8 months old

This is our awesome, amazing pediatrician, Dr Edgar Castro Camacho. He is very patient, thorough and gentle with Lukas. We really like him a lot. He always takes his time with us, and very obviously loves his work.

Yesterday Lukas was 8 months old. He weighs 18.5 lbs, and is a tall 29". Hard to believe 8 months ago we were nervously staring at a newborn baby and wondering what to do next! We still have to wonder what to do next often, but he's so much fun and such a sensitive and funny little soul we can't imagine what life

was like before he came along.

One Cup of Coffee

As long as I can remember my Mom has left half filled mugs of cold coffee around the house. This is something we've teased her about for years.. her inability to completely finish a freakin' cup of coffee.I always thought it was just a weird quirk she had until my son came along. Now that I am a parent too I finally understand!!!

It is impossible to complete:

cooking something..

eating a meal..

drinking a cup of coffee..

an email..

a conversation..

a snack..

laundry..

with a kid.

That doesn't explain why 30 some odd years later she still can't manage to sit still long enough to finish a cup.. but it sure explains where the quirk came from!!

PS- One Cup of Coffee also happens to be my favourite Bob Marley song... it is a quirky little number and the title makes me think of my Mom every time! :O)

Finca Weekend

We went to Fusa this past weekend for Efrain's Birthday. Happy 65th!

I think there's a saying that getting there is half the fun or something to that effect. Really we don't do much when we get there as I've mentioned before. I believe part of the reason for this is the terrifying journey there takes a little time to recover from. Two hours of twisty roads through the mountain, crazy arse drivers taking their lives (and everyone elses) into their hands at every chance to pass even ONE car ahead of them. We almost always see at least one accident, more often two. Last time we came across a truck full of paint, that misjudged a corner (apparently) and skidded off into the pseudo ditch, twisting it's cab into a pile of metal and spewing blue and yellow paint across the road and along it's path of destruction. Amusing only because the driver was just sitting there waiting for someone to come and salvage his wreck for him. I spend the two hours with heart in mouth, desperately clutching Lukas' head so it doesn't whip off at the sudden swerves Peter makes. I have never driven or seen the Autobahn, but I imagine they have nothing on the skills of Colombian mountain drivers.

On holidays it is the same but of course with twice as much traffic. Some smart person, politician or policeman, not sure which, decided the carnage level was becoming too high and set some rules down. Now at peak travel hours during holidays they stop all the traffic one way.. say going "down".. for about a 30 minute span and let the traffic from the other direction (two lanes) run solo for that time. It's great because you don't have to concern yourself with oncoming traffic, but it whips the people who have the "GO" into a frenzy of speeding lest they get caught and have to wait for the other directions turn. Good in theory and apparently effective. The wait of course is frustrating with an active baby who doesn't like to be confined in the seat for more than 20 minutes, never mind 30 minutes of idling.

This time was not a holiday so it wasn't too frantic. We still didn't escape unscathed though because poor Lukas got carsick all over! Lesson learned.. don't top up the baby with milk two minutes before you leave for such a crazy journey.

Anyways..it was a nice hot and sunny break from all the rain we've had the last couple of weeks. Efrain is a great cook, so we had good eats and some birthday cake to round it out. Of course I'm the only one in the picture not looking as I'm trying to head off some disaster Lukas was trying to create.

New Year, New Adventures

Happy Really Late New Year!!

It's rare to have much time to post anything now but I am going to try to more often as so many people have said they read this for updates.

Lukas is 6 months and 25 days old and a busy busy boy! Naps are usually a mere 30 minutes only. He likes to sit up now and watch the world go by. We are so lucky to have such a healthy and happy boy! He has started eating solid food, and while he wasn't convinced at first he now enjoys apples, peaches, mango, watermelon, pears, cereal, spinach, avocado, carrots, and squash.

We spent New Years in Fusa at the Finca. It was a challenge to stay up past midnight for all of us but we managed to do it! It was so hot there and a nice break from the chill and smog of Bogota. The photo above is of a beautiful flower growing in the yard.

