Weeks 5/6 - Feeling HOT HOT HOT............The Ultimate Occupation, & homework wars! (plus a bit more besides).

Hello Everybody, I was going to talk about so much when I set out writing this post last week! However as the temperature has risen as high as my score on Wi-Fit 'hula hooping' (269 rotations if anyone is wondering), I am left so exhausted that it's a week later and I'm still lacking motivation....

Yesterday hit 49 degrees... YES I SAID 49oC!!!! Someone told me it had been 50 the day before. So I am in effect housebound between the hours of 10am-4pm, as it's too hot to be doing anything physical, or just standing outside really! Interestingly enough I had managed to achieve my highest non-stop run of 6.6k that very morning, though I had wondered why my t-shirt has changed colour from a light green to a dark green!? and this was all before 9:30am. This morning I had to stop swimming at 09:00 as it I felt my skin getting hot (even with total sun block). So not surprisingly I have turned to Wi-Fit to continue with my get fit 'aka' try and look good for the wedding photos. I totally have the Hula hoop exercise nailed, let me tell you! 

New Training Coach

As my running schedule has had to switch to mainly the evenings, 'Dave' the vulture (read last week's post) has handed over the coaching role to Iggy-Pop the Iguana (Thanks for the name Bez). Iggy watches me swim most morning now, and gives me a little wink for encouragement. He's not a great motivational speaker but he watches me closely, I know. I just passed the 1.5k today (swimming) which has me feeling very pleased with myself!
Iggy almost feel out the tree in celebration!

Iggy Pop the Iguana - my swimming coach

Whilst Bob & Sandra (The other vultures) swoop overhead in the distance most mornings looking for food, (clearly they no longer consider as potential brunch material), I have enjoyed spotting other birds (no pun intended), and on a walk home from the supermarket the other day we were happy to snap this fella just banging away!  

Woody Wood Pecker!

There has been a little more socializing in the past couple of weekends, including a birthday party whereby the ladies (mainly teachers from the school) dressed up in the traditional dresses from this area and enjoyed a dance.... oh, and a very sweet Margareta drink or two... (see picture below)

It was a fun party and all the people were very nice, but it did make me realize how much I struggle with conversations in a group context (in Spanish of course) as it's so hard to understand the words without knowing the context. As a result, I have not only started the BBC's online Spanish course 'My Crazy life' - where you go on a little holiday adventure around Madrid, but I have stared Spanish lessons with a teacher from the school. So far, so good as someone can finally now teach me some verbs, and the rules of spelling. 

Pre-Wedding Course:

I have to say that I was not looking forward to this event for a number of reasons:

1) I had to get up early:

2) It was long taxi drive on a hot day,

3) It was going to be in Spanish only,

4) I was worried that the priest was going to start condemning me to eternal damnation.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find myself in a beautiful little church yard (see picture below), with a priest who looked like a younger (and black hared version) of the 'man from Del Monte' due to his all white linen outfit. (This is a reference to a very old advertisement on British television for orange juice - "he say yes" to good tasting fruit..). I struggled to get this image out of my head for the morning we were together, though despite this humorous distraction, I found him very easy to listen to, and more importantly, easy to understand. So after learning about the importance of the cornerstones for marriage, (I won't go into them here...) we were asked to read a passage/story from the bible (David Vs Goliath) and discuss what relevance we thought this story had to the concept of marriage.... hmm yes I know, a tricky one! I can tell you with some certainty that the CORRECT ANSWER IS NOT - carry a sling shot around to make sure you get your own way!

Pre-wedding Course....

Pottery in the church garden!

Still, after clearing up that little misunderstanding and getting the 'approval from the delightful priest' we headed to the beach for a little time by the sea, before meeting Vibi's friend who also had some words of wisdom to impart... "Happy wife = happy life" - Still thinking that one over!

Finally by the sea....

I was desperate to strip off and get some breeze between my legs as the intense heat has been causing me all sorts of discomforts, which only vasts amounts of talcum powder and showering in ice has been able to soothe! Unfortunately we didn't have time for such things, so the closest I got was this... see picture below.....

