A life changing experience...

I have been infatuated with Latin America since I was a little girl. It has always been my dream to utilize my degree in finance, my passion for microfinacing, and my undying love of the region, in order to help the beautiful people of this global community that we live in. Over the past few days, tears of joy overflowed on various occasions with the realization that I was fulfilling this life-long dream of mine. It is not a feeling I can accurately capture in text but I can only compare it to the calm within the eye of a storm. I was full of emotions, mainly overwhelmed with joy, but inside I felt a peaceful, joyful sense of relief. These tears of pure joy took place when I was visiting with clients.

Merlis, her 2nd son, myself

On Thursday afternoon, I left the Cartagena Opportunity International office located in the region of Santa Lucia, in order to meet with potential clients. I was accompanied by Sandra, an Asesor Comercial, and Jefferson, the head of the Cartagena office. After reassuring them I did not bring any valuables, we headed to a barrio called Ceballos, which is located within Sandra's defined zone. Upon arrival, we stood on the side of a dirt road and were approached by a shirtless, barefoot man. He notified us that the group was waiting and politely led us to the home of the potential clients, where we were greeted by Merlis Angulo, a 23-year old woman who lived in the home along with three other families. She told us that she learned of Opportunity International from neighbors and she was hoping to form a Grupo de Confianza in order to obtain microfinancing. Merlis introduced us to other members of the community who cautiously gathered on the porch of her home. Plastic chairs of various colors were brought from within the home and from neighboring houses. Sandra taped a large piece of paper on the side of the home. Kids played soccer in the street barefoot. Chickens, kittens and stray dogs roamed in and out of the homes to the street. The neighborhood knew of our presence and paid special attention to me. With cautious steps, more and more people, mostly women, joined the porch with paperwork in hand. I later learned these were copies of their cedullas, or IDs. The women came prepared for the meeting. I felt Jefferson's eyes every once and a while and gave him a smile, assuring him that I was comfortable.

Sandra

1st meeting with clients

Sandra began the meeting very sternly, stating that the minimum for a group is 15 people and that they needed to get more people to come if they were serious. She set the tone that the members of the group would be responsible for complying with the policies set forth in order to achieve successful formation of their group. Everyone listened very attentively as additional people trickled onto the porch with copies of their IDs. On the large piece of paper, Sandra laid out the valores, or values, of Opportunity International. These include: compromiso (compromise), humilidad (humility), respecto (respect), integridad (integrity), mayordomia (stewardship), and transformacion (transformation). While Sandra presented on these topics, it was amazing to see how very serious and attentive the entire audience was despite kids crying on their laps, animals roaming between their legs, men pushing wheelbarrows full of fruit for sale, and kids playing in the street. Every member of the audience was on the edge of their seat, exuding genuine excitement to be receiving this presentation. Their behaviors would be equivalent to a room full of grad students receiving a lecture from a world famous professor. I found their attentiveness inspiring and very gracious.

The kids of Ceballos

Sandra proceeded with the same diligence and seriousness as a famous professor, describing the prerequisites for the Grupos de Confianza. These prerequisites require members to be living in the same neighborhood as each other, for at least two years, with a business. Keep in mind these businesses could be as simple as selling chocolate from their kitchen, making hats with palm branches, repairing ripped clothes, etc. Sandra also explained that every member would be required to make punctual payments, or no one in the group would receive money. She said that they would need to pass a credit check - which was more or less a verification of their name, address, and date of birth - and would start with a small amount of credit which would grow if they made punctual payments. Sandra stressed the fact that this was an opportunity for transformation, not charity. She made it clear that the members of the group would need to guarantee one another and, therefore, must know each other well. In order to demonstrate this point, she began by asking an older woman for her name, amount of time she had been living in the neighborhood, and su negocio o actividad (their business or activity). After getting this info, she looked around the group and asked if any they knew this woman. The entire audience laughed, retorting that they had known her for over 15 years. After asking a few more women to step forward with this information, Sandra said the next step would be to fill out an application with their basic information, accompanied by a copy of their ID. Sandra, Jefferson, and I began filling out the applications with their minimal information. Everyone had their ID. The meeting went more smoothly than many I had seen in a formal business setting in the US.

