But, fnally - here I am - it's 8:15 in the evening as I begin, and it's cooled down to 90 degrees now - should hit the mid-70's sometime during the night. I'm so grateful for an air-conditioned bedroom.
Life has settled into a very comfortable, if slightly boring, routine here. I've switched my spinning classes from evenings to mornings, so start my day by walking to my 6:30 am spinning class. Giradot is very different at this time of day - very little traffic, the streets have just been swept and cleaned, and there's usually a fresh breeze. Speaking of traffic, I have a new appreciation of the need for so many 250cc - 500cc motorcycles. Not only are many people quite poor here, but there are few safe places to park cars in town during the working day and/or in neighborhoods over night. I would never have thought of these small cycles as family transportation, but it's a frequent sight to see them going down the road with dad driving, mom on the back holding a baby off to one side, and an older child smooshed between the parents. Back to the daily routine - after spinning, I come back home for a shower, tutor a little girl in english for an hour or so, have a late breakfast, then head off to the library (to read, work on spanish, etc.) for 4-ish hours. I think it's the only building (other than banks) with ac in this area. Late in the afternoon there's time for a few errands, then "cena" (the light evening meal), after which I meet with Ingrid, a young woman I met who wants to improve her english, so we're trading tutoring: I help her for an hour, then she works with me for an hour. And that's about it...slightly boring.
But of course there just has to be a fly in the ointment. And for me, once again, that's bugs - or more specifically bug bites. None of those awful ants time, but every night, I was getting 4 - 8 bites from something and they itched like crazy for days. Of course no one else here gets bitten - just me. We tried home remedies - they even had the dog treated for fleas - with no luck. In desperation, I soaked my silk underwear (a present from Todd & Renee I'd brought for when I'll be in the mountains) in permethrin, and tried sleeping covered from head to toe (in this weather!) - plus socks - in my 'poison pj's'. It cut down the bites, but I ended up having to see a doctor, who prescribed a (very spendy) repellent for what, as it turns out, is an almost microscopic mosquito. So small they go though any fabric. I surely wish I knew what it is about my blood chemistry that's so irresistible to bugs...
The food in this area is so different from Ecuador and Peru. Bland is an understatement: virtually no spices and few herbs. But fresh, with fresh juice to accompany every meal. Lunch - the main meal - is served sometime between 12:30 and 2:00 and is a 3 or 4 course affair: salad; soup; fish, meat, or chicken; rice or potatoes; and fresh juice. "Tipicos" include patacones (fried green plantains that are absolutely addicting), pan de yucca (also addicting - a bread made from yucca flour; they're best fresh - all the local bakeries make them twice a day), arripas (a type of thick corn tortilla), and avena (a chilled and sweetened oats-based drink that's very rich and memorable). The family I stay with has a cook who's outstanding - I don't think I've had the same main dish twice. One day she made an amazing fruit salad unlike anything I've ever tasted: lulo fruit in a sweet/tart fruit aspic - wow!! I had to take a picture. And then I decided to include this picture of a fish dinner we had at a reserva ecologica named Santafe.
Below are a couple pictures of the "inside" of the house I'm in. It's hard to describe, but some rooms have ceilings, and others don't - they're just open to the sky. When it rains, some rooms/parts of rooms get watered - it's pretty neat! 
Some of you may wonder "how's the spanish coming"? Slowly. Very slowly...there just are no resources here - and trying to learn by 'talking' to people just doesn't work. They can't understand much of what I'm trying to say, and I sure can't understand their rapid local cadence. In addition to Ingrid, I've met another woman - she's also a teacher - and I'll start working with her on Saturday. other. But the total time will be under 8 hours a week.
A note to Merry Jo, Kendall and Heather: Practice the 'usted/ustedes' forms and forget using "tu", at least if you plan to come to Colombia! Here, 'tu' is reserved for the only the very closest personal and family relationships. One of my 'tutors' told me that even for best friends of many years, it's still 'usted'!
Last week I got so fed up with the few really hot weather shirts I brought that I ventured out shopping. Major disappointment - only one store carried anything even remotely in my size - the women here are so petite. I ended up in the men's department to get a t-shirt for sprinning. But - the good news is that there's a strong cottage industry of seamstresses and incredible fabric stores - sort of like we had back home 10 - 15 years ago. So I bought some fabric, and am having 3 blouses made @ $9 each. The process is interesting - no patterns are used. The seamstress hands you a bunch of magazines and you show her blouses or features of blouses you like, then he takes your measurements and tells you when to come back for a fitting - generally 4-5 days. So on Thursday I'll find out if the process works...
This has gotten quite way too long - and without substantial content - likely to bore even my most dedicated friends...mea culpa! Hopefully next time I'll have more interesting things to talk about. Love to all -
Beau/Karen/Mom
With apologies to those who may get this twice...I'm testing the 'automatic notification' feed. If you got it twice, please let me know...thanks for your patience with my learning curve!
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