tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46857856340399303652024-03-05T06:05:40.352-07:00Ask Me if I'm a PomegranateRandom thoughts, musings, and updates from me as I leave my safe, care-free life in Denver for the exciting challenge of 9th graders in Medellin, Colombia.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-4944018976507312312009-10-20T16:00:00.017-06:002009-10-20T17:19:10.803-06:00What I've been up to latelyAs I mentioned in a previous post, I left Colombia to come back to the US. When I left, I had no concrete options in place, so the plan was to live with mom and dad until I could find something.<br /><br />It's now October 20th and I'm still looking. Man, the economy sucks these days! Or at least that's what I keep telling myself so that I don't feel quite so un-hireable. I've got my application in at the schools here in order to substitute teach, but I've only been called for one job, which, unfortunately, I had to call in sick for. Dang swine flu!<br /><br />So what's next? Not sure. I've been applying for different jobs (not here in Kemmerer--I love mom and dad, but I've got to get out of here!), most of them connected to education in some manner: administration type positions at the college level, community college math teaching, that kind of stuff. Haven't heard anything yet, which is kind of a bummer and definitely makes me doubt my skills (whatever they are). I know I need to be patient and trust that God will provide, but I'm certainly getting impatient. And frustrated. And broke.<br /><br />In the meantime, I've been 'the best helper ever' to my parents at home. I've been having fun cooking dinner, even making dad try some new things. I thoroughly enjoy laundry day. I washed the walls in the living room and halls for mom when she and dad were on vacation. I've organized her pantry and a cupboard (only about 20 left to do). I helped her can fresh peaches and pears. I helped dad cut down and haul away 2 huge willow trees from the yard. I'm awesome like that. And it helps me feel slightly less guilty about living here rent-free. I am completely grateful that they are willing and able to help me out right now.<br /><br />Aside from 'working,' I've watched a lot of TV, saw a good friend get married, gone to 2 WYO football games, and been able to watch my cousins Kaylee and Jaden play volleyball and 6-man jr. high football, respectively. It's actually been a rewarding autumn, despite the lack of job opportunities.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">A FEW DAYS IN THE LIFE OF ME</span><br /><br />The fruit always looks so pretty in the jars like this!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJ6EwPdCA1aeQKk5cnBNYiqAsW4gjdg4rEPDi2Fm4yM9VmA5-2TV_r41ND0GqIvPpa6IfGCueYQLicgMZTZXLdrIRjzOyfUO5Jq0-PEH5YggRESTWYmg87MLG-JRPvyVdMPHQ38bEzhY/s1600-h/fruit.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJ6EwPdCA1aeQKk5cnBNYiqAsW4gjdg4rEPDi2Fm4yM9VmA5-2TV_r41ND0GqIvPpa6IfGCueYQLicgMZTZXLdrIRjzOyfUO5Jq0-PEH5YggRESTWYmg87MLG-JRPvyVdMPHQ38bEzhY/s320/fruit.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394814720040882722" border="0" /></a><br />Before.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpchLjWn43qHijMCmXH1ouEb5yaf7TeB30RLGpFE7ld7TM5stARIZqzsDTCSmDMSIALcgJ-zZ_vOBsPYt3f4K6i69-BemXRWRVzi9p45_UkLso19IkH2P5BwX-m_ZXTTFrXXSfD2gNe0/s1600-h/before.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpchLjWn43qHijMCmXH1ouEb5yaf7TeB30RLGpFE7ld7TM5stARIZqzsDTCSmDMSIALcgJ-zZ_vOBsPYt3f4K6i69-BemXRWRVzi9p45_UkLso19IkH2P5BwX-m_ZXTTFrXXSfD2gNe0/s320/before.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394809745176790338" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Dad trying to start the chainsaw.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-e06uQhTd5mXK2UPMEpaqfUY-a8LR2aVVS2B_mkhyphenhyphenGPM7Oj_ZH0SNxZZTugPmB80jHgfbfjt-1UeKjAa5ZA1HfZbabEeDNqXlqouvSsIbZviN4UdwGvIuMGUeQOf3JbZaudW0yPqgd0/s1600-h/chainsaw.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-e06uQhTd5mXK2UPMEpaqfUY-a8LR2aVVS2B_mkhyphenhyphenGPM7Oj_ZH0SNxZZTugPmB80jHgfbfjt-1UeKjAa5ZA1HfZbabEeDNqXlqouvSsIbZviN4UdwGvIuMGUeQOf3JbZaudW0yPqgd0/s320/chainsaw.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394809955956395266" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Limb 1 down.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5NqAWU7fMsbEJOLMBqP93jwJ4BQPeHwgTSABbTayaukIFcSyATlmEd7UanaFMD9VPqoc-AhsEPHibViMOn0gtCoE_7RrOT2OeN5c-WCKcNVqrsSG9-aF0hVOasZESWHKNQN0bbNg9LTk/s1600-h/limb1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5NqAWU7fMsbEJOLMBqP93jwJ4BQPeHwgTSABbTayaukIFcSyATlmEd7UanaFMD9VPqoc-AhsEPHibViMOn0gtCoE_7RrOT2OeN5c-WCKcNVqrsSG9-aF0hVOasZESWHKNQN0bbNg9LTk/s320/limb1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394810174271774834" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Halfway there.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0SjedQYFLe27-KX_-L_VhctRH6J1lvQlwibJHF-Pf9Yy8Ic6tyWm10_PYWTluANRR8Cj5eTepskcEMaN8UMrFgwz1PkOSCrmgZ1t8wAT64b2-0g_sVr8kgwQV2zIfEnE9_0bBgQEJ4w/s1600-h/halfway.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0SjedQYFLe27-KX_-L_VhctRH6J1lvQlwibJHF-Pf9Yy8Ic6tyWm10_PYWTluANRR8Cj5eTepskcEMaN8UMrFgwz1PkOSCrmgZ1t8wAT64b2-0g_sVr8kgwQV2zIfEnE9_0bBgQEJ4w/s320/halfway.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394810372143496082" border="0" /></a><br />Done.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOkgJLjC0Di7HJnCKWPrG-4renVOH_K51WAP0Z-JWR7x4MFszATm5oJYKsL4u5Npy_xeQLO66TetAxIiDZjl1ELXgA5oTeU2IwnPYGxELerTj5JJZAuw9dGJFW2SS0Mfh_Swu_Cd8SQA/s1600-h/done.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOkgJLjC0Di7HJnCKWPrG-4renVOH_K51WAP0Z-JWR7x4MFszATm5oJYKsL4u5Npy_xeQLO66TetAxIiDZjl1ELXgA5oTeU2IwnPYGxELerTj5JJZAuw9dGJFW2SS0Mfh_Swu_Cd8SQA/s320/done.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394810667386243874" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkC9G0Dbzl3aaxofbfqG9T-rSL0MZ1wEpQC2bP8GMsW-GxuTNF-X1vnLnhPt44tJWGntF1YiGqsmdUuE3D5XxHvUIoFbiqLkP7T-LGco9FMBFV9cITNDyBeiAzXCxXFlKhOF3WHhemlnk/s1600-h/after.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkC9G0Dbzl3aaxofbfqG9T-rSL0MZ1wEpQC2bP8GMsW-GxuTNF-X1vnLnhPt44tJWGntF1YiGqsmdUuE3D5XxHvUIoFbiqLkP7T-LGco9FMBFV9cITNDyBeiAzXCxXFlKhOF3WHhemlnk/s320/after.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394805871701273714" border="0" /></a><br />Jaden is the cutest little center there ever was. It's a good thing he's mean!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfQkrrAI5T6A_Zm1ZNFwZnhu_FAannV2FXBxNHxgclzACxG8wE_OWrfF2KYvk9aZ2WU9RQvjJohzHzgdymPDnMXYX604X1JOE8jYY3LVllicXAfJigldRjKf7wX-s2rAwAkBKri1OyrU/s1600-h/100_0606.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfQkrrAI5T6A_Zm1ZNFwZnhu_FAannV2FXBxNHxgclzACxG8wE_OWrfF2KYvk9aZ2WU9RQvjJohzHzgdymPDnMXYX604X1JOE8jYY3LVllicXAfJigldRjKf7wX-s2rAwAkBKri1OyrU/s320/100_0606.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394803447806176434" border="0" /></a><br />Kaylee is voted the 2nd attendant at Homecoming after her volleyball match.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNPDcd9nCyuwDffviQ0rd4cAlSvkt1YYbvPb6e1V_GW9R0AxlvY5epinUuwPs3zCiofMtof3biaEgbEyt73B0E0uDgqJWEC3viBfaeh_k2I6squMDMLeNQEaGhZ9Weq9A1oZYtUX-7d4/s1600-h/kaylee.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNPDcd9nCyuwDffviQ0rd4cAlSvkt1YYbvPb6e1V_GW9R0AxlvY5epinUuwPs3zCiofMtof3biaEgbEyt73B0E0uDgqJWEC3viBfaeh_k2I6squMDMLeNQEaGhZ9Weq9A1oZYtUX-7d4/s320/kaylee.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394810962507869970" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Check out the steam coming off the field.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1pCqpbY6FQzHIJr4uv3kExzYvqKkc1rmP4OrmZdB7LvRb428ZrhKIgfbc8PpFJFWt-4z0DQLPGYySUcX6EK88ikWLO0tzewfGUO5pPU3V3xZEp3T9ZEqBxog3MsD47INzMfgw9BkrEv0/s1600-h/steam.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1pCqpbY6FQzHIJr4uv3kExzYvqKkc1rmP4OrmZdB7LvRb428ZrhKIgfbc8PpFJFWt-4z0DQLPGYySUcX6EK88ikWLO0tzewfGUO5pPU3V3xZEp3T9ZEqBxog3MsD47INzMfgw9BkrEv0/s320/steam.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394811308361797426" border="0" /></a><br />Josee and me at the UW game.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RgIGNp1lHPtI5jVZ25BeKjd33H5deWpvL-JH7Fo0l0rkgZ8F-2aJ7MyTs9ofyiNWcFpnUIWhZyl_R7pzoV49fzUPrtF0cAYr1HMPIgfdkMWA982Akk7b_fmtkS9lXse4snhASkZciOc/s1600-h/josee.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RgIGNp1lHPtI5jVZ25BeKjd33H5deWpvL-JH7Fo0l0rkgZ8F-2aJ7MyTs9ofyiNWcFpnUIWhZyl_R7pzoV49fzUPrtF0cAYr1HMPIgfdkMWA982Akk7b_fmtkS9lXse4snhASkZciOc/s320/josee.