July 22, 2016

The day I left Chicago for Colombia.

The day I decided to leave everything I knew behind (Actually the decision happened five months before in March) but this was a very significant day for me nonetheless.

It was a day, which for me was totally outside of my character, when I got on a plane and took off to another country not knowing what the future would hold for me.

Seems like yesterday I just arrived here. But what seems like yesterday was actually over seven years ago.

My, how times flies.

So why was this so outside my character you may ask? Well, for one I am not one for super spontaneous behavior, but more importantly, I was and still am not someone who would just get on a plane and MOVE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY without thinking this through totally.

Well actually I did think it through totally (I usually overthink everything) and still got on that plane. Quite an accomplishment for me, I would say so. Wouldn’t you?

Anyway, back to the point of this story. First of all, everyone knows me could probably tell you three things about me and my personality. One, I need, like, crave, and desire stability. Two, I despise change. Third, and more importantly, they would never have thought in a million years that I would leave the USA for another country. Actually that’s not true. I have had thoughts ever since I was a kid that I didn’t feel like I “fit in” and belonged in Chicago, let alone the USA. Many times I thought I would be living in another country, or rather should be living in another country but actually GOING TO LIVE in another country was a whole different matter. Like I said, I am just not a spontaneous person. So when I actually MADE the decision to move, which was during the fourth week of March 2016, I set in motion things that would take my life in directions that I would never know were possible at that time.

Well after the event that caused my “work separation” (let’s just call it that for the time being), four months later I was at O’Hare Airport getting ready to board a plane to another land not knowing what the future would hold for me. It didn’t quite hit me as to what I was doing at this point but off on the adventure I went. I had a one-way ticket to

Bogotá, Colombia with instructions on what to do from my new future employer (an amazing and brilliant woman who would end up being one of my best and trusted friends I have ever met in my life. Definitely will post about her in a future post) once I landed in Colombia and had to get through immigration to enter the country. Actually I was a bit worried because when you fly to another country you usually have to have proof of a return flight in the form of an actual ticket so they don’t think you will just remain illegally, violating their visa regulations and become a burden to their social system. A few days before I left I found a website called “Flyonward.com” which sold a real ticket that you would “rent” for 24 hours and then they would cancel the ticket for a small fee. This would be used at the airport before departure to prove that you would be returning to your city of origin. The ticket could be tracked with an actual flight and confirmation number in case the airline decided to do it (most do because they are responsible on their dime to transport you back to your home country if you are denied entry) but it was totally legal and it worked because I was allowed to board the plane (A quick note about this, it’s interesting at times in life how some things happen for a reason because soon after that, later during the year the site went down (I have never been able to find out why) and has ceased to exist).

Soon, I landed in Bogotá, Colombia and stood in the long line of Migración at the airport waiting to get my tourist stamp which would give me my permission to enter the country that would become my new home. It still hadn’t hit me yet that I left my previous life and am starting a new one and also that I was “in” another country, but here I was, in the line at immigration, waiting to enter a new place, future unknown.

Well…in case you are wondering…of course I made it through immigration otherwise the story would have ended there.

So…leaving the airport and hearing nothing but Spanish (still a strange experience but it was pretty cool I must say) I now had to search for my transport.

The driver had my photo from the institute in order to look for me to take me to the city, Villavicencio, I would call home for the next year. To be honest, I don’t remember his name, only that he was very friendly and welcoming. He spoke very fast (interesting that after 8 years, “fast” seems relative when it comes to Spanish speakers after listening to so many of them speak over the years) but with my very limited vocabulary and upper beginner level of Spanish, we were able to “communicate” while on the road.

The trip through the mountains was beautiful but terrifying as he drove very fast. At times I thought we were going to drive right off the edge or crash head on with another car as the road at the time in 2016 there was only a two-lane road, with one lane in each direction.

Scary.

Along the way, the driver asked if I drank “tinto” and if I would like an arepa. Now, me being with my limited Spanish at the time and just having recently returned from a vacation in Spain, I honestly thought that when he said “tinto” and asked if I wanted one, that he was asking if I wanted some wine. JAJAAJA Yes, that is exactly what I thought. Thinking “I know this guy isn’t about to drink wine and then keep driving me to my destination, is he? We already are about to die with these other crazy drivers and now he wants to drink?”

Well we stop in this little town along the way and he buys me an arepa con queso and gives me my tinto, which of course was not wine, but a small plastic cup (small like a shot glass) of black coffee. Inside I laughed at myself at the sheer stupidity of what I was originally thinking and accepted his refreshment offer. He asked if I would like a second arepa because I enjoyed the first so much and I said “yes”. Great stuff those sweet arepas. In time during my first year, I would consume a ton of those.

