A few of my favorite things

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Living in Colombia has been a pretty cool experience. If I didn't miss my husband, I wouldn't mind staying here. Even though they don't have air conditioning, clean water, clean public restrooms stocked with toilet paper and soap, and the traffic is awful, I really don't miss that much from the US (except my husband). Maybe it's because I'm a foreigner, because I talk funny, or just because I've gotten really lucky, but people are very friendly, caring, concerned and helpful. It's a very polite society. They advised me when I got here, "people here invade your personal space and it might look like they are going to rob you, but if they are saying good morning, they aren't thieves" Good advice.



Favorite things about living here (in no particular order):

1. The mountains in the morning with the clouds covering them are breathtaking, every single morning

2. The grocery stores play salsa and cumbia music

3. My fingernails are inexplicably a lot shinier here

4. fresh exotic (for me) fruit is everywhere and always delicious

5. Colombian cuisine is pretty fantastic

6. Anything you need is literally within walking distance, so it's not 100% necessary to drive everywhere (but it is more convenient)

7. There are something like 19 calendar holidays in this country, which means there are at least 2-3 months where there are less than 20 traditional working days

8. If they don't like something the gov't is doing, they strike instead of complain to their friends (sometimes it gets a little more violent, and a lot of times the government still doesn't do anything, but at least they do something)

9. It is a perfectly common thing to have musicians come to your house and play traditional llanero music

10. They appreciate things so much more here, and there food is so fresh - ground beef, is actually (recognizeable) beef, cut up into small pieces (imagine!!), and the hamburgers actually look like real food!!



These are just the things at the top of my head right now, but I'll think of more.

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