Written on November 21 (but I forgot to publish it until now).
Yesterday, I did. I probably will tomorrow. But not today.
It can happen to the best of us, or so I’ve been told. You travel to a new country, maybe plan to stay a few months or a year. You pack your suitcases, you arrive, you find a place to stay, and you begin to settle in. You try new foods, you meet new people and build new friendships. You explore new places, practice a language that’s not your native one, and little by little, you get used to a new way of life. Every so often, you remember that you live in a new country. You marvel at how much important work you have done, how much time has passed, and how many courageous steps you have taken towards building a new way of life.
But today is Monday. You’re carrying grocery bags under a blazing hot sun. You have to buy and cook chicken today, because today is garbage day and you’ve already learned the hard way that even empty meat packaging turns rancid quickly in this climate. You have to cross at least twelve streets and several busy lanes of cars and motorcycles to walk to and from the only grocery store selling meat you feel confident preparing, you’re already sweating, and you are all too aware of how un-Colombian you look to all the people and shop owners you pass on the street—and you think to yourself, perhaps for the first time since you moved here, “I don’t like living in Colombia.”
And by “you,” I mean me. Don’t misunderstand me here: almost every day, I really enjoy living in Colombia (dare I say “love”?). This country and its people are incredible. I am so grateful that the LORD prompted me to take this leap of faith, to face this fear, and to trust that His presence and friendship would go with me. I am blessed to be here, and I recognize that winning a Fulbright grant and having the flexibility, financial stability and family support (!) to do so is a huge privilege.
But, just in case the Instagram stories I share or the other blog posts I have written don’t reflect it—life here in Villavicencio is still, well, real life. I still have to buy groceries, manage a budget, mop floors, deal with leaky windows, remember to take out the garbage on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, try to live peaceably among a population of the smallest ants you’ve ever seen (including in my bed, even though I’ve never left so much as a crumb on it), keep myself fed and hydrated, and daily navigate a culture I am not familiar with. After all, you can’t win many small victories without losing a few battles.
P.S. Literally in the same moment of typing the sentence about ants, one crawled across my computer screen. God must give his toughest battles to His strongest soldiers.
P.P.S. I took a writing break, poured myself a glass of fresh orange juice, and then left the glass on my bedroom shelf. One hour later, I retrieved it to wash it, was surprised (I shouldn’t have been) to feel something crawling up my arm and discover no less than 50 tiny ants swarming the glass. No wonder they occasionally end up on my bed.
When it rains, it pours!
I’m no meterologist, but rainy season is definiteley upon us in Villavicencio. November is known for its downpours, and these last few weeks have proved to be no exception. Without fail, hot sunny afternoons turn into evening rainstorms. The good news? “Así se duerme rico,” as the locals often remind me, and I fall asleep listening to rainfall most nights. I haven’t powered up my air conditioning unit in days, and I’ve taken to recycling rainwater to use for mopping or filling the washing machine faster. The bad news? The aforementioned rainwater comes through the broken skylight window in our patio, which is still not repaired.
*Officially* a foreigner living in Colombia
I am excited to announce that after over three months … I am the proud owner of an official government-issued identification card for foreigners living in Colombia. As of ten days ago, I finally have my cédula de extranjería. Given that I registered for it at the migration office on August 8, one week after arriving, but was then told that the printing machine wasn’t operating and to come back at a later (undefined) date—finally having an official card is exciting! Pretty sure the Fulbright Commission got tired of none of us having our physical document and perhaps made a phone call or wrote a convincing email. Either way, actually possessing my cédula card feels far more legitimate than a string of handwritten numbers in my passport!
Llanero Festival
The weekend of October 12-14 was one for the books! We started the weekend in the center of the city at a cabalgata or horseback parade on Friday, before heading out to nearby Parque Las Malocas on the outskirts of Villavicencio for the annual Llanero Festival on Saturday and Sunday. No pun intended, but we had a hay day. Ate some of the best tacos I’ve had since leaving central Texas. Enjoyed watching all of the cattle and horse-related sporting events, even *to some extent* the coleo events that this part of the Colombian and Venezuelan llano is known for.
As an added bonus, our second-year Fulbrighter friend Sophie was visiting from Bogotá, and we ended up purchasing matching hats. Nothing like a gas station photo shoot to make you feel like a proper llanera cowgirl. The night ended with a free concert by the world-famous salsa group Grupo Niche (!!!) in another local park (incredible to see them perform, less than ideal to wait in line for an hour just to maneuver our way through hordes of other sweaty people).
A weekend trip to the mountains
The weekend of November 8-11 marked my first overnight trip out of Villavicencio, and it was a remarkable one indeed! I took several buses, including one 8-hour overnight bus, along with five other students and an international student friend, from Villavicencio to Bogotá, then Bogotá to Armenia, Quindío, and finally to the small mountain pueblo of Salento. We ate amazing food, including locally-raised trout or trucha, saw plenty of local cats, rode horses, and spent a day under the towering wax palms of the Valle de Cocora. It was so refreshing to escape the hot humid climate of Villavo for a few days!
Furry friends
I wasn’t prepared for how many people own cats and dogs in Colombia. People frequently bring their family dogs to shopping centers, I don’t know a single family here who doesn’t own at least one cat or dog, and there are even two cats in regular attendance at the 11:00 am service at my church, seated next to the young couple wh owns them. While I do not have any pets of my own in Colombia, I certainly enjoy greeting all of the friendly cats and dogs in my neighborhood. My four-footed employee of the month is Michi, the affectionate corner-house cat who makes it a point to greet me at least three times per day. Every evening, al volver del trabajo, I make a little game out of counting how many of the local cats I can pet before arriving at my house. If you’re wondering, my current high score is 5.
University life
Here is a random assortment of photographs from several university presentations, Halloween, my own conversation club, an invitation to judge a student singing competition, and also a middle and high school spelling bee.
Some very good eats lately
Raspado, “an icy beverage with fresh fruit and sweetened condensed milk. Four different kinds of salchipapas, “a South American fast food dish commonly consumed as street food. Breakfast with my roommate and friend after a tough CrossFit workout. A night out at Food Truck Park to celebrate Aliya’s birthday with coworkers and friends! Introducing my students to candied applies (we used apple slices, Colombian arequipe and a random assortment of sweet toppings). Fried dough buñuelos and iced coffee from the bakery Jhon Pan. The best burger I have eaten in quite a while, from 10/10 Burger.
Life otherwise
I saw this lovely mural in downtown Villavicencio. Aliya and I made (quite a few!) big purchases as we settled into our new house in the conjunto near our university, including but not limited to new sheets and an air fryer. We also spent her birthday morning doing some journaling in the park and sharing a “crookie” (croissant cookie). Not sure I’ve seen any of the other Venom movies, but my good friend and her eleven-year-old son (who loves superheroes and apparently super villains, as well) made sure I saw El Último Baile with them.
Emily Explores 
Leave a comment