Wow! Is it the end of the month already? November flew by just like desserts fly off the Thanksgiving table!
This month in Colombia we had a total of three long weekends, so Conor and I seized these opportunities to travel. I set a personal record of flying on a plane three out of four weekends, and also became an expert at cramming all of my essentials into one carry on. Yes, you can fit one more pair of shoes.
How did we pull this off? So glad you asked!
Early in November, I scored a super affordable flight to San Juan (thanks Scott's Cheap Flights!) and gleefully reunited with my mom in Puerto Rico. Can I just say, is there anything as sweet as an overdue hug from your mom? While I indulged in mother daughter bonding over pina coladas, Conor unleashed his inner Indiana Jones and took to the jungle. Don't worry, he wasn't alone: a group of friends from school organized a three day, ultra exotic backpacking adventure in the Farallones Mountains, just outside Cali.
The following Thursday, school was canceled for a "Colombian Snow Day" (aka a city wide transportation worker strike) and Conor and I got a little antsy being cooped up at home. Naturally, Conor playing his favorite "game" of messing around on Google Flights, and he figured out the very next day we could jet set to Colombia's capital, Bogotá for some cooler air and authentic Ajiaco (hearty Colombian chicken and potato stew) via a 50 minute plane ride. Amazing! Readers, you will be surprised to know that I was the more practical one in this scenario (role reversal?), and promptly examined our bank accounts to see if this would be a wise choice. However, despite the fact we are adhering to a pretty aggressive savings plan for our future house, we concluded we could swing it if we vowed not to overindulge once we were there. Restrain yourself Tay Tay...you can resist the giant malls of Bogotá.
Armed with our puff jackets and umbrellas (just in case!) we hit the ground running on Saturday morning. Our first stop was El Museo del Oro (The Gold Museum), which was conveniently located just five minutes on foot from our hostel. Once inside, we feasted our eyes on the largest collection of ancient gold artifacts in the world, which ranged from jewelry and armor, to crowns and tools. The indigenous people that inhabited Colombia in the pre-Hispanic era handmade all the artifacts! Many of the shining pieces depicted birds, reptiles, or animals due to spiritual regard the indigenous tribes has for the natural world. Everything was SO shiny, and I was blown away by how stylish and trendy I found the jewelry to be. They had hoop earrings back in B.C. y'all! Talk about chic! (Don't even get me started on the crowns!)
Although the gold museum had me feeling like a patron of a very posh boutique, the Bogotá Graffiti Tour gets my gold star for the best excursion of the trip. The vibrancy and enormity of the street art that blankets the buildings, walls, and parks of Bogotá is indescribably breath taking. Our guide knew many of the street artists personally, and spoke to the specific styles and signature elements that distinguish one street artist's work from another. My favorite mural was a whimsical collage of vibrant green and yellow birds with hands for tails, right next to a store front decorated in an outer space meets tribal woman type style. During the tour, my artistic senses started tingling, and I couldn't help but have a brief daydream about cutting loose from the 9 to 5 to join a street art crew...
While we were walking, our guide also clued us into the ongoing struggle between the street artists and the government in regards to where, and if, the street art should remain in the city. The current Mayor of Bogotá is aggressively spearheading the renovation of the Candeleria district, and has been erasing the murals in favor of "city grey" paint. Sad! But don't fret art fans- the street artist have been responding in full force. After all, a freshly painted plain grey wall makes a great blank canvas. Conor became very inspired by this controversy and started verbally constructing an AP Lang. lesson on the politics of street art. Coming to a classroom near you: "Who has the authority to decide what qualifies as art, and where said art occurs?" #teachernerd #imarriedhim
Our third trip of the month was to Florida to see my family for Thanksgiving! Since our holiday rotation has us with Conor's family for Christmas, my mom was all about making Thanksgiving happen...and when Trish Tomlinson sets her mind to something, it happens!
As Conor and I sat in the airport waiting to board our flight, we reflected on what we've been thankful for this year (cheesy, I know). Recent highlights include all the people in Colombia who have given us such a warm welcome, the chance to explore and adventure together, and the technology that helps us stay connected to our families (and Scout!) when 2,654 miles seems too far. Speaking of thankful, we were very thankful everyone was willing to travel for us, and thankful Miami turned out to be the perfect place for us all to "meet in the middle." Added bonus- Conor's Gram also joined us since she lives about an hour away from the house we rented. We spent many hours shaded by palm trees, sprawled around the pool and hot tub, talking, laughing, and indulging in holiday goodies. The house was SO nice we barely left. However, Brooke and I did peel ourselves off our pool floats to canvas the local T.J. Maxx and Target, and let me tell you, absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Target, if you´re reading this, I have a great location in mind for your South American flagship store...Cali, Colombia!
Favorites:
-Colegio Bolivar's annual Thanksgiving pot luck dinner
-The school wide Thanksgiving assembly, filled with songs, skits, and speeches about the importance of being thankful
-Tres Cruces and our victorious second attempt at the hike (this time I didn't pass out!)
-Seeing the new Harry Potter movie, "The Crimes of Grindelwald" with a pack of fellow teacher-nerds
- Chicha, a super sweet fermented corn drink popular in Bogotá (no open container laws there!)
-Andres Carne Res, a very famous Colombian steak house measuring seven-square-kilometers (it´s a restaurant, bar, and dance club all rolled into one, and has very elaborate, fantastical decor)
-The Botero Museum, featuring the works of Fernando Botero, a famous Colombian artist known for depicting people and figures in large, obese volume as a means of political commentary and humor
-Scaling (by gondola) Monserrate, Bogotá's tallest mountain to reach the church in the clouds at the top
-Soaking in the hot tub in Miami, and introducing our family to Aguardiente
Getting Schooled:
As mentioned above, a bunch of our teacher-nerd friends went to see the new Harry Potter movie together. I volunteered to order all the tickets in advance (I forgot the Cine Colombia website is all in Spanish), but with the help of google translate, I found the tickets we needed, and ordered. There were some words I didn´t understand, but no big deal right? Standing in line for popcorn, I mentioned that I thought the website said there was something special about our theater, but it got lost in translation..maybe it was better sound?
Cut to all of us snuggled in for the movie, when (apparently) a voice over directs everyone to put on their 3D glasses. I was clueless to this (limited Spanish skills) and just kept munching on my popcorn, while all the other teacher-nerds started scrambling. FYI- in Colombia, you have to purchase your 3D glasses separately when you go to a 3D movie! Ohhhh so that's what was special about this theater, it's 3D. Luckily our friend Travis, who is super fluent in Spanish, offered to come with me as I sprinted to the ticket counter to grab everyone the glasses. Whoops!