My time here is coming to a close, for now. We have started the long and difficult immigration process again, and pray that Peter is back in Canada with us as soon as possible. Lukas LOVES his Daddy and of course vice versa, so it will be a difficult separation with too few visits as the tickets are expensive and the vacation time needs to be used wisely. We are, however, grateful that Lukas is young enough not to really remember all this time we will have to spend apart. My feelings are understandably mixed. I want to go home, where I can go out and not be concerned with who is watching or have my family here repeatedly warn me to be careful. I want to be able to drive places and go whereever I want without worrying about people taking advantage of my "foreign-ness" . On the other hand we are missing time together when Lukas is little and fun and changing almost every day. I will miss the bakeries and fresh produce and the people who are ALWAYS happy, despite this country and it's craziness (at times).

We don't have anything ambitious planned for our last couple of months here in the apartment. Weekends sometimes we travel to the Finca or go to the park and hang out. But mostly we just try and spend as much time together as possible! I have already started cleaning out my clothes and shoes, giving away what I don't need or want anymore to people who really need it here. We will be homeward bound before I know it.

First Christmas Fun!

Today was Peter's company Kids Christmas party. It was held at a club here, Colsubsidio Bellavista. It's a country club, with tennis, pools, games, lounge chairs etc. that Peter's company pays for us to belong to as part of their benefits package.

Although he's so little, Lukas was able to participate with some infant stimulation exercises. A massage lesson, tactile fun with loofahs and sponges and styrofoam marbles, smelling some different scents, tasting lemon and sugar, and playing on a mat. He was a little overstimulated at the end of all this, and liked watching the other kids best of all. We had a nice bbq lunch, and then of course a very special visit from Papa Noel! His very first Christmas present is an annoying Barney doll, that warbles away and plays songs with different instruments when you press them. Fun!

Food Fun

So most of the time the food here is 100% enjoyable. I am an adventurous eater for the most part, and usually will take at least one bite of something, or try something suggested by a relative here. However, there have proven to be a couple of exceptions during my time here in Colombia.

One exception was Mondongo Soup. Upon visiting Peters Aunt Carmen, who is 80+ years old, and very old time proper, and who had formally invited us to lunch, I found myself staring down a bowl of Mondongo Soup. Most of you might know Mondongo as Tripe. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't bring myself to eat it. The texture, taste and look of it were just too much. I tried to sneak it across the table to Peters Mom, but alas Tia Carmen is sharp only at inopportune moments. She falls asleep mid channel change while watching tv, but the jig on this was up in 30 seconds flat. So I had to fess up and have the offending dish removed.

So, on the odd occasion something just proves too much for me.

Last nights foray into the culinary delights at the Parque Nacional Christmas display was another time when it just proved all too much. We stopped at one of the vendors and I asked Peter to buy me an empanada. An empanada is a wonderful little deep fried, meat and potato filled, corn dough encased wonder. Add some Aji (hot sauce) and they reach levels of addictiveness. These are empanadas.

SO. Peter bought three of what I thought were empanadas, same shape and size. Oddly people were calling them Pastele, but I thought nothing of it. Lukas was tired, it was getting too late and I was too hungry to think it through. When we got home, I excitedly opened the bag and took a BIG bite. An empanada it was not.. here's what it was...

Yup, an egg. And rice. Deep fried together in batter. Normally I am a fan of the egg, and of the humble little rice grain. But when you are expecting lovely hot, greasy, deep fried meat and potatoes and this is what ends up in your mouth as a bedtime snack.. well it's just not the same.

Christmas has arrived in the BOG

If there's one thing Bogota DOES know how to do it's celebrate Christmas. Way before Halloween I started to see people dragging Christmas trees home... well that was just a tiny whisper of what happens once November/December rolls around. Decorations and trees and EVERYTHING festive EVERYWHERE you look! There are five public parks that are all decorated with five different lighting themes. Tonight we went to Parque Nacional where the theme is "Tierra" or Land/Earth. Soooo pretty, butterflies, geckos, vines, mushrooms all made out of lights. Lots of vendors selling yummy street food, comedians, balloon sellers and lots of happy people enjoying it all. The pictures will never do it justice, but I am posting some for you to enjoy anyways. I plan on dragging my husband to all five parks, so more pictures to come!!

Back to the BOG

We're back in Colombia again. Our trip home to Canada was wonderful and I want everyone to know how happy we were to see everyone, and be with my family for even a short while. Thanks to everyone who gave us gifts for Lukas, he's the best dressed kid in the city!!

