Playing catch up

It's been too long! Our apologies...We've been busy hosting the S.A.M. Board of Directors, attending weddings in the States, chaperoning field trips and soaking up every minute of this adventure.

Every other year the Board of Directors holds their annual conference in the field - Colombia was chosen for 2012 and we had a great time hosting them at the end of April. We got to see some other parts of this beautiful country as we joined the Board on several trips. We also hosted them for a day in El Colegio Cristiano La Esperanza - it was powerful to see the "decision-makers" here on the ground interacting with and loving on the students.

We talked some of the S.A.M. staff and Board into joining us on our run up Ziruma on Sunday morning - the mountain is tough, but the beach on the other side makes it all worth it.

Also, to welcome the Board, the tenth graders put on an incredible performance introducing some traditional Colombian dances, food and general culture. Here is a short clip:

As part of the Board's activities, we also celebrated the service of Bob and Ruth Ann Moyer. The Moyers spent over 40 years (in case you didn't catch it, that says forty YEARS!) as missionaries in Colombia. We were blessed to have them stay in our home for two weeks and we loved getting time with such an amazing couple. Every afternoon we were struck by an awesome picture of what can happen through two faithful people serving a faithful God: during the normal "siesta" time, it was tough for the Moyers to sleep because of all the noise outside the bedroom window - the sound of children laughing and playing as they were let out of the school that the Moyers literally built with their own hands. Bob was a real life Indiana Jones, doing everything from amputating limbs (he's not a doctor) and pulling teeth (or a dentist) to summiting virgin Sierra Nevada peaks and translating scripture into the native Indian language.

The Carringtons and the Moyers - at the banquet celebrating their retirement after 40+ years of service.

In the middle of May we made a 9 day trip back to the States and were able to attend two of our closest friends' weddings. It was a great trip, surrounded by our family and friends and we were thrilled to support the brand new Villio and Wellington families!

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wellington - Rob was Bo's four-year roommate at Duke.

What's the earliest you've ever woken up for something? After a 3:15am wake up call last Saturday, we both have a new record. We served as chaperones for a field trip to Cartagena with the 8th and 9th graders. After a four hour bus ride, the early start put us in Cartagena while the sun was still coming up and we were able to spend a whole day there. It is a beautiful city with a lot of history but the best part was the time we were able to spend with the students outside of the classroom.

Carrie and some of the La Esperanza students on the Cartagena field trip.

We hosted Carrie's brother Bo for several days - we didn't frequent the Golden Arches often in the U.S. but in Colombia, we've learned to LOVE the AC, wi-fi and spotless bathrooms. Poker in Micky D's? Sign us up!

 We had a school holiday last week and used it to travel to "Parque Tayrona" - a national park that is about an hour boat ride to the east - the scenery is gorgeous and we practically had the beach to ourselves.

He is risen!

Happy Easter! We've celebrated a little bit differently this year (less eggs, candy and creepy bunnies) but it was great to see a small example of "every nation and all tribes, peoples and tongues" celebrating the Resurrection today.

A year ago, we were flying to Orlando to celebrate Easter with a brand new diamond ring on Carrie's finger. This past year has brought a lot of changes - we NEVER guessed we'd be writing a blog about our experiences as English teachers in Colombia - but we have been blessed so much. We have a good God and we are having a ton of fun being married.

For the past 10 days we've been hosting a team of 20 high schoolers from Calvary Church in Charlotte - they were awesome. They worked hard, rolled with the punches and made some great relationships with the students in La Esperanza. They're touching down in the States right about now and we've finally had some time to write after a couple weeks of being MIA. Here's some pictures of what we've been up to:

Bo and one of our students, Juan, at Pizza Vomito (yep, translated Vomit Pizza) - it's one of the kids' favorite spots and we figured we had to try it. It's a terrible blend of everything in the kitchen but those plates were clean before the end of the night.

Carrie with some of our favorite L.E. students

Most of our S.A.M. team at the airport to greet our newest member Jesse Anderson - we've been having to explain that being 6'5" is in fact NOT a qualification for the Santa Marta team.

Some of the gals from the Calvary team hand-mixing some cement - it wasn't quite as fast as the guys' batch but it was much "prettier"

Carrie and her battle wounds from some games with Calvary and La Esperanza kids - she won...competitive much?

Sunday Starts

Our new Sunday routine:
- Sleep in until 6:45am  (no seriously, this is sleeping in - classes during the week start at 6:00am in order to beat the heat)
- Pack a backpack (contents: water, iPod, headphone splitter and 3,000 pesos to buy some fruit)
- Run up Ziruma (the mountain between Santa Marta and Rodadero) and down into Rodadero
- Take a quick swim in the Caribbean before settling in to a Matt Chandler sermon on the beach
- Bus back to the apartment in time to make 9:00am church at La Esperanza 

A shot of Rodadero and Ziruma (looking towards Santa Marta).