Lilibeth filling out her application with Sandra

Lilibeth, Myself, New Friend

While these applications were bere completed, Lilibeth Andrade, a 19-year old mother of three, began painting my nails. I was also given chocolate by another woman. My natural response was to pay and told them that I had not brought my purse. The laughed and said it was simply a regalo (present). I was very grateful to be treated as one of their friends. This is just one of the moments in which tears of joy presented themselves, only to be followed by laughs as Jefferson and Sandra joked that they had been nearly forgotten. We ended the meeting once we obtained applications and ID's from all the woman. Sandra explained that next steps would require them to all be present in four training sessions which would need to occur before disbursement. They were eager to get started and asked if we could return the following morning at 10 am. Sandra said that they would need to reach the minimum of 15 members the following day, and they all confirmed that would not be a problem. On my way off the porch, four of them inquired if I would be back the next day. I assured them I would be. Jefferson and I headed back to the office. Along the way, we didn't need to say much to each other. We peacefully soaked in the warm air and watched the sun set.



Bus ride with Sandra and 2nd meeting with clients



On Friday morning, I got to the office around 8 am which was their hour of reflection. During this time the members of the office meditate, say prayers individually or in groups, and relax. Afterwards, I left with Sandra to be reunited with my new friends and to witness the first of their four training sessions. To tell you the truth, I was so excited that I barely slept the night before. I even bought them small gifts to assist with their business and came prepared with my camera. Sandra and I bought an orange from a roadside stand before jumping on a crazy blue bus that was decorated with more chotskies than a tourist stand in Fisherman's Wharf. I am almost certain an American has never stepped foot on this bus. As Sandra and I arrived, the entire group was eagerly anticipating our meeting. We began by taking a few more applications, reaching the minimum of 15, and Sandra quickly began the next lesson. She described the financing side of the program, including the interest (3.5%), weekly payments, and the self-regulating part of the group structure. She also enforced the fact that all members must be present during the meetings as they were absolutely crucial for the group formation. During this time, I did not say much but as she finished, I described to the group that I would be taking pictures and video, with their permission, which would be featured on an internal website of one of the largest banks in United States. Some shyed away but others jumped at the opportunity to be featured in the pictures. I didn't realize until I began taking them, but many of the woman had never been in a picture before. They did not gather close, nor did they put a huge, fake smile on their face. They waited for instructions. Once they saw the pictures, they were eager to start posing, asked me to take more, and were really giddy. I laughed with them and showed them pictures of my dog, California, my family, and my friends. Before departing, I gave the kids a couple of small bags of Nerds and Gummy Bears. I left Lilibeth with some nailclippers, nail polish, and cuticle cutters to help with her nail painting business. She proudly carried the bag on her arm as she and Merlis escorted us back to the road.



I think the boy in the middle is still licking up Nerds!



Sandra and I ate lunch at Olympia, a large grocery store that had a cafeteria. She told me to sit and watch our purses as she waited in the line. I reflected on my experience in a journal and felt the palpable stares around me. I was not uncomfortable because everyone was just curious about me. They were not mean or rude. In fact, they were very kind and since I was sitting at a table for four and two young woman asked if they could occupy the remaining seats. During lunch, Sandra taught me a lot about the structure of the groups. She told me that each Asesor Comercial received extensive training but despite this she still had a hard time remembering all of the topics she must cover during the four reuniones (meetings). I asked her if she thought a handout would be helpful but she reminded me of the cost and assured me that the audience was more interactive when the lessons were posted on the large construction paper. I took note. Sandra also shared additional insight regarding the various forms required of the members, proudly shared pictures of her new granddaughter, and also told me that many of the successful groups don't want to break apart and get individual loans because they love the unity.

 



Myself, the group, and Maria

 After returning to the office, I had a short break eating gummy bears with Jefferson, before Lesbia, the supervisor of the Asesor Comerciales, came to get me for my next group meeting. This time, we would be heading to a different barrio called Olaya Central, which is well-known for its floods. Due to the condition of the roads, buses do not travel to this barrio and the only way to get there was by taxi. We waited for a short while as various cabs refused to go there. Finally, we found a taxi and when we arrived, we were greeted by a young man. He lead us down dirt filled roads that were in very bad condition. We arrived at the home of a group. This group was already in formation and had successfully made four weeks of consistent payments. The room was very proud, as they should be. I quickly caught wind of the fact that this room was led by an Asesor Comerical named Maria, who had already been there with her clients. Lesbia and I were there to check up on the group, as the supervisors do unexpectedly from time to time to insure they are working well. This group was much more like a family, with the men collecting the payments, the woman chopping fruit, and the younger adults bouncing children on their laps. The group commenced the meeting by showing us their new game; each group member put 2,000 pesos of profit in a box and their name in a bag. They asked if I would draw the name of the winner. I was honored and willingly obliged. This game was very fun for the entire room and we laughed as the winner danced around and called me her savior. She had the biggest smile I had ever seen.

¡Bienvenidos a Cartagena!

