Can I Really Still Be In the Northern Hemisphere?

My flight back to Colombia ended up being delayed because of the first real snow storm of the year. I really can't complain about it too much because I got to go skiing! On Monday I didn't think I would see real snow or be able to ski at all this year, but on Wednesday I was out doing loops (small ones, but loops on real snow none-the-less) at Elm Creek.

So, I went from, in a matter of 17 hours, this:

To this:

And a temperature change of 90 degrees (-5 to 85 F). Yikes Bikes.

I also got a new room. Here it is!

It is about a fifth the size of my other one. In fact, I had to stand in my bathroom to get the majority of the room into the picture. But I really like it. It is quaint.

There is a different feeling in the hotel now. They have put up Christmas lights (which is a bit strange to see without snow) and they are doing lots of construction. Also, because it is vacation time here, the administration takes advantage of incoming wealthy tourists and kicks out all the hotel residents (I'm still here because I fall into both categories, I guess.) So it feels a bit strange because most of my friends have moved out. However, the first thing I did was swim in the ocean and it was delicious. It's good to be back.

Back in the USSA

So, unexpectedly I have found myself back in the USA for a few weeks. It is nice to be back with my family and friends here (and also to eat Chipotle), but it is definitely bittersweet. My best friend's mom, Jenny Wilder, passed away on November 13, 2009 at 5:00 pm. A service was held in her honor at the arboretum last Tuesday. It was beautiful and I am really glad I was able to make it back in time. Please keep the Wilder family and friends in your prayers.

Jenny died of Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC), a rare and aggressive form of Breast Cancer. If you are interested in donating to the "Jennifer Wilder IBC Awareness Fund," you can donate online at www.minneapolisfoundation.org/Giving/DonateNow. You can type in the name and the fund will show up.

I will be home until December 8th, so if you are also in Minnesota, feel free to give me a call and I would love to get together with you!

Megan, Jenny, Lani, Donna, Jane, Emily

I love you and miss you Jenny.

Las Fiestas de Noviembre

In November, Cartagena shuts down for a week to celebrate it's independence day (yes, a separate independence day just for the city) and to host the national beauty pageant. It is crazy! First of all, you need to know that I hate beauty pageants. I think they are dumb. So, to start off the week, I went with a friend to meet all the contestants, and, because I am a horrible person, make fun of them behind their backs.

Meet Las Reinas:

They all look exactly the same. It is disgusting. But... I got a picture with one! (I was originally making a face, but my friend took a really long time taking the picture and I started giggling.)

So, there are tons of parades with the queens and everything, but the best part is that the city just goes into total chaos for the week. Of course, there is drinking and it is more dangerous, but it is also very fun. In the streets people throw water, flour, paint, spray foam, anything on anyone who passes by. You have to wear old clothes because they will get ruined. I don't have any pictures of me covered in yellow, blue, red, purple, etc, but let me tell you, my shirt sure is beautiful! Tye dye! The part that really keeps you on your toes are the "buscapies." These are like firecrackers that people throw on the ground and after a few seconds explode. You have no idea where they are going to go and when they will explode. I may or may not have thrown one...

But these parties last all week, all over the city, culminating in the crowning of Miss Colombia, but I think that by the end, no one really cares who wins. Everyone is too drunk and tired to really pay attention. If you are in Cartagena for this week, I would advise you to be very careful, but just let go and enjoy!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

I have deemed it time to write about the streets of Cartagena. Now, many of you already know about the dangers of transportation in third world countries. Colombia is no exception. And although the drivers are crazy and I have yet to find some sort of rules or method to the craziness, I have to admit that I have not seen any accidents; not even a fender bender or minor tink. But still, the drivers scare me. The part I love best is when we are waiting at a traffic light (yes, they are generally obeyed, except one time when I was in Cali, we were in a taxi that kept speeding through red lights at night and my friend just kept yelling "rojo! rojo! rojo!" everytime we went through) and the very moment the light turns green everyone starts honking, as if the person at front didn't realize it, even though it would be impossible to start up that fast. It makes me giggle.

There are four main forms of transportation in Cartagena. First you have the bus. Many of you may remember my love affair with buses in Argentina. I have developed another one here in Cartagena as well. I love the buses, and this makes everyone here laugh because they hate them. They are loud, crowded and either drive way too fast or way too slow. The thing is, they have a certain time limit in which to make their round and if they are late they have to pay a fine. So sometimes, in order to avoid the fine, they go super fast, weaving, and not picking up people who are trying to flag them down. If they are early, they go so slow, like, never leaving first gear. There is nothing more annoying than getting on a bus when you are late only to find it moving slower than you could walk. The buses have helpers who take your money for you while the driver drives. It cost 1.200 pesos, but they let you pay 1.000, or if you are really cheap and not going very far, you can negotiate. The helpers can be pretty rude people tell me, but I've never had a problem. In fact, they have been very helpful, telling me when to get off if I don't know where I am going and giving me a hand when I get off the bus. The buses are also all decorated to the driver's taste and usually blast music. If the bus is really full and you have to stand, people that are sitting usually offer to hold your bag for you. That's nice. The worst part about the buses is the heat. Especially if it is raining because then all the windows get closed and the sweat just drips down your back. Gross. There are a couple that are air conditioned, but they don't generally go to where I need to go. Plus, I am too cheap to pay 300 pesos more (that's like 15 cents... wow, I am cheap.)

