First 2 teeth!!!

Friday was a lazy morning of getting caught up on school work and work.  A seemed a lot more fussy that normal so we were not sure what was going on with her.  We decided to hang out at the hotel and venture to the grocery store Carulla for lunch.  They have an amazing deli there that we have been scoping out. Rotisserie/broasted chicken is very popular here so we decided to try it.  It was great!  After lunch we stopped off at place called Sammy’s to get Isaac’s hair cut.  We joke that when his hair starts to get a bit long it looks like lego snap on hair as it is so thick.  He was so worried that they would not know what to do or how to cut it.  We were pleasantly surprised at the great job they did and the fact that it was $7 plus free limeaid while we waited.  Our friends the Bosley’s have had Sentencia and have been in Bogota working on all the paperwork to bring their 3 boys back to New Orleans.  We are really going to miss them as they are leaving at 4:30am in the morning.  We decided to send them off with a fiesta/dance party Friday night.  We turned the dining room in to a dance floor and blasted the Colombian music.  Those boys can dance that is for sure!! Even Jeff got out on the floor and shook his groove thing with Juanita.  I caught it all on video!! So funny.   The kids were up late dancing, jumping on beds and having a great time.  What a great night hanging out with new friends filled with so much laughter!

Saturday am we slept in a bit as A did not sleep well at night.  We realized in the am that 2 bottom teeth are poking through.  YAY!!! This explains the crabbiness and excessive drooling!! :-)  After a long nap she was back to her happy self.  It is going to be a long weekend here as Monday is a holiday.  We love the weekends but we also know not much is happening with our stuff in the courts.  We ventured out for a walk to the Santa Barbara Mall for lunch at Andres Carne de Res express and did some shopping.  We were surprised to find some of the markets open.   We also ran in to a driver for one of the families at the hotel hanging out with his friends.  Our friend Carol says that when you are in a city of 8 million people and you run in to people you know you have been there too long!! HA!!  Behind the mall we found a trampoline type ride for kids.  Isaac gave it a try and I was so surprised as usually he is so cautious.  It was crazy and he loved every minute of it!!   We played at McDonalds play land before walking back to the hotel.  It was a great day and beautiful weather!!  It is a bit quiet at our hotel now!! We are so happy our friends are back home however!!  Isaac met up with Jefferson at the park to play soccer before dinner. 

Sunday Freddy came and picked us up around 9:30.  We headed down to La Candalaria for a walking tour and to a traditional Colombian flea market that the locals go to.  On our way we passed Monserrate and we were shocked at the people waiting in line.  Majority of them were locals.  I bet there were more that 1,000 people waiting to go up the mountain.  Freddy said there is a mass held every hour on Sundays and people will wait in line for hours to attend!  La Candalaria is like the old city and has a lot of Spanish Colonial architecture which I have fallen in love with.  So beautiful and so much detail!! I can only imagine what these buildings looked like when they were brand new!  Freddy is so knowledgeable about the history.  Every street has a name with some significance and history.  The street that the old jail was on was named Calle del Divorcio.  When we asked why Freddy explained that if a married woman was caught cheating with another man her husband would file for divorce and while they waited for the divorce papers to be final the woman would have to wait in jail.  When I asked if this would happen if a man was cheating and his wife was filing Freddy laughed and said of coarse not!!  HA!!  Many of these buildings are very old and some are being restored.  I hope to bring something home that represents this architecture.  We wanted to visit a place with antiques but it was closed today so we may have to venture back here.  Freddy also took us to a flea market where furniture is sold and that many locals visit.  I loved everything but don’t have a suitcase big enough to fit anything!!  We stopped at a little stand where Isaac tried a traditional Colombian dessert.  It is called Obleas con arequipe .  It was like a wafer sandwich with the middle smeared with arequipe (caramel like frosting) and topped with sprinkles, coconut and chocolate chips.  Another wafer is put on the top and you eat it like a sandwich.  It was delicious and I think Isaac has another Colombian favorite like the ajiaco soup!!  We passed by an area of restaurants that Freddy said serve guinea pig which is a delicacy.  Needless to say we kept walking.  He said he likes it but we had no desire to try it.  What they refer to as a guinea pig sounds a bit different than what we think of but we were still not interested!! Yuck!! :-)  After we toured the area and went to few markets we went to the Botero art museum.  This has many works by Botero and also other famous painters such as Monet and Picasso.  It was a free museum to get in to.  Attached to this museum is a money museum.  Isaac was excited to learn the history of Colombian money and see old coins made of gold.  We were also able to see the presses that make different coins and even some that make the money they use today.    We spent some time jewelry shopping downtown before heading to lunch.  We had a late lunch with Freddy  at a cool restaurant that had an extensive collection of toys hanging from the walls and in display cases.  Such an amazing day!!  We were able to end the day Skyping with my parents.  It was great to catch up with them and we miss them terribly!!

