Tag Archives: adventure

We Won the Shipping Lottery, or How I Lessened My Attachment to Material Things

Posted on August 10, 2012 | 3 comments

The process of establishing our new home continues. Our shipment from Miami arrived, but the entire crate (they build a crate for your boxes when shipping internationally) was accidentally left outside at the Port for two weeks. It rained heavily on Wednesday. Our customs agent (you have to hire this person to get your stuff out out of the Port since you are not allowed in) called with the bad news that everything is soaked.

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Most likely the bulk of it is ruined.  The rest, we have been told, is already growing mold. Continue reading →

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Posted in Making the Leap

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Uh, which movie is that? And you wanna sit where?

Posted on August 9, 2012 | 1 comment

Movie theater at the Buena Vista shopping center.

This past Tuesday, August 7th, was a “día feriado” – a holiday – and so Gio and I headed for a late afternoon movie. Here are a few things we learned from our first Colombian movie experience: Continue reading →

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Posted in Arts & Culture, Daily Life, Sports & Leisure

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Driving Mr. Baby – In Colombia

Posted on August 8, 2012 | 3 comments
The infamous baby car seat and Gio installing it.

The infamous baby car seat and Gio installing it.

Ah, the baby’s car seat. Rarely does such an accepted feature of toddler life in the U.S. raise so many issues when traveling abroad. Like most parents, Gio and I are extremely vigilant about the safety of our baby. After being informed by a pediatrician friend and fellow mom that motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of accidental death for children traveling abroad, we committed ourselves to using the car seat during our time in Colombia. Continue reading →

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Posted in Daily Life, Parenting

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“It’s Almost Like He’s a Colombian Citizen!”

Posted on August 3, 2012 | 2 comments

If you’ve been following our apartment quest, you’ll recall from this post that we got permission from Citibank in Bogotá to open an account here in Barranquilla. We filed all the paperwork last Friday (a week ago) and were told that it would be open by Tuesday. On Tuesday, the bank representative told us Wednesday. On Wednesday, we were told that there was still no reply. On Thursday (yesterday), my husband Gio decided to do what generally seems to work best – go ask in person.

When Gio walked into the banker’s office, she was on the phone with Bogotá concerning our account. Apparently, they declined to open it because Gio did not have his cédula, or Colombian ID card. Continue reading →

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Posted in Making the Leap

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Holy cow, we all have health insurance!

Posted on August 1, 2012 | 11 comments

All three of us – my husband, my 1 year-old son, and myself – now have health insurance in Colombia. Even with top-of-the-line full coverage, our monthly payment will be less than half of what insurance for my husband and son alone (not including me) cost in the States. We are self-employed, and so insurance in the U.S. has always cost us a lot. It’ll be interesting to see how well this insurance works, but the coverage and available doctors and facilities seem excellent and the immediate savings are a huge weight lifted from our shoulders.

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Posted in Health, Making the Leap

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