Ohh nice breeze!

In fact drastic times call for drastic measures right! So despite any fleeting worries my wife to be might have about my next story were put aside, as I surprised her one lunch time, as she arrived home to find me sweating over lunch, whilst sweeping the floors in my sarong! Yes I said a Sarong... a sarong I might add that I bought in 2002 and could never quite bring myself to throw away! Well, it's been a revelation.... I'm under strict instructions that I am NEVER to leave the house like this. I did try and point out that David Beckham was famously pictured in a sarong many years ago (pre - Posh Spices' knickers). However it appears that until Colombia's favourite football son 'Radamel Falcao' is seen in such clothing, that I will be wearing mine in secret!

When needs must!

Interestingly enough, Falcao (the football player) is so loved her, not only is he advertising almost every product you can imagine, but if you ask most Colombian football fans who they dislike the most in world football, the answer is (Louis van Gaal) the Manchester United Manager - who seems to think Falcao is better at warming the seats on the bench than playing football! (To be honest, and to risk becoming the most disliked guy in Colombia - I'd agree with Louis Van Gaal this year at least!)

There have been many other things happening that I was going to talk about but I think that's enough for now, oh wait actually one more thing.... an no it's not the 'homework wars' with a teenager, it's reflecting further on last week's post about how buys a person can be trying to keep on top of activities in the home. Going one step further I have to say that 'suddenly becoming a parent' has really challenged me and my perspective on what's important. The parent thing is THE ULTIMATE OCCUPATION - a never ending, never dull, with constantly changing rules & dynamics, requiring the need for constant reflection, all whilst trying to optimize multiple people's happiness. And there's is never a break - I'm lucky, I'm inheriting a amazing kid, who is becoming a young man, and despite pushing a few boundaries (not to be unexpected at a time of great change for him), he's pretty easy going, but wow, it's a tiring occupation - I think parents should get paid more! Maybe take 10% of their kids salary for the first 5-10 years as a reward???  Thoughts?

A final note goes out to the people of Nepal & my current neighbours (neighbouring country) in Venezuela. Watching the devastating pictures and stories unfold from Nepal has been horrific. There seems to be little mention of it here beyond a few headlines, but seeing the people who survived, now fight for food and water is heart braking. 

Closer to home in Venezuela I heard today that the Government announced the working day was to be reduced to just 5 hours from 8/9 hours, citing the need to ration (save) electricity, as there had been an increasing and overwhelming demand on the public electricity grid. The reason - extremely hot weather! Check out the article below if you'd like....

 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-32506572 

Ok, enough from me, it's 9pm, and finally cool enough for a walk! 

Regards from Colombia!

Dan  

Weeks 3-4 Two states of being: a snow white transformation & 'hidden occupations'

Street View of Sunset....

Hola Todos:

My new life/reality in a small (no, tiny, think honey I shrunk the kids small....) little mining community in Cerrejón, Albania, northern Colombia has hit me hard this week! It's been like being run over by a big red double-decker bus in the middle of the desert - unexpected! Whatever ideas I thought I had about enjoying 'free' days and exploring native lands have been replaced by two never-ending states of being... SWEATING & SLEEPING... and often simultaneously... I swear today I was sweating whilst swimming too. That's definitely what the Iguana who watched me swim from his tree to perch was thinking anyway! I could see the Iguana just looking at me and thinking, what an earth is this snow-white guy doing here in the middle of the Colombian wilderness in 35-36 degree heat!? I wondered the same point myself! 

The 'compound'

The park....

The Compound....