Pilar has emailed Jeff stating that she had talked to our attorney as she was supposed to go out of town for a day this coming week.  He told her she would be OK to go this week so I am sure we will not hear any news this coming week as it will be week 4 of the papers being in the courts.  Pray that this comes for us soon!


 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.  They will soar high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and will not faint.  (Isaiah 40:31 NLT)

Here are some pics for you!! 

Going to miss these kiddos!!

Flying High!

LOVE!!

Yumm-O!!

It is always adventure with Freddy!!

Botero Sculpture

Money press

Update and Divercity

UPDATE:  We wanted to let you know that our representative's assistant called and said that she has talked with the casa and we were assigned a court that is "average" in speed, not fast, but thankfully not slow.  She said that she expects our papers to be there 4-5 weeks and then we will get Sentencia.  As of Friday 3/21 they will have been there 3 weeks.  So we expect 1-2 more weeks and then once we have Sentencia (where the judge declares we are A's new family and signs off on the adoption) we will have 1 week of getting her an appt at the US embassy, an MD visit, getting her visa etc.   So we are thinking we will be here at least another 3 weeks or so.  While we are hopeful for this we know that anything can change at any time!! :-)

Wednesday was a low key day of getting more work and homework done.  Our friends the Thompsons who are here on vacation are leaving for Villa De Leyva today so we said goodbye this morning!! It was fun getting to know them and we will have to get together once we are home being they live so close!  We ate lunch at our hotel as we had bought some bread and peanut butter and jelly for sandwiches.  We had been craving this and had some fruit and yogurt also.  We then headed out for a walk and stopped by Mcdonalds for ice cream and to play in the play land.  The boys enjoyed playing together all afternoon.  We enjoy days where we don't have a lot going on!

Thursday we called a cab and headed to Divercity.  It has come very highly recommended by several of our friends who have been here.  It is literally set up as an entire city built for kids.  We could have spent all day there.  You enter and visit the bank to get a credit card that has a little money on it to spend.  There are like 40 different occupational things to choose to learn about.  Each station takes 10-20 minutes (except mining which takes 45 minutes) and only kids are allowed to enter.  While parents sit on park benches to wait for their kids (we heard that there is an adult daycare to go to with coffee and massage chairs but we wanted to witness this place), there are miniature firetrucks with kids dressed in full gear, a city bus driving with passengers, and even an ambulance with the doctor dressed in full gear going by.   The place is 2 stories high and surrounded by a road with store fronts for different occupations and feels like a city that you walk through with a fountain and a park in the middle.  Isaac enjoyed the grocery store,  going mining and looking for various minerals, learning about being a veterinarian (which had live animals--dogs, birds, fish), the airline pilot school, the gym (which had miniature cycle bikes and wii games with soccer and dancing), the car dealership, rock climbing, working as an MD at the hospital (the surgical suite even had a kid size scrub sink), and the space station. He even had to get his own drivers license to drive the cars.  Everything was very realistic including the gas pumps, dental chair, Operating room, everything was kid sized etc.  It is just so hard to describe.  What an amazing place!!    The kids would earn money at places to work and have to spend money at places like the grocery store, and the gym.  If the kids have enough $ at the end they can go to Pepe Ganga and pick out a prize to bring home.  Isaac was a bit short on $ so he wanted to give it to a little girl that was there.  She was very excited!!  Isaac was so excited that he had his own credit card!! We spent the majority of the morning and early afternoon there.  We went during the week as it was a lot less busy.  It was located inside the mall so we were able to have lunch here and do a little shopping before heading back to our hotel.  It was AMAZING and Jeff and I just kept saying that we need something like this in MN.   We made sure to tell our friends at the hotel about it so they can bring their kids.  I was very blown away by how this is set up and run and how much fun Isaac had and how much he learned.  WOW!!!  What an absolutely amazing place!