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394813875767339842" border="0" /></a>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-20124497472786230992009-10-20T14:31:00.009-06:002009-10-20T17:17:32.310-06:00Pictures!!I'm finally getting around to uploading some newer pictures. The link to the pictures is <a href="http://jenzspictures.shutterfly.com/">here</a>. Below is a description of what you'll find in each album. I've tried to organize them chronologically and by location (within the album), but my patience is about gone. I think they are grouped pretty well.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Christmas 08</span><br /><ul><li>Jungle paradise and the most amazing waterfalls I've ever seen at Iguazu Falls, on the border between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. So phenomenal and fully worth the 16-hour one-way overnight bus trip!! Check out the crazy butterflies, too!<br /></li><li>Buenos Aires, Argentina. Great city!! Lots of pictures of old buildings, Recoleta Cemetery (where you'll see the tomb of Evita), the Obelisk, the functioning metal 'flower,' and the Caminito district where the houses are painted bright colors and people dance the tango on the street. Other notables are the pics of Jenna and me at our Christmas Eve Indian dinner and any funny street signs along the way.</li><li>Bariloche, Argentina in the lakes district of the country on the northern end of Patagonia. We didn't spend nearly enough time in this beautiful area. It's this great little ski town, kind of sleepy in the summer but totally catering to tourists. The geography really reminded me of home. We rented a car and took a day tour around some of the many lakes, which was the highlight. This is also where we learned that the phrase 'artisan fair' is code for 'trolls and drug paraphernalia.' Look out for any pipes <span style="font-style: italic;">with</span> trolls.</li><li>Bus trip over the mountains from Bariloche to Puerto Montt, Chile, and then up the coast to Santiago. Beautiful! And crazy customs at the border...</li><li>Santiago, Chile. What a great place to spend New Year's Eve! I was most excited that it was warm enough for me to wear my tube top. We had a blast at the downtown celebration, complete with fireworks and pineapple wine. We toured around the city, checking out the old buildings and riding both the cable car and funicular (fancy train-type apparatus that goes up the side of a hill) up to Cerro San Cristobal. We enjoyed a beautiful view and great beer at the top. We took a tour to the Concha y Toro winery and saw the actual <span style="font-style: italic;">Casillero del Diablo</span>. We also took a private day tour to the coastal cities Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. We ended our stay in Santiago with way too much beer with our new friend Josue from the hotel. Ah, flying hungover.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mom and Dad's Colombian Adventure</span><br /><ul><li>Title pretty much says it all. Mom and dad visited the week before Easter. We had a lot of fun and they got to see the city as I did.</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Tatoo</span><br /><ul><li>Again, pretty self-explanatory. This is the documentation of the process and the end result.</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Last Days in Colombia</span><br /><ul><li>All the stuff that happened in the last couple months I was in Colombia, including a live salsa show Jenna, Tina and I went to, the live reggae music our friends played at a cool little cafe, and random shots of friends. So many things that I miss...<br /></li></ul>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-19833464374076076732009-06-09T16:37:00.004-06:002009-06-09T17:10:32.404-06:00New TattooI got a tattoo last night to commemorate my time here in Colombia. I had been thinking about doing it, and the fact that my friend Jen finally got hers done convinced me I was ready. I had heard a lot about the studio from my students, one in particular who scouted out the English speaking ability of the staff.<br /><br />I had actually had a much smaller design in mind, but when I saw what the artist was thinking, I decided that if it was smaller it would lose detail.<br /><br />The whole process took about 4 hours. Jenna waited the whole time with me and even went on a rum-and-coke run. The first one hit the spot, and awhile later I had to ask for another. It was just enough to calm me down, but not enough for any numbing action. It honestly was the worst pain I've ever experienced. I tried to be strong and all, but did yell out 'ow!' at one point. I also remember asking Jenna if I could stop, and she replied something along the lines of 'if you want to have less than 1/2 of a tattoo on your back for the rest of your life.' She had to keep reminding me that it would be worth it. And it is! I love it!<br /><br />Oh-and what it means. I got the orchid (the purple one) because the national flower of Colombia is the orchid and I wanted to have something to remember the 2 years I've lived here. The reason I chose the hibiscus is that not only are they everywhere here (the bushes grow like sagebrush grows back home), but every time I see one here I think of my mom and the hibiscus I gave her umpteen years ago. They've always reminded me of home.<br /><br />Here it is this afternoon. It's going to take a little while to heal, and I'm really excited to show it off!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXcSPPOF1dw-MwMuoy0bfnq22QZMu_RjcEtUegzbZZX_8xUNpRawf9UyoArjUASoLdggiKPZzh-YO2SIydwBi2NpyPxUHVk6NvHPA2rlDnwsp_7V-E7TQUc-eB8DIRtVmuMc8-MG9yPU/s1600-h/CIMG1490.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXcSPPOF1dw-MwMuoy0bfnq22QZMu_RjcEtUegzbZZX_8xUNpRawf9UyoArjUASoLdggiKPZzh-YO2SIydwBi2NpyPxUHVk6NvHPA2rlDnwsp_7V-E7TQUc-eB8DIRtVmuMc8-MG9yPU/s320/CIMG1490.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345465603930299394" border="0" /></a>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-23515106303969317132009-06-07T16:40:00.005-06:002009-06-07T16:53:31.907-06:00New SpecsI finally got myself some new glasses awhile back. My prescription hadn't changed much, but my frames were all wonky and crooked. These are the new ones. Unfortunately, the shape is so much like my old ones, no one has noticed they're new, even though they are BLUE. Oh well. And I always end up looking goofy in self-portraits.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3L4BKr3kJOiJw22w9V5ymWW9xfyXCl9P55Htbc8RoZ7w_H6OdjIyIDk1jGqKsdDAsr4U_Ojchgm7l90rp8VmXUcR_KGAu-3KtDGW8_3MNqZSDGVK5O4JRGtfKNLI6ZhGOr9JZcMtRTA/s1600-h/CIMG1419.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3L4BKr3kJOiJw22w9V5ymWW9xfyXCl9P55Htbc8RoZ7w_H6OdjIyIDk1jGqKsdDAsr4U_Ojchgm7l90rp8VmXUcR_KGAu-3KtDGW8_3MNqZSDGVK5O4JRGtfKNLI6ZhGOr9JZcMtRTA/s320/CIMG1419.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344721860074493714" /></a><br /><br />I had to post this picture of mom, too. This is at a restaurant here in Medellin, Hatoviejo, where we ate on their last day here. Mom had ordered a grilled shrimp platter that they bring out on the sizzling hot cast-iron griddle. I guess they're concerned that your clothes will get dirty without the bib.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7uqQXHoSxwouTL4lThfNrYgaTJaKY3T_i6ccvba8tn8ho0HvgSzg4Kj3OjKg-k86uL-CeRjANBLkWowMQBMr9GGhMXAtk6nh7d2SepOPkw6BQA3An9K0bWwhUGYifTkphpHVneqqiCo/s1600-h/CIMG1402.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7uqQXHoSxwouTL4lThfNrYgaTJaKY3T_i6ccvba8tn8ho0HvgSzg4Kj3OjKg-k86uL-CeRjANBLkWowMQBMr9GGhMXAtk6nh7d2SepOPkw6BQA3An9K0bWwhUGYifTkphpHVneqqiCo/s320/CIMG1402.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344720556688801010" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And one final picture for today. Our school celebrated teachers' day with a barbecue complete with beer for all of the staff. At the school. (I'm certainly going to miss that about Colombia...drinking at school with my coworkers.) Earlier that morning, I was voted the 'Most Positive Attitude' of all the 9th grade teachers. I've been wearing the button at school every day since. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwM2wWs1GpK84pezMtiRrrWstsCstwvZZoWqYnGw_8jLqYIxUrcF0gPJmgL31g3WVo_1EnXVmzilVYCjJilYo88bh6oEatSubPA7fgUtwLE6klJ5s4aZnLA8j4qzcOFzkjtsno0OyVNM/s1600-h/CIMG1425.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwM2wWs1GpK84pezMtiRrrWstsCstwvZZoWqYnGw_8jLqYIxUrcF0gPJmgL31g3WVo_1EnXVmzilVYCjJilYo88bh6oEatSubPA7fgUtwLE6klJ5s4aZnLA8j4qzcOFzkjtsno0OyVNM/s320/CIMG1425.