I am officially in love with the city of Cartagena, including the people, the food, the colors, the weather, the palm trees, the modern buildings, the historical ruins, the proximity to Bogota, the colonial Centro, the beaches, and the laid back lifestyle. Before I dive into my experiences in this exotic city, let me back up and explain why I had three very productive days in the office last week.

On Monday, I met with Lina, the head of risk at Opportunity International (OI), and we reviewed the spreadsheet I created, documenting the various controls for the credit product for Grupos de Confianza (I will explain in greater deal what these groups actually are). Lina was very excited about what I created and I felt very satisfied knowing that I made something that could be referenced by internal auditors, external auditors, the internal operation team, and regulatory bodies such as the

The cutest little girl I met, also named Sara!

Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia. In summary, the spreadsheet outlined information organized under the following column headers: control, the person responsible for the action, description of control, result of the control, corresponding process (ID and name), corresponding form, and supporting documentation. Under this format, I was able to identify 16 controls for this particular product and populated the spreadsheet after consulting various Asesor Comerciales (employees of Opportunity International that obtain and monitor the clients of the micro-loans; for my Wells Fargo readers, these would be Relationship Managers), operations managers, and office supervisors. I will be creating a similar spreadsheet for the other products they offer including loans to individuals, savings accounts, and deposit accounts. In order to see these controls first-hand, as well as the above mentioned employees, processes, and formats, I inquired if I would be able to visit a field office. The Cartagena office was the first one that came to mind. Lina and the Global Fellows committee at Wells Fargo were supportive and I purchased my tickets on Monday. The thought process was that by visiting the Cartagena field office, I would be able to verify with my own eyes exactly how each integral part of my control spreadsheet was used and, therefore, strengthened my understanding of the controls.

Flight to Cartagena.

I left Bogota on Thursday morning. My trip here was a bit of an adventure, much like the rest of my travels outside of Bogota, as I found out that I did not have a ticket in my name when I arrived at the airport; something went wrong on the internal site where I buy tickets and my confirmation number on my itinerary was no longer valid. However, my years of travel experience prepared me for unexpected issues with tickets, in another country, on the day of travel, while speaking a different language. In other words...I went straight up to the first class counter. My trusted Avianca staff ticketed me a seat in coach for less than what I was quoted in my invalid itinerary, and I left just 40 minutes after my initial departure time. It also didn't hurt that there are flights hourly from Bogota to Cartagena, much like my many trips to and from SFO/LAX. Needless to say, it made for a fun story and I love adventures!

Prancing around my new room!

The flight to Cartagena took about 90 minutes and I arrived at my hotel, Edificio Orange, around noon. I stayed with Travelers, the same company that owns and manages my apartment in Bogota. I am thoroughly impressed with their ability to make guests feel at home. In fact, many of the units are apartments/homes, not hotel rooms. When I arrived at the hotel, I quickly dropped my bags, opened the blinds, danced in circles, and pranced around a bit. I later took some pictures of the beautiful unit, walked down a water-front street in search of food, and soaked in the warm, tropical heat. I noticed during this walk that the area in which I am staying, Castilla Grande, looks a lot like the nicest areas of Miami. The buildings are very modern and the skyline is covered with these tall, white skyscrapers. There is blue water framing every view, most of the rooms and balconies are constructed with glass, and the plants are very tropical, green, and well-maintained. It reminded me of Vice City Miami. After my stroll, I returned to my unit in order to change for the office and left shortly thereafter. I observed the significant change in demographics as my taxi exited the touristy zones full of sharp, modern, white skyscrapers and entered Centro full of antique colonial buildings, historical ruins, streets filled with Bohemian tourists and residents alike.

Cruising around Cartagena after my arrival

After a twenty minute drive, I watched the streets transform very drastically as I arrived in Santa Lucia, the barrio which contains the Cartagena Opportunity International (OI) office. This neighborhood did not have a trace of toursim. I stuck out like Goldilocks in a forest full of brown bears. Despite feeling the almost tanglible stares, I did not feel scared, threatened, or unsafe. I was just very aware of how different I looked and felt out of place. Before coming to Cartagena, I was unaware that the city and its surrounding barrios are home to more than a million Colombians. This was more apparent when I arrived in Santa Lucia, as it was filled to the brim with people bustling down the street selling various goods. This side of the city seemed light years away from Castilla Grande and Bocagrande's tourist filled hotels, palm tree-framed roads, and white buildings. 

