Observations

So there are a number of things I forget to put in posts as I rush to finish them that I don't want to forget and that I want you all to know about!
The first one I was just reminded of when I saw a tuperware in Roxi's fridge full of jello (Gabi we are at Rox's house but more on that later!!!) When we got to Bolivia, jello, or gelatina, made an appearence and all through Bolivia and Peru it was the star of the show. I mean these people are wild for gelatina. It comes in all colors, shapes and sizes. You can get it in a cup with cream on top, you can get in in a tube like bag and suck it out, you can get it at a restaurant in a metal cup, or on your bus in styrophone (another star of the show down here but so much worse for the environment than jello). I just thought it was funny to see all the adults sucking jello down like US elementary kids.
But more on Colombia. If I haven't stressed it enough yet this country is seriously amazing (but don't tell anyone - while it would be great for Colombia if you all started visiting it wouldn't be great for me beacause I wouldn't get to be the only gringa here!!!) The variety of everything is outstanding. Because they don't have seasons they grow and harvest ALL YEAR LONG. There is no period of the year when you just can't get something because its not in season. Not only that, but all year long there are so many different kinds of fruits that not even the Colombians seem to be able to remember all their names. They are always asking us which ones we've tried and there always seem to be more and more!! Its the same with the flowers that we saw in St. Agustin. In one person's front yard they had so many varieties growing on their front porch that you almost didn't notice that there were more growing wild in their yard!!!
And the people are just as beautiful and varried as their produce and flowers. People here come in all colors. There are the blackest of black skins and the whitest of whites, but more often it is everything in between. And these people are beautiful - b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. So far we've only been to two major cities, and the women of Medellin were quick to point out to us that the women of Cali are t-a-c-k-y (sorry Carlos!) but the women of Cali all seem to be in the highest of the high heels and everyone has a mani/pedi - even the men. When I told Rox's sisters that all the women in Cali had flowers painted on their toes they rolled their eyes and said, "See? They are so trashy!" I said they should see the nails in Harlem and they said black women do the same here too with their long-ass crazy eighties nails.
The women of Medellin are a little more classy and so well put together. My poor backpack's contents are doing their best but unfortunatly I do not have a little skinny belt to match all my outfits so I'll never fit in here...oh, and I'm blond, that's not helping either.
According to Rox's friend the city of Medellin has the worst air polution in all of South America, but it is still a beautiful tropic city with the most amazing weather ever. When it's winter is rains more, and when it summer the weather is perfect and sunny. For this reaosn all the women have perfectly tanned bodies that I hope to have too as soon as I get to the beach!!!
And of course, just like our Colombian friends back in BA, the Colombians really do have the best onda. They are always offering their drinks, snacks, ect. to you, they are so happy to show you around, and we are the victems of this amazing Colombian hospitality right now! If we come home fat is Rox's mom's fault. We are staying at their beautiful apartment and this morning she fed us arepas with cheese and eggs and fruit and drinks. I was in heaven!!!! By the way, arepas are a corn flour based food item here in Colombia that is made into a flat disc and fried. You can eat anything you want on it or stuff it with a egg and then fry it again. Needless to say they are amazing.
So expect more posts from Colombia soon!! We are so very happy to be here but as we get closer and closer to the United States we are missing people more and more who are south and north of us. Anyway, its almost time to go to Rox's finca, or farm house where her grandma lives. Don't be too jealous!!!