So I’m back from Bogotá. It was a nice relaxing vacation, consisting mostly of hanging out with my grandma, going on long walks with my sister and lots and lots of telenovela watching. It was nice to hang out with my… Read More ›
Bogota
A Look Back at Bogota and Cali in the 50s and 60s
My grandmother lived with us when my siblings and I were little and took care of us during the day. This meant we spent a lot of time watching Univision. There were lots of telenovelas (Maria la del Barrio! Dos… Read More ›
Bogota from a Taxi Cab Window
Bogota has a strato system when it comes to housing. Actually, it might be throughout Colombia, but I’m not really sure. Stratos range from 1 to 6, and your utility payments depend on your strato. The higher stratos pay more and… Read More ›
Zona T and Los Rosales
I think that today my sister and I overdid the whole exploration thing. We happened to come to Bogotá during an abnormally sunny and warm spell — in the three years I lived in Bogotá I never experienced so many… Read More ›
El Country, Santa Barbara, Cedritos and Skewed Perceptions
I’d like to start this blog post out by dispelling some possibly erroneous perceptions about Bogotá. I was looking through the pictures I’ve taken so far on my trip, and Bogotá looks like a beautiful place, if I say so… Read More ›
A Tale of Crappy Sidewalks and Streets
We had another beautiful day here in Bogotá (lots of sun resulting in lobster face for my sister and I, but still, it’s a pleasant surprise to experience Bogotá in the sun), but today I’d like to start with the… Read More ›
Photo Essay of Usaquen and Ciclovia
My sister and I woke up at 6am this morning (thanks in part to our four-hour nap yesterday) and decided to go on a long walk from my grandmother’s apartment on Calle 119 to el Parque de la 93 on… Read More ›
We Finally Arrived in Bogota and American Airlines launched a Positive Reframing Campaign.
It took about 20 hours to get here, but my sister and I finally made it to Bogotá. You would think we would be upset with American Airlines, but they have apparently launched a new positive reframing campaign, so it… Read More ›
A Day of Nothing
Whenever I do absolutely nothing (productive) in a day, I get this restless, guilty feeling that I can’t really shake until I do something productive. So I decided to get out of the apartment and head to my current favorite… Read More ›
Staying and Leaving
Last night I was trying to make my blog a little more user-friendly – I know I need to do this pretty badly – and I was reading through some of my old posts from when I was living somewhat unhappily… Read More ›
Trip Down Memory Lane
I woke up today feeling inexplicably nostalgic for Colombia. Actually, it’s really not all that inexplicable. It started with the German Gourmet. Things like that are common in Colombia — things that don’t seem to fit in with their surroundings and make… Read More ›
On Going Green and Gentrification
Lately I’ve been interested in urban design, green spaces, neighborhood character, gentrification and green development. This might be because my brother is an urban design major at UVA and his passion for the subject is rubbing off on me. It… Read More ›
Old Post from an Old Blog: Charles Stuart Cochrane’s Travels in Colombia
Another post I found, comparing Colombia in 1823 and 2008. I am reading this book by an Englishman named Charles Stuart Cochrane, written between 1823 and 1824. My uncle recommended it to me and it’s pretty entertaining, especially as… Read More ›
Is Bogota Safe?
Thanks to cocaine and Pablo Escobar, Colombia has a reputation as a dangerous, mysterious country that is best avoided. Although this reputation has faded somewhat in the last few years, most people who find out I’m living in Colombia almost… Read More ›
Updates
I went to dinner with a few friends this past week, two of whom were leaving soon. My friend Francesca asked if I would miss all the compliments and “piropos” that are inherent to living in Colombia. The answer is… Read More ›
Colombian-style Compliment
I was walking towards my apartment when one of the homeless guys living on the sidewalk outside a furniture store winked, blew a kiss and told me “You’re a little fat but you’re looking good.” In other news, back to… Read More ›
Updates
Here it is: My brand new, homemade, knitted scarf. My scarf cost COL$30,000 to make (Two classes with Alvaro and two balls of yarn) and I could have bought it for COL10,000 at a shop, but I am extremely proud… Read More ›
My Knitting Club
Today I attended my first knitting class. Pictured below, you can see my first creation, an unattractive, pine green scarf made through a sort of finger-weaving technique. It’s about ten feet long and has yarn “pelos” sprouting all over. Apparently,… Read More ›
Life
Today I walked from work to my apartment. I teach at a multinational pharmaceutical company near Parque de la 93. For those of you not familiar with Parque de la 93, it’s a pleasant urban park surrounded by upscale cafes,… Read More ›
My Blog’s Gotten Boring
My mom recently told me that I don’t write much about Bogota anymore. I guess my postings on domestic life aren’t overly exciting. So I’m going to try to spice things up. Now that things are organized apartment-wise, I guess… Read More ›
My (Former) Nomad Life 