I entered the OI office and was greeted by a security guard with a pistol and six rounds on his hip. Due to the fact that a significant number of clients come to the OI to make their weekly or monthly payments, the doors are locked at all times and the guard takes his job very seriously. I waited for a short amount of time before being greeted by Jefferson, the head of the Cartagena office, who greeted me with a warm welcome, as he led me up the stairs to his office. We talked briefly about my experiences in Bogota, my goals for my trip to Cartagena, and the potential meetings that were planned that afternoon and the following day. Jefferson was from Bogota but left four months ago to run the Cartagena office when it officially became a finance company. Prior to August, the office existed but all credit disbursements and payments were routed through a bank which made managing clients significantly more difficult as the bank was the first point of contact regarding payments. I inquired about Jefferson's move to Cartagena and he said that he preferred the laid-back atmosphere, the kind people, and the warm weather. Jefferson also shared some statistics with me: the average salary in Colombia is about 566,700 pesos monthly, which comes out to about 19,000 pesos daily. In terms of US dollars, the equivalent would be about $340/month or $11/day. Keep in mind this is the average for the entire country...I can imagine the average salary in the outskirts of Cartagena is far, far lower.

The Cartagena OI Office. 

Jefferson also explained Grupos de Confianza, or Trust Groups, in further detail. Within Colombia, many individuals are unable to obtain loans, or any capital for that matter, necessary to grow their businesses. As such, OI offers micro loans to groups of people, where the members of these groups are from the same barrios and they guarantee one another. This model works very well, as the members of these very poor communities have known each other for many years, do not compete among each other, and often share homes (4-5 families live in one building). The company currently has over 2,000 clients and 70% of them are within Grupos de Confianza. The groups are formed with a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 45 members. The initial credit amount is on average 200,000 pesos, or $120 USD, which is divided amount members in varying amounts depending on their businesses. The members of the group make weekly payments for a 16-week cycle. After the cycle, the amount of credit is revisited and, depending on the consistency of payments, the full principal amount is increased in 40% increments following each cycle. Jefferson proudly stated that the most successful Grupo de Confianza is held within the Cargatena office! This group of 27 members began with the standard 200,000 pesos and due to their consistent payments, they have made it through 11 cycles. As mentioned, each cycle is 16 weeks, or four months, therefore, the group has been in formation for over three years. With each successful cycle, the principal amount of the credit increased, and the group is now up to 18,000,000 pesos.

Categral de Sal.

Farewell Lunch for Magdalena (top, center)

I ended my four day work-week by going to lunch at Sopita Del Carajo with a large group of Opportunity International coworkers. Sopita Del Carajo is famous for its traditional Colombian soups, fish, and meat plates. During this lunch, we acknowledged the last day of Magdalena, the office helper, who was leaving to open a store closer to her home (she lives over two hours from Bogota and commuted four hours everyday). We had a great time at lunch and it was the perfect end to the week. Magdalena was glowing during the lunch and sat proudly at the head of the table. One of my favorite observations of the day came when Enrique, the CEO of Opportunity International Colombia, kissed her on the head and wished her good luck on her endeavors. 

Dinner at Sebas', the infamous soup, and grandpa!

After work on Friday, I went home and spoke to some family members, worked out, and packed my things for a night over at Ana's house. Ana lives with Seba's, his mom, and his adorable grandparents. Being at their house full of warm welcomes, great conversation, and life-changing food made me feel right at home. Seba's mother, Patricia, made us the best soup I have ever had in my entire live. I am still not sure if this family recipe had a name, but it's main ingredients were definitely spinach and cilantro. It was creamy savory, and addicting. She also gave us a side of rice and fried plantains. It was delicious. 

On Saturday morning, I woke up early to consume homemade chorizo with eggs, arepas, and juice before being picked up by my coworker, Carlos, for a day of site-seeing around Bogota. From there, Carlos and I drove to get another coworker, Bryan, who is Carlos's manager. I was very excited to have these two new friends to take me around the city for two reasons: 1) both of them are very proud Colombians who have lived in Bogota for most of their lives, and 2) Bryan previously lived in the U.S. for twenty years. Aside from the convenient translation and cultural/historical context he provided in times of need, Bryan shares and understands my American sense of humor, something I can not live without. I didn't realize it prior, but Saturday was the first time I could joke openly and hear someone laugh. It is hard to joke in Spanish and have someone understand your tone/punch lines when you are still learning the language. Not to mention, we have a bit of a twisted sense of humor here in the states. Bryan understood me and we shared a few large laughs throughout the day. One of these came when we happened to run into Juan Carlos, my savior and transportation to/from the office. When I saw him, I attempted to be polite and introduce my co-workers (Bryan and Carlos) but instead referred to them as "mi trabajadores", which ever so incorrectly translates to "my workers". Bryan retorted cleverly by pretending to clean my shoes (A.K.A. the best boots that ever existed, or at least they should be based on how much I paid for them) and large laughs ensued. This is just one example of the many moments that were lost in translation...I also walked into a men's bathroom yesterday. Blonde moment!