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344722300669201826" /></a>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-36077188101290773482009-05-25T09:42:00.004-06:002009-05-25T10:14:18.639-06:00Mama, I'm Coming HomeAnd what an apt day to make the announcement...today is my mom's birthday. Feliz Cumpleanos, Mami! This picture was taken when mom and dad visited me in Colombia for spring break. We were paying our respects to Pablo Escobar.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oOFrO72TnYP1BSkYNK1VkyHUv3srPK0UnopZfuUhi5rcOh_-S-32SsYvCeCL-BcB15lr-D00RbG7TtLSRzrkErbZEHo0kh2SfN3_gXdsV1sXiqLfAL1YHFapHCDFmCsdLGzPOOthQ98/s1600-h/100_0544.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oOFrO72TnYP1BSkYNK1VkyHUv3srPK0UnopZfuUhi5rcOh_-S-32SsYvCeCL-BcB15lr-D00RbG7TtLSRzrkErbZEHo0kh2SfN3_gXdsV1sXiqLfAL1YHFapHCDFmCsdLGzPOOthQ98/s320/100_0544.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339791825526339570" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This past school year has been pretty crazy, and I decided to move on. Since nothing panned out on the international front, I'm coming back to the US. I'm still looking for jobs and haven't decided where I'll land yet, so if you know of anything for me, let me know. I'll be looking for a place to live, a car to drive, oh, and a way to make some money. That one should probably be on top of the list, I guess.<br /><br />A quick recap of what's happened since my last post (waaaaaay too long ago). There was the mental breakdown in October. An orphan's Thanksgiving at our friend Carolina's house. 3 week trip over Christmas break to Argentina and Chile with Jenna (including 4 overnight bus trips, an attempted mugging, a bona fide rip-off from a very rude cab driver, and my very first Christmas and birthday spent away from family-one of these days I'll actually sit down to write up the full synopsis). 3-day weekend trip to Cali, which was spent mostly in the hotel recuperating from normal life. 1 job interview and major letdown. A million job applications without interviews or consideration. 3 or 4 puente weekends in celebration of some saint or holy day I'm not familiar with. Lost my nose ring. Got new glasses. Pretty sure I'm going to get a tatoo. 1 bashed-in car hood (my fault, caused by some yahoos in a delivery truck who thought it would be acceptable to stop in the middle of the street). Repaired car-hood and new brakes. And, the icing on the cake--last night the car got towed. Fantastic! Now we have to figure out when and how we're going to get down to the Transito office in order to get it back. <br /><br />That's basically it. I'm looking forward to coming home (June 28). I'm planning a trip to California to see my friend Sarah, a trip to Seattle to see Lindsay, Jeff and Becca, and of course some time in Denver and with family in Wyoming. And hopefully by then I'll know where I'm going to be moving. Feel free to pray for me.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-63036497964499282042008-10-19T09:36:00.006-06:002008-10-21T20:15:10.601-06:00Vacation by the Numbers20: # of hours traveling on a bus<br />9: # of bottles of wine drunk during the week<br />1.5: # of liters of rum drunk during the week<br />733: # of kids who invaded the pool at Rio Claro like ‘Night of the Living Dead’<br />1527: # of bug bites (now scars) on my legs<br />3: # of poor schmoes who got to sit on the bucket in the aisle of the bus because there were no more seats<br />1: # of kids who puked while sitting on the bucket seat<br />2.5+/-: # of hours in taxis<br />12: # of Stations of the Cross carved out of salt<br />8: # of extra people who had to stand in the aisle because there weren’t enough seats on the bus<br />2: # of unwanted dogs in my lap due to the extra people<br />40: # of minutes for the flight home from Bogota<br />18,000: # of pesos to needed for an adventure!<br />1: # of times I sprained the rubber ankle, taking a digger and tearing my knee to shreds in the gravel<br /><br />In a nutshell, that was my week off. It was a ton of fun, very relaxing, and a little bit stressful at times (have you ever tried to flag down a bus on the side of a major highway?). We had some amazing food in Bogota (as always) and, surprisingly, in Villa de Leyva. We stayed at an awesome resort in Villa de Leyva, where we were able to pamper ourselves at the spa with massages and nails, not to mention the steam room and sauna (which I’ve never before enjoyed-must have been the fresh pineapple and eucalyptus). We also went on a horseback tour of the area around the town, which was super fun, aside from the fact that I can’t get on a horse to save my life!<br /><br />I’ll get some pictures up here soon. In the meantime, check out my friend Jen’s <a href="http://jenjoleen.blogspot.com">blog</a> for a more detailed account of the trip.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-64900451502647233382008-10-04T15:58:00.002-06:002008-10-04T16:05:32.442-06:00VacationAll I ever wanted. Vacation have to get away. Vacation, la la la la la la la lah.<br /><br />Leaving tomorrow for Rio Claro. Then on to Bogota and Villa de Leyva. Should be a relaxing week. And if not relaxing, I'll see a lot of the country through the bus window.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-30279165924384329162008-09-25T12:06:00.005-06:002008-09-25T16:03:43.408-06:00The Car Blew UpWell, sort of. We think it's going to be ok, but it sure wasn't fun last night.<br /><br />Here's the story:<br />We get home from school to find that the dog had gotten into something and has some strange swelling on the right side of her face. We walk down to the nearest pet place, which advertises a vet, to get her checked out. Of course, the advertisements mention nothing about the vet only being in on Saturday.<br /><br />So we walk home and head off to another vet, not knowing exactly where it is. Mind you, this is around 5:30 pm, right during the heart of rush hour. Traffic is ridiculous. <br /><br />So we drive over to where we think the place is, but we don't see it so we continue up the hill (err..mountain) thinking it must be farther. Traffic is insane, we're stuck at stoplights, it is not pleasant. <br /><br />We get to the top of the hill (probably a mile or so) and decide that the place must be back down at the bottom near the first turn that we weren't sure of taking. Now we have to head back down the hill, but the city has so many one-way streets that this is a major production. We essentially 'go around the block'--a very large block--right in our own neighborhood.<br /><br />So we're chugging along (which is normal for the car), about 4 blocks from our apartment when we hear this really loud 'pop.' The car dies and I turn the wheel hoping to coast out of traffic. I can't see a damn thing for steam in front of me (which at the time I wasn't sure was steam or smoke) and I tell Jenna, through the laughter, that the car blew up.<br /><br />This is when the panic hits me. It's no longer funny. The car is dead, and I don't have any idea who to call or what to do. These 2 nice guys on a motorcycle, though, do know what to do. They point out a hose that looks like it's supposed to go from the water reservoir to the engine. But there are at least 6 inches of hose gone. And the street is flooded beneath the car. The guys tell us that our hose is very common and they can fix it. So they hop on their bike and take off, telling us 'Stay here. We'll be back in 30 minutes.' (all of this 'communication' is occurring with our bad Spanish and one of the dudes' little bit of English) Where are we supposed to go? And how? The car is stuck on the side of the road! We can leave it there with the keys in the ignition, wash our hands of it, but we'd still have to pay for it.<br /><br />So we wait. And sure enough, the guys come back, put the new hose on, fill the reservoir up with water, and we're good to go. The guys were really nice and helpful. We tried to give them money when they left to get the part, but they wouldn't take it; we could pay them when they got back. We paid them $25 for the part and their help. They almost wouldn't take extra money, but we made them. <br /><br />We never did make it to the vet. We came home, ordered pizza, and went to bed. And Charlie's face is fine today. Go figure.