GOAL!!

I started the day off by going to feed the homeless.  I had to leave the project early today to meet one of the people who helped aid in my search for Magnolia.  I was a little disappointed to leave the project early, and it is most likely going to have been my last day there, which I realized later today and therefore didn't say goodbye to anyone :(...

The meeting went well, and the woman teared up a little when I was telling her about my experience.  Which in turn of course made me tear up too.  Afterwards I retreated back to the apartment and continued to edit the video for Magnolia and my parents also.  It has been quite a production because the sound from my home movies circa 1989 is completely off.  I have to detach the audio and then line up the sound clip by clip.  I finally finished tonight!!  Now all that I have left to do is buy blank dvd's tomorrow and burn baby burn.

At 3:30 this afternoon me and all of the other volunteers (rare to have us all together) went to a local bar and watched Colombia beat Paraguay in Futbol aka Soccer!  We all had are soccer jerseys on, and the atmosphere in the bar was fantastic!  People even smiled and spoke to us on the street, which by the way is really rare here.  This was definitely the highlight of my day! The game was over by 5:30 and we headed back to the apartment just before 7 for dinner.  Most of the volunteers went back out, but I chose to finish editing and then I watched a movie with Claudia.  I should have lots of pics for this post tomorrow.

CHECK!

 I spent the better half of the day creating a video for Magnolia's birthday this weekend.  Originally I edited the video the video of us meeting the first time.  Guillermo and Gabby filmed the whole thing.  Once I finished that I was going to give her a second dvd of some home movies my dad filmed in 1989.  I decided to edit them all together, and so she can have one movie to mark this occasion and to see me when I was younger too.  Watching the movies and hearing the love in my parents voices, hearing my dad say "hi beautiful" everyday, seeing my mom smile at me so lovingly, dancing with me, made me think a lot this afternoon.  My dad carried around one of those old school heavy video cameras all the time, so we could have these memories and share them with family.  I was so loved by my parents, and am so blessed to say that I still am everyday.  Magnolia gave me so much in this world, I do not think she will ever be able to fully understand the gift she has given me.  Here are all the reasons I have to be grateful and all the wonderful that surrounds my life daily......

This picture still hangs in our hallway, and my moms close friends still call me Baby Sara

I look forward to having more adventures with my parents

I took a 2 hour horseback ride in Tahoe, I was the only one who wanted to go, so I did & check out the view!                             And of course favorite goofy guys!

Love Bug

Family is family, and to me my pups are a part of the family.  I have even spoken to them as often as my parents well I have been away.  (Judge me if you want) I don't care! :)  In another pup picture is my most amazing one and only Aunt Nancy.  She is and always has been the best Aunt anyone could have!

All smiles here for my 23rd birthday, I love this picture!

Happy Mothers Day Mom, this year.

More family....thanks for being a huge part of my life.

Here we  are in DC, hot hot hot summer day, but it was a great trip!  My parents are so great, I got to choose the museum we went to that day.  This was on the roof of the Newseum 

One of the things that makes my life so rich are my friendships.  New or old, friends are so important to me I am happy to have these people in my life!  Here are some of my favorite pics, if you are not here ie Sage, Sonia, Benny, it is because WE need to take more pictures together!  Love you! 

I have had the oportunity to travel all over the world, and want to continue to have new experiences and travel more.  I am lucky to be checking things off my bucket list as the years pass.  I am kissing Daisy, after swimming with dolphins (check!)  Under that I did both an aerial arts class, and a trapeze class (check, check!)                                          

Most recent picture with my bestie, yup we have to take more!

                                                Actual real life sister! (another check off that bucket list!)

Oh bonus point! I am an Aunt!!

 You all know this one by now. (Ultimate Check!)

Without the support and love of all of you I would be lost.  Magnolia made a choice that gave me so much in life.  I will try to take advantage of my opportunity and live life fully. I am able to have a bucket list and to dream big thanks to many things, and my adoption is the main reason.  I will continue to leap, because I know that I have a great supportive net to catch me when I fall.

Hogar & Home

I went to Hogar the orphanage again today, it was the first time since last week.  I tutored a girl named Luna, she was one of the girls I have assisted in tutoring with Lupe and Erika.  She is so bright and such a quick learner.  

After Hogar, I headed back to the apartment to relax and to start making a video for Magnolia and my family back home of our first meeting.  I thought it along with a short home movie from when I was 2 would be a good gift for Magnolia's birthday this weekend.  I will be spending Saturday night and Sunday with her and Juliet.  I am happy I get more time with them, and when I was watching the video while editing it over the last few hours I realized how special they are.  Everyone has faults, and we are all human, but I really lucked out for the most part.  I will be writing another letter to Magnolia and one for Juliet tomorrow, and I will post both.  I hope this weekend is a success, and I hope she likes the dvd's.  I had to search a few times on youtube for tutorials on how to edit and add music etc.  For the movie I chose the song "Home" by Phillip Phillips, many of you probably would recognize it from this years Olympics as an introduction to the Women's Gymnastics team.  I have been listening to this song since before I came to Colombia.  I love this song and when I listen to it here I think of it as the voice being myself.  I will hold on to myself during this trip, and it is an unfamiliar road I am traveling.  I can make this journey positive, and not be afraid.  I will not get lost because I know who I am, and I am not alone here or anywhere, because I have my wonderful family and best friends at home no matter what happens.  The song starts out the movie, and ends it.  If it didn't take 2 hours to try and upload a 19 second video on here and Facebook when I tried before I would share it.  I will consider putting it on youtube when I come home to Cambridge! 

