Thanksgiving

High school potluck lunch

Thanksgiving under a tent

 We have talked about how much the Colombians love their fiestas, here is another example. Thanksgiving is not a holiday celebrated in Colombia - but we do celebrate it at our school. And boy, do we celebrate. The party started on Monday with a potluck luncheon for the faculty. Tuesday was a turkey (sort of) lunch in the cafeteria. Wednesday was only half a day of school where each student in the high school was paired up with a student in the primary/elementary school. There the students put together gift boxes for the Colombian workers at the school - the bus drivers, the cafeteria workers, the cleaning people, the security guards and more. We then had a big assembly where people were honored and thanked. We then started our 4.5 day weekend. Later that night we got together with 20 or so of our friends for a big traditional American Thanksgiving dinner. We had tons of food and fun. Now just two more weeks until Christmas break! You have to love these celebrations!

More HS lunch pictures

Thanksgiving lunch in the school cafeteria. Yes, there is turkey there somewhere

Making Thanksgiving baskets

The Colombian workers getting their baskets

The school assembly

Our "American" Thanksgiving dinner

Fabulous food!

Someone decided to squirt whipped cream into the mouths of the children

Believe it or not a lot of people had not seen the spoon on the face trick. So I took it upon myself to teach people how to do this.

My first protege

Pretty soon, everyone was doing it

Miss Daisy

Jeph and I were honored to dogsit for Daisy this past weekend. It was sort of a 'trial' visit before watching her for a bit longer the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend. We loved having her and greatly enjoyed  the walks that we now had an excuse (and obligation) to do. We are already looking forward to her next stay!

J and Daisy on the Circlovia- a major street that is closed to traffic every
Sunday for folks to walk, ride, skate, board, etc. There are often organized
runs and races as well. It was fun to meet all the other dogs along the way.

Loved seeing a 'gang' of scooters! We miss ours that we left in Osaka.

Lime, anyone?

Some graffati along the street.

The police provide a sense of security.

In the same way that there are police and/or security guards most everywhere,
there is also the harsh reality of poverty and hardship.

One of the more beautiful churches in a town square not far from where we live.

The plaza in front of the church. I was impressed that Daisy wasn't
all that interested in grabbing a bite to eat while there!

The song from Mary Poppins, "Feed the birds, tuppence a bag" was playing
in my head as we watched this little one feeding the birds.

A fun find on a side street

Excited to stumble upon the flower section of town.

Gorgeous arrangements



city wall art- made from broken glass.

As we prepare for Thanksgiving, we remain so very thankful for ALL the blessings God has so graciously given. These blessings include the special friendships we share with those of you who are reading this blog.

Thank you for being a part of our lives!

Halloween

Who would've thought that Halloween would be a big holiday in Colombia. It starts in September when restaurants and stores start decorating. The decorations go from a few pumpkins and silhouettes to way over the top with entrances, lights and costumed workers. About a week before Halloween, the parties start. The Colombians love their parties and these are no exception. Crowded, loud and going to the wee hours of the morning you can find numerous fiestas in apartments or in bars. There is Trick or Treating but it is mostly in the shopping malls. A great scheme by the malls to get people there and spending money. October 31st this year was on a Thursday, but that does not stop The parties here. The celebrations continued through the weekend until November 3rd. At school we didn't have classes on Friday, Nov. 1st. Everyone came in costumes. The administration, the faculty, the staff and the students. And some of the costumes were amazing. The thing that impressed me the most, was the groups that got together with themes. The morning was a carnival, followed by a soccer tournament followed by a water fight, with dismissal at noon. One thing we learned is that Colombians - or at least Bogotoans - take Halloween as serious party time. Here are a few pictures, mostly from school but a few from around town as well.

I don't know how many candles gave their lives
to form this decoration at a local restaurant.

This is the outside of the same restaurant

It looks like Karen and I are trying to be Goldilocks and the
one bear. That was not our intention, but I'll go with it.

Where's Waldo?

There were a couple more ghostbusters somewhere

batgirls?

A bunch of the juniors came as firemen

The SWAT team was there. 

The senior class dressed as construction workers
and armed with spray foam

The high school counselors

The soccer tournament

A Puente (holiday weekend) in Anapoima

a view along the way to Anapoima

Enjoying another puente (I must admit, we really do get quite a few holidays here in Bogota!) and trying to get caught up on things- one of which is this blog. More than ever, I admire and respect those who are faithful in their writing and posting. I am afraid we fall short, but... we do want to recommit to posting more often. Instead of feeling the need to write a 'real' blog each week, think we'll try to just settle for sharing snipets of our lives here.

love the flowers that can be found everywhere

Here we are- outside of the finca

We celebrated our first long weekend (puenta) in November by going on a retreat with our cell group family. These folks have become special friends and we are extremely grateful for them and the times that we share. We rented a finca (farmhouse) in a town called Anapoima which is only about 100 km away, but the travel time can range from about 2- 6 hours depending on the traffic. The finca was amazing and we are already thinking about a return visit some day!

J on one of the 5 or 6 sofas!

an amazing kitchen- fully equipped.
I think I could actually learn to like to cook with a kitchen like this...
although it did help to have friends to cook with and for!



the table is set and ready for another amazing meal

 



love the Asian art and decor

I have NO idea what kind of tree this was, but I admit to being
fascinated by it. Think the balls would make for a great game of bocci ball or croquet!

jump shot with the glow from the sunset

life is indeed good

Not sure what was more beautiful- the pool area or the view?!

While in Japan, I loved the cleansing stations outside of temples and shrines. Here in
Colombia, I am loving all the unique doors and doorways. Here's a great one, taken from
the hallway looking out into the pool area.

On the way back to Bogota, we stopped at a roadside stand

Renting a van in Colombia includes a driver! It was a good thing too, as
the drive was a bit intense- up & down narrow and curvy mountain roads

I had forgotten how much I missed sunsets!
The Heavens declare the majesty of the Lord!

the gang.. wild n' crazy

until next time.....