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-69707433077035355892008-09-22T14:18:00.003-06:002008-09-22T14:22:45.735-06:00New Mailing Address!I keep forgetting to mention that Jenna and I have gotten a Mailboxes Etc. box. Which means that we have an address in Miami where mail (and packages) can be sent, and then it is forwarded here to the MBE office for us to pick it up. Mail is actually guaranteed (or at least insured) this way, which is much nicer than the former method of crossing our fingers that it makes it to our house. <br /><br />I'll send out an email with the address. If I miss you for some reason, let me know.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-4654277047726047552008-09-21T16:04:00.007-06:002008-09-21T16:08:24.935-06:00Pictures LinkHi Again, everyone! Here is the<a href="http://jenzspictures.shutterfly.com"><br />link</a> to my pictures. Please let me know what you think.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-48428222407702905652008-09-21T15:00:00.004-06:002008-09-21T15:25:49.545-06:00Sunday LazinessI'm having a hard time getting moving today, despite going to sleep nice and early last night (before 11). At least sitting on the couch has given me the chance to catch up on some blog and online photo stuff. It's about time, right? I'll post a link to my pictures as soon as I can get it to work for me. <br /><br />Things here have been pretty ordinary. School is going pretty well, although not without problems. Administration continues to be less than effective, and my kids are far from angels. But overall, I think things are better than they were last year (or at least, the end of last year).<br /><br />Have I mentioned that Jenna got a puppy? She's a beagle named Charlie. She likes to chew on stuff, including my toes and much of Jenna's skin. She has a pretty big bark, but I've found that barking back helps to put her in her place. I'm not sure how much I like having a puppy around. I don't hate her by any means, but I sure don't love her. And I am annoyed by her. I don't think I'm really a pet owner.<br /><br />Next Saturday a bunch of us are going out of town to Santa Fe de Antioquia, a small colonial town not too far away. There is restaurant there that is hosting a wine tasting event which should be a pretty fun time. Apparently the weather there is really nice, so I'm planning to spend a lot of time poolside. As rainy as it has been here, I'm needing the sun.<br /><br />I'm also looking forward to our October break coming up soon. I'm going on a little bus trip with my friends Jen and Tina. We're going first to Rio Claro for 2 nights (which I don't actually know much about aside from it being on the way to Bogota), then on to Bogota for 2 nights where we will certainly enjoy some great food, then to Villa de Leyva for 3 nights of relaxation (apparently it is a colonial village also, with some sort of fossil museum and a spa). We've decided to splurge and fly home from Bogota to save the 9 hours it would take to bus back.<br /><br />I guess that's it for now. I'd like to say that I'll be better about updating more regularly, but that would be a hollow promise.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-70889721557681467652008-09-21T09:50:00.003-06:002008-09-21T15:25:30.523-06:00How I Spent My Summer VacationVacation started with staying up half the night with Sarah and Jenna before a crack-of-hell trip to the airport to send Jenna on her way back to California. That day I got to spend one last day with Sarah, who has moved on to greener pastures in China. The next day I hitched along for the ride to take her to the airport, and I did cry some on the way home. It's been a few months since she left, and I do dearly miss her.<br /><br />A few days later, I made another trip to the airport, this time to pick up my very first visitor to Medellin. My drive up was uneventful, until I missed my last turn and had to take an extra trip around the roundabout ('Look kids: Big Ben, Parliament'). No problems, though. I got off at the right spot the second time and made it to the passenger pick up area with plenty of time to wait for Brian to get through security and make it out.<br /><br />We spent a few days in Medellin, which included checking out the Botero statue plaza outside Museo de Antioquia, riding the metro cable to the new library on the hill, showing off my school grounds, typical lunch, and sangria followed by Ron Medellin in the park (Parque Lleras) with Tina H.<br /><br />We took a night bus to Cartagena, which was a much more pleasant experience for me than for Brian. I took one of the super-duper sleeping pills I'd picked up (only ONE each day) and crashed. Poor Brian was in a jenky seat that jerked back and forth with the acceleration and braking of the bus. Oh, and don't forget that it's windy mountain roads and he got a little seasick. He was a little worse-for-wear when we got there.<br /><br />We spent 4 nights at this great little hostel/motel within the walled city of Cartagena, Casa Relax. We spent our time tooling around and checking things out. The walled city is amazing--the architecture is just beautiful--and we walked up to the castillo. One of the days we tried to take a boat trip out to the Islas Rosario with our hotel owner and other guests there, but we got totally rained out and had to turn back. I was soaked to the core and will never again ignore the 'wash before using' warning on a brightly colored towel (I was also blue from the dye). The following day gave us much better weather and we were able to get on a boat to the islands with tons of other tourists. The boat ride was fun, but the overall trip was less than spectacular. We ended up at a beach, Playa Blanca, which was touted as the best beach in Cartagena. It was disappointing; the beach itself wasn't that great (I've actually been to so many better ones just in my travel here) and it was saturated with vendors. Vendors who would NOT leave us alone. Apparently 'no gracias' doesn't actually mean anything. One guy, I finally had to basically say that I didn't care how cheap his bracelet was, I did not want it. It was less than relaxing. In fact, much of Cartagena was full of these vendors who were very pushy and would not leave us (allegedly) rich gringos alone. Some of the highlights of Cartagena:<br /><ul><li>Sunset drinks at Cafe del Mar, on the wall overlooking the ocean.</li><li>Awesome eating, most notably Pelikanos, where we got a full meal including appetizers and dessert and a full bottle of wine each, for roughly $40. Total. And that is actually pretty pricey for Colombia.<br /></li><li>Views from the top of the Castillo.</li><li>Museum of Modern Art, where we got in for $1 each.</li><li>The beautiful churches and the unexpected wedding we got to witness.</li><li>The emerald salesmen-lord, they were everywhere! And there were promociones (sales) all the time!<br /></li><li>Running all over the walled city looking for a bottle of wine that wasn't 100 degrees.</li><li>Buying beers from the only street vendor who kept getting in trouble and being asked to leave the area by the police.</li><li>Unexpectedly running into Daisy and Luke and getting great advice on where to eat and where to stay next on our adventure (keep reading for more info).</li></ul>From Cartagena we took a collectivo (smaller bus that moves faster and doesn't take as many passengers) to Santa Marta/Taganga. There, we met up with a travel agent (recommended by Daisy) who booked us for two nights at one of the most amazing places I've ever stayed. We stayed at a house named 'Barlovento' which is on the coast of the Caribbean, just on the outside of Colombia's Parque Tayrona, near Venezuela. The house is on a cliff over the sea, and all of the rooms have at least one completely side in order to hear and see. It was truly amazing. It was actually hard to sleep for the crashing of the waves on the rocks. The first night we were the only people in the house, which was very strange and isolating. The second night there was another guest at the house we got along with really well, and the 3 of us talked and drank into the night in the blackness that was the power outage that hit the few houses in our area. The place is, as Daisy so eloquently put it, Casa Fantastica. Although it was a tad-bit unnerving to be so isolated, it was perfect for some relaxation and I would totally go back there.<br /><br />After 2 nights at Barlovento, we packed up our stuff and hiked out to the highway in hopes of caching a bus to the entrance of Parque Tayrona. The bus never came and we ended up walking the whole way, which was maybe 5 km total, but which felt like AT LEAST 6 km. It was damn hot and humid, and we both had all of our stuff for roughly 2 weeks. It was a good time.