Lukas is finally settled back into our apartment and routine here. He had a hard weekend when we got back, babies have short memories and it was like adjusting to a new place all over again. He had a few overtired meltdowns but we're through them.

No sooner had he gotten settled then we had his 4 month checkup and vaccines. The vaccines were awful, two full days of feverish whimpering and just not feeling well. Since baby tylenol makes him sick all over he refuses to take it. Finally he's back to his super smiley and sweet self now! We visited our own Pediatrician (spelling may be creative!) Dr. Castro. He is a very kind man, very thorough and gentle. Lukas is a big boy at 16 lbs 8oz, and 65 cm tall. Measured on the North American standards charts he is in the 95th percentile for his age. Oh my aching back!

For me the adjustment back to the city here was much shorter this time. It didn't take long to acclimatize, and the familiar sights of buses and taxis were normal, the hiss of pressure cookers cooking in the streets and multitude of horns honking seemed like par for the course now. The doorman and maintenance guy in our building proclaimed it a "milagro" (miracle) that I was finally back.

So, life goes on.

My new ride is a Lexus & a Two month update!.. Lukas

Happy Birthday Grandpa Moulton!!

Mommy bought me a "Lexus"! That's what model our fun new stroller is! It has three big rubber wheels for easy riding on the sidewalks/streets here, which are often uneven and full of holes. I really like my Lexus. Now when we go for walks I can see all the trees and cars and people passing. I like the supermarket with all the colours and smells. I still like my SproutPouch when I am feeling like cuddling, but the Lexus makes me feel like a prince in a chariot! (pictures to follow, this dang site won't let Mom upload pictures today)

Today I had my two month checkup! Once again I passed with flying colours.. not that there was a test or anything. I am perfectly within the normal range for head circumference and height, but exceed expectations when it comes to weight. I weigh in at 12 lbs 5 oz. I am an enthusiastic eater! People here go on and on about how I'm gonna have to go on a diet (AS IF) but Mom's pretty sure I'll slim out once I start to walk. Her and Dad are pretty slim and Grandpa and Uncle Ian are so tall I'm bound to be too!

According to Mom's bible "What to Expect the First Year" there are monthly things that "Your Baby May Be Doing".. let's see what I am doing!

By two months I should be able to:

Smile in response to my Mom's smile - Yes I can!

Respond to a bell in some way, quieting, crying etc - Yes!

I will probably be able to:

Vocalize in ways other than crying - Yes I can coo and babble away

On my stomach, lift my head 45 degrees - Yes

May even be able to:

Hold head steady when upright - Yes, but briefly

On stomach, raise chest, supported by arms - Yes

Roll Over - Not yet

Grasp a rattle held to backs of hands - Not yet

Pay attention to an object as small as a raisin - Yes

Reach for an object - Mom's not sure if this is voluntary or not, but I do like to bat at things I love

Say "Ah goo" or similar - yes

SO Long, So sorry!

It's been awhile I know. Time just slips away from me. I have good intentions often of posting something, but somehow there's always one more dirty diaper to change or one more load of laundry to wash! Plus when it comes to staring at the computer or staring at my son he wins hands down.

Lukas is growing like a weed! He's almost 11 lbs now, and outgrowing clothes every week. He seems to have changed every morning when the sun comes up and we say "good morning!!" to one another. He has started to coo and babble to his best friends, the bee mirror that hangs in his chair, and the little fish that hangs over his crib. Just this week he has started to smile a lot and sometimes I hear the stirrings of an almost giggle. He has more awake time now (hence less chore time for me too!) and is super curious about EVERYTHING from noises to patterns to the sky to trees. He is a little bit of a momma's boy already, we have noticed. Someone else is okay briefly, but then it's grumpy face time. If that has no effect he turns on the tears and that works on ME every time. He has finally come around to his bath and likes the warm water and the head massage I give him when I wash his little hair.

Here's a recent photo of my little fatty. This is his "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?" face.

On the weekend we went to the finca (cottage) with Peters parents and his brother Lucho and his family. The men spent most of their time drinking together as they haven't hung out altogether in 7 years. By drinking I mean they turned it into something of a sport. Many beers were consumed, much yelling and joking took place, music was played extremely loud well into the night/dawn hours and much camraderie seemed to ensue. Who knows..I can't understand slurred spanish at top speed and top volume! I won't go into how well that went over with the wives but will say Saturday night NO ONE got any sleep. Except maybe Lukas. I will also say the drinking continued all day Sunday and well into Sunday evening. I do believe they only stopped because the threats of marital partners were starting to get a little heated.

