December 15, 2012
December 14, 2012
349/366
Last year was our first Christmas away. We celebrated with a Christmas dinner and gifts under the tree, but something felt off.
Maybe it was the silence that comes with having an empty house, no family and friends filling the moments with holiday cheer.
Maybe it was the 90 degree heat and humidity.
Maybe it was just us, feeling a bit of holiday homesickness.
We decided that next year, if possible, we would make our different Christmas even more different,
by spending it on a beach or poolside.
We discussed a few possibilities, but unfortunately Matt doesn't get an extended amount of time off so traveling outside of Colombia would be difficult.
We decided on going back to the Decameron All-Inclusive Resort we visited while my parents were here.
I looked on line to make a reservation but they were all booked up. Yesterday Matt tried his hand at calling and was able to book one of the last rooms. In the true spirit of Colombian chaos, you can make the reservation over the telephone, but you can't pay. You have to go to a Decameron office site to do that.
When we booked the reservation in November it was a mess. I went to the ticket office, they had lost our reservation, their credit card machine wasn't working... madness. My friend and Spanish teacher, Alicia, helped me with that and told me afterwards that it was difficult for her to speak with the people on the phone and confirm the reservation so she couldn't imagine completing the task as a non Spanish speaker.
Which brings me to today...
When Matt made the reservation yesterday he was told we must pay today by 5:30 or our reservation would be cancelled.
I debated calling Alicia to accompany me, in case any issues arose, but decided I would attempt to tackle the task myself.
{plus I could always call for back up}
I'm proud to announce I was successful.
No glitches.
No issues.
And I used all my Spanish skills.
No Ingles.
It may have been a simple task, but I felt proud.
It's times like this, when you accomplish the simplest of tasks,that at one time seemed impossible,
that your expat confidence grows leaving you feeling pretty great.
And what does one do when they take pride in an accomplished task?
Why hang it on the fridge of course!
Maybe it was the silence that comes with having an empty house, no family and friends filling the moments with holiday cheer.
Maybe it was the 90 degree heat and humidity.
Maybe it was just us, feeling a bit of holiday homesickness.
We decided that next year, if possible, we would make our different Christmas even more different,
by spending it on a beach or poolside.
We discussed a few possibilities, but unfortunately Matt doesn't get an extended amount of time off so traveling outside of Colombia would be difficult.
We decided on going back to the Decameron All-Inclusive Resort we visited while my parents were here.
I looked on line to make a reservation but they were all booked up. Yesterday Matt tried his hand at calling and was able to book one of the last rooms. In the true spirit of Colombian chaos, you can make the reservation over the telephone, but you can't pay. You have to go to a Decameron office site to do that.
When we booked the reservation in November it was a mess. I went to the ticket office, they had lost our reservation, their credit card machine wasn't working... madness. My friend and Spanish teacher, Alicia, helped me with that and told me afterwards that it was difficult for her to speak with the people on the phone and confirm the reservation so she couldn't imagine completing the task as a non Spanish speaker.
Which brings me to today...
When Matt made the reservation yesterday he was told we must pay today by 5:30 or our reservation would be cancelled.
I debated calling Alicia to accompany me, in case any issues arose, but decided I would attempt to tackle the task myself.
{plus I could always call for back up}
I'm proud to announce I was successful.
No glitches.
No issues.
And I used all my Spanish skills.
No Ingles.
It may have been a simple task, but I felt proud.
It's times like this, when you accomplish the simplest of tasks,that at one time seemed impossible,
that your expat confidence grows leaving you feeling pretty great.
And what does one do when they take pride in an accomplished task?
Why hang it on the fridge of course!
December 13, 2012
348/366
Today...
... I found one red berry in my bowl of cereal.
After four bowls of Special K with Red Berries, this is my first sighting of a red berry.
... I debuted a new pair of Tennessee Orange Lulu pants at pilates.
They're bright & loud,
which makes them perfect for Cartagena,
and I love them.
Bonus: they're orange, which makes them popular and a year round option in Tennessee.
... I went on an adventure with this little guy and his mom.
We went to lunch and the grocery store.
It's important to ease into the Colombian lifestyle.
... I found one red berry in my bowl of cereal.
After four bowls of Special K with Red Berries, this is my first sighting of a red berry.
... I debuted a new pair of Tennessee Orange Lulu pants at pilates.
They're bright & loud,
which makes them perfect for Cartagena,
and I love them.
Bonus: they're orange, which makes them popular and a year round option in Tennessee.
... I went on an adventure with this little guy and his mom.
We went to lunch and the grocery store.
It's important to ease into the Colombian lifestyle.
December 12, 2012
347/366
Would you like to see something adorable?
I've been hanging out with Baby Archie the past few days. Our friends Alice & Archie had a baby in September and Baby Archie made his Colombian debut last week.
After a skyping session last night I walked in to this...
The most adorable part. That's how he snuggles the Bella Rose.
Water update:
I woke up early in hopes that the water fixers would arrive early.
But this is the jungle so first thing in the morning translated to 9:45, just as I was leaving for pilates.
When I returned, there was still no hot water and the noise still occurred.
At about 4:30, the water fixers told me to turn on the water.
Hot water is back.
So is the shriek.
I've been hanging out with Baby Archie the past few days. Our friends Alice & Archie had a baby in September and Baby Archie made his Colombian debut last week.