<br /><br />When we got to the park, we rented horses to carry us and our stuff the 45 minutes into the area where we planned to stay, Arrecifes. The horse ride was uneventful, but it was definitely less than comfortable in the shorts I chose to wear. Once we got there, we booked a small cabin for the night and headed off for the beach. The area itself is more of a surfing beach due to the currents and big waves, but there is a decent swimming beach about a 30 minute walk away. We spent a few hours on the beach, but that was pretty much the excitement of our time there. I've heard that there is great hiking around the area, but we didn't have enough time there to do much adventuring. I think I'd like to go back and spend more time there. After one night there, we grabbed a taxi into Santa Marta to catch our plane to Bogota.<br /><br />Bogota was so different in comparison to the week we had just spent: big city, faster paced, not to mention much cooler weather. We stayed at my favorite little motel, La Casona del Patio Amarillo, and explored the city. We checked out the Botero museum, part of the Gold Museum (which is currently undergoing reconstruction and only part of the collection is available for viewing), La Candelaria, Monserrate Cathedral (and the fantastic view of the city), and a really fun dance club--it was like a frat party: pay to get in and get unlimited drinks until 2 am. It was awesome. Made for a rough morning the next day, but also made for a really fun night.<br /><br />I'm having a hard time remembering what else we did in Bogota (Brian when you read this, feel free to add in the comments). We decided to take a day time bus back from Bogota, which took way more time than we expected. As soon as we got back to Medellin we took a cab to McDonalds for some good old American food and called it a day.<br /><br />Brian's last day in Medellin we did some last minute sight-seeing and souvenir shopping, where I randomly met a woman who sells AVON here and a man selling his own cds. The next morning we both left town on a flight to Panama City, Brian on the way to Denver and me to Wyo for some much needed family time.<br /><br />My time in Wyoming went by much too fast, but it was wonderful. The highlights:<br /><ul><li>4th of July at the Cabin with mom and Dad, Jason and Christy, Terry and Renee, and Christy's folks.</li><li>Seeing the cousins at South Pass (missed you Jill and kids!).</li><li>Sleeping in my bed at home.</li><li>Dinner with the Gray family.</li><li>One day with Lindsay, Jeff and Rebecca (ending with being locked out of my own house by Kemmerer's finest).</li><li>A quick trip to Denver for some live music (Mile High Music Fest) and visits with dear friends-and awesome homemade fish tacos at Brian's.</li><li>Dinner with Jana and Greg and a trip to Wal-Mart to stock up on necessities.</li><li>Good, familiar food.</li><li>Good beer.<br /></li><li>Wonderful alone-time with mom and dad.<br /></li><li>Taco Time,<br /></li></ul>Unfortunately, my time away didn't last long enough to be as restorative as I needed it to be (my favorite thing to do when I'm at home is to sleep in and stay in my pjs all day for days on end--seems to recharge my batteries as needed), but every minute was wonderful and I'm thankful that I was able to go. While I love living here and seeing all of the places and things I never imagined I would visit, I really do miss my family and friends in ways I never thought I would. But that is another post on its own, so I'll end for now.<br /><br />And that concludes 'How I Spent My Summer Vacation.'Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-87614297409006757142008-08-18T21:04:00.002-06:002008-08-18T21:11:40.841-06:00First WeekI made it through the first week of school fine. My kids seem like they're going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be a challenge, but I tried to start things differently this year, so maybe it'll be a bit easier to get them to do something for me. On the whole, they seem like they really are good people, just really squirrelly. We'll see what happens. I do have one class with 21 boys and no girls. That's going to be interesting. I have a feeling it'll be a smelly classroom when they're there. <div><br /></div><div>Today was our first puente (Monday holiday) of the school year. The only plans I had were to spend time at the pool. Too bad it's been rainy and cloudy all weekend. Very disappointing. I tried today, but a downpour started as soon as I got there, so Tina and I ended up having lunch and bloody marys and going home. Total bummer.</div>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-8282988430754735552008-08-09T07:25:00.014-06:002008-08-09T09:39:53.608-06:00Vaca ReplayAside from the trips to Costa Rica and Tennessee, I did take some other trips this spring/early summer. Nothing nearly as exciting as our vigilante action took place, but a lot of fun was had by all. Here are the highlights. I'll add a few pictures here, but the rest of them will be at Shutterfly. I'll pass on the link when I'm done organizing them.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Guatape/El Penol--April 2008</span></span><br />Guatape and El Penol are two pueblitos about 3 hours away from Medellin. Sarah, Jenna, Jen, and I took the bus up on a Saturday for the night, just to get out of town. Both of the towns are on this awesome lake: some number of years ago (I think in the 1970s) a dam was built and an entire town was flooded. The lake is beautiful; it has all of these fingers and there are tons of fincas built all around it, including one of Pablo Escobar's, which was bombed by the military during one of the failed attempts to catch him. We took a boat tour of the lake and were able to see the cross of the church that still sits at the bottom. It's pretty cool.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXWJvWUne9C6JPpeFn66rDZT7-ElLS26hwo-vOsiXtr59mSplZdq4Y4AHyYXssO0sw_1zpHHnn8sXVeF06cpHoN4vXETyYCTkJmQREZFy8SYmemAZZCIpzcDL_ImRwKdZnCFDS6oWENY/s1600-h/Guatape_Bogota+029.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXWJvWUne9C6JPpeFn66rDZT7-ElLS26hwo-vOsiXtr59mSplZdq4Y4AHyYXssO0sw_1zpHHnn8sXVeF06cpHoN4vXETyYCTkJmQREZFy8SYmemAZZCIpzcDL_ImRwKdZnCFDS6oWENY/s320/Guatape_Bogota+029.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232514674389902082" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZnQNj9f9mBRCi61HqF37sG_q5YUR_H7DZenYcbvCzT1j54p0N2rs2vd4Drpwuqgy5vLPrDZATLDj3N7hUvQXwXqDKPerhYwhYfdOKFbDyAdM-kuPanU-m-DB6ZyVXHD2qhPmUoBdv5g/s1600-h/Guatape_Bogota+016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZnQNj9f9mBRCi61HqF37sG_q5YUR_H7DZenYcbvCzT1j54p0N2rs2vd4Drpwuqgy5vLPrDZATLDj3N7hUvQXwXqDKPerhYwhYfdOKFbDyAdM-kuPanU-m-DB6ZyVXHD2qhPmUoBdv5g/s320/Guatape_Bogota+016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232517018367464338" border="0" /></a><br />The other main attraction here is a giant rock that sticks up above everything else. (I believe it's actually named El Penol, too, but I'm not positive about that.) You can climb to the top of the rock to check things out, which the girls did but I chose not to do. Next time I'll climb up, too.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEify2nGOctHySaPjNXi347PLzuofhBCNAXC5bV_tBPqdttrruITSvXBbUXrE-vMYejjwZ1UeohSRCG8xCefbXuQRx6TQqAL9zZk3GJ6RZ-7cWYefg8aOxYX4Yvlsj-nSiEJfkL4L9B8LQA/s1600-h/Guatape_Bogota+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEify2nGOctHySaPjNXi347PLzuofhBCNAXC5bV_tBPqdttrruITSvXBbUXrE-vMYejjwZ1UeohSRCG8xCefbXuQRx6TQqAL9zZk3GJ6RZ-7cWYefg8aOxYX4Yvlsj-nSiEJfkL4L9B8LQA/s320/Guatape_Bogota+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232539533281165522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Bogota--May 2008</span><br />We had one of our famous long weekends, including a puente (Monday off), during the first part of May, so Jen, Jenna, and I, along with our friends Tina (Jen's roommate) and Paula (our resident counselor) went to Bogota for the weekend.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8s-lGO44ltHvg1t2785sHe36ko3ASEki26W9JmioLdhyFa8unO6UmaULoEi1W12a43JtkRgO_1qd-boYkdLkit4cPKQQgatpAYFxyp6vY70dvQErql_-ehm-yKs46Vbf2EDE3Em-fJAM/s1600-h/Bogota+May+%2708+-+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8s-lGO44ltHvg1t2785sHe36ko3ASEki26W9JmioLdhyFa8unO6UmaULoEi1W12a43JtkRgO_1qd-boYkdLkit4cPKQQgatpAYFxyp6vY70dvQErql_-ehm-yKs46Vbf2EDE3Em-fJAM/s320/Bogota+May+%2708+-+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232535489572918802" border="0" /></a><br />After living in the city of mediocre food, Bogota was a treat for our taste buds. Our first stop was the Hard Rock Cafe--admittedly not the best food, but it was all kinds of American, which we all needed. We also got Thai, Arabic, and the best Mexican food I've had since leaving the States. And don't forget the beer. Oh, the beer. There is an actual microbrewery in Bogota, which always makes me happy.