Myself and Carlos in Categral de Sal

Bryan near the 2nd cross

Our first stop was the Categral de Sal (the "Salt Cathedral"), which is an underground Catholic Cathedral, built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200 meters underground in a Halite mountain near the town of Zipaquirá, in Cundinamarca, Colombia. The town is also recognized for being near one of the oldest human settlements in the Americas, El Abra archaeological place. Categral de Sal was initially a salt mine, as the mountain is full of large deposits of salt from more than 250 million years ago when the mountain was under the ocean. Miners began extracting the salt in the 19th century but it wasn't until 1932 when miners actually began carving a sanctuary for their daily prayers. In the 1950's, a larger church was built with of three naves and a monumental cross. However, as the cathedral was carved inside an active mine, structural problems and safety concerns led the authorities to shut down the sanctuary in 1990. In 1991, the construction of a new Cathedral was undertaken, under the older one. This new Cathedral was inaugurated in 1995. Its various corridors and sanctuaries were achieved by making small but significant additions to the caves left behind by previous mining operations. This construction cost over $285 million (USD). Today, there are over 12 enormous crosses which are either carved into rock walls, or free standing and carved out of rock. These gigantic crosses each have their own name and are contained within the tunnels, leading to the largest of them all at the bottom of the tunnel. 

 

I was surprised to see that the site was not packed with tourists, as this is what I am accustom to being a California native. Categral de Sal is a thriving location, but it is not overdone with corny marketing, packages, and tourists with large cameras around their necks. In fact, I might have been the only American among hundreds of visitors. I could tell Colombians were very proud of this amazing site, as they should be. In the main church, there were people praying and utilizing the church for its actual purpose. In the mining corridors, there were actual miners extracting salt. To this day, Categral de Sal is a functioning salt mine, church, and proud site for Colombians and out-of-towners around the world. 

After we saw the twleve crosses contained within the cathedral, we ended in a large hallway about 200 meters underground. This hallway housed small shops, as well as a large body of water that served as a mirror, and ultimately leads to a gigantic room (the ceiling must have been 200 feet long). This room was by far the largest, is used for a light show which is held on the ceiling of the room, and inspired the location of my future wedding. Seriously, I can visualize my wedding in front of the gigantic 40 foot cross in the giant cathedral, followed by the largest party that ever existed in the room with the 200 foot light show on its ceiling. I also imagine cirque du soleil dancers falling from the ceiling, trapeze artists swinging to and fro, and gigantic subwoofers ascending from the ceiling. A girl can dream. Now, I just need to find a husband crazy enough to go with this. I have a potential candidate in mind. 

The ceiling of my future wedding reception.

By late afternoon, after hours wedding planning and perusing the corridors of Categral de Sal, we built up a healthy appetite. We decided to head back toward Bogota (about 20 minutes away) and find something on the way. What we stumbled upon for lunch will go down in the history as The Largest Meal Ever Eaten by a Young Woman from Californian in Colombia. The restaurant we found was in a small town outside of Bogota and it had about ten cars parked out from. We went inside and observed a pleasant fire burning, and waiters that were as well-dressed as welcoming. I am going to blame this on language barriers and ignorance in order to hide my shame, but we got more food than I eat in a month. We started with plantains covered in cheese, bake potatoes, blood sausages (told you I love all meat), warm pieces of bread (that I obviously drenched in spicy sauce), and empanadas covered in fresh lime juice. We ended with three entrees that could feed a small village. I got a steak that was no less than five pounds, topped with chorizo (pictured). It got real. 

Plantains with cheese and empanadas



Our lunch

After a food induced blackout-like coma, we loaded ourselves in the car, me in front with the seat fully reclined, Bryan horizontal on the back seat, and our kind, trusting driver, Carlos, steering the ship. Once we got on the road we ran into a significant amount of traffic. We began talking about politics. I am sure the person I was talking about (I am not naming names) is the reason we experienced the events that ensued. Right when I said this American politician's name, we got rear-ended by a service truck. Do not worry my friends and family, we were literally dead stopped and the traffic was moving so slowly that no one was injured. However, as I mentioned, there are many things we take for granted in the states. Right after the car was bumped, Carlos and Bryan got out of the car. I just kind of hung out and drew pictures for the next four hours while the events went something like this:

I scare myself. 