Off we went again down the mountain highway, eventually arriving at the border of the department of Meta. Home of the capital city of Villavicencio. As we got closer to the city (the trip at the time took a little under four hours by car and nowadays with the expansion of the roads making them wider, more straight and more direct routes through the mountain tunnels….yes through the mountains, the trip by car can be done in about two and a half hours) my nervousness increased tenfold.

“Where was I going?” I thought to myself. “What would become of me?” These questions and more went through my head and then some as I surveyed the landscape and scenery passing me by, each kilometer we went. One kilometer farther from my previous home, meant being one kilometer closer to my new one.

Finally reaching the outskirts of Villavicencio, I scanned the view and pictured what I thought my life would be there. Of course, I could never have known what would become of me there but my wonderings came rapidly nevertheless.

We reached our destination at my new boss’s apartment and I met Angelica and her husband at the time, Juan. Great people. Really great people, especially Angelica, who I have come to love to death. She is seriously one of the most loving, caring, and most importantly, one of the most beautiful people I have ever met in my life. Period.

Welcomed me with open arms and love, accepted me and welcomed me into her culture, and I will never forget that.

She has a very beautiful heart and soul and I just love that about her and so much more.

I will never forget that moment as I sat on their couch, nervous as anything (I wanted to use a different word besides “anything” but I’ll keep my posts on this page “clean”…for now JAJAJAJA) and even though they offered me some food and refreshments, I couldn’t bring myself to eat anything. To be honest, I was scared. I get nervous meeting new people and this was certainly no exception. Even though they spoke English, and reassured me that everything was going to be great as they were very happy to have me there, I was still feeling like a fish out of water.

So we went to where I would be staying, a room in a “hotel” near the institute where I would be working. Before I left Chicago I had a choice of some places they said I could live in where they would help me get, but honestly I overthought the whole thing and settled on the hotel room. That housing story is a tale for another post. Trust me. We made it to my room and then Juan suggested that we go and buy some necessities that I would need to get started as the hotel didn’t provide any. Things like a towel, soap, toilet paper and some basic food items that I could store in the refrigerator in the common room.

So we went to the mall that evening, and as I was in the back of the car, I was looking around totally lost and thinking I will never be able to manage getting around on my own. I thought the city was huge. Which eventually turned out to be hilarious because Villavicencio, though the capital of Meta, is actually pretty small. Only 500,000 people in a small area.

Angelica helped me pick out some things and manage the purchases as it was the first time I was using pesos. I had some pesos that I exchanged at the airport (note to any readers, NEVER exchange money at the airport, you will get the WORST exchange rate and just get robbed of the value you deserve). Another funny thing is that I had like a little over a million pesos ($1.000.000 COP) in my wallet and she told me that my salary would be the same (one million pesos per month) but I honestly thought that was a lot of money. You see, I was thinking about the word “million” and using the only reference to the word that I knew, the reference from the English counting system and thought that was a lot of money. I told Angelica this and she howled in laughter and told me that was not a lot of money. Boy was she right…I would eventually learn! JAJAJAJA

All in all we walked and talked, getting to know each other, and eventually got back to my hotel room. I made a really great friend that day in Angelica, a friend who I have grown to love very dearly. I am happy to have met her and have her in my life, and am happy to think that she and I will be friends for the rest of our lives.

On the way back she showed me how to arrive at the institute, which was only a few blocks away. In the room, she gave me a hug and said goodnight and that she would see me on Monday (it was Friday when I arrived). Then she shut the door and she and Juan left.

And THAT is the moment it hit me.

THAT was the moment I realized I was in another country. Yes I know that sounds weird.

THAT was the moment I said to myself “What in the world have I done?”

I went out on the terrace a the top of the hotel on the fourth floor and looked out on the night skyline and thought again, “what have I done?” That was the first time since I not only made the decision to leave Chicago and the USA, but to do it spontaneously (remember I said earlier that is NOT part of my personality) that it truly hit me as to what I had done and I finally had let it sink in that I was “not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy!”

Honestly I was wondering if I had made the right decision and if I would survive this at all (Guess you can say I did since I have been here for almost 8 years and counting).

I went back to my room, shut the door and video called my dad to let him know I was settled in and ok. He was happy to hear that and wanted to know if I was excited about all this. I said I was and that made him happy. He told me how proud of me he was and we ended our conversation as I told him I needed to do a lesson plan for my first day on Monday but that I would call him tomorrow. I finished my lesson plan, looked out the window then eventually got in bed to sleep.

Didn’t sleep that much that night but that was how my first day of my new life started.

One day of many to come, but one unforgettable day that will be in my thoughts forever. One that I would come to realize was one that has changed me for the better in more ways than I could have imagined at the time and would eventually come to realize that it was good for me and for who I was, am, and would eventually become.