<br /><br />Aside from eating and drinking (which took up a lot of time), we toured around the city. We went up to Monserrate, which is a cathedral on the top of one of the mountains in the city. That place has the most amazing views, which are almost enough to convince me to move there. The cathedral also has the world's scariest Jesus--I kid you not. I won't post the picture here, but I promise it's in my batch on Shutterfly.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARhLPoejkxj2YUsm0jQ-d_i3X0jhGfNpcAvjcOi-ZDlOfKBrP7AyPJmjsO_RtGaMCYcze9KfFkMMjmEV3dJFko3V_wf1KirZzl1XeDwNH354JsmgjFMsCD0OdNJM16RcQ36aIKEsT0hs/s1600-h/Bogota+May+%2708+-+110.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARhLPoejkxj2YUsm0jQ-d_i3X0jhGfNpcAvjcOi-ZDlOfKBrP7AyPJmjsO_RtGaMCYcze9KfFkMMjmEV3dJFko3V_wf1KirZzl1XeDwNH354JsmgjFMsCD0OdNJM16RcQ36aIKEsT0hs/s320/Bogota+May+%2708+-+110.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232541259006758098" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We spent a lot of time in the La Candelaria area of town, which is the historic district. The buildings and the museums and churches and Plaza Bolivar; they're really amazing. It's beautiful and so rich with history, and the plaza is full of pigeons and people and street performers. I truly can't get enough of it. And not to mention that after 16 (I may be exaggerating here) margaritas, all it takes is an 'I'll pay for it' to get Jenna to climb atop a llama. It was awesome.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MsaBmguZtLEoKNwRC00TkQCxKHq5B5tpc6Nc04hU-woWB4fVMD-FI7G43vXQb3bDHHt5hsKyEJ2uqNruO2qlE9p7SBoPuRCRd7CogWrknYBdo6HV_Nqz1ny8lzfSqUy4cFqYUeZhY1I/s1600-h/Bogota+May+%2708+-+170.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MsaBmguZtLEoKNwRC00TkQCxKHq5B5tpc6Nc04hU-woWB4fVMD-FI7G43vXQb3bDHHt5hsKyEJ2uqNruO2qlE9p7SBoPuRCRd7CogWrknYBdo6HV_Nqz1ny8lzfSqUy4cFqYUeZhY1I/s320/Bogota+May+%2708+-+170.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232542912794439394" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Our last night there we went to a dance club and ended up staying out all night. We got back to the hotel just in time for breakfast. Fabio at the front desk was impressed.<br />(an aside: if you ever decide to go to Bogota, you've got to stay at La Casona del Patio Amarillo. It's fantastic and cheap and they make killer fried eggs for breakfast!)<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cartagena--1st Weekend of June 2008</span></span><br />Our trip to Cartagena was the 'last hurrah' for Sarah, Jen, Jenna, and me, since Sarah has left us for China. It also was a celebration of the Jenna's 3rd Annual 29th birthday. We went big and stayed at an all-inclusive, where we proceeded to spend as much time as possible pool-side with cocktails. We tried the beach for awhile, but there were so many vendors who did not understand the word 'no' (including the guy who kept trying to get me to go out with him under the promise that men from the coast are different from men elsewhere. whatever.) that we decided to stay in the compound at the pool. There we met some seemingly nice guys from Georgia, who later turned out to be racist bastards. It's possible we're actually better off sticking to our own company. The weekend was tons of fun and very restoring. There might have been some dancing in the Bogota airport, fueled by Ron Medellin. Airports here are awesome...they have these little carts that sell beverages and snacks and such. We like to call them 'bars.' And you can carry your drink, whatever it is, everywhere around the airport. In the Cartagena airport, we actually had to make our own bar once we got past security. Here are Jen and Sarah mixing up some ron.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIvMZozKbYqAH4nLZ5weZU5zTmlcuxC3yfhOklh4a9l0a2XrMI40RCx1nFxuukFgvZ5QHGUcG5AkhqE6VVK3YIirl0QUFm5I-EAvTLCqvMDiGWCMWNpBtFQA85EIiCwDf91sNKQzWeoE/s1600-h/Cartagena+May+%2708+-+11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIvMZozKbYqAH4nLZ5weZU5zTmlcuxC3yfhOklh4a9l0a2XrMI40RCx1nFxuukFgvZ5QHGUcG5AkhqE6VVK3YIirl0QUFm5I-EAvTLCqvMDiGWCMWNpBtFQA85EIiCwDf91sNKQzWeoE/s320/Cartagena+May+%2708+-+11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232538166756570034" border="0" /></a>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-10523129700829603352008-08-03T10:33:00.002-06:002008-08-03T11:51:37.559-06:00I may have solved the picture problemI've started uploading my pictures to Shutterfly. It seems to be working much better and is quite easy to arrange and title them (so much easier than I thought Kodak was). And I've been able to upload over 100 pictures at a time and it's generally only taking about an hour. So much better! Sometime within the next week or so I'll be sending out a link so you all can check them out.<br /><br />On another note...I start school for real tomorrow. No kids yet this week, but all of the fun pre-year teacher stuff. Oh, and recuperations. If I haven't told you about those, let me know, and I'll be glad to fill you in on what a pain in the ass they are. I can't wait to spend even MORE time on that!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-57830498636516073292008-07-31T19:27:00.002-06:002008-07-31T19:39:47.960-06:00Green LightningIt's green. And it's fast as lightning. Sort of. And every trip around town is a bit of an adventure.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajHd0HehbUVWXZ4zr3y4RrTWl_tK3pgp8q8OhfT3OXeZNB20elevF0Y_H4_5JYzgIr1J6nlckkd1QFs_Sad4nxlEBxC57S9YJf4dDlOPtBJhP7MPdBwrWhLZHeZ_IytfFFX9elNAlTuw/s1600-h/DSCN0584.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajHd0HehbUVWXZ4zr3y4RrTWl_tK3pgp8q8OhfT3OXeZNB20elevF0Y_H4_5JYzgIr1J6nlckkd1QFs_Sad4nxlEBxC57S9YJf4dDlOPtBJhP7MPdBwrWhLZHeZ_IytfFFX9elNAlTuw/s320/DSCN0584.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229357811209786162" /></a><br />Not the best picture, but you get the gist of it.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-66088164221434941422008-07-31T19:12:00.002-06:002008-07-31T19:26:50.644-06:00This one time? At math camp?So, you may know that the reason that I came back to Medellin when I did was because of the math institute/camp that we're hosting this week. I've been teaching a class to soon-to-be-8th graders in the mornings while other teachers are observing. Apparently they're supposed to see IMP in action. They're sure seeing me, doing what I do. Not sure if it's the best representation of the program, but I'm doing what I can and actually learning a lot about my own teaching. <br /><br />I found out this week that my classroom has changed. Thankfully, I found out before any of the other teachers got back (they all come on Monday) and was able to very quickly move all of the books and supplies I need. There wasn't even anyone around to share the cart with, so my 2 trips took only about 1/2 an hour. One less thing to deal with.<br /><br />I also found out this week that I was not chosen as the math department chair. Not that I'm surprised. But it's nice that they finally let me know. And I am mostly happy with who they chose. <br /><br />Oh, and the logic and sets course that I was scheduled to teach without a book or even knowing how often it meets--it's been given to another teacher. I'm a little disappointed, because I was actually looking forward to doing something new, and to the challenge, but it'll also make my year a little bit easier. Maybe.<br /><br />Jenna gets back tomorrow. I've been feeling pretty lonesome here in the apartment by myself.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-2422899281868004342008-07-26T10:15:00.003-06:002008-07-26T10:30:50.082-06:00I die a little bit every time I try to upload photos.I'm having serious issues trying to share my photos with you all. Of course, with blogger, you can only do one or two at a time and it takes forever, so that's out.<br /><br />So I tried Kodak online. But it was working for a good 2 hours and I was lucky to get 2 photos online. Mind you, I tried it at least 3 different times (with the same photos) on different internet connections with the same lack-of-success. <br /><br />So I tried Snapfish. This time the site 'worked' for about an hour to upload my 72 pictures. When I checked on it, there was an error message that 51 of the photos were not a valid format (or something like that). Of the 21 photos that were 'successfully uploaded,' 6 did not show up as actual pictures. Argh!