The other driver tried to convince Carlos to move his car to the side of the road. However, I have learned that this is a major no-no. If you move your car after an accident in Colombia, the police think the evidence is tampered with, and you are likely to lose the case. Therefore, we sat in the middle of the freeway and the men took manual pictures of each other. Carlos called his insurance. I felt so bad! Not to mention, he was with his American coworker and boss! Also, since the other driver was driving a work car, he had to get a lawyer there on behalf of his company. They negotiated the price of the bumper for another two hours. Finally, I decided to call my savior, Juan Carlos, to pick me up. I was home by nine at night. It was another amazing adventure! Tranquila!

Yesterday, I got to catch the end of the Steelers game on ESPN! It was in Spanish and hilarious. I loved hearing "GOALLLLLLLLLLLL" to American football and it cracked me up when the announcers would say, "ahora, los Steelers estan ganado!". They won and it is my theory that my team needs me. I won't miss any more games. Si se puede! With that, I am going to watch the Giants win Game 7! Until next time....

View of large/final cross

It's a Girl Thing.

My baby nieces deserve their very own blog entry. My oldest sister, Leigh, had her third child on June 17th, 2012. Her name is Kayleigh Jane Tewinkle and she is absolutely perfect. Her two big brothers, Jonathan and Nicolas, adore her. I went to visit her shortly after her birth and stayed with my sister and her family for a few days. Baby Kayleigh woke up once the first night she was home and that was it. She sleeps 12 hours a night, is full of smiles, and is the epitome of perfection. I am pretty sure she will be modeling very soon. I share a very special bond with this little creature. Maybe it is because she is also the third child. Or maybe because we look very alike as babies (see picture). Or maybe it is because I planned her baby shower. Or maybe it is because she is in training to become a heart breaker, just like her aunt. Either way, she is destined to be on a jet to Hawaii for Spring Breaks, New York City for prom dresses, or maybe even Colombia for Spanish lessons....

Me (small inset) and Kayleigh

   

Kayleigh Jane

As I mentioned in my last blog entry, my sister, Kelly, welcomed her first child, Cadance Jean Howell, on October 12th, 2012. I must say, there is a sisterly bond that no one can describe. Besides Kelly and Leigh being pregnant at the same time, which is so beautiful, they also ended up naming their kids similarly without planning it at all. Kelly is not the type to find out the sex of the baby until deliver. As she got closer and closer to her due date, more and more people thought it was a boy. I did not budge. Kelly and I are only 22 months apart and did almost everything together growing up. I told her from the moment I found out she was pregnant that I thought it was a girl. I just felt it. Kelly went into labor while visiting Leigh at her home and I happened to be emailing them that afternoon. I felt something was up. We were able to Skype from the parking lot of the hospital, as Kelly would not enter without her loving fiance, Greg. I was very sad that I was not with her and a bit anxious. Luckily, I had Leigh, who Skyped me from the hospital room and gave me a play by play of the delivery. I had difficulty sleeping that evening, as I knew Kelly was delivering her baby. I was so glad that Leigh could be there for the both of us. I picked up my phone at about 1 AM Bogota, Colombia time, and 2 minutes later I received a text from Leigh that stated, "It is a girl". She too shared the same proud feeling and we all were together at that instance.

Cadance Jean

The strangest part of our sisterly bond is that I kept telling Leigh that I thought Kayleigh's nickname would be  "KK" even thought her initials are KJT. Once baby Cadance was born, I realized it all made sense: Kay and Cay!!!! My beautiful nieces will grow up to be best friends. They already held hands in the hospital room! I hope they share the same bond that me and my sisters do. I love them so much and feel blessed to have their love and support, as well as their babies/families. I was eager to come to Bogota but very hesitant at first because I knew the dates of my trip would overlap one or both of the babies' deliveries. At no point in time did Kelly or Leigh hesitate to support my trip and this opportunity I was given. They told me, reassured me, and even escorted me to my flight. I feel so blessed for their support.

Kayleigh (left) and Cadance (right). Twinning.

Until the day I have a family of my own, I am not ashamed at all to say, I will continue to live vicariously through these amazing families they have made for themselves. They have set such a strong example of what I should strive for when that chapter of my life comes. They chose amazing men who love and adore them, their children together, and the Steelers. I don't know what I would do without my strong, beautiful, loving, hilarious, and supportive sisters. I am the proudest sister and aunt that ever lived.

Kelly, Leigh and I.

PS - Happy anniversary Leigh and Jeremy! I hope you have a big steak at dinner tonight! And something that contains chocolate and peanut butter combined!