1) Two states of being: Ok, lets try and put some order to this blog otherwise I will just randomly blurt out everything that's been in my head for the past 1-2 weeks. The 'COMPOUND' as I like to refer to this place as, takes me about 10 minutes to walk from one side to the other. I can run around most of the streets and twice around the football field and just about break 5 kilometers. This may sound easy, and for someone who ran a half marathon last year you'd think a few 5k runs would be easy right?... well oh no! My first attempt at at a 5k run was at 09:30 in the morning - 'too late in the morning' some people suggested - well those people were right. After 2/3k, I had to stop as it felt like any remaining water left in my body was at boiling point. After finding a single tree branch for shade I managed to use gravity to stumble to the nearby football field, right next to the swimming pool. The pool felt like a mirage in the desert as I did not have my swimming stuff with me and so couldn't dive in the water. Somewhat more alarming were 2 big black birds I noticed circling the field overhead. A further bird shape sat on the field flood lights, watching me with interest. As I got closer, I realised these weren't birds, they were vultures ('buitres' in Spanish) - the big birds that wait for things to die in hot places and then eat the remains of the animal! BLOODY VULTURES! -  like in the cartoons and in the Lion King! They were obviously smelling death and waiting for me to pass out. "I'll show you" I shouted to the vulture on the flood lights! My attempt at sprinting certainly did show the vulture something - mainly that he wouldn't have to wait very long to wait for lunch - or brunch in my case! I took the warning and toddled home... where I preceded to sweat prefusely for an hour AFTER exercising, even after a shower! A very cold shower! This sweating after exercise has not changed! 

The 'Olympic' ports Ground

I've managed 3 runs and 4 swimming sessions in a week, so I'm feeling good, but somewhat concerning is the fact that the Vultures are now always there, every time I run, on the same flood light, watching me run, and waiting! Vibi thinks I'm going mad, but I'm telling you they are always there. I've decided to give them names, and treat them like my running coaches... 'Dave' is the head coach, always sitting watching me run around the field, telling me to just run one more lap (whilst licking his lips - well, I mean his beak)... whilst 'Bob' and 'Sandra' just swoop around.... I have to say naming the vultures has definitely helped me deal with their unnerving presence! The Iguana only appeared today so any suggestions for names are welcome!

 2) Snow-White transformations: Now talking to the animals may sound a little strange, but I'm telling you, it definitely helps, and as I'm spending pretty much most of the day time on my own, I need the company! I totally understand how Snow White felt living with the dwarfs, and being home all day whilst they went to work. Vibi & Santi (who are smaller than me yes, but definitely are not dwarfs) go off to work and school (far too early for my liking) each day. Until they come home for lunch I'm ether running / swimming (if it's before 10:30 or after 3pm), or in between 11:00-3:30 washing up, cleaning the house, preparing lunch  or at least part of it and doing the washing! (Yes I watch the odd game of football - especially this week's Champion's League matches - but so would Snow White if she'd had cable TV!) 

So making friends with the birds and other animals helps make the daily chores more fun. So next time you watch Snow-White, replace the forest the the Colombian desert, replace the bunny rabbit and the robin with a vulture and an Iguana, and think of me 'whistling while I work' in the sweat factory of my kitchen washing clothes and pots with equal gusto!

Our Home....

Different housing on the compound

Nice houses on the compound....

3) Hidden Occupations: (& new found respect for home makers everywhere!) On a more domesticated note I except that I have never really had any desire to spend time cooking. Having mainly just cooked for one person, and had several other things that I'd rather spend my time doing, It's just not something that I have ever prioritised. Life has now changed, so dramatically in fact that I have been 'thrown in at the deep end' (a phrase used by my mum today during a Skype session - and particularly appropriate with swimming now featuring in my daily life!)..

So I find myself offering to cook lunches (for 3 people), make salads, shop for ingredients I have never herd of, let alone never used. The sweeping, washing clothes folding clothes, washing up pots and pans, making the bed, shopping and hanging up teenager's towels left on the floor - (now I know why my mum used to get so mad with my sister - who still needs prompting at 35+) - all this stuff takes us soooooooo much time it's unbelievable. How parents (mother in my case) did all this stuff, day in day out, and worked / studied whilst making time to drive kids to places and have a life - is quite amazing! Thanks so much mum!

What's in fashion this season?

The one & only supermarket

This led me to think about a really interesting key-note speech I attended in 2012 at the NZ OT Conference, by Lena-Karin Erlandsson. 