We had a pizza buffet for dinner tonight and the kids played for hours while all the adults visited.  Such a great way to end a great day!!  Our friends the Bosleys have been working on their paper work after sentencia and will be heading back to New Orleans on Saturday am at 4:30.  We are really going to miss them and Isaac is going to really miss having the boys here.

Here are some more pictures for you!!

His first real credit card!! 

Learning about caring for animals

A drivers license?? Watch out!! :-)

Isaac MD

Spin class!!

Full size airplane with pilot school

The city bus

view of the OR

Pizza Buffet!! 

Our friends Joe, Sebastian, Sofia, and Lisa Thompson...they are here visiting on vacation.  Kids were adopted from here in 2001 and 2004!

Our friends the Bosleys, they have sentencia and will be heading home to New Orleans on Saturday am.  Angel, Raphael, Hernando, Colleen and Jason.  Isaac will really miss these boys!!  Love them all!

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. (Proverbs 17:22 NLT)

Coffee Plantation

Monday was another low key day after a long day on Sunday.  We wanted to be sure to have A get some good sleep.  We ventured out to El corral gourmet for lunch and played at the park.  Isaac loves hanging at the hotel as the other families are here with many kids his age.  We are really going to miss them when they go home.  One family with 3 boys is hoping to leave at the end of the week.  We are praying that all of their final paperwork goes smoothly!!

Tuesday we hired Freddy to take us to a coffee plantation 2 hours outside of the city.  There is another area in the country where most of the coffee is produced but it is 7-8 hours from here.  This is a small plantation but Freddy said we will learn about how coffee is grown, roasted etc.  Being that this country is the third largest exporter of all coffee beans we thought it would be great to learn more about it.

 We have found that traveling to our destination is almost as fun as getting there.  There are so many things to see and learn along the way.  Going to the plantation required us to drive through the entire city.  We were able to pass through the south side of the city which is considered fairly unsafe and the poor area of the city.  Freddy said that over a quarter of the city's population lives on the south side.  He said many people live together with many members of their family.  Many people are very happy even though they have very little.  We passed by many markets and stands selling fruits, vegetables, flowers, hardware, but the place that sticks out in our mind was the meat market.  An open air market that runs from 7am-2pm every day.  It was a small section off the street that we were driving down but you saw MANY diffent types of meat hanging from chickens to full pigs.  The smell was indescribable.  Freddy said that the meat is very cheap there but again it is out and not refrigerated for several hours.  He said many people get sick after eating what they purchase.  Very sad!

It was a 1.5 hour drive once out of the city through the country side to get to the plantation.  The coffee needs a warm environment to grow so it is at a much lower elevation than the city.  We drove through many small towns and many mountain valleys.  My pictures and video don't do the view justice as it went from 65 degrees to almost 85 in that short distance however in the valleys the clouds get trapped so it appears kind of gloomy.  We told Freddy that many of the views that these tiny homes and restaurants have are views that would be worth millions in the US.

When we reached the plantation we were able to see many tropical flowers in full bloom along with hundreds of coffee plants.  Orchids are also grown in this region and were extremely beautiful.  We learned the entire process of coffee production.  We also learned that 99% of the coffee produced in Colombia is exported so Freddy said that if you drink coffee here in the country it won't be that great.  We also learned that you should always buy your coffee as beans.  When you buy it ground up to 50% can be mixed with beans that are not of great quality.  We were able to try the coffee bean in a raw form.  It had a bit of a sugar taste.  They have to be soaked and dried to get rid of the sugar taste.  Many beans are picked by hand which is a very labor intensive process yet provides many jobs for people.  We learned that if you drink decaffeinated coffee it has to go through a chemical process to remove the caffeine.  It was a very interesting process and a process which no part of the plant is wasted.  In the parts of the bean that are removed they are used for fertilizer of the trees or burned in the roasting of the beans process.  We were able to see how they roast the beans and at the end of the tour we were able to try some of the coffee along with a coffee liquor that is made at the plantation.  Isaac tried both before we knew it was liquor...oops! :-) It was a great learning experience and we are so glad that we went!!