Here's some photos of the Finca, it's on the outskirts of a city called Fusa. It's like a mini mini farm. Efrain has chickens, dogs, vegetable gardens and fruit trees of all kinds. There's not much to do there really, it literally is in the middle of nowhere, down one of the worst dirt roads I've ever seen. It's totally worth it though, absolutely beautiful. Serene sunsets and sunrises, very tranquil nature noises. We eat and sit around and rock in the hammock and enjoy the smog free air!

Sunset from the 2nd floor window of the house.

Lukas and his cousin, Jonathan Sebastian

Efrain and his muchachosThe neighbour girls visiting for lunch. They had lots of questions about Canada, from what was my favourite food to how fast we could drive on the highways.

Efrain and his other muchachos, his FOUR doggies. Three are annoying puppies, one is old and has retired from the city (bogota) to this country retreat. :O) The cottage wheels, I am not convinced this thing even runs!

First Checkup.. time flies..by Lukas

Today I had my first checkup at Javeriana Hospital. Here in Colombia I will visit the hospital for my first few checkups. We like the medical staff there because they are all young and while shy to speak they do know English. This makes Mom happy.

The nice pediatrician lady and FOUR young medical students checked me all over! What a lucky boy to have such great attention. I didn't like any of this at all because it meant I had to strip down and boy was it cold in there! After much screaming and many tears for Mom and Dad's benefit they pronounced me "perfect". I knew that all along of course!! The doctor didn't seem to believe Mom when she said I was only getting Mom's milk because I already weigh a whopping 9 lbs and 2 oz!!! I guess I'm gonna be a big Canadian kid, probably tall and strong like my Uncle Ian!

Here I am..25 days old. My eyes are still blue, Mom's fingers are crossed they are going to remain blue! Mom thought I looked cute with a Mohawk hairdo but I'm not convinced..what do you think?????

Cookie Monster Cathie

My Mom is visiting her new grandson (let's face it, I'm old news) for two weeks. She is a great tourist. She has tried all sorts of new foods and is eager to try even more. We don't have a lot of time for touring around, but we have managed to get out for walks, lunch, and to soak in some of the local "culture". She has even managed to fit in a few sketching sessions for her art class"homework". Currently she's sitting on the couch trying to get Lukas to pose for her. He of course is a typical restless baby and is wiggling all around hindering her efforts.



Foodwise my Mom has a sweet tooth although she might deny it. Everything that she has liked the best is of the sweet nature. Obleas were the first thing she tried (two thumbs up), but she has also sampled breads from the bakery, thick caramel straight up from the spoon that Peter's cousin Yeimy brought us from Cali, and Bocadillo, which is a natural "gumdrop" made from guava paste. She also liked "Achiras" which are similar to a tiny breadstick snack, with a slight cheese flavour. Everytime she tries something new she says "oh, i'm taking some of this for Ian.." or whoever she thinks might like it best.



The best tasting incident so far though has been the "doughnut" sampling. I sent the mothers out on their own Tuesday, to change some money, and get some medicine for a slight altitude sickness Mom has. When they got back (after having spent ALL the money they changed on medicine and a cashmere sweater!) all my Mom could talk about was this "doughnut" she saw in the bakery where we buy our breads. Now I was completely puzzled, because they don't really make doughnuts in the bakery that I have seen. I assured her that we would go back and try one next time we passed by. Not good enough..for 24 whole hours she kept talking about her doughnut, how she wanted to try the doughnut, that the doughnut looked soooo good, that she had to have the doughnut!! (how many doughnuts do you guys eat in Canada anyways? it was like a withdrawal episode..)


Finally she wore me down yesterday afternoon and we went to the bakery to buy the freakin doughnut... and ended up buying not only the doughnut but also two of every cookie in the top row of the baker shelves! It is not a doughnut, it's a "churro".. same concept as a doughnut, deep fried, circular and sprinkled with sugar but because this is Colombia it is of course filled with caramel! She really liked it (thank goodness!) so it was well worth the wait and badgering. The cookies were a hit too, and we will go back to buy the second row of the bakers shelf and see how we make out!


