I Am Grateful For...

I am grateful for my sister and brother, who light my whole world up with a smile in the mornings.
I am extremely grateful for my dad and his coffee addiction. Oh, and the music he likes.
I am grateful forever for my beautiful mom, whose arms do not know about distance...
I am grateful for all my friends, who happen to be more than my fingers and toes together.
I am grateful for my uncles, aunts, and cousins, who make life a book full of interesting stories to tell and remember.
I am grateful for my grandma... Take out the bad and bring in the good!
I am grateful for the life I have lived so far; it's been a good life.
I am grateful for the places I have been to, the things I have learned, and the people I have met.
I am grateful for Jesus, and his never-ending, all-enduring, unfailing, faithful, and tender love.

What I Miss From Home...

It has been almost two years abroad, and now I can tell exactly what I miss from Colombia, without running into long lists of candy and people. Of course I miss it all, but there are people and things I need around somehow to keep on going.

I miss the smell of the sunny mornings, and the wet ponds in the warm towns I have lived in.
I miss the cold, now appearing moderated, but still cold, Colombian 5 °C cold.
I miss the smell of hot chocolate with cheese melting inside.
I miss the music. We listen to such a huge variety of music in Colombia, going from a traditional carranga song, to a classical masterpiece composition along the day, and the night.
I miss smiling faces everywhere; and amusing, cheerful screams from the other side of the street.
I miss to wake up and go out of my house still wearing my pajamas on a holiday.
I miss the view of Bogota, Tunja, and Bucaramanga, both during the day and the night.
I miss being able to hug my loved ones.
I miss the word TINTO.
I miss the feeling of knowing that I was buying real leather.
I miss the PERROS CALIENTES, with the HUEVOS DE CODORNIZ (Quail eggs) and pink sauce.
I miss jello, badly.
I miss TAMALES.
I miss patacones, which here are called TOSTONES, and dammit! That makes me feel so angry and hopeless!
I miss the eagerness I had to go abroad. It made life happier.
I miss seeing Colombia from the inside, cuz now that I look at it from the outside, I feel wrong and permanent.
I miss my health insurance A LOT.

I have said it. this is it.

The Proud Big Sister of a Soon-To-Be Newly Grad, or the joy of having siblings.

Everybody Should Have a Sibling.

It does not really matter if it is a he or a she. Siblings are the best invention God ever created: it doesn't really matter if it is a he, or a she: one, or a bunch, nor if you are the older, or he younger, or the one in between. siblings keep you company, teach you since the very beginning about learning to share, to love, to interact with others, and the intricacies of playing, falling and getting back up, working in group to reach an objective, facing adversities of any kind, and finally, since they have known you since the beginning of your existence or somewhere around, they, as it is commonly said, do understand how your very particular family works, and for that simple but powerful reason they will be the life-long best friends you never got the chance to choose but you were gifted with (sadly, this doesn't happen for everybody, but it SHOULD). I am lucky I got 2, one sister and one brother.

My brother and my sister are two amazing "personajes" [Spanish for characters]. They are both good samples of what being  Colombian means: They are good kids, smart, thoughtful, hard workers, laid back, helpful, positive, and honest. They are good friends, and stick by their beliefs. They both are straight up, and reliable; and the best is that they are mine. Of course they are not perfect (as it may seem I want to sell them out) - nobody is, but these two are the best part of my life. They light my day up with a smile, or a kind word, and they sure know how to turn a storm into lots of fun. Thanks to them I am who I am, and where I am. I am so grateful to and for them. I feel extremely selfish writing this, for it looks like I love them because of me and what they do for me, but it is not like that. I am proud of them, because of what they are, and because of their achievements. I am proud of the way they face life and go forward! And yes, they make me feel happy and whole.

Today my little baby sister, who happens to be a brand new economist, defended her final research work. Soon she is gonna be graduating from college, where we both had quite an interesting time, all and all. She was brave enough and had such a strong will, so she went for it: A thesis! She got it right! she did her best, she put all of herself in this project (not only in the Economics field, but doing research and writing afull lenght final paper) and carried it out finely, all by herself!

 Here´s to Juli! SHE IS A FINE ECONOMIST NOW!
Dear sissy: Go and make it shine!

A Winter Blues

Tonight I am gonna make some justice to last winter.