This past Sunday, as we walked into the beautiful, clear, cold water after the long run, we couldn’t help but remember that some people really believe that this world was created by accident. That somehow, a big ball of fire created the breathtaking beauty that surrounds us. We aren’t experts on the theories of creationism vs. evolution, but we are convinced that if you do two things you’ll begin to see the reality of an all-powerful Creator:
- Get outside – not just a power-walk to the office in the middle of a concrete jungle, we mean really get outside.
- Be quiet – put the iPhone away - heck, even turn off twitter and ignore your emails for a few minutes and simply look at the natural beauty of the world that surrounds us. It is awe-inspiring. And it wasn’t an accident.

6 Month Anniversary - Here's to 60 more years!

A quick update with some pictures and stories:

Teaching the 6th graders a lesson on how to tell time. (Check out the uniform - Tuesday is Orange day).

 At our favorite restaurant - Estamos muy contentos!

First "Rumba" class with: fellow SAM missionaries Sam & Jesse, our friend Margarita and the class instructor. It was a fun class but also served as a reminder that some moves just aren't meant for tall white girls. Carrie's goal for the next class: move with the music so it actually counts as a cardio workout.

Recent Highlights:

• We are getting more comfortable in the classroom and had a great week with the students. Among other, we did a lessons on the Second Conditional and Future Progressive vs. Present Progressive... needless to say we are brushing up on our English grammar.

• Welcoming Jesse to our SAM team. The Lord has blessed him with so many tools that make him a perfect fit - he is adjusting quickly and we excited to be working with him.

• We've noticed that Colombians like desserts and fried foods at all hours of the day, but it reached a new limit when Carrie saw a guy eating a jelly filled donut in between bicep curls at the gym today.

• And by far the BEST thing was celebrating our 6 months of marriage! Nothing has been more of blessing to us than the marriage God has given us. Bo surprised Carrie and we spent the night at the beach to celebrate. As we reflected on our relationship we were reminded of Ephesians 3:20 - He truly has given us more than we could have ever imagined. Not only in our marriage but in our time in Colombia, God has proven to us yet again that He is always faithful and the provider of all we could ever want or need.

Month 1 - Fried food, beaches and Dinosaurs

It's hard to believe, but we have been in Colombia for one month. We are definitely feeling more confident as we order food, get directions, buy groceries and do our best to blend in to our new city. The reality is that we don't blend in...but we are having fun with it. We are getting used to the stares and learning to love the shouts of: "Hola gringos" and "Hello" (the equivalent of seeing a Hispanic person on the street and yelling "Hola!" to show off your skills, even though you don't know a lick of Spanish). The Colombians are awesome hosts and they truly care about relationships - they prioritize time with family and friends above all else, something these two Americans are learning to appreciate greatly.

Our Spanglish is slowly turning into more Spanish, but we still use "the nod and smile" on a daily basis and mess up often. Two recent mistakes: Bo telling someone in Spanish that he liked the "filete de Muro" that he had for lunch (muro means "wall"...rather than a type of fish that the Costenos call "Mero"). Also, while speaking about how long we've been married, Carrie got "cansado" and "casado" confused, implying that she was very tired after only 5 months of marriage.

Here are some pics from the last few days:

We helped lead the kids activities in Ciudadela last Sunday. It was hot and all we had was a dusty slab of concrete but we had a ton of fun playing some games and telling the story of David and Goliath.

Last week our good friends Carlos and Leed Echinique had us over for lunch and taught us to make one of the favorite Colombian dishes: Arepas. Here is Carrie showing off some of our freshly made dough. The next steps involved double deep-frying! The filling was an egg and meat...not the healthiest meal but SO good!

Like we've said before, everything is cheaper in bags. We stopped to hydrate on our way home from the gym...These small bags cost 200 pesos (about 10¢).

Tagonga - one of the two "nicer" beaches that bookend both sides of Santa Marta. Tagonga tends to be filled with foreigners, while the other nice beach, Rodedero, is a popular vacation spot for Colombians from "the interior".

After taking a quick bus ride to Tagonga, you can jump on a bus or make the 20-minute hike to Playa Grande - this has been our favorite spot thus far. The water isn't turquoise blue but it is amazingly clear.

Sometimes we struggle to find substitutes for common American pantry staples...Nonetheless, all is right with the world because even Colombians love Dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets!

Our Valentines Day gifts: Egg burritos, some American splurges and an amazing chocolate frozen yogurt pie.

It has truly been a great first month here. We feel very blessed to be in Santa Marta and look forward to seeing what God has in store for the next few months!

