Bienvenido a Colombia

After 12 hours of traveling, I finally landed in Bogotá around 8:30pm local time (2 hours ahead of Seattle, 7 hours behind Spain). I was hit hard with the Spanish of the people working in customs, asking me if I was carrying more than $10,000 worth of cash or products, what business I have in Colombia, and a few more things. I finally made it through and was greeted with a huge smile from Zayrho on the other side of this guard rail. His house is pretty far from the airport, just north of Bogotá off of the North Highway. The town he lives in is actually called Briceño, but it's about 16km away from the North part of Bogotá. I was so nervous as we pulled up to his house, knowing I was about to meet this family that I will be living with for the next two weeks. Other than the initial shyness (which is typical for me) I was able to whip enough Spanish out to chat a bit with Zayrho's mother, cousins, brother, sister, and nanny (oh, and the nanny here is kind of like live-in maid, but Fran has lived in the De San Vicente home for close to 25 years and is part of the family). It didn't take long until there was some tequila on the table, which we cheersed many times to my arrival with, followed by the most delicious shots I'd ever had, called Sangrita. It's kind of like a bloody mary but is different, though I honestly couldn't tell you how, exactly. Shortly thereafter we found ourselves eager to move around... we left the kitchen and moved to the living room and turned on some excellent Salsa music.

Now, this whole time I'm thinking this has to be typical of the De San Vicente family... grabbing the bongos and cowbell and playing along with the Salsa, dancing all over the hardwood floors, drinking tequila and sangrita, laughing so much that we achieved an abdominal workout for the day, all until 2am... but later came to learn that all of this was very rare and it was a special moment for welcoming me into the house. I had so much fun! Dancing with Zayrho once again (which felt like we were never apart for one month, it was so natural), Dancing with his 13 year old brother, Zharim, and cousin Andy. Well, we had an amazing time, finally heading to be between 2 and 3am.

This morning was also great. The breakfast that Fran (the nanny, the kids call her Gordita... Little Fatty, a term of endearment here.. haha) made me was so delicious... homemade bread, fried eggs, a latte (or café con leche for those who are so inclined), and fresh made orange juice. After breakfast I went on tour of the neighborhood where the family lives, a beautiful housing development that is unlike anything I have ever seen in the US. The houses are on a golf course that sits in a valley between all of these hills and mountains. We went on a driving/walking tour to the tops of the hills all around. It is amazingly beautiful! The weather is very similar to Seattle, though, which is nice for a country that is near the equator (but Bogotá is at an elevation of around 5000 feet... whew, talking about losing your breath while walking up those hills!). Later we went to a nearby town called Sopo to buy traditional Colombian deserts and eat them in a plaza. We went for coffee afterward (and yes, Colombian coffee is as amazing as I had built it up to be... sorry Spain, Portugal, and Italy.. Colombia wins!) and then headed home to relax a bit.

Now this is probably the most detailed post you're going to get while I'm here, so eat it up! I'll post again soon with more fun things I've done, seen, and learned (and pics included next time... promise!).

Catch me later :)