<br /><br />I'm beginning to think it might have something to do with iPhoto or my Mac, but I just don't know. Does any of you have any ideas or suggestions? Anybody else have a Mac and have similar problems? HELP!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-37521313957659934102008-07-25T22:59:00.007-06:002008-07-25T23:14:23.179-06:0043 and 45Pounds, that is. Those are the weights of my 2 suitcases coming back to Medellin today. I successfully navigated the baggage embargo this time. Woo hoo! If you're not sure what I'm talking about, check out #7 <a href="http://askmeifimapomegranate.blogspot.com/2008/01/3-months-of-catchup.html"><br />here.</a><br /><br />I'm back in Medellin now and start our math institute on Sunday. I'm not sure if I'm excited for that or not.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-29048614805893373602008-07-01T21:53:00.002-06:002008-07-01T21:56:56.476-06:00Homeward BoundHeaded back to the states tomorrow morning. Yay! I'll be in Wyoming from July 3 to 17-ish, then Denver until the 21st, and Wyoming again until the 25th. It's a short trip, but I'm very excited for it.<br /><br />Denver people...I think we're going to try to do fish tacos at Brian's on the Friday I'll be in Denver (think it's the 18th). More details on that to come, but let me know if you're free so I can email his address. <br /><br />That's it for now. Have to finish packing!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-36380789464796584122008-06-17T08:01:00.003-06:002008-06-17T08:26:12.499-06:00Late Fathers' DayI didn't call my dad for Fathers' Day until Monday, so it's only fitting that I'd wait until Tuesday to post this picture. Have I ever mentioned that my dad is the coolest guy in the world? Love you!<br /><br />I didn't have any good pictures of the two of us, so I had to use this one. Here dad is doing his favorite thing--cleaning the snow off the driveway!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIgJXcics07yqz7KAu7sEMBzs3wPm5QgEM38NyXILSChdIrmO0DH7b3CnLMEyEPF7RC7c-RyBE12iHLNvEg4JnmbjLUHiALs1XikB7-CIz50kRaog9bl09TYzqcYUr7TOzQ8aN5KKT50/s1600-h/CIMG0585.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIgJXcics07yqz7KAu7sEMBzs3wPm5QgEM38NyXILSChdIrmO0DH7b3CnLMEyEPF7RC7c-RyBE12iHLNvEg4JnmbjLUHiALs1XikB7-CIz50kRaog9bl09TYzqcYUr7TOzQ8aN5KKT50/s320/CIMG0585.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212856475330536210" /></a>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-34539472105655712662008-06-15T13:46:00.005-06:002008-06-15T16:08:19.109-06:00Costa Rica Recap, Part 2Our last day in Arenal we went on a canopy tour of the jungle. They strap you into a harness and you go from tree to tree on zip lines. It was really cool, although you move a little fast to be able to really check out the wildlife around you. Here's a picture of me doing a 'superman' with one of the guides, Antonio. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPL54sHkKiqfpuu_a0u9fpHTi9utm_8tshXzNIerWj-uUzpSBQEfiKM0ZhBiUXlhPbbCC_DkWikAHsrwMWPKdbyB50Qx-VZ4SaWiI9nP5UKrgkKu2z-CwI_YR7_-380Bghd8l8wMtJqMU/s1600-h/IMG_3573.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPL54sHkKiqfpuu_a0u9fpHTi9utm_8tshXzNIerWj-uUzpSBQEfiKM0ZhBiUXlhPbbCC_DkWikAHsrwMWPKdbyB50Qx-VZ4SaWiI9nP5UKrgkKu2z-CwI_YR7_-380Bghd8l8wMtJqMU/s320/IMG_3573.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212201489215580754" /></a><br /><br />After the canopy tour we cleaned up and headed out for what everyone assured us would be a 3 hour drive to Quepos, on the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. With traffic, crazy roads, 3 road signs (total), and general distance, the trip took closer to 8 hours (including our time at the cevicheria where we stopped for directions and a snack).<br /><br />When we finally found our hotel, we found our room to be partially unfinished--there was an unpainted wall, outlets and light switches to nowhere, and an electrical box in the bathroom with no cover. There was a minor problem with having no water that night, but we were assured that it would be fixed by the morning. I woke up to Jenna standing in the bathroom door, dripping soap because the water had shut off in the middle of her shower. No shower for me!<br /><br />We spent the day tooling around Quepos, finding a great little local coffee shop where we proceeded to eat all of our breakfasts there. We still didn't have water at the hotel that night. <br /><br />The next day we hiked into Manuel Antonio national park. We went on a small tour group and hiked in the back way with a guide. We saw so many cool animals: monkeys and sloths (even one coming down to take his weekly poop) and a jesus-christ lizard (which can run on water). The walk in was through the jungle, really awesome. The tour ended at the beach, which is considered by many to be the best beach in Costa Rica. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmERa7DO5YvCKfBh5BDMImj-2TKr12fnrlzfIhd5ysWzFkEHTBUuXQ4OT0k6zT0BYAF1nMCCNPtU9y4XlLChxFvrUfmvpCZ8cvOX7Abn4QoIrvhdQRCyP9C6DM5JS_cXgkvZc96I6I95o/s1600-h/CIMG0697.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmERa7DO5YvCKfBh5BDMImj-2TKr12fnrlzfIhd5ysWzFkEHTBUuXQ4OT0k6zT0BYAF1nMCCNPtU9y4XlLChxFvrUfmvpCZ8cvOX7Abn4QoIrvhdQRCyP9C6DM5JS_cXgkvZc96I6I95o/s320/CIMG0697.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212211627490612434" /></a><br /><br />After awhile on the beach, we hiked back out and found a restaurant where we could get some lunch and a beer. Apparently, though, it is illegal in CR to sell any type of alcohol on Good Friday. But the restaurant would sell 'sodas' to us. This is Jenna with our 'sodas'--light beer with lime juice and a salt-rimmed glass. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrFb_P7ypy4FhzK2bzuwG0Tg1q09y77hq5JNvC05t67UO2Lk8PAtrKdn7zt6EipsWP0g1RWLoK2uwaGziPzXSUMZhAdSc_43w28kd7tJ0Z6wZftwpAbPLHZFpPRnupAcn9lkOOPVgv0E/s1600-h/CIMG0703.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrFb_P7ypy4FhzK2bzuwG0Tg1q09y77hq5JNvC05t67UO2Lk8PAtrKdn7zt6EipsWP0g1RWLoK2uwaGziPzXSUMZhAdSc_43w28kd7tJ0Z6wZftwpAbPLHZFpPRnupAcn9lkOOPVgv0E/s320/CIMG0703.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212231816795185906" /></a><br /><br />Here are a couple pictures of the rain that hit us while we were hanging out at the restaurant. It was ridiculous!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhso7kCWVwEDhR3Ja4QaUNlC3a7Z1GqVNBkQ-Sle8JSpNyEp9NIvMi1nEbVOk_7t9RhmROo4njWE7GOqUjyRlcQ_rwtBfRyo1xiuLxsXvJH_rhPU5SWKJw5cxKFvyAIlFJ8nWVC1lCpWG8/s1600-h/CIMG0705.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhso7kCWVwEDhR3Ja4QaUNlC3a7Z1GqVNBkQ-Sle8JSpNyEp9NIvMi1nEbVOk_7t9RhmROo4njWE7GOqUjyRlcQ_rwtBfRyo1xiuLxsXvJH_rhPU5SWKJw5cxKFvyAIlFJ8nWVC1lCpWG8/s320/CIMG0705.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212231822550135826" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6QveQUM9Q4ZS2bkn4ytdypZ_lmrepXgiv9gN6BwMbvHvUUpSX8HQ8-JyTSifHGnw7hs7M54Up5oxVWWv0Siu7nPFqXkoxqwmQXazkokVBnMFtLUbqbYJol3pL0TKyQNLfYWNesoKrx0/s1600-h/CIMG0706.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6QveQUM9Q4ZS2bkn4ytdypZ_lmrepXgiv9gN6BwMbvHvUUpSX8HQ8-JyTSifHGnw7hs7M54Up5oxVWWv0Siu7nPFqXkoxqwmQXazkokVBnMFtLUbqbYJol3pL0TKyQNLfYWNesoKrx0/s320/CIMG0706.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212231836402915570" /></a><br /><br />The next day we were back in the car on our way to San Jose for the night in order to fly out on Sunday. We stopped at this awesome overlook (near Jaco beach) and took some pictures with some other random tourist-types.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdS2m_rL2YX-Pf5GLhEUagWpPqMMauX01-QlY9DYYq5hZd6mlhSWBsirKGq2NR9dCyS8CNkkfir9HDJa655StpBlBa2AlzuSPH_h35Qb886FCINhavcmt_HwMn6Mp60Ss1oEJ4CX04bgM/s1600-h/CIMG0720.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdS2m_rL2YX-Pf5GLhEUagWpPqMMauX01-QlY9DYYq5hZd6mlhSWBsirKGq2NR9dCyS8CNkkfir9HDJa655StpBlBa2AlzuSPH_h35Qb886FCINhavcmt_HwMn6Mp60Ss1oEJ4CX04bgM/s320/CIMG0720.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212231841311033874" /></a><br /><br />While we were enjoying the view, we were burgled by the 2 guys in this car (The picture shows them speeding away).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIiyNBfc-EfQiu7t7DTg_pFQgXScx-VtFXRFablendN608l0mxvQ0nXny3DdNC1A7iBGdIpbiJZFt1CToMFp4bXF48iTkCC6lrAtjLHAu4JqPBrDD35cCVQvS5ppG8dqp5YeBK50rEvdQ/s1600-h/CIMG0725.