novena! part 3

Days 4/5. December 20/21. Cathedral.

My mom's quick trip ended on day 4 of novena..just when she was starting to get some of the songs down. The kids brought in new noise makers, including maracas made out of beer cans, and were encouraged to sing as loudly as they could. There was an 'angel tree' program at the cathedral where the congregation bought a special present for all of the kids from the poor neighborhood. Unfortunately, we missed the gift-giving night because we were in Soacha (dec 22), but it was big success, and there were lots of happy kids!

It was sad to see my mom leave Colombia, but I'm so glad that she was able to share some of the novena with me. Brittany and I decided to see her off at the airport..and it's a good thing we did. With all of the snow in NY/DC, we had to reroute her cancelled flight. Then we realized that they never stamped her passport when she arrived. We had to help her get a stamp, a tax exemption, and finally...a boarding pass. And not just any kind of boarding pass...the computer was broken so it was handwritten (without a date/time...amazing):

here are a few quick 'non-novena' highlights of mom's trip:

walking along calle 53 to find wrapping paper and ribbon to wrap the kids' gifts; skyping to family and friends back home; long, crazy bus rides to the missions, watching mom and clemencia (padre jose's sister) become friends...even though they don't speak the same language; watching all of the kids ask her questions in spanish; christmas shopping at an open market; coffee downtown at juan valdez, taking myriam and oscar out to dinner, with Brittany and Andrew, to say thank you for being our parents away from home.

 

Days 7/8. December 22/23. Soacha. 

Having spent a weekend at Father Carlos' home before, I was so excited when he invited Brittany and me to stay there during novena. We met him at Soacha's novena on the 22nd. With such a small group, he really gets everyone involved. He asks lots of questions and really gets into the different topics of the novena. 

After novena, we went back to his home. It was great because we only had to spend an hour on the bus (instead of two), and we were able to spend some time with his amazing family. That night, we had a big dinner and then left to go see the lights at a park nearby. The next morning we went on a long bike ride and then spent the afternoon coloring with the kids. We left early to go make some home visits in Soacha and visit a lady who just had surgery and was stuck in bed. 

After the novena, all of the kids went upstairs for a little Christmas party. Laura-Catherine had picked up a pinata and they were so excited! We lined up the kids from shortest to tallest and gave them the end of a broom to take a few swings. When it finally broke, the kids went wild. Also, when my mom was here, she brought lots of gifts for the kids from the states that my Aunt had bought at a closing sale at an amusement park (t-shirts, bugs, dinosaurs, etc...). Thanks Aunt Kendel!! We came up with a great plan to evenly distribute them between the three churches. After the pinata broke, we handed out the shirts and toys. They were so grateful and excited about their gifts. It was a really special night.

We're going to Usme tonight celebrate the last night of novena. Merry Christmas Eve!

Love, Kate

novena! part 2

Day 2. December 17, 2009. Cathedral

After a busy day in Usme, we stayed close to home and went to the cathedral's novena. There were lots of kids there from a very poor neighborhood that is located about 5-10 minutes above us. We have been working with them every other Saturday while their parents go to workshops at the cathedral. Padre Diego started this program a couple of months ago, and it has been very successful. It's a great way to get everyone involved and excited about going to church. The people from this neighborhood have quickly become an integral part of our congregation. 

The novena was smaller than it was at Usme, but there were still lots of children. They were doing readings and singing loudly. It was great!

  

Day 3. December 19, 2009. Usme

Back to Usme for another BIG novena. This time, my Mom, Brittany, and I arrived at 4 for a Christmas party with our kids from the mission. We were walking up the hill to the mission when one of the kids, Dilan, saw us from around the corner. He yelled to the other kids that the "profes" (Brittany and I) were there. The next thing we know, 15+ kids were running as fast as they could down the hill to attack us with big hugs and kisses. It was the best feeling in the world.

