All righty, so I was MIA for a few months because a lot has happened. And because of that I didn't really get the time to update my blog. It will be a bit difficult to remember and condense all the stories in this entry, but I shall try my very best!
December
In the middle of the month, I set foot in a magical town, ten hours away from Bogotá -- Málaga, Andresito's hometown. The idea was to spend the holidays with him and his family while I cope with homesickness and eternally wish for the ability to fly back to the Philippines even just for Noche Buena. But alas, since I failed to attend the Misa de Gallo, God didn't hear me out. Sad. Anyway, spending three weeks there and in Enciso (where Andresito's abuela lives) was really amazing. To begin with, just like my own hometown, alcohol was cheaper...so do the math. Waking up at 11 in the morning after getting roused by an alarm at 6 for the last two and a half months was the best part, not to mention not spending for anything and being treated like an exotic being (in a good way lol). It was also good timing to be there for the annual ferias, something that all Colombian towns have at different times of the year. It's actually similar to the Masskara festival, just like what we have in my hometown Bacolod. Needless to say, it was the perfect excuse for drinking the night away.
Speaking of which, I discovered my new love, the perfect substitute for aguardiente.
Leaving Málaga was a downer, since I did fall in love with the place. It reminded me so much of Bacolod, and having Andresito's family there made it so much more like home.
January
Back to reality! Work resumed on the 16th. For the next two weeks there was nothing but boredom, planning, meetings, boredom, lunch at the office, and more boredom. We were all anxious about the start of the academic semester because, well, sitting in front of the computer for eight hours was just lethal.
PS: Highlights of the month include museum visits to Museo del Oro and Museo Botero, and of course, the infamous housewarming party we had at the new apartment, to be henceforth known as 527.
February
Valentine's Day is not widely celebrated here in Colombia, but since Andresito is just pure awesome, he decided to prepare dinner for the both of us! Aww such a sweetiepatootie. PS: The only thing he can make better than I could is rice, but I must say he did outdo himself this time!
Also, at the end of the month, AIESEC held the Zonalito of the year! I wasn't familiar with how it functioned before saying YES to the invitation, but it was pretty fun being able to meet new people and getting to bond with the AIESEC members through a series of team building activities. Not a bad decision on my part!
March
At this point, my life was just getting more miserable by the day. Why? Because it was too much of a routine already. Wake up at 6 or 630, take the flota to work, have lunch at 11, go home at 5, chill until I fall asleep at 12. Pretty tedious, huh? Good thing there was a puente (long weekend) in the middle of the month! Vinoth, my Indian friend, planned a day trip to Guativita, where the El Dorado legend started. We were a group of eight people, but somewhere along the way there were only three of us walking up to the entrance of the Laguna de Guatavita national park. The hike wasn't a joke, by the way. It was four hours of mostly uphill battle, but totally worth it in the end.
Another not bad decision I made was saying YES to my Polish friend, Anna, and Vinoth's invitation to go "backpacking" in the Eje Cafetero region of Colombia and some other cities for the Holy Week. We embarked on the last day of the month, and when we got to our first stop, it was already the first of April! Talk about a looooong bus ride. I shall thus continue the tale in the next chapter if I get the time and inspiration to write again next month!
Hasta luego, muchachos!
December
In the middle of the month, I set foot in a magical town, ten hours away from Bogotá -- Málaga, Andresito's hometown. The idea was to spend the holidays with him and his family while I cope with homesickness and eternally wish for the ability to fly back to the Philippines even just for Noche Buena. But alas, since I failed to attend the Misa de Gallo, God didn't hear me out. Sad. Anyway, spending three weeks there and in Enciso (where Andresito's abuela lives) was really amazing. To begin with, just like my own hometown, alcohol was cheaper...so do the math. Waking up at 11 in the morning after getting roused by an alarm at 6 for the last two and a half months was the best part, not to mention not spending for anything and being treated like an exotic being (in a good way lol). It was also good timing to be there for the annual ferias, something that all Colombian towns have at different times of the year. It's actually similar to the Masskara festival, just like what we have in my hometown Bacolod. Needless to say, it was the perfect excuse for drinking the night away.
Speaking of which, I discovered my new love, the perfect substitute for aguardiente.
Vino de Manzana + traditional Colombian Christmas cookies
(photo from Google)
Leaving Málaga was a downer, since I did fall in love with the place. It reminded me so much of Bacolod, and having Andresito's family there made it so much more like home.
January
Back to reality! Work resumed on the 16th. For the next two weeks there was nothing but boredom, planning, meetings, boredom, lunch at the office, and more boredom. We were all anxious about the start of the academic semester because, well, sitting in front of the computer for eight hours was just lethal.
PS: Highlights of the month include museum visits to Museo del Oro and Museo Botero, and of course, the infamous housewarming party we had at the new apartment, to be henceforth known as 527.
my Indian buddy Vinoth had a good, good night
February
Valentine's Day is not widely celebrated here in Colombia, but since Andresito is just pure awesome, he decided to prepare dinner for the both of us! Aww such a sweetiepatootie. PS: The only thing he can make better than I could is rice, but I must say he did outdo himself this time!
Also, at the end of the month, AIESEC held the Zonalito of the year! I wasn't familiar with how it functioned before saying YES to the invitation, but it was pretty fun being able to meet new people and getting to bond with the AIESEC members through a series of team building activities. Not a bad decision on my part!
the dinner setup for the entire AIESEC LC
Russia, Canada, Philippines
AIESEC ECI
March
At this point, my life was just getting more miserable by the day. Why? Because it was too much of a routine already. Wake up at 6 or 630, take the flota to work, have lunch at 11, go home at 5, chill until I fall asleep at 12. Pretty tedious, huh? Good thing there was a puente (long weekend) in the middle of the month! Vinoth, my Indian friend, planned a day trip to Guativita, where the El Dorado legend started. We were a group of eight people, but somewhere along the way there were only three of us walking up to the entrance of the Laguna de Guatavita national park. The hike wasn't a joke, by the way. It was four hours of mostly uphill battle, but totally worth it in the end.
the lake where tons of gold stuff were supposedly unearthed by the Spanish conquistadors