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIiyNBfc-EfQiu7t7DTg_pFQgXScx-VtFXRFablendN608l0mxvQ0nXny3DdNC1A7iBGdIpbiJZFt1CToMFp4bXF48iTkCC6lrAtjLHAu4JqPBrDD35cCVQvS5ppG8dqp5YeBK50rEvdQ/s320/CIMG0725.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212231848521295250" /></a><br /><br />Here's the story: We had just walked back to the car after taking some pictures, and Jenna switched the lenses on her camera. For the first, and only, time on our adventure, we left the car doors unlocked. I walked toward the ocean and was approached by a guy I'd seen drive up. He was trying to tell me that there were some birds out on the ocean I should take pictures. When I corrected him that the birds were, in fact, in the trees in the opposite direction (toward the car), he started talking about dolphins. About this time Jenna came over to see what was happening. I told her that apparently there were dolphins, but I couldn't see them. I was now bored and turned back to the car. I saw the second of the guys walking between our car and theirs carrying a backpack that looked suspiciously like mine. I checked the car, and sure enough the dude had my bag. I yelled at him (using many choice words that are not appropriate for a family blog) and tried running after him. His friend realized that the gig was up and raced toward the car. I realized that there was no way I'd be able to keep up with them/catch them, and was smart enough to take a picture of the car, in the hopes of turning it in to the police.<br /><br />Jenna came back to the car, I told her they had my bag, and she responded: "Which way did they go?" We took off after them and I started listing what was in my bag: an empty journal, address book, 2 cell phones that don't work in CR, a fairly old iPod, and a bag full of random crap. Oh, and about 140,000 Colombian pesos which aren't worth the time it would take to exchange them there. I felt a little vindicated, in a way, that the jerks didn't get away with anything too valuable, but then I just got madder as I thought about the principal of the thing. <br /><br />We found their car parked at a hotel about 5 minutes away. Jenna parked directly behind the car (so they couldn't drive off again) and jumped out yelling at anyone who would listen. Someone from the hotel was able to figure out what I was yelling about and explained it to the rest of the people there, who immediately jumped up in pursuit of the guys who had run away when we drove into the parking lot. They never caught the guys, but I found the car unlocked and stole back all of my stuff. We had a beer to calm down and continued on the drive.<br /><br />We spent our last night in San Jose, which we'd heard wasn't much to write home about. The people at the hotel told us where we could go to hang out that night, which turned out to be this small, walled-in plaza that had a bunch of different clubs. We ended up drinking too much and staying out all night. It was a good thing all we had to do the next day was sleep on the plane.<br /><br />That's it for the trip. Sorry it took so long to tell you about it. I guess I can blame it on Colombian time, again.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-56731809498043503692008-06-04T20:11:00.005-06:002008-06-04T20:33:41.451-06:00Another Take on SidOk, so my picture of Sid is not very good. Check out this link..it's a story about a man who actually raises multiple Sids. I believe their official name is 'Hercules Beetle.' <br /><br /><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-beetles21-2008may21,0,6959607.story"><br />http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-beetles21-2008may21,0,6959607.story</a><br /><br /><br />We decided to free him. He started chewing through the wire-mesh cage that Jenna found in the science lab and we weren't sure he'd actually make it while we were gone to Cartegena for a 3 day weekend. We opened the door of the cage and left him on the balcony the night before we left. He's not there anymore and he actually chewed a different hole in the mesh.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-34462418239878647982008-05-28T14:46:00.004-06:002008-05-28T14:54:56.345-06:00Sid<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BZa2-32fMyfDfU6u6AoSHe98CfxN2ny_goWLGVsHMcniXCSfg-D6IFOmQLX7rSj6DMbDcsSoHetYnmdwKA4z8gYPrtXZJK0WtC1jirOpKUv5kXuTxNEdrB5dPk9ghHEKcRsPN1uzOIY/s1600-h/Sid.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BZa2-32fMyfDfU6u6AoSHe98CfxN2ny_goWLGVsHMcniXCSfg-D6IFOmQLX7rSj6DMbDcsSoHetYnmdwKA4z8gYPrtXZJK0WtC1jirOpKUv5kXuTxNEdrB5dPk9ghHEKcRsPN1uzOIY/s320/Sid.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205534475028317282" /></a><br />This is Sid. He's our 'pet.' We found him attached to our curtain on Monday night. After a lot of hysterics and calls to two boys who fell through, Jenna was finally able to corral him into a water pitcher with lid. We gave him some mango to eat. He seemed happy.<br /><br />Then, at about 2:30 yesterday morning, I was awakened by whimpering from Jenna's bedroom. Apparently, Sid didn't like his cage all that much and had escaped. He moved the lid across the room, and then continued on his merry way into her closet. She woke up to hear him chewing on a thick plastic bag. I went in to investigate and was given the task of finding him. Meanwhile, she's whimpering/laughing/screaming while standing in the middle of her bed (she wasn't sure of his location and was afraid she'd find him on the floor). I found him attached to one of her shoes and somehow managed to get him back in the cage, although not without stunning him a little bit. It was pretty eventful.<br /><br />We think he may be dying now. It's sad, really. But he is one ugly mo-fo.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4685785634039930365.post-83868150626841471372008-05-28T13:25:00.002-06:002008-05-28T13:47:49.390-06:00Colombian "Snow Day"We're on consecutive Day 2 (and day 3 of the last 2 weeks) of no school due to the roads up the mountain being closed. You see, we get a lot of rain here. And apparently lately it's been way too much for the ground to handle. So there have been massive mudslides that have covered the road and made travel impossible. I'm not complaining one bit. The last 2 days, I got to sleep in. And today I even got to take a nap. <br /><br />We got a call that we have to go in to school tomorrow, though. Somehow they're getting all of us teachers there, but no kids. It'll be a good work day for me, considering I was gone all last week.<br /><br />For those of you who didn't know, my friend Sarah and I took our middle school Destination Imagination team to the Global Finals in Knoxville, TN last week. It was a lot of fun, but very draining. By the 2nd day I think I was running on pure adrenaline and caffeine. It's hard to say exactly where our time went, but I can guarantee that it wasn't used for sleeping.<br /><br />A few <span style="font-weight:bold;">highlights</span> of the trip:<br />1. Watching the kids re-vamp their play and somehow manage to pull it together to present to the judges.<br />2. Watching the kids work together and do an awesome job on their instant challenge; in fact, the best I've ever seen them work. I was so proud!<br />3. Shopping! A lot! As ashamed as I am to admit it, I was really glad to get to go to WalMart. Did you know you can get 4 pounds of peanut butter for, like, $7? <br />4. Embarrassing the kids by wearing 'Do Not Disturb' eye masks (you know, for sleeping) all day in the mall and the airport, just for fun. <br />5. Witnessing Sarah drive the 15-passenger van that was larger than most of the buses our kids take to school here.<br />6. Watching the girls run after the van because we were tired of waiting for them, so when they got close to the door we took off. Twice. <br /><br />We had a really great time, but I was very much glad to come home. And then I lucked out and got 2 more days of rest before having to go back to work. Very nice.<br /><br />I still have the rest of Costa Rica to write about (including our vigilante action). Stay tuned. I promise I'll finish it one of these days. Since the Costa Rica trip, we've taken a long weekend to Bogota (my new favorite city), and Sarah, Jen, Jenna and I are going to Cartagena this weekend to celebrate Jenna's 3rd Annual 29th Birthday. I'm very excited to see what Cartagena and get some good beach time.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718566890704503487noreply@blogger.com0