After our tour, we stopped at a restaurant recommended by Freddy for lunch.  It was amazing as usual traditional Colombian food.  We were in a region where rabbit is consumed but Freddy said most people are not interested in trying it so he thought this restaurant would be good.  Jeff was relieved as he was not too interested in rabbit!  The view was absolutely stunning of a river valley that went on for miles.  The best part of the restaurant was that it had a pool.  Once we were done eating, Jeff and Isaac went for a quick swim.  It was 85 so they were happy to cool off.

On our way back from the plantation Freddy drove us through an area that is considered one of the poorest areas inside the city.  He said he felt comfortable going here but the other side of the mountain was very dangerous.  Once again Isaac was looking out the window and later made a comment he is very thankful for all he has.   Being this area is inside the city most houses have some form of electricity and access to water and are built from cinderblock, a bit nicer than what we have seen in the countryside.  Almost every house we have seen here has collection bins on the roof to collect rain water.  Freddy said it is used for many things but not for drinking.

It was a great day and we are so thankful to have Freddy to take us places.  We are hoping to go with him this weekend again.  The family that is here on vacation is leaving the hotel tomorrow to visit a town about 3 hours from here called Villa De Leyva.  We have talked that we may also want to visit this area.  Katya told us that in the news there has been talks of an agricultural strike however which may close the roads in the weeks to come.  So we are not sure if we will make it there or not.  Waiting to see what happens but hoping that we can go to see the city.

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” (Psalms 46:10 NLT)

Photos for you:

This orchid smelled like vanilla

Bamboo is also grown in this region.  Outside the plantation you see many shops selling furniture made of bamboo!

Coffee plant and beans

When the beans turn a cherry color they are ready to harvest

Preparing beans for roasting, a small sample for us to taste!

Freddy explaining the light-dark roast

This little hut is where we had an amazing lunch overlooking a river valley!

Countryside

The pool at the restaurant!! 

Buenos Noches Amigos!! 

Andres Carne De Res...WOW!!!

Today was another amazing day in Bogota!!  16 of us headed out early in the am and went to the markets.   When we got to La Fontana hotel a family was told there is no market by security.  Not sure if he really knew so we kept on walking to Usaquen.  We will have our hotel call that hotel next week to see about having brunch there and to see if there is a market.  We wandered around Usaquen for a couple hours and Katya had arranged a few drivers to pick us up outside Hacienda Santa Barbara to take us all to the town of Chia at 1230.  Another family from France decided to join us that is working with the Bosley’s agency.  We piled everyone in to 3 vehicles and headed out.  Traffic was its usual horrible self.  Many people travel outside of Bogota on the weekends.  It took us about 1 hour and we arrived at the restaurant that has come highly recommended called Andres Carne de Res. 

There are several locations but the restaurant in Chia is the main location.  We were told this is a very fun place to visit with a group of people.   We were told the owner has collected many things over the last 25 years that are eclectic pieces of art made from recycled products.  We were also told that there are many activities for kids.  The restaurant holds almost 3000 people.   We arrived and were dropped off by our driver Herman.  The other drivers of the other 2 cars, David and Andres decided to come in with us and we are so glad they did to help us interpret. 

There are no words to describe this place.  It was huge!! They had many different kitchens and bars, multiple buildings, and many people.  There was art everywhere hanging from the ceiling, bar stools made from recycled materials and crazy waiters.  We were told to ask for the “welcome” as we were there for the first time.  They sent over 3 men playing trumpet and trombone and a clown to sing to us and throw confetti.  The menu was literally almost 75 pages of different options and drinks and even cigars and cigarettes.  They saw that ½ of our crew was children so we were seated in an area that was near the kids activities.  Imagine an area with a puppet show, face painting, rock climbing wall, soccer fields, punching bags, wood working for kids, bead making, popcorn and cotton candy makers, coloring and painting stations and lots of kids.  It was absolutely crazy.  SO FUN!!  The kids had a blast.  The adults were on sensory overload!! J  We were there for about 4 hours.  A only slept for about 30 min but as long as she was fed she was happy as a clam. 

I will post some pictures as there is simply no real way to describe this place.  Andrescarnederes.com is the website if you want to check it out. 