Here's a picture of Cookie Monster Cathie with her Churro in hand! Doesn't she have that sugar high smile now? Oh and she had cookies for breakfast this morning too! :O)

Too Cute For Words

My first car trip with my parents and Grandma's. We had lunch at "Mirador de Embalse" in the mountains. My Grandma is visiting me from Canada, she's been a big help to my Mom who has lots of questions!!!!!

My two Grandma's. Grandma on the left and Abuela on the right. This is at the top of the mountain overlooking Bogota.

My Auntie Linda gave me this outfit, I like it because it's not three sizes too big and it comes with this cool hat. My Dad made me wear these mits for quite a few days as I liked to scratch my face. He finally worked up the nerve to clip my little fingernails while I was asleep and now I don't have to wear them anymore!

8 Days on Earth

Okay so I have a good excuse for the long delay in a new post.. here's how the story goes..

I had half jokingly said throughout my pregnancy that one of the days I would like my baby to be born on was July 1st, Canada Day. Imagine my thrill when I woke up at 4 a.m. on Canada Day feeling....different. I suspected maybe I was in labour and by 7 was quite certain that's what it was!! I managed to stay home until 11 a.m. and labour with my husband running around in circles (literally), asking me what to do what to do! I kept telling him to stop running around but it was no use.

Peters Mom had paid for a benefit that entitles us to in home medical care should we require it, so she called the Ambulance/Medic team for us. They came right to my bedroom with a doctor and a paramedic and confirmed that yes, I was indeed in labour, 5 cm along and needed to go to the hospital kinda "right now". I got a cushy ambulance ride, the wrong way down the Ciclovia and right to the hospital door! Cool, too bad I missed it. I could only see the helmeted heads of ppl on bicycles going by the ambulance door.

The hospital is called San Ignacio, it is the third best in Colombia and is a teaching hospital affiliated with Javeriana University here. I was ecstatic to learn that the doctors all spoke english because all of their text books are in english. I managed to get by with Spanglish with everyone and we had no problems communicating.. "IT HURTS LIKE HELL" is pretty universal!!

After getting all checked out and checked in, hooked up to a fetal monitor and eventually and IV, Peter had to vacate and I was on my own. The amount of pain pre-empted any fears I was harbouring and oddly (or not??) I feltvery excited that finally the day was here! Finally I was going to meet the new member of our family.

At 3:00 I finally received an epidural and was able to chat to the Anasthesiologist for a good half hour like a normal person about world stuff and such :O) At 4 it seemed to wear off and things moved along quite quickly after that, with pain increasingly on my mind.

After another epidural and a shot of Oxytocin to get things moving faster as baby was starting to get lazy and by 4:45 I was being rushed down the hall to the delivery room, with three doctors in tow. Delivery here is taken seriously, no extra ppl hanging around in the delivery room, only medical staff consisting of three doctors. Two for me and one for the baby.

Three or four huge pushes and I found myself belly to belly looking into the deep blue eyes of the little person that had been wiggling around in my belly for almost 40 weeks. I am sure it is impossible to ever put into words that moment and have it come through cyberspace, so I won't. All I know is that for mere seconds time stood still, that I won't ever forget it, and that he is the most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on. Oh.. and he's all mine!!!

So, world meet our son, Lukas Alexander Suarez, July 1st, 2007 @ 5:04 p.m., 7 lbs, 4 oz

Waiting for Lukas

Happy Father's Day Dad! Keep your eye out for a special delivery which you DO NOT have to share if you don't want to!!

Congratulations to my "little brother" Ian and his new wife Charlene! Seeing my brother with a wedding ring on and a happy wife beside him this morning was a bit strange for me! Ian you have come a long way from the little guy who used to eat fertilizer and bugs and cut his eyelashes with scissors!!! Charlene you have a good man in my brother and we love you for loving him!! Welcome to our family!!
Not a lot has happened here in Colombia to report. We are anxiously (some of us more than others, namely me!!!) awaiting the arrival of our son. I have reorganized the closet at least four times, cleaned, moved furniture, bought some seemingly useless things for him, and I read the "What to Expect.."pregnancy bible over and over and over. Of course you can't rush nature or a baby, and he's still in there, stretching and rolling and hiccuping. I saw pictures of my husband when he was a few days old, he had and entire head of thick black hair and the chubbiest little cheeks ever. Oddly this is the baby I see in my dreams on occasion, so I imagine Lukas will resemble him more than the Canadian side, but maybe we'll be surprised!