After a skyping session last night I walked in to this...
The most adorable part. That's how he snuggles the Bella Rose.
Water update:
I woke up early in hopes that the water fixers would arrive early.
But this is the jungle so first thing in the morning translated to 9:45, just as I was leaving for pilates.
When I returned, there was still no hot water and the noise still occurred.
At about 4:30, the water fixers told me to turn on the water.
Hot water is back.
So is the shriek.
December 11, 2012
346/366
For a little over a year we have been dealing with a terribly annoying high pitched 'EEEEE' sound that appears each time we turn on our water.
It happens when we turn on the water in the kitchen sink.
It happens when we do laundry.
It happens when we flush a toilet.
There is a closet right outside our front door that holds the water pipes and this is wear the shrieking sounds comes from.
A month ago we were finally successful in having someone come look at the problem. The maintenance man, Benny, thought he had it fixed, but after a few hours the sound was back.
He came back last weekend and informed us that the regulator needed to be replaced.
After he obtained the necessary parts, he would return.
Benny came back this afternoon and spent some time right outside my door working on getting rid of the terribly annoying high pitched 'EEEE' sound.
{while I was having a Spanish lesson, which has to be hilarious for a Spanish speaker to listen to}
When he was finished Benny knocked on the door and asked me to turn on the hot water.
There was no sound at all.
I gave him a round of applause and thanked him.
About three minutes later I was folding some laundry in the bedroom when I heard a 'whoosh' sound.
I walked in the living room to find water rushing into my apartment from under the front door.
Apparently our little problem wasn't fixed
and now we had a different problem.
I immediately laid towels down to try to clean up some of the water, as it was making its way toward our tree and Christmas gifts. I picked up the phone and realized I had no idea how to call downstairs to the front desk. I immediately called my Spanish teacher, Alicia, and she called the front desk for me while I began cleaning up.
Our hot water is currently turned off until tomorrow morning when they return to repair the problem.
Again.
I hope Part II is not near as eventful as Part I.
It happens when we turn on the water in the kitchen sink.
It happens when we do laundry.
It happens when we flush a toilet.
There is a closet right outside our front door that holds the water pipes and this is wear the shrieking sounds comes from.
A month ago we were finally successful in having someone come look at the problem. The maintenance man, Benny, thought he had it fixed, but after a few hours the sound was back.
He came back last weekend and informed us that the regulator needed to be replaced.
After he obtained the necessary parts, he would return.
Benny came back this afternoon and spent some time right outside my door working on getting rid of the terribly annoying high pitched 'EEEE' sound.
{while I was having a Spanish lesson, which has to be hilarious for a Spanish speaker to listen to}
When he was finished Benny knocked on the door and asked me to turn on the hot water.
There was no sound at all.
I gave him a round of applause and thanked him.
About three minutes later I was folding some laundry in the bedroom when I heard a 'whoosh' sound.
I walked in the living room to find water rushing into my apartment from under the front door.
Apparently our little problem wasn't fixed
and now we had a different problem.
I immediately laid towels down to try to clean up some of the water, as it was making its way toward our tree and Christmas gifts. I picked up the phone and realized I had no idea how to call downstairs to the front desk. I immediately called my Spanish teacher, Alicia, and she called the front desk for me while I began cleaning up.
Our hot water is currently turned off until tomorrow morning when they return to repair the problem.
Again.
I hope Part II is not near as eventful as Part I.
December 10, 2012
345/366
Today was a busy day in Cartagena,
full of A/C maintenance appointments,
phone calls,
mini reunions,
on-line Christmas shopping,
errands,
and ama de casa duties.
One of my errands included shopping for a pillow insert
to showcase the cutest pillow case that ever did exist.
This was a very kind birthday gift from my amazing SIL's, Shelley & Marcie,
{sister in laws}
that warms my boxer loving heart.
It's a special reminder of our 'lover of pillows'...
especially as I enter the beginning stages of Bella Boxer detox.
full of A/C maintenance appointments,
phone calls,
mini reunions,
on-line Christmas shopping,
errands,
and ama de casa duties.
One of my errands included shopping for a pillow insert
to showcase the cutest pillow case that ever did exist.
This was a very kind birthday gift from my amazing SIL's, Shelley & Marcie,
{sister in laws}
that warms my boxer loving heart.
It's a special reminder of our 'lover of pillows'...
especially as I enter the beginning stages of Bella Boxer detox.
December 9, 2012
344/366
My afternoon was spent Christmas-fying and I loved every second of it.
I brought back some cookies, Chex Mix, and almond bark pretzels from home, which was the perfect snack to accompany my holiday movie/gift wrapping portion of the afternoon.
I put some finishing touches on the tree including some Scentsicles.
I found these at Home Depot and was so excited about them.
My artificial Colombian tree now smells like a real Frasier Fir.
In fact, our entire apartment smells like Christmas...
and that makes me happy.
I brought back some cookies, Chex Mix, and almond bark pretzels from home, which was the perfect snack to accompany my holiday movie/gift wrapping portion of the afternoon.
I put some finishing touches on the tree including some Scentsicles.
I found these at Home Depot and was so excited about them.
My artificial Colombian tree now smells like a real Frasier Fir.
In fact, our entire apartment smells like Christmas...
and that makes me happy.