First Time...Underwater Photography

First Time...Underwater Photography
        
        I am going to write a blog tomorrow about my week with Gloria. But, I want to share the photographs from my holiday at La Playa del Muerto with Jairo, Jairo's family, and Jair. Playa Del Muerto is located near Santa Marta and is the most tranquil, beautiful beach I have ever visited. We drove to a beach on a bumpy road and then took a small boat to La Playa Del Muerto. Upon arriving, we hung our beach supplies on a tree, made our campsite for the day, and began to build sandcastles and snorkel around the coral in the sea. My holiday at the beach was beyond amazing. As I taught Jair and Jairo to say, "This is the life!"

En el Carro

     We woke up early in the morning so we could be at the beach all day. I was planning on sleeping in the car, but instead I observed the towns we passed alongside the road. Jairo told me interesting information about each town and I was able to see what life outside of the city looks like.

The Beautiful View

Jairo and His Family

Boat Ride to the Beach

Our Home for the Day

Jair with Sofia's Sandcastle

I've always wanted to be a mermaid!

Time to Snorkel!

Presbyterians Go Snorkeling!

I am proud of my photography skills with this photo.

School of Fish

Heading to the bottom to find some treasures of the sea!

Representing Colombia!

I found a fish-snake!

  

There were fish of every size and color!

A long day at the beach led to a siesta on a tree. 

      I spent my holiday with one of my many Colombian families. I experienced a different world, outside of the busy city. We relaxed with no technology and lots of laughter. La Playa Del Muerto treated me well! I am sure some of you are wondering how my Spanish is coming along...I speak more Spanish each day. The people I spend the most time with tell me that my Spanish has vastly improved. Speaking a new language is challenging and there are numerous funny mistakes that are made throughout the day. My new friends want me to practice English with them, so I speak in Spanish and they speak in English. Our days are consumed with two languages and constant laughter! Until next time...hasta manana. 

First Time I'm Considered Colombian

          If you know me, you know I love to be tan. I got some sun in Charlotte before coming to Colombia so that, #1, I would not get sun burned every day in the hot Barranquilla sun, and #2, so I could hopefully fit in as a Colombian and not a tourist.  Much to my dismay, people always know I am not a natural-born Colombian (my Colombian friends say it is because I have blue eyes and wear tourist shoes...Sperrys and Keens). I even bought a Colombia soccer jersey, got my fingernails done in Colombia colors, and wear Colombia accessories! I do not look like the Barranquilleros, but I do love their country and their people close to the way they do. The people who spot me out as a tourist do not realize that even though I am not a natural-born Colombian, I am a Colombian for many reasons. Two of those are because of my love for the people of this country, specifically Barranquilla, and because of my Colombian spirit during soccer games!

Colombian pride in one of my new homes

German y Yo

Una Fiesta

        I am also a Colombian because I have many new families in Colombia. Everytime I meet a new person or family I find myself saying, "I like them so much or me gusta..." Each day I meet someone new and am delighted to be in their presence. Last week I spent time at the office of the Presbytery of Barranquilla. I was able to meet every person that walked in the door and sit-in on top-secret meetings (just kidding about the top secret part, but they were muy chevere!) I even got an official "Iglesia Presbiteriana de Colombia" notebook. I have a family at the office of the Presbytery of Colombia, which makes me Colombian.

Jair, Assistant Secretary of the Presbytery

German, Jairo, and Diego in a meeting

         I had the privilege of meeting the members of my sister church, La Iglesia Cuarta, at the end of the week and moved in with their pastor, Gloria for the week. I spent one day with a family from the church and attended a barbecue at La Iglesia Cuarta on Saturday evening. I worshipped with them on Sunday and was able to engage in conversations about peace and how Iglesia Presbiteriana de Colombia can involve themselves in learning about peace and how to achieve some sort of peace in this country, in this city, and in our world. I spent Sunday afternoon with a young adult from the congregation and her family. We were able to get to know each other and even watch the USA soccer game! I am a Colombian because of my connections with the people of Iglesia Presbiteriana de Colombia.

Barbecue with La Iglesia Cuarta

Jair and Angela, Young Adults in the Presbytery

The Osio Family

Rapidamente, My Time

Rapidamente, My Time

I have spent six days in Barranquilla. They have been the fastest six days of my life! I have been to various places in the city, worshiped about four times, and met a plethora of new people. I have received and given more kisses on cheeks, as greetings, than I ever have before. I have been welcomed by, what seems like, everyone in the city. I have already been changed…and it has only been six days!

                   

My life in Charlotte and Troy is consumed with various activities. I am always going somewhere to work, study, visit with friends, or run errands. I do not know what to do when I am not busy. My life in Barranquilla is very similar to my life in the United States. I have opportunities to visit new places and meet new people every day. I go to at least two different places each day and meet countless numbers of people. I soak up knowledge of my new language and make endless mistakes while speaking Spanish each day! Gina and I always manage to make time for a siesta (nap time after lunch) before the second part of the day. I look forward to sharing all of my stories with anyone who wants to listen. But, for the purpose of this blog and for the sake of my readers’ time, I cannot share every story, every moment, or every funny language mistake that I make.

                  

Mi Amiga, Johana, la profesora a El Colegio Nazareth Olaya

On Saturday morning, I was a part of a Presbytery meeting for Sunday School teachers. I understood most of what was said (my level of comprehension of Spanish is much better when people speak slowly. My new phrase is “hablar despaseo por favor”).  Jairo translated for me, so I was able to know what they were meeting about. After the meeting, I watched Colombia play in the World Cup with some youth from the Presbytery. I have never seen people so excited about a game! Each time Colombia scored, loud music played in the streets, everyone cheered, and people honked their car horns. That evening, I met a member of Kirkmont Summer Staff, Camilo, the son of Gloria, with whom I will be living with for ten days. Camilo drove me around Barranquilla and then we went to the biggest mall in the city, BuenaVista. We met Gina and Omar for dinner at Crepes y Waffles, a Colombian restaurant with an American twist, where I indulged in crepes and ice-cream. I have been to three malls thus far. The malls have food courts with good, traditional Colombian food! They also have grocery stores and restaurants, so we generally eat meals at malls.