Lena is a Swedish OT who on this particular day talked about the importance of 'hidden occupations' - all the little things we do in a day that take conscious physical and cognitive energy, that we often don't count as an actual occupation. Well Lena, I was listening that day and now I'm living it! The day can be taken up with so many of these tasks, that I'm struggling to imagine how I will find time to do other things, and things that are / were more in line with my personal values and dreams. Perhaps the way to view this situation is to consider if despite such dramatic changes to my activities and routines, has there been any changes to my underlying values? I value having a family and creating a life with the people that I am with, so perhaps the change to my activities and routine, whilst temporary, is the only real change. 

More reflection is required on this, and I really should go as my animal friends will be waiting for me in the morning... 

Regards From Colombia...

Week 2 - Goodbye Santiago, Chile & Hello Bogota, Colombia!

WEEK 2:

If you’re planning on reading all of this then sit down with a good cup of tea (insert cultural equivalent) and enjoy.

Leaving Santiago:

As mentioned in my last post, Santiago felt like a familiar home to me from day one, and having spent most of the 5 days here with friends and OT colleagues, it was always going to be difficult to bring this visit to an end.  I’d spent my final day dragging my bags to the airport via taxi (2000 pesos) and a local cheap bus (1,500 pesos) so I could return to the city 'bag free' to meet friends later that night. Whilst I was unable to meet two Chilean OT friends, I did get to meet two different OT  friends (Maca & Coni), who made an appearance on the original South America Blog www.otdaninchile.blogspot.com.

catching up with Coni & Maca

A night of fun and interesting chat in between beers followed, as I was fascinated to hear the journey of these former OT students from 5 years ago. Their professional journeys, hopes and aspirations are just as interesting as their personal ones, and this has been symptomatic of many of the Chilean OT student’s / Occupational Therapists I have met and developed friendships with over the past 5 years. Their individual passion and their wish to address social injustices in their world make them awesome OT’s, and amazing people. Though I have to say the passion for life is matched by their passion for fun too, making them brilliant people to spend time with!

In true Chilean style there was no rush shown by my hosts (even at 22:00), for us to start making or way to the metro so I could get the LAST bus to the airport at 22:30. My English / personal preference for always giving myself extra time to get to the airport / bus / train station with plenty of time was being well and truly tested. Having dashed for the bus, I made it with a whole 3 minutes to spare (this equates to about 20 Chilean minutes), and did this by accidentally jumping a queue of people waiting to get on the bus. After spending every last peso on a late night meal at the airport (23:30), as my flight was at 02:18, I made my way to the small looking queue at the ‘Avianca’ check-in desk. It was more than 2 hours to the flight leaving, however Avianca Airlines had just 2 check-in staff, including Business Check-in. So over one hour later I finally had a boarding pass in my hand and just about enough time to find a toilet before getting on the plane!

One final thing about Chile (and something I should have remembered from my last attempt at leaving the country at the desert border with Bolivia), is that on arrival they give you a little slip of white paper, no bigger than a typical shop receipt. It’s a small, non-specific bit of paper, and no one tells you, “hey – keep that piece of paper, as you need it to leave the country”. So just as I’d accepted the check-in farce, a frantic search began for my exit paper – which I’d fortuitously kept in my wallet. Anyone visiting Chile, keep this bit of paper!

COLOMBIA & A NEW LIFE:

I touched down on Saturday 28^th March at 06:10. Half an-hour and not a single custom issue later, (despite the essay I was requested to write on my arrival card), I was reunited with Vibi, my wife-to-be. She did not seem to mind I was not exactly at my best: half asleep and a little bit smelly. I was too tired to protest at having a photo, and was just glad to have finally arrived in Bogota, Colombia. Whilst this was not going to be the main stay, I was excited to be spending time with Vibi's family. 

I was not however looking forward to the ridiculous number of appointments we hoped to get through in the next 7 days or getting back onto Bogota's infamous Transmilenio bus system. The system itself is pretty amazing. A central bus only 2 lane road through the main streets of the city. In such a traffic heavy city, this sounds brilliant, and is. Unfortunately, it is simply overcrowded. if you can not avoid rush hour (past 7/8pm), then be prepared to sniff any part of your fellow passenger's body parts. It makes the London tube look like a private taxi service. Still, when in Rome.....

