Day 61- Colombian Holiday (but not sure what we're celebrating)

Day  61 – Monday,  June 11^th- Today is another Colombian Holiday where most everything is closed; So there is a zero percent chance I will be getting the call today. My hope is that the Defender of Minors had a nice long weekend and will be able to sign our paperwork first thing on Tuesday so we can finally get our Sentencia.  (wishful thinking)

So I wait. In the meantime, I will enjoy playing with Sofia and sharing “raspberries” (the noise, not the fruit). I will continue to take my super flower remedies for my cough and to relax. I will enjoy a glass of wine during Sofia’s nap every now and then. I will practice improving my Spanish. I will continue to exercise daily – if not out and about, then in home. I will enjoy and cherish all the moments I am here – because my time here in Bogota will come to an end eventually.  And although this process has taken its toll on me, I do love many, many things about Colombia.

Today I was at my Aunt Beatriz’s house and we went for a walk after lunch. As soon as we stepped outside we saw the most beautiful rainbow against the mountainside. It looked like it was so close and each band of color was so thick. That was definitely an AHHH moment! (And of course, my camera was out of batteries. L )

Day 60 - Finca

Day 60 – Sunday, June 10^th – 60 days. 60 days I’ve been in Colombia with no word on when I can bring my little one home. All the other adoptive families that I have met have come and gone already, so I know my time is near. I can feel it!!!

We were invited to go to my aunt’s finca/cabin in the mountains for the day. It is only about an hour away close to a town called Subachoque (that’s my best guess on the spelling). Tia Elvira and Fernando picked us up and off we went. The drive is beautiful.  I came to this area once before on this trip when we celebrated Mother’s Day at Tia Rachel and Peretz’s finca. How nice to have a place to get away from the city that is so close, with such great views. I could actually see the center of Bogota, way in the distance, from Tia Maria Teresa and Oswaldo’s finca. We pulled up and I was amazed at the beautiful view. It is breathtaking!  When we arrived, my cousin Nicolas and his wife Natalia were already there. We sat outside, had some appetizers,  and I even had a couple shots of Aquardiente. (It’s a pretty strong, but smooth drink that I think tastes like black licorice.)  After a while of being outside, it started to rain, so we moved the party inside. Sofia was so playful with everyone – smiling, sticking her tongue out and letting out “raspberries” (the noise you make when you stick out your tongue and blow), and making her new faces – where she puckers her lips to make an “O”, and when she smiles she learned how to wrinkle her nose. SOOOO CUTE!!!!  We had a delicious lunch and hung out while the men were in the other room watching the Colombian Soccer team play poorly. We ended up leaving at ½ time to head back to Bogota. That was a pretty good decision since almost everyone watches the game, there was almost no traffic. (That’s usually unheard of in Bogota – except when there is a Colombia Soccer game on.) It only took us 45 minutes to get back to Efrain’s house. We had a nice time and I am glad we were able to spend another day with our family.

Day 59 - Another Zumba Day

Day 59 – Saturday, June 9^th –

I decided to go to another Zumba class today. I asked my mom to watch Sofia and she mentioned that my aunt Elvira was going to pick her up and they could take Sofia and meet me at the mall (Hacienda Santa Barbara).  I got ready and left at 10:15am to get to the 11:00a class in time. It is only 5 miles away, but the traffic is horrible here – especially on Saturdays.  There are so many cars in Bogota that they have what is called pico y placa. If your license plate ends in a certain number, you can only drive on certain days. On the day that a person can’t drive their car, they have to rely on others, public transportation, or taxis. There is no pico y placa on Saturdays, so ALL cars are allowed on the streets. And that’s exactly what it seems like – like EVERYONE is on the road at once.  So I was finally able to hail a taxi at about 10:30 and was off to Zumba class. Unfortunately, my taxi driver wasn’t familiar with the mall or the area, so when we got there, he took a wrong turn and we ended up going way out of the way. With the wrong turn and terrible traffic, I was afraid I would miss the start of the class. But once I got there, I realized the class had just started, so I jumped in. It was a good class. After class I walked around the mall and eventually met up with my mom, Sofia and my aunt at about 1:00p. We walked around the mall, as well as a very nice neighborhood that is just outside of the mall. We were there until 5:00p. By that time, I was ready for a nap with Sofia. We came home and did just that!

By the way, I started taking the homeopathic remedy for my cough yesterday, and I can already notice a difference. I’ll continue with it and report on it later.

