Grande y Pequeño

So, where were we?

Ah sí, the Dudes are asleep. Charlotte has stopped giggling and is playing with some miniature animals she bought during our last outing, whilst watching Disney Español.

CC and I decide to hit the shops downtown. The two of us drive to pick up her friend, the Good Witch, and we all go downtown for shopping! I began to feel a little uncomfortable walking down the sidewalk with these 2 ladies. They are maybe 5’2” on a good day, and I’m 6 feet tall. Every Colombian we see is only as tall as my shoulders. So, we are walking and EVERY SINGLE PERSON stops what they are doing and looks at me as I walk by. Then every once in a while I hear some one whisper “Grande” as I walk past. On the outside I appear confident and am just going about my business. On the inside I’m having a real mental battle. Part of me wants to run and hide, and the other part of me is thinking, “Screw them! This is who I am!”

I remember when I was a young girl, my family lived in Sicily. My dad, Padre-man, has always told me to never be ashamed of my height. When we would walk around the towns and markets of Sicily we were generally the tallest folks around. Padre-man told us to keep our heads up and faces forward, not to look down at the ground and avoid people. One of his favourite sayings is from Eleanor Roosevelt, “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.”

All of these memories are rushing over me as I walk with CC and the Good Witch. The ‘screw them’ attitude won out. Everyone, and no, that is not an exaggeration, EVERYONE still stared as I walked by and I still heard grande at least twice a block. I laughed and told the girls that I was going to start saying pequeño to everyone who called me grande. (FYI: Pequeño means small) I didn’t actually say that to anyone, not out loud at least. Someone needs to set a good example.

We went to a little shop with all kinds of hand made pottery and Colombia knick knacks. I bought a couple Colombia bracelets for the kids and miniature chiga. A chiga is a bus, similar to the kind that the kids rode in VillaMaria. I’m going to make an ornament out of it for our Christmas tree. Yeah, I’m that good, and I think ahead. Most of the time. Then we hit a candy store, I bought some SuperCoco lollipops for Charlotte’s class next year. They are made here in Manizales. We also went to a grocery store for COFFEE! I bought lots of bags of different kinds, and I bought some chocolate bars used in their hot chocolate and I can’t leave out that all important ingredient, PANELA! I asked CC what exactly panela is, it is made from sugar cane. It is not refined like our white sugar, and it still has the sugar cane colour and taste. They are sold in all sorts of sizes and styles, from ‘instant’ granules to big thick cow pies. Yup, you know I bought those cow patties!

By the time we were finished with our spending it was nearly 5 o’clock and we were expected at the Lady in Red’s house for dinner. After dropping off our purchases and picking up the Dudes and Little Mermaid we drove to LIR’s house (that’s Lady in Red, amigos). All the ladies we met yesterday are college friends of CC. The LIR has a 9 year old son. He is SO CUTE! He attends a bilingual school here in Manizales and once he warmed up to us (which took all of 2 minutes. We maybe giants, but we’re gentle giants!) he began to speak in English. His English is excellent. NO ACCENT! The Little Dude loved playing with a big boy. They played with matchbox cars and transformers. The LIR is so thoughtful; somehow she procured some girl toys for Little Mermaid. At first Little Mermaid played with an anatomically correct niño (that’s baby boy, gringos). Then she switched, as she always does, into veterinarian mode and began focusing on the stuffed animals.

As an aside…
The other day I learned that CC’s father is a veterinarian and a lawyer. After he finished vet school in Colombia he attended a school in Oklahoma (I think it was Oklahoma State?) where he specialized in large animals, like cows, horses etc… Later, back in Colombia he returned to school and became a lawyer. He practiced both professions, simultaneously until he retired. Maybe he and the Little Mermaid can talk about life as a vet this evening!

