stocked with all sorts of fish. You can catch the fish and they will cook it right there for you to eat. Knowing that the odds were in our favor, we decided to give it a try. Our youngest caught the first fish. Our oldest was the last one to catch anything. His frustration level mounting with every minute, but both boys and their 2 cousins all went home happy to have caught fish.

I wish that this picture were as good as the breakfast we ate at KUTY. KUTY is a PANADERÍA (bakery), and so much more. Actually, it originally opened its doors in 1975, when a pair of sisters decided to try their hand at bread making in Junín. Now, there are new owners and 4 locations in Cali. We visited the one on la Avenida Sexta con 27. It is like a small cafeteria with tables outside. We ordered their signature dish -- omelets. Whatever you decide to order, don't forget to try their Pan de Bono. If you don't want to leave your hotel, you can order in 524-3040. There are actually 2 KUTY restaurants in Bogotá, one right near the Plaza de Bolívar -- Carrera 8 No. 15 -96. So, even if you never make it to Cali. You can get a breakfast Caleño.

We arrived in Cali at about 7 am, and fortunately for me the day was cool. (I was wearing a sweater a real rarity in Cali). We were met by my Brother-in-law whom we haven't seen for many years -- tears all around. With luggage safely stored in his trunk, we were off to see the sights. One of the mandatory tourist sites of Cali is the statue of Sebastián Belalcázar which overlooks the city. And on the day that we arrived in Cali, this group of tourists was no exception. My Brother-in-law took us to see this and other sites in Cali straightaway. Belalcazar was one of the original Conquistadores of Colombia. Born Sebastián Moyano in about 1480. He was left an orphan and raised by his brother. He later chose to take as his last name the name of the city near where he had grown up. How he arrived in the Americas is disputed. Some say he came with Colombus on his third trip in 1498. Others believe he came with Pedrarias Dávila, and then went on to explore the Darién with Vasco Balboa. W...

Last year our son's preschool sent home an "All About Me" poster and information packet. It asked a bunch of questions. Questions that unfortunately, we just couldn't answer. How much did I weigh at birth? How much do I weigh now? How tall was I at birth? How tall am I now? Show a picture of you shortly after birth, and show one now. The purpose of the activity was related to seeing how things grow. But, when I read the assignment, my heart ached. How I wanted to be able to answer all of those questions!! But, I couldn't. I just didn't know the answers. They hadn't been included in any information that we had received about our son. About that same time, I went to a church party where the women started talking about their kids. The discussion turned to labor and birth problems, and then finally to a comparison of who had given birth to the biggest baby. As usual, I had remained silent. But then, they turned to me, "How much did your son weigh?" M...

Just one block East of the Centro Cultural García Márquez is the museum complex housing the Casa de la Moneda and the Museo Botero . The Casa de Moneda celebrates the Monetary hisotry of the country. You will see a coin collection that covers the entire history of the country. You can ask the guards or your guide to give you a collectable coin that is minted just for visitors to the museum. You will also see this Pirate Treasure chest, courtesy of Sir Francis Drake. Again, what boy wouldn't love to see a real live pirate treasure chest. This was a huge hit, though the photographer needs a lesson! As you walk through the building, you also will eventually hook up with the Museo Botero . A great place to see some amazing pictures from the famous Colombian artist. Both Museums are free to the public. http://raisingcolombiankids.blogspot.com/2009/12/fernando-botero.html

"Just a bit of Heaven!" That is what my nine year old called our lunch at El Corral. Just one block East from the Museo 20 de Julio on the Calle 11, you'll find a Juan Valdez coffee shop (on the corner of Carrera 6 with Calle 11). If you go up the stairs to the 2nd floor, you'll find El Corral Gourmet. In this case, Gourmet means you pay A LOT more for the food and you get to eat it in fancy containers :). The regular El Corral restaurants are quite economical, so make sure you read the sign carefully before entering if you are on a budget. Anyway, we were starving, and after several weeks of eating Colombian food, the boys wanted burgers, fries and chocolate shakes. Since there is nothing in the world like El Corral Chocolate shakes, we bought one for everyone. The restaurant is located in the building known as the "Centro Cultural Gabriel García Márquez" The Centro houses the bookstore of the Fondo de Cultura Económica . If you ever plan to read books to ...

Okay, you've finished your visit to the Plaza de Bolívar , taken pictures, fed the birds, now what? Did you know that there are OVER 50 places to visit within easy walking distance (no more than 4 blocks). Among them are museums, churches, parks, and government buildings. Every time we go to Bogotá there are places that we visit, and then there are those we are seeing for the first time this trip. Among the new places is the Museo Histórico de la Policia Nacional (Historic Museum of the National Police). Tours are available in many languages depending on who is on duty at the time. While we were there, you could get a tour in English, French, German or Italian. To get to the Museum, you walk south one block on Carrera 8 (that is the street that Edificio Lievano faces)turn right onto Calle 9 and walk 1 1/4 blocks to the museum. It is on your left just past the stores selling military gear. The Museum is 5 floors of Colombian Law Enforcement History. The basement is dedi...