Halloween and Gringo Night!

I woke up at 4:45 to say goodbye to Erika this morning, so sad.   I miss her, and I cant say I laughed quite as much today :(.  One benefit is that I expect to get details on the airport and customs issues, although after reading her blog I think I will not crack under pressure like she did.  She wrote that she forgot her birthday because she was so nervous! LOL.  Here are some pictures of us being goofy.

Today was a really fun day.  I went to Soacha which in total today was an almost 4 hour commute for 2 hours of activity, for that reason and the lack of kids we will not be going back to Soacha this week.  We had the kids make Halloween masks today, which anyone that knows me knows I love Halloween!  So this was great.

We finished early so I made paper cranes for one boy and then of course everyone wanted one, so I made a bunch.  Also I taught 2 boys how to do a square stitch with lanyard/gimp.  This was really rewarding because they really enjoyed it and I think they will take it on as a pass time.

We took the kids that are going to Disney World home with us to our apartment, when they were leaving the parents seemed so nervous and the kids were so excited.  I realized that this might be the only time the kids ever leave the country, and they might be the first in their families to.

Later, the new volunteers and I went to Gringo Night at La Villa.  It was great fun last time with Danny, and did not disappoint this time!  I met up with the Colombian friends I made last time, and made some new ones too.  We caught the same cab driver that Danny and I had last time, and I kid you not it was a party cab!  Strobe lights, reggaeton, and a black light at the stops.  SO fun!

Gringo Night

Cab ride

Food Glorious Food

After feeding the homeless again today I have decided it is a great project for every volunteer to try here.  The people there are really nice, I got a marriage proposal, and someone thanked me for my face, lol.  Despite the flattery, the people are genuinely grateful for your help.  Erika, Kaku, and I had lunch at Masa a restaurant close to our house after volunteering.  The service there is the best I have found since being in Colombia, and it was there I decided to blog about my food experience thus far.

As part of the volunteer fees we have a person who cleans the apartment, and cooks for us every weekday for breakfast (desayuno) and dinner (comida or cinna).

Breakfast has been either toast, hard boiled eggs, and tomatoes, or pancakes, or french toast.  I am not a fan of hard boiled eggs, so on those days I would have toast and some peanut butter I bought, I have eaten the pancakes or french toast on those days.  It is not healthy though and I have been upset lately about starting my day with those, so I bought cereal and fruit last week, and have had that every morning since.  I have to keep the strawberries in my room, so they don't disappear.

Lunch (almuerzo) varies depending on the volunteer project for that day.  When we volunteer at homeless, or abuelitas, we get lunch after the project is finished back at the apartment we will make something or some of us will go get food out like today.  Those projects are done by 11:30 or 12 usually.  If I am working at Hogar (the orphanage) I pack a peanut butter sandwich with nutella, and a piece of fruit an apple or a grenadine this orange looking fruit that is filled with black seeds surrounded by a yummy pulp.  I was nervous to try it, but its delicious.

Lupe and I re-inacting the first time I tried the fruit, I was scared so he fed it to me, look how happy he is...lol.

When I go to Soacha, I buy lunch at a restaurant by the school, it is 4,000 at most which is a little over 2$ US, this is not a good option for picky eaters or vegetarians because you get a plate that includes meat and usually you don't have a choice about anything on the plate.  There is usually a piece of seasoned meat either chicken or steak, rice, beans, and a plantain.  For the same price soup and juice is also included, but I don't get the soup...too much food!  The plates are good and there is a ton of food, it works for anyone who is not super picky.

The dinners in the house have varied but almost always have rice, and plantains.  Sometimes we will have lentil soup, or Ajiaca (sp?) a potato soup with chicken.  I often need to add salt to the meal, but it is never bad.

