columbia recap

well, my time in Columbia has come to an end, at least for now...i fly out of here so will be back to hang w- some of the new friends I made with Compassion - amazing, funny, wonderful young people with a heart for God. But that´s far away, so i´ve now got Peru to focus on! Columbia was a wonderful time - didn´t do too much sightseeing other than the Salt Cathedral, obviously bc we were hanging out w- kids at the projects (most of which had amazing views in their own right in the mtns). I am currently trying to figure out how to post photo links to my blog. Thank goodness Deann, our tour photographer, gave us a usb photo album before we left, otherwise you wouldn´t be seeing ANY photos til mom gets here in about a week. no worries...i just hope i have enough room for machu picchu! there is a slideshow to the left, plus some photos i chose to post directly - first my "family" here in Bogota, 2 girls who latched onto me at a project (and i´m picking them up off the ground hence the stress in my face!), me jumping at a vista at one of the projects...last one is me and Kevin, my boyyyyy :)

So yes, the anticipation of meeting the child i sponsor was unlike anything i have ever experienced. All the rest of the project stuff i will let the pictures tell the story. But meeting Kevin, a 12 year old boy from Cali (west side of Columbia, b/t mtns and river, much hotter than bogota), was awesome. No, I'm not saying there were daisies and fireworks, bc it is certainly hard to bridge both a cultural gap aside from an age gap. Funny though, I had a "spanish translator", not an English one. Everyone else, since they couldn't really speak Spanish, had an offical translator, but mine didn't speak English! haha. It was great to work on my Spanish all day, though exhausting. My translator helped me to understand Kevin bc a) he speaks super fast and b) he has an accent from Cali and c) they use tons of slang! My most favorite Columbian word?? "Che´vere" It means cool, awesome, rad ;) Too bad i have to leave the word behind in Columbia...no existe en otros paises!
Anyway, back to Kevin, he was very shy at first, but seemed soo happy. I was crying of course, as it was a very emotional moment. After I got a hold of myself, i presented my gifts to him - a photo album, soccer ball, soccer shirt, toiletries, etc. He was stoked! We chatted all day, I asked lots of questions, and he didn't have too much to ask of me, but nonetheless, i got to know him better, and felt we shared some special moments. Some include when I got to pray for him as we were about to leave the Parque Jaime Duque (complete w- zoo, mini replica of Taj Mahal, rides, museums, big ships - basically a lot of walking,esp w- an empty park!), I gave him a big hug and he gave me a great one back :) Then, as we said goodbye for the 5th time, i walked away from his van, then came back to see him hiding his face (or trying to) bc he was crying :) A smiley face you ask? Yes, it meant that the day and experience had been worthwhile for him, and therefore made mama Kaitlin very happy. It was his first time to Bogota, first time on a plane, 1st time meeting me! Overwhelming i´m sure. He said he wished we could have hung out more, as did i, but unfort that's not how the tour is run :( One thing I would for sure change, and requested so!

All in all it was a great experience. I would recommend this to EVERYONE who sponsors a child. If you don't, i may have to lecture you bc Compassion is the most amazing company, and the people who work for them here in Columbia, plus all the church partners and their staff are the most giving, warm, loving people ever. Each day they pour themselves out for these kids. I am coming back to Columbia most def, whether in 2 years or 10, to do another tour.

and on that note, let me say a couple things about Columbia. Contrary to rumors or stories you may have heard n the States, it is a relatively safe place. Nothing has happened in Bogota in a long time (in terms of kidnapping, etc). Yes, certain areas are still not entirely safe (such as Cartagena), but all in all i felt safe here. they take precautions in the hotels, and yes, you have to watch your purse, but nothing unlike Europe. The sponsor tours just started again 2 years ago b-c for a long time people didn't travel to Columbia...now the gov´t has things a lot more under control. as i mentioned before, i loved the people i met. I for sure would love to see the beaches and other beautiful sights it has to offer. Bogota is a HUGE city (8 million someone said!). green, smoggy, buses everywhere (hard to have a car here bc taxes are high for vehicles).

Okay, so this is particularly long, only bc i will be in the airport a total of 8, yes 8, hours today. thank goodness for this internet post up. Now i gotta get some amazign Columbian coffee to stay awake til my flight. Hope to catch up w- you next time from Cuzco!!