Carmen de Apicala

It has been a few days since my last entry but it feels like months. Over the last couple days, I initiated my first project in the Opportunity International office, experienced my first Colombia futbol game, adventured across Colombia to Carmen de Apicala, endured an attack by bugs and a frog that was possessed by the devil, acquired amazing friends, and ran out of gas on the side of a mountain while it was raining. Deep breath. Most importantly, my beautiful sister, Kelly, and her fiance, Greg, welcomed her first child, Cadance Jean Howell, to this world. Let me start from the beginning...

That is all I have to say

It took me about a week to really get my feet on the ground in the office. Being an overacheiver, a worry wart, and a bit of perfectionist, I felt very unproductive in the beginning because I am accustom to pumping out work, eating lunch at my desk, and tackling projects as quickly as possible. That is not the speed here in Colombia. Abeit productive and growing (they have grown from 8 employees to 50+ in the past year), the office is also very relaxed. When reviewing my first project, the manager gave me a soft deadline. Employees enjoy long lunches followed by coffee. They welcome eachother in the morning and trade stories throughout the day. Apart from this new business environment, there is the language barrier. Although I speak Spanish, many of the business terms are new. After a short internal struggle, I decided I would spend the first week reading and translating as many processes, procedures, and forms as possible. I am glad I did so. The needs of the office became apparent and I was able to make a list of minor observations to improve their internal operations. Furthermore, yesterday, I had a breakthrough. I decided they need single point of reference, documenting of all of their controls for each product and corresponding process. The controls exist but they are not explicitly identified. Being the Excel nerd that I am, I built a spreadsheet identifying each control, linking it to the corresponding process, and, when applicable, embedded the form used to document each control. I showed the manager of operations and we are going to do a similar document for each product they sell. These include: credit to trusted groups (groups within the community that form together and act as a sort of guarantee to one another), credit to individuals, savings accounts, and term deposits. I am excited that I have and will make an impact during my time here at the office. I am determined. Now, on to more important things....

Jajajajajaj

Colombia played Paraguay on Friday. I first learned of the game at the crack of dawn when Juan Carlos, my transportation to/from the office, arrived in his jersey. He informed me that the game began at 3:30 pm and the office would vacate as soon as it started. Although the company blocked external websites, nearly everyone in the office had a personal radio at their desk to listen to the first half of the game and as soon as the clock struck 5 pm, every manager entered the large conference room to watch the game. With the CEO's permission, I sneaked in to snap a picture (left). As you can tell, they immediately looked down at their laptops and appeared to work. I assured them I was not a spy of the Superintendency of Colombia. Colombia won 2-0. I saw a man cry in the office. It was everything I imagined my first futbol game in South America would be....

  




Myself, Sebas, Ana

Route to Carmen de Apicala

I spent Friday night with my very dear new friend, Ana Cristina. We went to the store to purchase groceries for the weekend, wrapped in plastic bags (an umbrella was at the top of my shopping list). Saturday morning we were picked up by Ana's boyfriend, Sebas; his brother, Carlos; and Carlos's girlfriend, Denise, at 7 am early. I guess my previous trips to Latin American countries should have prepared me for what I was in for, but really, nothing compares. For any of you that have been to Bogota, you'd understand when I say that the traffic and the roads are seriously challenged (those are not mutually exclusive issues). I literally thought I was going to die about six times. Nearly everyone in Bogota leaves during the weekend to go to pueblos located at lower altitudes in order to soak in the heat. Since Monday was a national holiday, the roads were extremely congested with Colombians taking advantage of the three day weekend. In fact, the roads only flow in one direction. In other words, it would be literally impossible to head into Bogota from outside. There is not way to do so. Carmen de Apicala is about 90 kilometers from Bogota which translates to 55 miles. It took us over 5 hours. Enough said. On our way we stopped for food at a spot called La Vaca Que Rie and had chorizo with rice and eggs (to die for). That small break refueled us for the remainder of our drive. We arrived to Carmen de Apicala at about 12 pm.   



La piscina

We stayed at a rental house outside of the pueblo. It was absolutely breathtaking. It cost less than $40 per person for three days and two  nights, as we ultimately had a group of about 16 friends that arrived in various cars. I was the first one in the pool. After spending about four hours in the pool, the ladies of the house went into town to purchase food for the house. We also picked up a cake for the birthday boy (whose name is escaping me). Later that evening, we sang 'happy birthday', swam, played poker, grilled food, and I eventually got thrown into the pool. Also, my Spanish speaking skills came in handy when I realized that 'Coco' was explaining to the group that he fell in love with a gringa (me). The look on his face when I explained that I understood everything he said was...absolutely...priceless. He was harmless and the jokes continued the rest of the weekend.