Settling In

We've felt so blessed in our transition to Santa Marta thus far - we've been welcomed into an amazing community here and we are having a great time in the classroom. Halfway through week 3, we are loving it and seeing the faithfulness of our God every day. "Those who know your name will trust in You, for You Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You." Psalm 9:10

Now that we've gotten a handle on grocery shopping, we are loving the food and learning new Colombian recipes everyday

From what we hear, Montezuma's Revenge isn't limited to Mexico. Fortunately, we haven't had any stomach issues and "Finesse" may be the key. The Colombian yogurt is delicious - it's much more runny than "American" yogurt but we pair it with fruit for one of our daily staples. The Peter Pan was a splurge but we've never craved PP&J this much! Also notice the jelly in bags - it seems everything comes in bags, suddenly turning us into very motivated recyclers.

Holy Guacamole! The avocados are huge and cheap, a great combo!

After church on Sunday we moved the kitchen table and did P90X yoga - no A/C makes for free hot yoga, any day, any time.

The fruit here is awesome. There are so many different kinds and they are everywhere. So far, our favorites are mango viche, an unripe mango with salt and lemon juice. There's also one called a zapote that makes a great smoothie. The one pictured above is a granadilla - it's awful. We decided it tastes like a sock soaked in garbage water and its consistency makes you think you're swallowing a huge loogie - we'll stick with the zapote, thank you very much.

One of our first English lessons incorporated some American monuments that we had the kids describe in English. After talking about the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Canyon and the White House we asked them if they knew any other American monuments. Among their answers: Mount Rushmore (pictured left, obviously) and the Washington Monument. The one on the right unintentionally drew an outburst of laughter, proving that 10th graders all over the world have more vivid imaginations than Carrie... (Copyright: Carrie Carrington, 2012)

 

 

No sign of Superbowl Sunday here...

A taste of La Esperanza Church:

First week of school:

1st Day mayhem

Profesores de Ingles

Our teammate Sam Tse showing off the BBQ pizza we made him

2nd Sunday at our new church

Chicken Soup for the Soul

It finally happened. We missed America. We've been here almost 2 weeks and we are having a great time - things have been moving so fast that it has been tough to even think about missing home. But yesterday's lunch stopped us in our tracks - it made us miss the good 'ol US of A and if we could have jumped on a plane right then and there it wouldn't have been a tough decision.

Adjusting to the food here has been a big part of getting comfortable in Santa Marta. Colombians tend to eat a big lunch with breakfast and dinner being less substantial meals. We've gone out to lunch quite a bit because it is the cheapest meal to eat out and you get a ton of food.  A lot of restaurants here have an "ordinary meal" that is not on the menu but comes with whatever they are cooking the most of that particular day (it almost always consists of chicken/beef soup, some sort of meat, rice/beans, and a plantain/salad). It's cheap (like $2.75!) because it is cooked in bulk and generally, it has treated us very well.

Yesterday we stopped in at a restaurant that we had walked past several times and been wanting to try. We were starving from a morning spent at school and then doing some errands so when they brought the chicken soup, we didn't hold back. After a couple bites of chicken we realized it was kind of funky...

Mondongo = Tripe = Cow stomach

 See those big white things hanging in the picture above? That's "mondongo". And we ate it. And it made us miss America.

Snapshots of Week 1

Carrie and Alejandro - los dos son muy lindos!

Immersion + Rosetta Stone = Spanish speakers...we hope!

Beauty and The Beast

Tagonga - a 10 minute, $.75 bus ride away

Rodadero - Also a 10 minute, $.75 bus ride away.

Boots on the Ground

Hola from Santa Marta, Colombia! We had a wild trip down here - it was filled with delays, missed connections and re-routes due to freezing rain in VA last weekend. Nonetheless, we made it here safely and our first week in Santa Marta has been incredible. We began this adventure knowing it would be a tremendous learning experience but if this first week is any indication of things to come, I'm not sure if we ever could have imagined how much we'll learn throughout this year. Some notables of our first week:

1. Ordering lunch in Spanish...and having no clue what would come out of the kitchen. The food here has been very good - lots of chicken, rice, plantains, salad and potatoes.

2. Salsa dancing lesson - everyone knew "los Americanos" we're first-timers but we had a blast.

3. Touring the school with our field director and school founder, Bob Moyer - we live about 30 yards (we're clearly still working on re-learning the metric system) from the church and school. We had a good meeting with the English Department this week - school starts on Monday at 6:00am!

4. Learning how to deal with liquids in bags...everything from milk to yogurt to water is sold in bags - any ideas for what to do with a half-full, open BAG of milk?

5. Meeting our teammates - the Roddys, the Zajiceks and Sam Tse have all been incredible hosts and have welcomed us with open arms. We feel we taken care of and are honored to join them here!

Cold showers, riding the local bus, using clothes lines, eating avocado flavored ice cream, joining a gym and grocery shopping in Spanish have all contributed to making this week one of our most memorable. We are doing well and clearly see the Lord blessing us in many different ways for stepping out in faith and coming to Colombia.

Salsa!

We are new to the blogging/skype world but we are getting better and want to connect with as many of you as possible - if you're on Skype, please add "boandcarriecarrington" to your contacts!

Buenas!
B&C