I awoke to a quiet, still house in the San Benito area of Cali. The family home of my good friend Hernan. It's Hernans wedding day, and as the sun rose, warming the air, the house and neighborhood began to bustle. "Buenas Dias" I greet the family as I enter the dining room. The family nanny jumps out of the seat where she is having her hair done for the wedding, and runs to the kitchen to get my breakfast. Juevos Pericos (eggs with onion, tomato, and chile) with an arepa and rice & beans, accompanied by cafe con leche.
Herman, the head of the house and Hernans father, sits on the front patio enjoying his morning coffee and a book. I have settled in nicely here by my third day. My Spanish is improving, and the family seems genuinely happy to have me here. It is an experience I have only been blessed with seldom in my travels. To experience a foreign culture through immersion into a family home. It is, in short, the best way to experience a country and its people. Plus, today I am especially blessed to experience a wedding in a foreign country. Which I am very much looking forward to; specifically the reception and after party. Over the past few days, Martha (Hernans mother) ran me all around Cali, trying to find the right ingredients for a special treat I am bringing to the after party, Green Tea shots. They are extremely popular in the U.S. and I make many of them at my bartending job. On my first trip to Colombia last year, I taught the family how to play beer pong, and I hope this drink goes over with as many smiles and good times as that did.
I like Colombia, a lot. The home and streets always seemed to be filled with upbeat salsa music. The people are smiling, and the food is colorful and full of flavor, much like this wonderful country that I am continually growing to love. However, just as I am revelling in the beauty and joy of this country and neighborhood, a man clicks past on crutches, his left leg missing. A sudden and stark reminder of a past not so distant, in a country that was for so long, ravaged by violence. Sixty years, the longest civil war in modern history, accompanied by the drug wars and terrorism of Pablo Escobar. Colombia, as my friend George put it, is a testament to just how quickly things can change. From this traveler, I truly hope that for Colombia and the people of Colombia, things continue to change for the better.
Well