Rafael and I planned a trip to Colombia and Brazil since February 2015. We waited 10 months before being able to travel to South America. The waiting was so worth it. I hadn't been to my country in 3.5 years and my whole family (parents + 2 brothers + 1 sister) had never gone back all together since we moved to the States. My fiance had never been to South America. For this reason I knew our Christmas this year would be so special and with our whole family.
My parents and brothers and sister left to Colombia at different times than us so it was a bit complicated to coordinate pickups at the airport. Refael and I went through Fort Lauderdale. Our layover was short so we had to run to get the plane to Bogota. Once we landed, we were greeted by my aunt Leonesa. She had made us chicken sandwich and brought us Yogurt. We were extremely thankful as we had not eaten the whole day. From day one we were busy. We had to choose our wedding bands designs and get our measurements! Bogota was so crowded. We were not at a very safe location so we just were on the down low. After finishing errands, my aunt dropped us off at the Hostel and we waited for my older brother to contact us as he had flown in the day before. Even though we were on vacation we were always on the go. As soon as my brother contacted us, he told us that my uncle Charles and his wife Merla had invited us to go dancing. Rafael and I were so exhausted but we wanted to hang out with them so we were in. To give you a picture of my uncle...he has long hair and beard down to his elbows and he wears loose clothes. He is a very open minded doctor that measures energy of people. His new wife seems to match him well. She is very understanding and has long straight hair and she was fun but a comforting woman. That night we danced at Cafe and Biblioteca Bar. We just enjoyed hanging out with my brother and Sara and my uncle. We danced the night away.
Christmas in Colombia to me is special because of the traditions that occur. We have Novenas, lights around the parks and buildings and Nativity scenes. Rafael had never been to a Novena, which is a daily prayer that starts 9 days before Jesus is born. That time is used for group praying, usually family and friends join in. We met at La Calera with my dad's side of the family. The view was spectacular. We had huge mountains behind us. My dad's family is huge. He has 4 brothers and 5 sisters and he's the youngest. All of them are grandparents now so you can tell how big the gathering was. Everyone was so happy to get to meet Rafael. Their support meant a lot to me. We had arroz con pollo for lunch with mango juice and natilla for dessert. We got to catch up with family and just enjoy the moment. Rafael said to me he'd never been to such a large gathering where everyone seemed so close to each other and just so welcoming. To me, that warm feeling and being known by my family, makes me feel just so blessed.
Here is a few of the pictures we snapped that day:
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| Cousins and uncles and their kids from my dad's side of the family. La Calera Dec. 2015 |
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| With my mom, tia Fadela, Rafael and Cousins kid's! La Calera 2015 |
We did not cease to be surprised by Colombia's painitings. The following day, we went to Monserrate in Bogota:
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| Monserrate, Bogota, 2015 |
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| With my mom and my little brother in Monserrate. 2015 |
My grandpa has a farm in Boyaca. We took a road trip there and stayed for a couple of days. We had to stop by the Cathedral of salt and by Ventaquemada to get delicious arepas. Rafael had the mentality of trying anything and everything we gave him. He is not as much a fan of cheese as I, but he was as happy as I was. Our times in Colombia were very special as they gave Rafael a little hint of why I'm the way I am. He is convinced I'm a cheese lover because a lot of foods (including desserts and drinks) have cheese as the base! He would see why I like the tiles in roofs that I always point out. These are little things that opened a little window in Him to get to know me better!
In the finca in Boyaca we got to help with the animals. My grandpa sells milk in bulk to big companies so there is a lot of cows there. We helped take care of the calfs. We gave them milk and got to pet them. We also rode horses. Rafael had a blast. He had never ridden one so it was a lot of first for him. At night we looked at the dark sky and tried to find walking stars. My dad always loved to do that. Those 2 nights were too cold. However we had good memories from our childhood. We would come to that house at least once a month and we would help in the farm. Milk the cows, plant trees, play around. That first night, my dad built a fire as there was no A/C. He was great. That fire brought us together as we were pretty cold and wanted some of that heat.
