Happily surrounded by mountains once again: (counting by complete days) Day 1

I have at last made it back to the Colombian lands I find I have so much missed. :)

The travel day yesterday was nice, and it sure was a treat to have the 6-hour flight instead of the Bs As 10ish. When I arrived at the airport, the immigrations line moved quickly enough, and then baggage claim was perfectly efficient--hurrah for only one checked bag, and for having it make it all the way! Then at customs, the lady in front of me in line was so darling.
This little old lady was holding the customs form in hand, and it was blank. She asked me if I had a pen, and if I could help her fill it out. The poor dear: the letters were too small for her to read. All I had to do was read aloud the requested information for each box, and wait patiently while she filled it in. When we had finished, and had let about a dozen folks pass us by in line, she turned in her paper and made it through, with profuse thanks and "God bless you"s. I made it through customs shortly thereafter, and walked out to meet with Mrs. A.

How exhilarating to be back in Spanish again! I could not express how I've missed it. :) Plus, it's so exciting to be here in Bogotá, and looking ahead at all the fun times that await me in the short two months I'll spend here. I can guarantee you one thing right now: two months will not be enough. We'll see what I end up doing about that!

Last night I got to my host family's home, and met them and did some unpacking. Very excited, I almost couldn't sleep. But in the end I slept, sure enough. Travel sure takes it outta ya.

This morning, Mr. A. picked me up to take me to the school for the day. This is a private bilingual school, and I received my assignment: working as a teacher's aide in the 1st grade classroom. Now, these first graders are quite possibly the cutest and the biggest handfuls I have ever seen. And it's not the first time I've met the kids! I met them last summer, and recognized several of the faces today. That was really fun for me. I love the sense of continuity with this segment of my Gap Year--Colombia Adventures, volume II, one could say.

Anyhow, I spent the day shadowing the teacher's aide in the 1st grade room, and getting to know what duties will be like. It was fun. Then a good lunch break with various conversations--with Mrs. A. and her parents (visiting here for a while from Glen Ellyn), with W (one of campus' security guards), and P (one of the members of the team with which I previously came to Bogotá--we are both on gap years, and we both ended up here for some overlapping time!). Then back to some afternoon math and reading with the kids.

After the locura (craziness) of getting children into their respective buses or cars to get home, I joined some of the women staff in a Bible study, before coming home via school van shuttle service with my host parents. We went grocery shopping--as I jealously eyed the fresh produce and bread, another hard factor NOT to miss about Colombia!--and then came home for a pancake dinner and good conversations. As we'll be up early again for school tomorrow, I think we're all turning in now.

I am so thankful to be exactly where I am right now. And I can't wait to see big brother FeLo and the other Colombian friends I met while in Argentina. :)

Don't get snowed in tomorrow!