The crib & border

A cool peg shelf that I found in a store here already made up!

Peter really wanted a "formal" picture of us when I was nice and large. Our first family photo!

Just a Few Pictures

Happy Birthday indeed! From halfway around the world my wonderful parents sent me a birthday cake! Tres Leches, yummmmiiiee!!! And so pretty! And from one of the best bakeries around :O)

My Birthday lunch with Peter's Mom and his cousin Kevin @ "Sopa y Postres" (Soup and Desserts). I've had my eye on this restaurant since I got here and Gloria treated me for my special day. They accepted my Ontario Drivers License as proof it was my birthday and in exchange I got this HUGE fried Ice Cream and they played a 5 minute version of "Happy Birthday" complete with mariachi music and singing! AND in English!

Kevin, Gloria and Me!

First person to post on here and tell me what exactly is different about me in these photos will get a little gift from Colombia :O) I've kept it under wraps for three weeks now, and figure it's about time to come clean. (and no, it's not that I am getting chubby)

I loved this fluffy dog. He was loyally watching his boy walk home from the store about 1/2 km away. This is in another Barrio close to ours, but is much quieter and only has houses, which are huge and almost all of them have a lovely courtyard garden.

Peter and his Mom @ Mother's Day lunch in "Dona Elvira" restaurant in our neighbourhood. It was (is??) a famous haunt for crooked politicians and was lined up out the door with people waiting for a seat!

Lots of stuff happens in Bogota/Colombia in any given week but little of the news makes it out of the country no matter how amazing it might be. I will not be posting anything political here because I know better than that, but of particular human interest in the last week a gentleman who was kidnapped more than 9 years ago escaped from the guerillas, on foot, through the jungle. I think it took him about 17 days to reach civilization. His story and the news he is sharing with Colombia and the world is like nothing you would even make up in your wildest Hollywood epic. In fact, if someone doesn't make a movie about it I would be very surprised. If you are interested in checking it out you can try the local paper, http://www.eltiempo.com/ , it's amazing how much you will pick up even with no knowledge of Spanish!

More pics to come, I'm going to eat CAKE!!! Thanks to everyone from both my families for their e-mails, postings on Facebook, gifts and phone calls. I was worried it would be a lonely birthday but it has been anything but! I love you all, thanks again!!

One Month: Things I Have Learned

I can't believe a month has gone by already! Here are 20 lessons/things I have learned in my month here..

1. Agressively pushing the line forward or asking a question from four places back in a lineup is accepatable and sometimes the only way to be attended to.

2. If you don't remember to take toilet paper from the "community" roll at the door of public washrooms you are OUT OF LUCK! You will learn this lesson faster than any other lesson and for reasons I won't go into here.

3. Most public toilets have no seats, who needs a thighmaster!

4. Pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way, if you get hit by a car YOU are at fault not the driver. Even at green lights look ALL ways before you cross or it is only a matter of time before you are under the wheels of something.

5. People wear their shoes in the house and there is nothing you can do about it.

6. Because of #5: TIP: Importing Swiffers would be a lucrative business! I can't find one anywhere!

7. You will think it is not possible to wash the same floor twice in one day, but speaking from experience, it really is.

8. You have not experienced agressive driving until you drive on the highway during rush hour
in Bogota. Only the drivers with the most finely honed skills make it anywhere, often with only half an inch to spare between their car and yours.

9. The horn on your car is actually for daily driving use, and a useful tool. It is not just for road raging someone in the Tdot.

10. 3 out of 5 taxi drivers will reach over and lock your door when they hear you speak English or see your blue eyes.

11. 9 out of 10 people will not look twice at a pale, blond haired, blue eyed person. The 10th person will make up for it by staring so hard at you that you think their head will twist off as you pass.

12. Wearing a toque to the mall makes you stick out a lot. You will quickly remove it as your husband whisperscreamhisses "WHY IS EVERYONE STARING AT YOU?"

13. Heavy security and searching your car trunk is regular practice at mall parking entrances.

14. The HomeCenter (South American Home Depot, exactly the same as a North American HD) has bomb sniffing dogs at the entrance. The will jump in your trunk and run madly around your car. (why the Home Depot would be a target I have no idea!!)