After hugging all of the kids, we went inside and started our party. Brittany had printed out pictures of all of our kids and thought of the idea to give them to their parents as Christmas presents. We brought art supplies to make their gifts and it was amazing! Brittany was in charge of glitter glue, while my mom and I helped them add confetti and feathers to their creations. They were all so cute!

 

The second hour of our big Christmas celebration was spent playing a new game. My mom brought 'bingo' from the states and they loved it. The three kids with 10 stars (according to our star chart) got to open the big box. Most of them already knew how to play, but Brittany and I had to help some of the little ones. The padre's nephew, Camilo, was our 'caller' and he was excellent! 

Overall, it was a fun party and the novena afterwards was just as packed as our first night there. After the novena, the kids picked up their pictures and gave them to their families. It was easy to see how excited they were to give their parents (or parent) something special. 

 

Love, Kate

novena! part 1

Day 1. December 16, 2009. Usme.

Taking the bus up to Usme, my mom and I really didn't know what to expect. Padre Romero had told me that over 200 kids would be there to sing and listen to the story of Jesus' birth. We arrived really early because we were on 'refreshments' duty that night. Neither of us had cooked Arroz con Leche before, but it's a traditional Christmas drink in Colombia. Luckily, we had the help of the padre's sister and another lady from the congregation. We went down the hill to pick up 15 bags of milk, 10 pounds of rice, a huge bag of sugar, cinnamon, raisins, etc... We made it back up the hill (with the help of the padre's niece and lots of rest stops), and got to work. Of course, we got the wrong type of cinnamon so we had to make one more trip down and back up the huge hill.

We had just started boiling the water and pouring in the rice when the padre came running in and told everyone to get out!  There was a natural gas leak and it was really dangerous. Of course, the padre's sister said, "we can't leave, we're cooking the rice!" After about 30 minutes of waiting around, the bomberos (firefighters) came, along with the police and a gas company. They put up caution tape and eventually fixed the leak. We got back to cooking, but were now pressed for time. 

The 200 kids started showing up, including almost all of our kids from the mission. Brittany and her boyfriend (Andrew) were also there. Brittany and I both did readings in front of a packed church! After our readings we had to rush back to the kitchen, because there was lots of work to do. We had an assembly line going:

The lady from the congregation would pour the arroz con leche into a cup. My mom would put in 4-5 raisins, Brittany would pour in some condensed milk, I would put a spoon into the cup (tough job) and then put it on a tray. Andrew would then take the full tray to the table while the padre's sister handed it out the kids. Andrew also helped pour the cookies onto another big tray.

  

Overall, day 1 was amazing. Everyone loved the arroz con leche and cookies. My mom even brought candy canes from the US for all of the kids. It was so great to see all of the kids', and the padre's, happy faces. 

Love, Kate

my weekend 'sola'

Brittany and LC were both traveling this weekend, so I had the apartment to myself. It was nice to spend some time alone and regroup (although I really missed my online tv time with Brittany at night). It turned out to be a really great weekend. Saturday was a big day at the cathedral. All of the Episcopal priests from the Bogota area reunited to share time together and talk about their missions. There was a big mass followed by a great lunch. Looking around, I discovered that I knew the majority of the people in the room. It was a great feeling realizing how much a part of this community I have become. 

A woman (leaving out her name to protect her privacy) who was there with Father Carlos to represent the parish in Soacha. She was displaced from her home, with her four kids, a little over a year ago. During breaks, we talked about her kids and her situation. She invited me to her house for lunch after the service in Soacha on Sunday.  

The next morning, I took the 1.5+ hour bus ride back to Soacha for church at 11am. Afterwards, I left with her and her family and we walked to where she lives. When we arrived, I noticed that the roof was basically a sheet of metal. I met the owner of the house and made my way to the rooms that belong to her family. All six family members sleep in one bedroom and have a kitchen area without a roof. I took the kids to a park nearby and we played soccer. We talked and ate lunch (chicken feet) and then I left for my return trip to Bogota. It was a great afternoon and I learned again what it means to truly give...this loving family had very little and yet they shared what they had with me...another treasured gift from Bogota. 