There are taxis, of course, but I generally avoid those because they are too expensive for my taste, although sometimes it is necessary. At night, the buses change their route and no longer pass my hotel, so we have to take taxis, but if you split them between five people, it is the same as a bus ride. Similar to taxis are colectivos. These are taxis that are shared. You can pick them up anywhere on their route, although it is best at the beginning because they get filled and in the mornings you have to wait a long time to find one that has an empty spot. It costs the same as the bus, but is faster and a bit more comfortable. I take these in the morning on the way to the center because the buses don't pass in that direction.

Lastly, there are moto-taxis. These are the most interesting, and definitely the most dangerous. They are motorcycles that carry people to whatever destination they want. They are everywhere! But they weave in and out of traffic like crazy. If traffic is stopped they find their way to the very front, going in crevices I would never dare to enter and over grass and medians. There really are no rules. I have been on these moto-taxis twice, but only when I was traveling with other people. I don't know if I have enough faith to get on one by myself and let him speed off with me. I don't know, I am super intrigued by them, but have received many mixed messages about them from friends.

My absolute favorite part is that on the back of every public transportation vehicle, they have this sign: "¿Cómo conduzco?" and then a telephone number.

Translation: "How's my driving?"

HAHAHAHA!

Quick Mannequin Update

I just need to show these new mannequins I found because they must be shared across the world.

This first one me da mucho miedo. I mean, this is genuinely scary to walk by:

This next one me da mucha risa. I mean, I know motorcycles are a very common form of transportation in Cartagena, but putting mannequins on one? It really cracks me up:

That's all for now. More to come.

ULTIMATE!

It has been a long time since I have posted and a lot has happened including a trip to Cali, a city near the Pacific coast known for Salsa; lots of work; more play; and I have joined a frisbee team.

(The team)

One of my friends, Jota, started a team this year at his university and he invited me to play. We practice on the beach and it is beautiful. I love it! The people are the team are hilarious and a ton of fun. Some know how to play really well and others are just beginning, but we are improving rapidly. It is the perfect mix.

This past weekend we had a tournament in Barranquilla, another coastal city about an hour away. It was fabulous. We slept on the beach under the stars, woke up to the waves and the sunrise, and the first thing I did was go swimming in the sea. So beautiful. We played a pickup game of ultimate before breakfast. Then frisbee all day long. There were 6 teams of 7 or 8 people each and everyone was just so passionate about frisbee. It was such a cool atmosphere. And you could always just take a swim whenever you got too hot. Fantastic.

Anyway, this is how I'm spending a lot of my time now: running around the beach with really cool people chasing frisbees. I love it!

(Barranquilla!)

Manneqphobia

This is my new word for the phobia I am diagnosing myself with. Some of you may be familiar with my fear of mannequins (alright, probably just my sister knows about it), but I have the urge to publicize this fear now because here in Cartagena it is only growing. I mean, the mannequins here are terrifying! Walking down the street to the university I have to pass by many clothing stores whose windows are jam-packed with as many mannequins as they can fit. And they are scary! Take a look:

Here you can see the facial features and elvish appearance that the general mannequin here always has. I mean, what is they guy doing with his mouth? And the poor woman desperately needs a haircut, or at least a wig straightening. But they all have faces and hair like this. Since I walk this street nearly everyday, I am getting used to their penetrating stares and confusing facial expressions, but it still makes me uncomfortable.

Another strange thing I have noticed is the breast size. There are many mannequins here with boobs larger than I have ever seen on a mannequin (or most women for that matter) in my life. I have to question how they do not topple over... I mean really:
There are many other interesting mannequins I have seen wandering the streets of Cartagena including one dressed in a joutfit (sorry Justine and Leigh, I did not have my camera with me for that one) and this pregnant mannequin. (I think she needs a birth control lesson because it looks like she already has two little mannequin children. Plus the straps to her top are falling off and it makes her look a little like a garden tool... Maybe I should talk to someone in the store about it. It is not sending a very good message.)
So anyway, I just want to put it out there that if you have a fear of mannequins like I do, the best way to overcome it, is to make fun of the dumb things until they stop spooking you. Every once in a while I still turn a corner and my heart jumps because some creeper is staring right at me, wearing studded jeans and a tight shirt with his arm pointing at me, but then I realize that I can push him over with one finger and I laugh at him.