The American Dream

---

For whatever reason, a lot of people have asked me if I miss my country. I've only got 2 weeks left here in this beautiful country, and I can honestly say, I really don't miss my country. If it wasn't for my husband being there, I wouldn't really want to go back at all. While it's not perfect, and if I ever got sick, I would definitely want to be in my country (because even though everyone complains about the health care and resources, it's pretty damned good), but to live, it's really not at great as everyone thinks.



Here you have time to enjoy life, it's not nearly as stressful as life is in the US (in my experience). Things aren't as strict, people are friendlier, helpful, the food is delicious, and just the style of life here is so much more enjoyable. People enjoy more here (it seems). Over there you work and work and work and work, but you never really feel like doing anything after because you are so tired of working. Here, it's so much more natural just to enjoy yourself. People don't work on their vacations here, people enjoy.

Everyone wants to go to the US because you can make a lot of money, but what they don't realize is that everything is also really expensive there. Last week I didn't have time to get my lunch ready before I went to work (which is really uncommon here anyway because most people return home and eat with their family and then take a nap because it's customary here to have a 2 hour lunch) and anyway, I had to go and buy a lunch around the clinic. 1st of all, I'd like to say that there are no fast food restaurants (if there are they are very scarce and mainly just in the big cities (Bogota, Barranquilla, Medellin) so everything you see gets cooked there in front of you. I got carne asada with platano, lentils and rice with jugo de lulo for 4000 pesos or about 2$. What can you buy in the US with 2 dollars? Coke or gum or french fries or a hamburger. Almost nothing and certainly not a meal. Every day before I go to the gym, I stop at this bread store where I buy a hot from the oven roll for 15 cents. That doesn't exist in the US!

I know that things aren't perfect here and my circumstance is different because I am fortunate enough to have enough money for food and a place to sleep, but I would recommend to all the Colombians looking to get out of this beautiful country - STAY HERE!! You've got it great, just try and make it better! As soon as you go to the US, you're gonna miss this, just like I am 😞

---

Photos

20140607_115208
At the Los Ocarros park, it was so pretty, without even trying

Seriously?
So beautiful, how can you say goodbye to a view like that?

jaguar
this jaguar was hunting my little neice through the glass

caimanes
these things are similar to alligators from back home

sloths!!!
Any country with multiple species of sloths is awesome in my book

platos llaneros
In the llanos, when they sit down for a meal, they put these leaves down and put the food on top of them instead of using plates. When they finish, they just throw them out - no waste and most importantly (haha), no dirty dishes to wash!!