Today I am thinking of Perry and Evan a lot. They are heading up to northern Minnesota for our yearly stay at a cabin on Lake Superior with the in-laws. This was a trip I had been looking forward to for quite some time – especially as it would be Sofia’s first trip Up North where she would have time to bond with our family. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out the way I had hoped and imagined.  At least I know that Perry and Evan are having fun, relaxing, having campfires on the rocks, and eating S’mores.  And we are here in Colombia with my family; healthy and happy.

Re-addicted to Zumba; Day 58

Day 58 – Friday, June 8^th – OK… so I’ve come to terms with the fact that I will be here for quite a while longer. So I woke up today and decided that I was going to make better use of the time I have here in Colombia, rather than just sitting by my phone and waiting for the call to come. I found a Zumba class that was starting at 10:30am today and I decided to go. I asked my mom to watch Sofia and of course she accepted. I put on some workout clothes and hailed a taxi to take me to Hacienda Santa Barbara which is about 5 miles and a $3.00 taxi ride away from Efrain’s house. I wasn’t sure where the studio was, but I found it across from the movie theater (Cine Colombia). I arrived early to fill out the paperwork and pay for the class. It was 12,000 pesos (about $6.00) for the class. They asked me if I want to buy a punch card for 10 classes for 100,000 pesos (about $50/ $5 per class) but I chose not to since I’m not sure how long I will be here. The studio is TINY; An oblong room with a platform in the middle for the instructor to teach. There were about 10 people in the class. I introduced myself to the instructor and was talking to 2 of the students before the class. It was great taking a Latin-style fitness class in Colombia! I thought I would move very “gringo”-like compared to the others in class, but I did very well fitting in and caught on to everything quickly. I also thought that it would be much harder to do the class at this altitude, but I guess all the walking here has paid off. I didn’t have any difficulty keeping up. It was an AWESOME ZUMBA class! I am now re-addicted to Zumba and plan to get recertified to teach it once I get home.

After the class, I took a taxi back home. As usual, my cough was pretty bad after I took the class due to my exercise-induced asthma.  Lately, my inhaler has not been enough to tame my cough here in Colombia, so I decided to look into homeopathy. My mom found a place that is close by that we can drop in at any time.  I decided that today is the day that I am going to take the next step to get rid of my cough, because it’s not only annoying for me, but everyone around me.  At about 1:00pm, I went for a walk down the street with my mom, Sofia and my aunt Maria Teresa. We went to lunch at a pizza place and Sofia was smiling at the waitress every time she was at our table, and when she wasn’t, Sofia was looking around for her. Sofia definitely gets attention wherever we go!  After lunch we stopped at the homeopathy place and I bought a remedy that will supposedly get rid of my cough. I am to take 1 small teaspoon of a liquid that tastes like honey every 3 hours. So far I have taken it 4 times and it seems like it might be working. I will continue with it and hopefully be cough-free by the time I get home.

Things Are Looking Up; Days 55-57

Day 55 – Tuesday, June 5^th – Things are looking up. The sun was out all day today and it has been beautiful here. I’m hoping for more days like today!

Today was one of the best days in Colombia so far. We went to my cousin’s house for lunch, and later, Dayana and I met up with my two other primas/cousins Maria Claudia and Maria Carolina at the Bogota Beer Company in Usaquen. We had Mojitos and some good, but VERY greasy empanadas. We had a blast. I am speaking Spanish almost all of the time and it’s so much fun to be able to understand everything and be able to respond and communicate effectively in a second language. (Although I still need to work on my verbs.) Tonight was the first time I have been out of the house (on purpose) after dark. It was a delight to do something different with my cousins, whom I adore!

Day 56 – Wednesday, June 6^th – Another sunny day. Maria Claudia swung by to pick us up and we headed back to the Plaza de Andres for lunch. We ended up staying until the lunch rush was cleared out. After lunch & coffee we decided to walk around a mall because I have been thinking about buying an inexpensive camera here. My mom has her camera, but the battery doesn’t last long. (We just bought a battery a week and a half ago and it is already gone. Neither one of us has been taking many photos. There’s no way the battery we bought was new. I’m thinking it was used and sold as new. L whaa, whaa, whaaa!) We looked around, but I decided against it. I decided to buy a charger for my Samsung Galaxy Smartphone instead. I didn’t bring the charger to Colombia because I knew that the internet and email would not work here. I didn’t realize that I would need to use the camera on the phone.  (Suggestion for anyone coming to Colombia: Android phones do not work in Colombia, but iPhones and iPads do.) I was thinking about buying an iPad before I left Minnesota and decided against it. Now that I’m here, I am kicking myself for not getting one. And they are way more expensive here, so that’s out of the question!!!