It was freezing cold, most of the time (pretty much bellow 0°C for at least two months), and it beat me. So, I complained a lot about the cold, about the several layers I had to wear, even about the beautiful snow! I hit rock bottom and got homesick! 

But the truth is that I am a fan of winter! I actually enjoy a lot the cold, and I don't mind the layers. I love sweaters, hats, gloves and scarves. What is more, and to be trustful, I do not get to have snow often, specially in Colombia, and SNOW is definitely something amazing to watch, absolutely worth being freezing cold and all bundled up. 

My first winter in the USA was lovely. I arrived to NYC before New Year's Eve / 2012. It was cold, but somehow I was ready for it - even when I had never experienced such low temperatures. I was in love with the immaculate, gorgeous, crunchy, white snow. I loved to feel it on my hands and face, and to see it all tangled in my hair. I was dazzled by watching it fall and cover everything around with that thick, fluffy, white blanket. Although it was frosty, I was warm and cozy in my coat, and my gloves and hat were so comfy. What is more, I went outside everyday, drove everywhere, walked around a little, and a lot, and took a lot of pictures without any complains. 

Then, Spring, Summer, and Fall came and passed by... And here it was, the cold again. Oh, and how cold!

Watching the days get shorter was kind of sad, after the novelty of interminable days with sun light till 9 pm (absolutely fun and long) in summer. Then, all of a sudden, I had to get boots, coat, scarf, hat and gloves.  The temperature dropped and it was pretty much the same as when I first landed in this land of yours and mine, but I did mind it this time. I was not expecting it to happen so quickly (my wrong, of course), since it is the most natural thing to happen every year, and it was just the beginning of December/13.

So, it got bitter colder. For the very first time I was dealing with -5F° (around -20°C) in my whole life! And I remembered the guy who issued my visa a year before, saying "Colorado is one of the coldest states in the US, you better be prepared for that" instead of  "your visa has been approved". Thanks for the advise, though.

Then, I moved to NY state. and it was coldER, windiER, and MORE humid. I was definitely wearing more layers than during my first winter, and still, I felt my face freezing, and my fingers getting stiff.

First, it snowed twice a week for around three weeks; so as soon as the snow started to melt away, more snow came to the rescue, heaven forbid we run out of snow! After that, it stopped snowing for a while, but the snow, which piled up high enough for me to sink to my knees, turned into ice as the temperature stayed  around the 20s F°. ICE! we had the same ICE-SNOW for about a month on our lawns! A Month! It took for ever to melt, and that does not help the dis-coordinated like me at all! 

And to top it all, the sky was always grey. Grey, cloudy, and foggy, and some random rain, yeah, why not. frozen water for the dead trees and grass! 

However, now that it is over, and my time is running short in here, I reckon it may have been the last winter for me for a while. It may, or it may not. I cross my fingers and hope for me to have another chance to freeze my cheeks and the tip of my nose up! 

When  I got to Scarsdale I said I was bored, I did not fancy to go out because there was nothing to do. I did a lot of complaining, and wished for Spring to come ASAP. I wished for the snow to melt away, and I blamed the cold for my loneliness and sadness. I had gotten the winter blues!

Today, a beautiful, sunny, hot and sticky day in post-Summer time, I remembered all the fun I had in winter. I liked it today, but it was so good to remember that during the bitter cold winter I made the fun, crazy, good friends I have now.  I did a lot of ice skating, snowball fights, sliding, and all the snow I had been missing before coming to the States. In spite of the icy snow and the cold, I was able to move around, walk (properly dresses, wearing layers and all the stuff) and  that is how I got to know the place I am living (apparently not that well, for I still get a little lost sometimes), I actually got to build a snowman for the very first time, got to see NYC all Christmas-y and white;  I had a lot of hot cocoa and marshmallows, coffee, tea, cookies, great food from different places around the world, and even did some traveling. Besides, as a plus, I did never slide while driving on the snow, which did happen last year in Colorful Colorado and was not pleasant at all.  

The layers were not that fun. There was too much stuff, and I felt heavy and puffy all the time, but oh, well. It was just what I had always said I wanted. I am actually glad Last winter was that hard and long. I did not see it before, but I do now. I really had a good time! It is just once a year, and it lasts just four months, and if you do not seize it, you miss it. That is it.

A próposito del comentario escrito por Mauro Fachola, sobre Colombia.