Life in Bogota was pretty much split into 3 activities: Wedding venues, meeting with priests, & spending time with the family & friends.

Lunch with Ruth & Marly

1) Wedding Planning: I won't go on too much about this as it's better to let the pictures do the talking. What I will say is that this was my kind of wedding planning. Done quickly, (3 venues in 3 days) and done efficiently. This was quite remarkable as my experience of life in Bogota is of a city that lacks organisation - specifically when driving! So to get through appointments so quickly and then with just one or two calls be able to view places, and meet a coordinator within a couple of days was pretty amazing. I think Vibi may have had a little influence over this too.  Here's a photo from Sopo, one of the places we looked at.

Free wedding pets! - Sopo

More free wedding animals - humming bird.... can you spot it?

2) Meeting Priests: There were a number of reasons for meeting priests including the fact I am not particularly religious, but Vibi is, so we decided to meet a catholic priest just to chat about any things that I as the non-catholic person, would be expected to do in a mixed marriage, and of course practical things in a wedding ceremony. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, maybe some ancient man throwing holy water and telling me I was a sinner.... so I was pleasantly surprised to find a young (ish) bi-lingual priest who spoke openly and freely, and without embarrassment about the main view points on marriage. He was funny too, unfortunately he was not free to be the priest at the wedding.

The second priest - a high up priest of the area who we needed to give us permission to marry, was another really funny guy, who somewhat bizarrely happened to have been in Germany a few times and was happy to chat away about why not enough people go on holiday there. He was so progressive he even made a great effort to tell us about an on-line wedding course you could complete, instead of doing a face to face thing - just 8 hours too, (brilliant)! He too was bi-lingual, and also unavailable for the wedding! I was staring to change my unfounded doubts about Catholic priests, after meeting these two really nice guys. 

The new family....

3) Family Time:  For anyone who has watched the show 'Modern Family' and seen the portrayal of the Colombian character 'Gloria', you'll understand what the stereotype of Colombian families are like. Lots of people, lots of time at home together, lots of laughter, and as I found out to my delight lots of eating too! Whilst staying with Vibi's entertaining and welcoming parents, (who speak about 10 words of English between them), I was treated to a vast array of facial expressions, mime, and more often than not a constant stream of what sounded like Spanish words, followed by a pause to see if I had understood what had been said. Across the road was Vibi's brother, wife and two kids, who welcome me like a long lost son. Vibi's brother even woke up at 06:45 one morning to watch the Arsenal vs Liverpool game with me. A new form of 'Spanglish' (sentences of both Spanish & English words put together in any random order) broke out between me and Vibi's brother, especially after a couple of glasses of whisky. Just as I was getting used to these folks, more cousins arrived, two more sisters, including a niece living in Spain...

Lunch with Vibi and soon to be father in law....

not a place for vegetarians!

I found my brain usually turned to mush by about 8 pm most evenings as I had no more mental strength to concentrate enough when people were speaking. It definitely helped me sleep lots! I have however sat through countless movies in Spanish, dodgy soap operas and much more besides, and surprisingly I can have a reasonable idea about what is going on. I am sure I am still speaking Spanish like a 7 year old child....  

Bogota; So goodbye to Bogota for now. We'll be back in a month to have more meetings with the priest, and to complete arrangements for everything else too. I'm looking forward to getting away from the noise of big city living and the polluted air.  I did want to share that the city does it's part to promote healthy living by closing one side of many main roads on a Sunday and public holiday morning, leaving the lanes free for runners and cyclists. They also have restrictions for hours that cars with either an 'even' or 'odd' numbered registration plate, can access certain parts of the city... not too bad at all really!

Quiter days in Bogota - roads for exercise....

Healthy living in the city - Sunday & Holiday mornings....

Now it's time to head to Cerrejón, and a new kind of life living in a mining community, albeit a large one!
Regards from Colombia!