At 8pm, I finally got a call back from my contact. Unfortunately, it wasn’t “THE” call.  She was getting back to me to tell me that the lawyer finally called her back and that our papers have been signed by the judge already, but now we have to wait to get a signature from another Defender of Minors. She said it could take a while, but of course, there is no timeline.  “Be Patient”, she says (every time I talk to her). It could also take a while because the next two Mondays are holidays, so I’m heading into two short weeks. Let’s just hope that they sign soon. I’m more optimistic now that I know that our paperwork has passed the judge, but no one knows how long this segment of “The Process” might take.

I’m still having the same reoccurring dreams that are related to this process. Imagine the judge’s desk with hundreds of papers stacked on top of it. In one dream, my paperwork gets shuffled around and ends up falling underneath the judge’s desk. After months and months of me asking what’s the delay and not getting any response, a cleaner finally finds the paperwork covered with dust and it finally gets signed. In the other dream/nightmare, it’s the same judge’s desk full of papers. The judge works his way down the stack, but ours happens to be at the bottom of the pile. Instead of working through the entire pile, a new pile gets placed on top of our paperwork. And the judge never gets to ours.  Frustrating!  At least I know now that we are passed that point. So we continue to wait with more optimism.

I am so lucky that I have my family here so I can get to know them better while I am here and so they can get to know Sofia. She is loved by ALL! (Even the retro-dude working at the music store in the mall couldn’t stop saying how precious she is. It’s amazing how so many people stop to look and comment on how beautiful miss Sofia is. Next time I go to a mall, I should count how many comments we get.)

Day 57 – Thursday, June 7^th – I am now in my 9^th week in Colombia. Sofia is growing so fast. She is now sitting on her own, reaching for her toys while sitting (without tipping over), she found a pretty horrendous shriek and she laughs after she shrieks (she finds it funny, but mom – not so much!), and she is now eating solids. I tried to hold out on feeding her solids until we returned to the states so she wouldn’t have to get used to yet another change, but there’s no telling how long were going to be here, so I decided to start with cereal. So far, so good! (I forgot how cute it is to watch a baby eat solids for the first time. She had no idea what to do with her super long tongue. It was going wild while she was eating. Super cute and extremely funny!!!)

Today I am wiped out! I went to the store after Sofia’s 6:00am feeding to pick up more water, bread for breakfast, and juice. Later in the morning, my mom stayed with Sofia while I went for a quick walk to run a couple more errands. When I returned, my mom left to play cards and I hung out with Sofia for the rest of the day. She is so much fun. She loves to laugh. What a happy baby!!! Perry, Evan and I are so lucky to have her as part of our family. They are going to be amazed at how much she has changed in the 6+ weeks since we were last together. That’s a long time to be apart, but for Sofia… it’s worth it!!! We will be together soon.

Day 54

Day 54 – Monday, June 4^th –

I talked to my contact today. I told her I was expecting her call and she told me that she didn't forget about me. She said that she called again to find out about our case and no one is returning her call; So no news. I told her that I am frustrated that I have been here 8 weeks and still waiting for Sentencia. She said that there is nothing we can do to speed it up and just to be patient. I asked her when our court date was and she said that's what she was going to ask the lawyer, but they haven't called her back. I told her it's taken MUCH more than 10 working days for the judge to sign, and she said "Well, it's hard to count those 10 working days because of all the holidays and having to send the papers back to the orphanage due to an expired date on their certificate." (Now that made me MAD because she told me earlier that that did not affect our case.) I just have to be as patient as I can be, drink a few glasses of wine, take my magic potion, and WAIT.

So I'll keep hoping that the call comes, but I'm going to just let it go and enjoy the rest of my time here. I write that half-heartedly, because although I love Colombia and being with my family here...I'm more than ready to come home.  

Passing time... days 48-53... EEK!