        

Ice-Cream at Crepes y Waffles; the big class is the "Brazil Special" for the World Cup

On Sunday, I had the privilege of worshiping at La Iglesia Septima Presbiteriana Barranquilla, the home church of Gina and Omar Bolivar. I was introduced to the congregation three times and gave American candy to the children...and Omar! I sang the songs and was able to be present the day that Gina preached. Being in worship with Iglesia Septima was a gift from God.

Church with the children and Michael, a student from Lee University in Tennessee

The beginning of this week consisted of a day by the pool with Alexandra, the daughter of a pastor who works at the Presbytery, working out at the gym with Jair (Assistant to the Secretary of the Presbytery), delicious breakfasts cooked by Omar, muchos mangos, speaking only in Spanish, visiting a community that Iglesia Septima supports, and time at the office of the Presbytery. 

                      

                     

Swimming with Alexandra at the oldest and most famous hotel in Barranquilla, the Hotel El Prado

As I sit in my new “office” in the office of the Presbytery of the North Coast, I am reminded of how much I have already learned. I am also reminded of the various activities I have already been a part of and the many experiences I have to look forward to. I am reminded of the Bible verse that I often refer to: Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven; a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to le and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” While many of these verses do not apply to my time in Colombia, they apply for all of us in our lives. 

Visiting the community that Iglesia Septima supports

           Remembering to relax, show emotion, learn from my mistakes, salsa dance, be vulnerable, pray, and make different decisions is a part of my life in Colombia. While learning a new language and being totally immersed in a new culture is difficult, I know there is a time and a place for everything. Barranquilla, Colombia is my place and this is my time…to learn a new language, immerse myself in a new culture, advance my knowledge of Iglesia Presbiteriana de Colombia, and gain experiences of a lifetime.

Hola, Lo Siento, Gracias

Hola, Lo Siento, Gracias

“Hola! Lo siento. Gracias. Lo siento. Gracias. Habla Ingles. Lo siento. Gracias. Gracias.”

The line above is the vocabulary I used yesterday in Miami, Bogota, and Barranquilla. In each airport and on each plane, my rolling carry-on kept bumping into people, lo siento...I asked for directions, gracias...I was friendly, hola...and the cycle repeated itself over and over!

I flew from Charlotte to Miami. As I exited one terminal and entered security for another terminal, I quickly realized that I needed to try to start thinking of sentences in Spanish. I wanted to be able to tell Gina a few different things and be able to ask the flight attendants about customs and my luggage. I also wanted to be able to be friendly to the people I would sit beside on the plane. So, as I sat at my gate in Miami, I dug out my pocket-sized Spanish-English Dictionary (I have a large one, too) and began to put together different sentences using the Memo pad on my phone. I believe I was the only not-native Spanish-speaker on the airplane, so when people looked at me and giggled I knew it was because I was casually reading my dictionary to develop sentences...oh, and probably because I was wearing my passport belt under my clothes for safety,  except that I was not in a loose shirt so everyone could see the belt anyway! I’m still laughing as I think about my experiences yesterday.

       I arrived in Bogota with plenty of time to spare. I sat beside a Play Therapist (which I might be interested in as a career) from Bogota who lives in Miami , on the plane and she helped me figure out my customs information. Luckily, I did not have to pick up my checked bag and go through customs with it. I had some time to relax in the airport…I should have thought about relaxing before I wandered around the airport looking for people who spoke enough English to explain Bogota’s gate system to me! Eventually I talked to a woman who explained to me that the gates for flights are not posted until thirty minutes before the scheduled boarding time. So, I was at ease…until the gate was changed and my flight was delayed. I made it onto the flight and was almost asleep before boarding was finished when the man beside me struck up a conversation. He did not speak English and my Spanish lacks in many areas. But, somehow we communicated and learned about one another. We also both talked to the boy beside us who was on an airplane for his first time. I was reminded of how speaking is not the only way to communicate; hand gestures, inflection in our voices helps us to know the tone of the conversation, and cooperation and patience make the conversation interesting!

         I was greeted by Gina and Jairo as I walked out of baggage claim in Cartagena. As the photo shows, I could not contain my excitement! The three of us talked and talked and talked on the drive to Barranquilla. We got acquainted with one another and worked on speaking slowly so we could each understand! I spoke to them about how, after my time in Bogota, I have a deeper understanding of how people feel when they come to the United States and many of us only speak English. Although I was stressing out a little bit, I was not frustrated. I had no reason to be frustrated because I am in a Spanish-speaking country and I do not speak Spanish. My time in Bogota did give me even more of a reason to learn to speak Spanish!

         After getting some rest in my new bed at my new home, I journeyed out into Barranquilla with Gina. I spoke “Spanglish” all day and decided that in two to three days, I am not allowing myself to speak any English at all. Living in a country where I do not speak the language is difficult. I was overwhelmed and flustered at a few different times during the day because it is hard to speak a language that is not my native tongue. But, I know that I have support from every person that I am visiting in Barranquilla. They are patient with me while I stumble through sentences and I am patient with them as they try to remember to speak slowly. The next five weeks are going to be filled with stumbling, Spanglish, laughter, faith, and hopefully some “real” Spanish!