On weekends we fend for ourselves.  Eating out here is a completely different experience compared to the states, and I am not only referring to the obvious language difference.  To start the servers take forever!!  If you ever come here I would leave tons of time to eat, they are very carefree here and it often takes 20 minutes to even get a drink.  The food is very meat and carb centric, the vegetables being potatoes and or beans.  Traditional Colombian food usually has arepas which are similar to bread but denser and come in various sizes.  The food here can cost as much as going out in the states, but often is less expensive.  Wine is more expensive though.  A large coffee here at Juan Valdez (the colombian equivalent to Starbucks) is as big as a Tall at Starbucks but only costs 2.50$ US, if they saw our Venti drinks they would probably have a heart attack!  Street food is a must try and you wont be disappointed, from empanadas with various fillings, to Arepas con queso, or Arepas with additional fillings, these treats or afternoon snacks cost less than 2000 pesos or around 1.25$ US.  Sooo good, but not the healthiest treat.  If you have read my posts before you know that I broke fast with pizza this year, from Papa Johns.   There are a number of american chains here, including Burger King, McDonalds (both of which I expected), also a ton of Dunkin Doughnuts, pizza huts, dominoes, and even a Hard Rock Cafe.  I cant tell you if all of them have Colombian additions to their menus, but I can tell you that Dunkin Donuts has an Arequipe donut, the caramel like treat I wrote about before.  The Dounuts are filled with this delectable treat, and it is amazing!  Luckily I have only been in Dunkin once, because I do not think I could resist another Arequipe donut.  There is also another restaurant that is really popular here called Crepes and Waffles, and they have........you  guessed it Crepes and Waffles.  It is very good and doesn't cost too much.  What I like the most about the restaurant is that it is employed entirely by single mothers.  I like the concept of a company only employing women that are supporting families on their own, and it is a great opportunity for them here in Colombia as the company has benefits.  I wonder if something like that would fly in the states?  I am sure that single fathers would need to be included as well, but I like the concept.

Tipping is optional here, and usually they will include a service charge of 10% to the bill, if they do not that is a customary amount to tip.  The servers themselves aren't really concerned with your needs or satisfaction with the service or food most of the time.

Will I miss the food here?  I can't say that I will, I do better at home and have a better variety of cuisines in my diet at home.  I will probably miss Arepas the most.

Thats it for now, glad I wrote this post on a full stomach.  I will add some pictures soon!

Friendship

Good people come in and out of your life throughout the years, today I spent the day with one of those people.  The volunteer house often reminds me of summer camp, everyone is here for a different amount of time, you bond with people on many different levels, and you live together for a while.  I know that I will remember everyone that was here, because of everything that has transpired throughout this journey.  I really hope to continue my friendship with Erika, she has made this experience much more carefree and fun for me.  We went to the Usaquen Market this morning, I got a lot of souvenirs and gifts for family and friends.  My favorite purchase was this painting, it was made by a 13 year old boy right in front of me.  He was outgoing, sweet, and talented.  The painting was less than 8 US dollars, so Erika and I each gave him more for our paintings.  When so many kids in this country or anywhere can choose to make bad decisions with their life and go down dangerous paths, it is nice to see a kid embracing his talent and showing it off in a productive way.

This picture is a little blurry as I snapped it quick, but the painting is really great.

Later Erika and I went to the Hard Rock Cafe for a nice dinner together.  The food was good, and the waiters were all really friendly.  I ate too much, and the food was a little pricey but it was fun none the less.  Thats all for today folks, I am going to finish my book and head off to bed!

Adoption Society

Earlier tonight I found myself discussing my experience with Guillermo and Monica.  Guillermo said that my story is like a movie, and later Monica said that it could help other adopted people.  I never really looked at my story as anything like those things.  Adoption is so unique, yet so many people share the common denominator of being adopted.  I usually say it is like a secret society, that only other adoptee's truly understand what the feeling is like.  At the same time everyone that shares the adoption factor, has also had a completely different experience growing up with their families, and if they choose to search for their bio-families, a completely different experience with that as well.  When you add in factors like biracial adoption, different religion, or adoption by families with 2 mothers, 2 fathers, kids biologically related to the adoptive parents, or other adopted siblings, the experiences and relationships people have with their identity and feelings about their adoption only become more complex.  My choice to write this blog was made to help me remember this experience in the future, to share it with my friends and family, and if anyone out there can benefit from an honest experience of the good and the potentially bad, I wanted to share it for them too.  

This experience for me has been intense to put it lightly.  The first week at every project I kept thinking this could have been me, or these people could be related to me.  I found myself overwhelmed with guilt.  Why did I get so lucky?  Why did I get the most amazing family?  What makes me the baby that got adopted versus the kids that never did or never will?  My best friend and family had to calm me down and remind me that sometimes in life there are questions that we can't answer.  There are so many things that I do not understand and so many things that are beyond my control.  I have made a conscious effort to let go of my feelings of guilt, and I have traded them for feelings of gratefulness and of feeling blessed.  I want to make the most of the opportunities I have been given, on a deeper level than ever before.

My whole life  I have felt a little bit like I do not quite belong, always being the clearly adopted child, the darkest person in my family, the Colombian who isn't culturally Colombian and can't speak the language.  Coming to Colombia, meeting my birth family (turns out I am the darkest person in that family too!) and being around people from my home country for the last few weeks, has made me more confident that I am exactly where I am supposed to be in life.  My parents are my parents.  I am meant to be with them, they get me more than anyone on this planet.  I have always known that I have great parents, and have always felt lucky, but now more than ever on a much deeper level do I know in my heart that they were meant for me, and I for them.  We were supposed to be together.  I have accepted and embraced my uniqueness, I can laugh at myself better than anyone else.  I look for the silver lining in life because there is often one to find, and there are people that are worse off than I am.

So I welcome you to the adoption society, for those of you who do not have membership, maybe this blog has given you some insight to what its like for us.