Day 48 – Tuesday, May 29^th – On Tuesday morning, my mom, Sofia and I woke up early to bring Sofia back to Los Pisingos (the orphanage) to get her vaccinations. It was so nice to go back. The first time we were there to pick up Sofia, I was so emotional and didn’t seem to look around. This time we got to see and talk to the people that work and volunteer there. We met a “substitute mom” who is a volunteer that takes a few of the babies to live at their house between the time that the baby either enters the orphanage or when the referral has been accepted until the time that the adoptive families come to be united with the baby. It is such an important part of the adoption process, but I can imagine how hard it would be for the substitute moms that get attached and then have to see the babies go to their new families. God bless all the substitute moms for their selflessness, kindness, and love they have for these children.  Sofia got her shot and we were off… we caught a taxi and headed back to Efrain’s.

The days are starting to mesh… I don’t remember what we did after Los Pisingos… All I remember is I was waiting for the call and it never came.

Day 49 – Wednesday, May 30^th – Another low key day at Efrain’s. We didn’t have any plans, so my aunts Maria Teresa and Elvira come over after lunch to hang out. We talked all day until it was dark. (Have I mentioned that my Spanish has improved so much? I’m still having issues with the verbs and tenses, but I can get past that.) I love that I am able to get to know my aunts and other family so much better since I have been here so long.  I am anxious to get back home to be a family and get into a routine again, but on the other hand, it is so nice being able to be with my extended family here.

8^th Week-

Day 50 – Thursday, May 31^st – I’m in my eighth week with no call so far. Our fights are scheduled to leave Colombia today, so we had to cancel our flight and we will need to rebook when we know when we can leave. My anxiety has risen a bit since I know that Evan starts vacation on the 6^th and I will not be there by then. My mom went to a homeopath and brought me some “magic drops” (at least that’s what I call them) to help keep me relaxed. The other thing that has helped is after talking to Perry, we have the first 2 weeks of vacation figured out with help from both grandpas. Hopefully we will be back in 3 weeks so we won’t have to worry about who’s going to be with Evan while Per is working. So Hakuna Matada (no worries) if it takes up to 2 more weeks, but after that, I can’t guarantee that I won’t get stressed again.  Fingers crossed that “The Process” will be less than 10 weeks all together in Colombia.

For lunch today we invited Elvira, Maria Teresa, and my cousin Felipe.  Now, I can say I’ve seen almost all of my family here in Colombia. I’m glad Felipe was able to come to meet Sofia. As always, she was her usual smiley, flirty self. She was so cute with Felipe. After lunch, Felipe brought the ladies to go play cards and I stayed home with Sofia.

Day 51 – Friday, June 1^st – Hoping the call would come today, but no-go.

We had lunch at my cousin Maria Claudia’s house, hung out for quite a while, then went to Hacienda Santa Barbara for tinto/coffee. We were there until dark. We walked around with Sofia and spent a good amount of time with Maria Claudia, Beatriz and my mom.  (I saw that they teach Zumba there. I’m going to look into it and I might start going to class. We were saying if I am here too much longer – I might as well start teaching it here. J/K)

Day 52 – Saturday, June 2^nd – Today, Perry is treating us to a stay at the Radisson, to have a change in scenery. He wanted us to stay for 5 days, but 1 night was good enough. Before we left, we invited Efrain to lunch. We went to Toro Burger on 140^th again. It’s the 3^rd time we’ve been there, but the meat is consistently good. After lunch we took a taxi and checked into the hotel at 3:00. The first thing we did is lay down on the beds with the super comfy pillows and turned on the TV. (It’s amazing how much a good pillow will make a difference in your comfort level!)  Ahhh… It felt wonderful!  At 6:00ish, my mom stayed in the room while Sofia was napping and I took advantage of the 2 free drinks in the bar. BLISS! This one-night-get-away was totally worth it! Thanks Per!!!!!

Day 53 – Sunday, June 3^rd – I woke up this morning in heaven. I love the Radisson Bogota! I took a long, steamy hot shower for the first time in 2 months. It was….simply delicious! My mom, Sofia and I went to the hotel restaurant to have breakfast. They had EVERYTHING!!!! Typical Colombian things like empanadas, arepas, tomales, almohavanas, Caldo (a potato & meat soup with cilantro – sounds weird to eat soup for breakfast, but it was awesome!) and a huge variety of typical Colombian fruit. They also had the “regular” breakfast food like bacon, eggs made to order, waffles, all types of bread, etc.  Everything you could imagine for a breakfast buffet. After breakfast we hung out and played with Sofia in our comfy room. Checkout was at 1:00 and just before checkout we went to the lobby and met my second cousin, Alejandra, her son, Santiago, and Efrain. They came to pick us up to have lunch at Alejandra’s place. We had a nice time.