Hay cosas que uno debe decir, no por orgullo,  dolor,  verguenza, ni por revancha; sino porque es lo correcto.

Colombia, un país con 47'425.437 millones de habitantes, es un lugar del que muchos oyen y ven, pero pocos escuchan y miran. Lo que el mundo conoce (dígase drogas, violencia, narcotráfico, por ejemplo) aunque es cierto que sucede, no es TODO  lo que Colombia es,ni pasa a la escala que los medios hacen ver. Prueba de ello, personajes como Julio Avelino Comesa, Nelson Silva Pacheco, (uruguayos ambos), Salvo Basile, Jorge Cao, Patrick Delmas, Geraldine Zivic, Fernando González Pacheco, Jesús Martín-Barbero, Fanny Mikey, Oreste Síndici, Marta Traba, entre muchos otros extranjeros, han decidido vivir a la colombiana.

Ahora, en el campo deportivo, Colombia ha demostrado al mundo que tiene talento:  Hasta ahora, deportistas colombianos  han obtenido 2 medallas de oro, 6 de plata, y 11 de bronce, para un total de 19 preseas olímpicas endiferentes disciplinas, lo cual hace de este hermoso país el 3ero el Sudamérica en cuanto a logros en los Juegos Olímpicos, después de Brasil y Argentina, empatando con Chile y Venezuela y 6to a nivel de América látina, después de Cuba, Brasil, Argentina, México y República Dominicana.

Ya en cuanto al fútbol, Colombia ha aportado excelentes jugadores a equipos de todo el mundo, entre los cuales se destacan Cristian Zapata, Luis Amaranto Perea, Faryd Mondragón, Freddy Guarín, Victor Aristizabal, Oscar Córdoba, Faustino Asprilla, Freddy Rincón, Carlos Valderrama, Mario Yepes, René Higuita, Iván Córdoba, Radamel Falcao, entre muchos otros, todos extremadamente talentosos. Posiblemente la cuota no es muy alta, pero la contribución de los jugadores colombianos al fútbol internacional es de gran calidad y merece su reconocimiento. 

Respecto de la Copa América 2001, con sede en Colombia, tierra querida,es exagerado afirmar que Colombia estaba en guerra. Los motivos por los cuales la selección Argentina  no asístió, si bien están relacionados con el conflicto existente en Colombia, no son argumento suficiente para una aseveración de tal magnitud, como lo es una guerra. Además, el equipo argentino fue el único en ausentarse por motivos de Seguridad, y Canadá, por otro lado, habría cancelado la convocatoria de sus jugadores cuando se anunció la cancelación del torneo en Colombia. Sin embargo, países como Brasil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Chile, y México  asistieron a este gran evento, lo que indica que no fue una victoria fácil para los colombianos meramente por la ausencia de Argentina. 

 En cuanto a el modo de hablar de los colombianos, específicamente el uso del término "balón" para referirnos a la pelota con la que se juega al fútbol, es avalado por la Real Academia de la Lengua Española para referirse entre otras definiciones, a la esfera de cuero y con un tamaño considerable, empleada para practicar diferentes deportes o juegos. Es importante reconocer la importancia que tiene la variedad de significados que una palabra puede tener en diferentes zonas geográficas. Esto, contrario a ser vulgar, o errado, es una de las mayores riquezas no sólo de la lengua española, sino del Lenguaje mismo. Cabe mencionar que, según Lipski (1994), el habla culta de Bogotá (capital de Colombia), una variedad generalmente conservadora de español, tiene un gran prestigio popular entre personas de habla hispana en las Américas. Interesante punto.

Sobre el adjetivo "patético", con el que el señor Fachola nos describe, y cuyas definiciones, según el diccionario de la RAE son: 1. adj. Que produce o manifiesta de una manera muy viva los sentimientos,sobre todo de dolor,tristeza o melancolía. y 2. Grotesco,que produce vergüenza ajena o pena. mi humilde opinión le concede la razón desde el significado número 1. Si. Los colombianos expresamos patéticamente, a flor de piel, a voz en cuello y con nuestra cara nuestras emociones. Es parte de la cultura vibrante de nuestro país, una característica que nos identifica, y de la cual no es posible sentir vergüenza. También puede llamársele transparencia y actitud, es nuestro estilo de vida, y es al igual que el Lenguaje, riqueza cultural.