Pictures of the villa:

 

Interior of the Villa

External of the Villa





Devil frog

Finally caught

On contrary, the far less comical moments of the weekend involved a spider that was the size of my hand, as well as a frog that was possessed by the devil. For safety (and sanity) reasons, the spider is not pictured. It ever so cleverly choose to present itself while Ana was showering. I kid you not, it was the scariest living creature that ever existed. I hate it. Its long, black legs were thicker than a toothpick and longer than my index finger. Its body was the size of a quarter. After Ana jumped out of the bathroom, I decided it was a good idea to confirm its existence. Girly screams followed shortly there after, alerting the men of the traumatic encounter. Sebas, our ever so calm savior, removed the spider from the room, although, it continues to live in my dreams, climb on my arms, and play tricks on on my mind. Furthermore, that very same night, a frog leaped across the floor of our room. At first, I thought it was really cute. That is, until I took the picture of its glowing, devil eyes. The demon-frog was impossible to catch and as soon as one of the men got close enough to do so, it leaped directly at Ana or I, while we barely peaked in the room to see where it was. It was out to get us. We didn't capture the creature until Sunday night. It too haunted/haunts my dreams.

I had such a wonderful time in Carmen de Apicala. I made friends. I felt included despite being a world away from home. I ate amazing food. I saw new places. I experienced new things. I lost at poker. I won at swimming races (plural). I laughed. I got proposed to. I tanned. I spoke Spanish. I played pool. I told an underaged waiter he was cute, just to make him blush. I got thrown in the pool with my clothes on. I didn't wear make up. I took pictures. I learned new words. I observed how loving and nurturing Colombians woman are to their men. I learned how proud and caring Colombian men are to their woman. I drew pictures. I played rap music to my new friends. I ate more. I lived.

¡Carne, Carne, Y Mas Carne!

Lunch

I am a meat eater. I love cow, lobster, fish, pork, crab, shrimp, turkey, and chicken...in that order. I have tried and enjoyed goat, duck, deer, alligator, eel, goat, etc. and continue to eat lamb despite the fact it makes me sick every. single. time. There is no such thing as a meat I don't thoroughly enjoy. I also eat tofu as long as it takes like meat; there's nothing wrong with a good impersonator. As such, I have met very few people in my life that have the same kind of crazy devotion to meat. That is, until I came to Bogota. The residents of this city are meat crazy. I must say, this city is not a good place for vegetarians, let alone people with zero self-control around a meat dish (me). I literally feel like I am going to fall asleep after each meal and I can't move. It gets weird. Yesterday, I had a traditional Colombia dish for lunch (see picture to the left) that consisted of ground meat (still not sure if it was cow or pork, but I don't care), chorizo (spicy pork), red beans, white rice, and spices, topped off with a fried plantain*. I sat and stared for twenty minutes afterwards because I couldn't form sentences or move. I told myself I would have a light dinner and ended up having fried chicken delivered to my apartment. Why? I guess the answer to that question is: why NOT? I thought a home delivery of three fried drumsticks, rice, beans, and frozen lemonade only existed in my dreams. Maybe I am dreaming....

View from the office kitchen!

Besides the meat heaven that is my life, this city also is filled with the kindest people in the world. Albeit I am prone to hyperbole, in this instance, I am not exaggerating. For example, Ana Cristina, my new buddy at work, helped me purchase minutes for my Colombian cell phone during lunch, waited with me after work to be sure my ride arrived, told the driver that it was pertinent that I found a store that sold peanut butter (great success!), and invited me to accompany her, along with some friends, for a weekend at her family's vacation home in a pueblo called 'Carmen de Apicala', which is about 2 hours from Bogota. That is just one example. I can't even begin to describe how kind everyone is but I am certain it will be an overwhelming theme of this blog. Some additional observations of life here in Bogota:

• In the office, coffee is delivered to your desk in the morning and after lunch (what?!)
• Rollerblade races are an actual sport that is broadcasted on Sunday afternoons on ESPN. I don't even know what to say about that....
• "Chevere" means "cool" 
• "Listo(a)" is used, or abused, in everyone's vocabulary and means "okay"
• There is no escaping Lady Gaga
• People talk to each other in the elevator. Imagine that!
• Everyone greets eachother with kisses (besos) and "good morning" ("buenas dias") upon entering the office floor
• When people are sick, they wear face masks in the office to avoid spreading germs...I told ya people are kind!

View from my desk

I have only been in the office for two days but I am starting to get the hang of things. I just learned of my first project and will be sure to update this blog with details.

*The ladies of my office got quite the laugh when I asked why bananas were so big here. I have had plantains before, but only after they are cut up and prepared. They looked nothing like these.