The second day we walked to the nearest town, got lunch and got souvenirs. In Boyaca, the days are too hot and the night had been freezing. My mom had given me 3 thick blankets that would not allowed me to move an inch. As a result my skin go peeled. I'm just saying this to let you know that it was not all roses and flair. We were on the go during our vacation and the constant change in weather made me a bit sick. The second night was a bit tense in our household...the issue was distribution of chores. By the time noon hit, we were over it and left our beloved home in Boyaca.
The plan was to stop by Villa de Leyva but with heavy traffic we headed to Villeta, where my Grandpa leaves. He had once lived near the finca, but his delicate health does not permit him to stay at high altitudes anymore. My grandpa will turn 90 this year. He had to go to the hospital while we were at the finca, which worried me a lot. I only hoped to see him. I needed to see his face and talk to him and hug him. I prayed that God would give him Strength. Everything is possible in God's power! My grandpa was able to come back to his home and show us around. His place was located at a corner where some of the light wind comes in through the windows. He lives in a two floor, modern home. He was so happy to show us around. I wanted to talk to him and to listen to what he has to say. He is very wise. I am always happy to be around him. This trip was special for us because I wanted my grandpa to meet my beloved. I wanted for him to bless us. Three years ago, I had also come to visit him and I had wanted to know more about his relationship with my grandma. He was so open with me. They shared something so special. I wanted to start well and his blessing to us meant a lot. He told us to stand up and gave us one blessings when he first met us and another one before we left.
Christmas time in Villeta was great. All of us had made it to Grandpas house. His house was packed. Two of my uncles and their families, my mom, aunts, cousins and significant others had made it. If I'm not mistaking, we were about 20 at grandpas house celebrating the birth of Jesus. That afternoon was special for us. My dad had planned for us to volunteer at an Elderly house. To tell the truth, I wasn't to fond of going at first. He wanted us to sing for them and just be around. Once we got there, things were different. We could see where they were living. They were so humble. So many of them did not have family to be with them so our visit made them happy. We sang to them and danced with them. They were so happy. Giving just felt amazing. Like we were really doing what Jesus would have wanted us to do. Later that night, we had a good meal. We had pork and turkey with ciruela sauce. We also celebrated my aunts and mom's birthday. That night we sang songs. My uncle Franco played the guitar and we sang. My mom's cousin invited Rafael and I to accompany her outside the house for a bit. We hadn't really met her as grown ups so it was fun to really know her personality. She just had so many stories to share. While we were out, my uncle Charles came out and gave us some presents. The mood was just happy to the moon!
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| Grandpa's speech on life. He was so inspiring. His son by his side! |
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| Newest member of the church smiling! L.A Baptism! Dec. 2015 |
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| My parents having fun and dancing! My sister and grandpa dancing in the back. My Godfather dancing with his wife Camille. |
We stayed up until about 8 pm that day! Later that evening we went to the pueblo again with all my siblings to celebrate a little more and enjoy our last night in Colombia.
Our final day was only a half day. My uncle had decided to have a basketball match between Charles and I. We decided to meet early in the morning. Uncle's hair is long to his elbow and he has a matching beard. He had a bandana on and was ready to play we played 2 on 1 shifting groups to balance teams. We had so much fun. After about an hour they played one on one and I left to eat breakfast with Arturo, Sara, my sister, younger brother, our mom's cousin Dola and my dad's brother and sister. We kept ordering arepas, to accompany our hot chocolate. Around 9 am my dad came to pick us up. He had so kindly wanted to take us to the airport. We stopped by grandpas to get our final blessing and to say goodbye until the next time. This was supposed to be a short stop, but it lasted at least 30 minutes. Camille, gave us Brazilian soaps as gifts. We hugged our family and took a few pictures before heading out.
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| Final Day in Colombia spent with family was a day well spent! |
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| Coffee time in Bogota with family! |
Leaving was difficult because we had been surrounded by our family and there was just so much loving going on. Rafael and I will always have so many beautiful memories about our Christmas 2015 in Colombia.
Until next time! I will be giving updates on our wedding!