Here are a few pictures for you:

Being some of our friends are still waiting for Sentencia also I can not post pics of our group yet.  There will be more to come!!

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;

my heart exults,

and with my song I give thanks to him.

Psalm 28:7

Zona Rosa

On Friday we headed out via taxi to park 93 and an area called Zona Rosa.  It is a large shopping area with many restaurants, store fronts and a large mall that is very modern called Andino.  We first told the cab driver to drop us of at the park.  When we arrived we found the entire park area under construction.  It was kind of a bummer but it was great to walk around and see all the restaurants and shopping.  We spent a couple hours wandering the area and ate at the Hard Rock café for lunch.  It is a very fun and upscale area of town that many people have mentioned we check out.  Freddy gave us names of many restaurants to eat at so we may venture back to this area depending on how long we are here.   We spent some time at the mall and Isaac was excited to find a store with a lot of American candies.  He started filling a bag full and when we went to ring it up it was almost 16$.  He was happy and we were a bit in shock! HA!! He also found a Lego store.  Legos are crazy expensive here.  Almost double the cost!! So needless to say he did a lot of window shopping!

Today a few families decided to venture to the salt Cathedral with a driver and the other family went on a tour of downtown.  Being we have been there we decided to call a cab and head to an area with many artesian gift stores that Katya recommended we visit.  Many of our friends had been to an artesian store called Maku while they have been here.  This store closed that was in walking distance from our hotel so we wanted to see something similar.  The owner’s brother owns a store called El Balay.  It was about a 15 minute cab ride to this area.  We bought many little things and a few larger things to have in our home.  To our surprise there were several stores like this one in the area.  Katya described the neighborhood as a typical Colombian neighborhood with many people in the working class.  We wandered through many of the shops and then picked our treasures.  We then ate lunch at an Arepa grill.  True authentic Colombian food.  It was AMAZING as usual!! Being we are a little further out and in a less touristy area we did not drink the water or ice and did not eat the small salad.  :-)  It started to rain around 1:30 so we decided it was time to head back.  We tried for almost 45 min to hale a cab from the street.  We even had the restaurant try calling.  One of the owners from the store saw that A and I were in the rain so she had us come in the store and sit down.  She wanted to be sure A was not cold.  She was so very sweet.  Another experience of people really caring for you.  Taxis are very busy on Saturdays and it was raining so when one finally showed up we were happy to get on the road!!

There are 4 other families here at the hotel now!  It is so nice to have them here with us.  It can get kind of loud at dinner time and the kids are having a ball together!  One family the Bosley’s adopted 3 boys from Bucaramunga.  They are here in the city for the next week as they have received sentencia and need to complete the rest of their paperwork.    Jeff and Heather are here from Portland adopting their son Jefferson who is 10 years old.  There is another family from Italy adopting their daughter Carol who is 8 years old.  We also have one other family who is here on vacation with their children Sebastian and Sophia who were adopted in 2001 and 2004.  They live in Shoreview!! They brought the kids back for vacation over spring break.  It has been so fun to have some other families here to talk with and the kids are having a blast playing together!! A few will just be here a short time while others plan to be here for awhile.  We are really enjoying the company and they are great people.  I am sure we will stay in touch!!    The kids are all really getting along and the adults have a lot of time to socialize and drink some cerbesa (beer)!!  I will be sure to get a few family photos of them! :-)

Once back at the hotel we are making plans for tomorrow with some of the other families.  We plan to hit the market at La Fontana hotel which we have heard is wonderful and maybe head to Usaquen.  Katya thinks we should head to Andres Carne de Res in Chia tomorrow afternoon so we will have to coordinate a few drivers as if we all go it will be 19 people.  This afternoon Isaac enjoyed hanging out with Sebastian, he is 11 and from Shoreview near our home, discussing all things Minecraft and A napped for almost 3 hours.  We headed to Carrulla for some snacks and fruit.  We are looking forward to a great evening socializing with our new friends on a similar journey!!

Psalm 104:34 May all my thoughts be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.

Photo courtesy of Isaac!! :-)

He was so excited to find gummy bears and m and m's

Fun park area and nice hotel in Zona Rosa

Nice mall

Great food for lunch!!