Author: Zach

Whew – today was a long day.

We went to Mass this morning with Chris and Mary and the kidos. The children got sprinkled with Holy Water (they loved it)! It was a beautiful Catholic church – well attended – with the occasional stray dog dodging through the pews. I’m glad we attended. I like it that their last memories in Neiva were with their brother and sister at Mass.

Now they get to be little Presbyterians and Methodists.

After Mass and a quick snack, we said our goodbyes and head back to the “casa”. We took one last dip in the pool (burned the energy), ate a quick lunch, and then off to the airport. While waiting to board we sat near an American who lives with his Colombian wife in Cali. They’re both teachers. And they’re both in the process of adopting as nationals. He loved the girls. We wished him well!

For Kelly, the plane ride was a blast. Our plane was the small, twin turbo prop type (am I getting that right dad?) – noisy and just a bit scary. Monica did not enjoy it. I think she has a bit of a sinus cold so pressure kept hurting her head. She finally just put her head on my lap and went to sleep.

And now we’re in Bogota staying at the same B&B as our first night. Except that this time it’s full of families. A French couple (who cooked a fantastic meal of crepes this evening) who adopted a 4 month old. An American family from Florida (two older boys). And another American family from Wisconsin who have the quite challenging task of 3 boys, all under the age of 4 and 1/2. Monica and Kelly promptly got around to charming everyone. Man, are they charmers.

Take Monica for example. She’s really shy around people at first, but when she gets comfortable she loves to play the diva. In some respects she totally reminds me of her Tia Leah and Tia Carrie. She’s super affectionate with her Papi. She loves it when I carry and cradle her. She’s always wanting to be the trickster – which can make for some very funny moments (and difficult too – it’s hard to get her to stop). Tonight, for the very first time in a week, she went to sleep without us having to do a timein! Tonight’s also the first time they’re sleeping in separate beds.

Kelly’s nickname is chatterbox. She picks up English words and then keeps saying them over and over. When we got to the B&B she wanted to role play house. She’d walk me around the B&B, describing all the rooms, lead me to the sofa, take my shoes off and tell me it was time for me to go to sleep. All the while it’s hard to tell if she’s breathing because she’s chattering so fast (punctuated by lots and lots of laughter).

Tomorrow it’s passports and doctor visit. Right now it’s looking like we’ll be leaving on Thursday – although we might get bumped for Friday. Pray that there will actually be some seats (we haven’t changed our date yet because we need to make certain that the embassy is open Tuesday and Wednesday)!

Ren’s dead asleep besides me (it’s only 9:30). I’m yawning too. I’m proud of the girls today. They did very well. And they can’t wait to go to the United States.

Over the last 24 hours – since receiving Monica and Kelly’s new birth certificate with their new names – I keep feeling like I’m being smacked upside the head.

They’re really ours. It’s a done deal. We’re legally parents.

Perhaps it’s because of the long wait of 2 years that this simple piece of paper just feels so profound.

So last night when I said “Monica quit playing with your food and Kelly stop eating your boogers” (a phrase that every father must utter at some point in life) and Kelly said “Por que?” I could say “Because I’m your Papi” (I then tried to translate why booger eating is not cool…something that’s hard enough to do in English with a 4 year old).

This trip is all about the girls. We haven’t had much time to explore or get to know Colombia. I suppose we could take trips around Neiva, but that messes with the routine. And a routine is very helpful for the girls. They like knowing what to expect (can’t really blame them).

In short, I really don’t feel like I’ve soaked myself in Colombian culture. This isn’t like my other Latin American experiences. Not that I expected that – just want to make that point as I write some observations (my exposure is limited to a tiny portion of Neiva and a bit of Bogota).

First, this is the cleanest Latin American country I’ve ever been to. In fact, I didn’t notice it at first because it’s on par with places in the US. There are trash cans everywhere. Sanitation workers clean streets and the plazas at night. Again, this might only be the tiny part of Colombia we’re in, but I still find it impressive.

Colombians are more reserved than I expected. They remind me of Chileans, warm and friendly yet not excessively expressive. Perhaps I can’t help but measure them against Brazilians (my 1st South American experience and country that I adore) who are sort of off the charts. Everyone loves the girls and seems pumped by what we’re doing. The girls at the supermercado are in love with us.

I’ve felt very safe my entire time here. Perhaps this is because Kelly waves and yells at all the policemen and they in turn blow her kisses, tussle her hair, and smile big (Kelly has that affect on everyone).

The fruit is incredible. I love the juice. The empanadas inspire cravings. The gazzillion different ways to cook chicken is so so. The fried plantains go with everything. The coffee sucks (it’s nescafe…like every other place in the Latin America).

The climate is awesome. Ren and I had no problems with the heat…it’s nice to luxuriate in it when thinking about the snow at home. What could be better than spending a few hours a day in a pool with your new daughters? Probably nothing.

When Renee and I taught in Houston our Hispanic students would stumble over our last names all the time (thus the origin of Mr and Mrs V).

Now our poor daughters are having a devil of a time getting their last names correct.

This just so completely cracks us up.