Novena starts on Wednesday and it's going to be a very busy 9 days. We have a lot planned and I'm really excited about the entire experience. I'll keep you updated!

Love, Kate

a little bit of everything

Last night was 'ciclovia' in Bogota from 6pm-midnight. Many of the busiest streets, normally full of honking buses and cars, were completely closed off. The roads were packed with people looking at all of the Christmas lights. There were lots of street vendors selling everything from blinking santa hats and scarfs to corn on the cob and hot drinks.  Luckily, we live relatively close to one of the biggest parks where music and comedy performances were going on. It was great to see so many families out sharing time together and getting excited about Christmas!

My spanish classes at the National University ended this week. Not only did I improve my spanish skills, but I was able make new friends from all over the world:

Professor Ballen (Colombia), Renata (Brazil), Camiel (Holland), Jakob (Germany), Colin (Switzerland), Ahmad (Iran), and Alex (California).

On Tuesday, we went to Usme to see some of our kids from english classes receive their first communion. They were all dressed up and so excited. They looked great! Also, I had a meeting with Padre Romero yesterday and we planned out the next few weeks together. Novena (9 day celebration before Christmas) is going to be huge at the mission, with about 200 kids...just wait until I put up pictures of the decorations. We will be sharing our 'novena' time between three churches, starting off at Usme on December 16. I volunteered Brittany and myself to bring food for the kids and make arroz con leche that first day. We have a few days to figure out how to make that... Luckily, my mom will be here to help and share some of the novena with us!

Lastly, Laura-Catherine, Brittany, and I took a day trip to the hot springs just outside of Bogota. It was so nice to get away from the city and relax for a little while. We even put up Brittany's hammock. Next time I will wear more sunscreen and bring bug spray!

Love, Kate

top 10 highlights of dad's visit

November 27- December 3 

10. Surprising Dad at the airport late Friday night (even though he claims that he knew I was going to meet him there...) I had told him that I was going to meet him at the hotel.

9. Taking Dad to Usme and clearing out an entire area for our kids to play. Brittany, Laura-Catherine, Dad and I got a lot done. Some of the children from the mission were there and they are so excited! Later, we went back and he built a fence around the play area. We were able to find all of the materials we needed down the street from the mission.

8. Zona T (T shaped area with lots of fun restaurants and bars) and Bogota Beer Company (NFL, amazing burgers and cold beer).

7. Using the hotel shower (hot water AND great water pressure!) and eating an amazing buffet breakfast every morning.

6. Deciding to take a bus to the Candelaria (downtown, center of Bogota) that had "candelaria" on the front of it. Apparently, there is also a "barrio Candelaria" (a neighborhood with the same name). I finally asked someone where we were when I realized that we were nowhere near the center. The entire bus ended up giving us advice on how to get back. Most people suggested that we just take a taxi there. Well, the taxi we got in was low on gas. We had to go to a gas station, get out of the car (for safety reasons..it was natural gas), and wait for the tank to fill up....while our meter was still running. 

5. Shopping at a huge, open market on Sunday after church. Dad paid for my cool, new Colombian shoes! 

4. Taking the 'funicular' up to a church on top of the mountain (Monserrate). We watched a philharmonic Christmas concert in the church and confetti poured down as the last song finished up. Then, we went outside to watch fireworks and the lighting of the church. 

3. Eating at the typical Colombian restaurant right by the office. Then, drinking bags of water from the little corner market on our way back.

2. Going rock climbing in Suesca. It was a beautiful day and we had a great guide. The only problem is that my camera died right after I took a picture of Dad getting ready to go. I swear that we both made it to the top of a really high cliff!!

1. Spending a week with my Dad, showing him my life here, and watching him try to speak spanish. It was so much fun and we had a lot of adventures. He brought warm sheets, care packages (thanks aunt kate, mom and suz!) and magazines from the states. He even bought us a new toilet seat while he was here. haha Thanks for everything Dad!

Love, Kate