Soon the LIR’s husband came home. He is a mild mannered bespectacled man, much like certain Dude I know. He’s also a doctor. Like a certain someone…

We sat down to dinner and had an incredible time. We ate a traditional Colombian Soup. It was a clear broth with a chunk of corn, some yucca and potatoes. There were bowls on the table, one with shredded chicken, one with Latino evaporated milk, and one with capers. You add as much of each item you’d like. Then mix it all together and enjoy! We also, had CC’s favourite Colombian food item – Arroz con Leche. It’s sort of like a coconut rice pudding. Muy Bien!

It was a great evening. The kids had a BLAST! CC really has some wonderful friends. We didn’t want to leave, but, everyone has work in the morning and kids to get to sleep.

Buenos Noches!

VillaMaria and Miss Universe

How in the world did Ms. Kosovo with her alien-esque hair style make it to the top 10?
Yeah. I’m watching Miss Universe as I type.

ANYWAY!

I left you yesterday when we were on our way to a playground. It was small and cute. There is A LOT of bamboo growing wild all over Manizales. There was a cute patch along side the park. On the other side of the playground was the neighborhood Iglesia (church). There seem to be small Iglesias everywhere. We saw people walking to the service from the neighborhood. CC attended the service and we stood outside on the church patio with many others listening to the priest. The pews were packed! Also, outside, some church ladies were selling food. I ate the BEST empanadas in the world! They put mine to SHAME! So good! Once it started to rain we, CC’s sister in law the kids and the Dude and I, headed for home. The service was nearly complete and when we got home, CC soon followed.

Lunch was a Colombian version of spaghetti and chicken. A chicken broth soup was the precursor to the meal. We drank a traditional Colombian drink made from tomates de arbol. I know it sounds like tomatoes, but it was white and tomates de arbol are a local fruit – not our vegetables.

The Little Dude was cranky, even though he ate a lot, and when I tried to get him to sleep, he absolutely refused. So the 11 of us packed into 2 small cars and headed for the country. We hadn’t really counted on the rain, so our adventure turned into a car tour. We did stop at the main square of the Villa Maria. The kiddies got a mini bus ride that was powered by Fred’s two feet. Fred being the guy pushing the kid size bus around the square 3 times. Then the rain picked up and we were off to our next adventure.

CC showed us the schools in which she taught, as well as the local university she attended. We drove through the country and downtown Manizales. We are planning to walk around and take pictures another day. However the rain did not keep us from the highest point of the city. The rain subsided so we were able to walk around and I managed some pictures of the stunning view.

On to the food!

Obleas: A layered tortilla size treat. SO GOOD! First you take a flat round crispy wafer-like tortilla. Smear caramel sauce on one half and strawberry sauce on the other half. Then sprinkle unsweetened coconut shavings on half and a light mild crumbly cheese on the other half. Top this with another wafer. Add some fruit, sliced strawberries and cut brevas (a fig type fruit) in caramel sauce. Finally, lightly drizzle a white sweet sauce over the fruit and viola! Perfectamente!

Bunuelos: An egg shaped donut type cake - deep fried like a donut, but so light and just a hint of sweetness. Very very good!

Kumis: A yogurt type beverage. Not my favourite drink. It has a slight fermented taste similar to kefir (found in health food stores). Kunis must be an acquired taste.
Ok, I was typing this up as I watched the Miss Universe pageant on Colombian TV.

Miss Venezuela? Are you kidding me? It was TOTALLY between Miss Mexico and Miss Colombia. How Miss Russia beat out Mexico, with her unbrushed hair covering her face, I’ll never understand. The competition was between Mexico, USA (my unbiased opinion – even AFTER she fell flat on her booty), and COLOMBIA! Cha! Once USA and Mexico were out, it HAD to be Miss Colombia!

In the words of GOB (Arrested Development – rent it, watch it, love it) “C’mon!”

With that rant you know how my day ended. We came home, full from our food adventures and watched the pageant. Now, in my disgust I’m going to bed.

CHA!