Home sweet home

I have finally, officially, pretty completely settled into what really feels like my apartment. I had a bookcase made, got some plants, and most importantly, hired a handyman to come and drill holes in my concrete walls so I could hang my re-framed pictures. Now it really does feel like my place. It is still tiny, and the kitchen is still kind of a pain in the ass, but is definitely home.

Things here continue apace. Work is very busy, and I have a pile of grading that I am avoiding by writing here. It's funny about work though (and I may have already written this so sorry for the redundancy if I have). There are days when I feel 100% clueless and see people I swear I have never laid eyes on before. Then there are other days when I feel like I've been there for a long time. Those days feel good.

And of course, there are always kind of wacky things about Colombia that continue to crack me up. Who knew that the supermarket would give me so much fodder, but today I had some great moments there. First of all, in conjunction with a sweepstakes with the grand prize of a trip to Argentina, a coffee company provided TANGO DANCERS to draw people in. It worked for me. I had to investigate once I heard the music and applause. The second great thing about the supermarket (which is a total of about four blocks from my apartment) is that if your bags are too heavy for you to carry and you live close by, someone will wheel a shopping cart TO YOUR HOUSE for you. Yep. I strolled down my street today with a guy pushing a shopping cart full of my stuff. It was awesome. Although he didn't really get why I was so excited about it even though I told him that stores do not offer that service in the States.

Finally, I am super excited to have some developments on the travel front. I am going to check out Medellín in October and am traveling with a friend to the Amazon in December before I head back to the States!! Plus, my Semana Santa visitors -- Fiona & Sam -- and I bought our tickets to go to Popayán (a colonial city famous for its Holy Week celebrations) in March. Yes, these are some of the reasons I decided to make this big move.