15. Eating an entire pint of Uchuva fruit will seem like a delicious idea while in progress but will in fact make you extremely sick and you will want to die for 24 hours straight.

16. Food is very hearty, lots of meat, potatoes, plantain and rice but with no spice.

17. Hot sauce is always provided, however, all hot sauce is not created equal. Try it before you dump it on your food or you might regret it!

18. Yogurt is a drink, not a lovely thick creamy sweet snack and sadly cottage cheese is nowhere to be found.

19. Taking a camera out in public will make your husband yell at you. (this is why there are few pictures on here as of yet)

20. It is possible to go for an entire month and not see another Canadian. (of all the places I've been this is the longest time I have not seen another Canuck)

Happy Long TwoFour Weekend to all of my Canadian family and friends!

Closer Encounter with Riot Police

Today, quite by accident, I saw thousands of University students protesting in the streets, about 5 blocks from my house. Before you panic, let me explain..

This morning, while showering I finally decided enough was enough on my slight loss of independence here. I need some canvas to paint a mural of sorts for the baby room, and decided that I would venture out on my own to find out where I can get one and how much. Sounds easy, and normally such a task is not daunting but venturing into stores, trying to explain what you want and find out the cost when you are using limited language is a BIG step.

I DID IT!! I managed to ask in stores for the price and various questions with NO ENGLISH or helpful family translator and while I am sure my "Canadian" accent shone brightly people were very sweet and helpful.

Mission accomplished and very proud of myself I strolled along 53rd Street window shopping (the Queen Street of my "hood") and stopped once I got to the main intersection (say Queen and Spadina with less ethnicity). It was looking like it was going to rain so I turned around and was stopped dead in my tracks by the sight of yet another convoy of riot police (my second in less than a week), fully decked out with shields and batons, maybe 50 or so of them, stopped along both sides of the road maybe two blocks from where I had just come.

Now, I'm a smart gal, and a smart traveller. I have some street sense from living in thy city and from travelling to various 2nd and 3rd world countries. I always follow the basic rules of being alert, keeping a tight hold on your cash and documents, and not hanging out where there is obviously a chance of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Following even those basic rules means the sight of riot police is always more than slightly disconcerting.. and of course today, being alone, was no exception.

The police were obviously relaxed, they were not on guard and not intimidating anyone, just kinda hangin out, but something was obviously about to happen. They were not even paying attention to anyone really, but people were clearing out of the way, moving off down side streets or into stores. I ducked down the first side street I came to and circled back around 2 blocks further West of where they were. As I headed back towards the main street I noticed thousands of people marching by. There were young and old alike carrying signs, some were dressed in scary Hallowe'en costumes, some were on stilts, one guy was painted entirely grey and not wearing anything but grey paint, his shoes and a bag slung over his shoulder. Yup, that's ALL he had on!! Some were handing out pamphlets and most were singing protest chants/songs. Most of the different faculties of the local Universities were represented, from Arts to Orthodontists. Traffic was completely blocked while they marched past, for a good 15-20 minutes. I watched all this from at least 3/4 of a block back, alternately laughing and wondering if maybe I should retreat home and stop being so reckless.

Finally, the end seemed to pass and the traffic started up again. I decided to walk back the way I came down 53rd, so I rounded the corner and YET AGAIN a line of riot police was the sight that greeted me, this time only 20 metres or so away. These guys were seemingly less friendly and were in a line across the street, backed up by two huge police trucks with lights flashing. The police were advancing slowly, step by step, shields up and protecting themselves the way you see them on the tv news when they are attempting to back off a surly crowd. I think what they were actually doing was letting the side street traffic, which was by this time so incredibly backed up it would take hours to clear, run out across the street and catch up the lights. However , my North American nature freaked out a bit, and I hightailed it out of there as fast as my 25 extra lbs of cargo would let me!

The traffic was backed up until almost 4 o'clock apparently, as the protest made it's way to the main square of the city and the students continued their mission. I don't know what good the protest did, mostly on the internet people were ticked off that they were held up and that the resulting traffic jam affected millions of people and held people up for hours.

Oh, by the way, they were protesting a law that would limit the access to public education for lower income families. They had a noble purpose as this country needs all the educated people working together for a better life for everyone.

The picture at the top is a sight from the top of the street. I was standing at street level, but on a side street watching them pass by.