Respecto del "amor por el país de uno", la frase lo dice todo. Uno simplemente ama al país de uno. Los estadounidenses aman a los Estados Unidos, los japoneses aman a Japón, los franceses aman a Francia, los uruguayos aman a Uruguay, y los colombianos amamos a Colombia. Conscientes de los problemas y dificultades, orgullosos de lo bueno, como el café, la música, la biodiversidad, y el fútbol, en el que hasta ahora la selección dirigida por el DT argentino José Pekerman ha llegado invicta a cuartos de final en la Copa del Mundo Brasil 2014.

Motivos para celebrar tenemos, razones para ser patéticos y patrióticos sobran. Desde mi punto de vista, desear fervorosamente que la Selección Colombia gane un partido, o dos, o el mundial, por muy imposible que parezca para muchos, es apenas el sentimiento adecuado para la ocasión, o quién manda a su selección a un mundial con la esperanza de que pierda?  Y así pierda, lo más importante es lo que pasa en el terreno de juego. Que lo dejen todo, que hagan su mejor esfuerzo, y que de una manera o la otra, ganen o pierdan, hagan del fútbol el mejor espectáculo y dejen en alto el nombre de su país, demostrando que es el talento con la pelota, más que las sandeces, lo que realmente hace historia. 

Referencias:

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia_en_los_Juegos_Ol%C3%ADmpicos

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguay_en_los_Juegos_Ol%C3%ADmpicos

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Copa_Am%C3%A9rica

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julio_Avelino_Comesa%C3%B1a

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Silva_Pacheco

http://andrzejpavlov.hubpages.com/hub/15-Greatest-Colombian-Football-Players-of-All-Time

http://colombiansoccerplayersabroad.blogspot.com/

http://dane.gov.co

http://es.fifa.com/ballondor/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombian_Spanish#cite_note-1

Lipski, John M. (1994), Latin American Spanish, Longman, ISBN 978-0-582-08761-3

VIAJAR - De Gabo...

Viajar

Viajar es marcharse de casa,
es dejar los amigos
es intentar volar
volar conociendo otras ramas 
recorriendo caminos
es intentar cambiar.

Viajar es vestirse de loco
es decir “no me importa”
es querer regresar.
Regresar valorando lo poco
saboreando una copa,
es desear empezar.

Viajar es sentirse poeta,
es escribir una carta,
es querer abrazar.
Abrazar al llegar a una puerta
añorando la calma
es dejarse besar.

Viajar es volverse mundano
es conocer otra gente
es volver a empezar.
Empezar extendiendo la mano,
aprendiendo del fuerte,
es sentir soledad.

Viajar es marcharse de casa,
es vestirse de loco
diciendo todo y nada con una postal,
Es dormir en otra cama,
sentir que el tiempo es corto,
viajar es regresar.

Gabriel Garcia Márquez

What happens in Vegas, is gonna be in YOUTUBE:::

Hi there!

Last week I was on my Spring Break vacation in Las Vegas and California. It was awesome, but not what had thought, though.

I have heard that "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas", but I am pretty sure I did not do anything in Las Vegas that I would not like the world to know about,  so it does not apply to me. However, in my flight back to denver, the plane had one stop in Las vegas, and the pilot said before everyone was out of the plane: "Remember,What happens in Vegas, is gonna be in YOUTUBE!". Everybody laughed.

I did have fun, I did visit many different fabulous places, but it was also nice to realize that it is just another place, nice place, with people who have a life, work, rise children, and so and so.

I think that was the best thing; not to see those places like the place to just go, get crazy, and mess around, but a real place with real life. In my humble opinion, of course.

It was nice to have some rest (though every single morning we got up early to catch up and do as much as possible). Nice hotels, awesome landscapes (as incredible as Colombian landscapes), charming colourful flowers after winter, Chinese people and food... tourists, pictures, train, bus, plane, walks, etc.

 Going by train, enjoying the cold, snowy view, until it disappeared.

 In Las Vegas, NV. No, no, no. I did not gamble.

 At the Grand Canyon, AZ. My bracelets and my loved red traveler shoes...

 Vegas again!

 First time in the pacific ocean.. The weather was kind of warm, but the water...

 L.A. - Hollywood, and my favorite actor´ star.

 L.A. Universal studios...

 Solvang, CA. Me and Hans Christian Andersen.

San Francisco, CA.