Facebook vs. Canada
Despite being on another continent, I’m still keeping up with local and national news in Canada, as well as updating myself on the happenings in Colombia.
So I was aware when Facebook announced they will be updated their privacy regulations to make Canada happy.
I’m impressed.
I’m not paranoid or anything, but I’m very careful not to add applications to my Facebook that allows third parties access to my personal information. All of my privacy settings are at the very highest, or close to it.
I’m fairly certain most people don’t realize what they’re doing when they accept every application request they receive, sending their information (and often their friends’) to developers and who knows who else.
Good for Canada, standing up and saying something about the issue. Sure, I’d rather see them put their energy into solving world hunger or ending genocide rather than spend a year investigating a social networking site, but it’s a start.
I’m even more impressed with Facebook’s response, promising to change their regulations and ensuring the application developers do the same.
My favourite things, Cali edition
I’ve been in Colombia for four whole days now, and have started to seriously settle in. So far each morning I have woken up to either pouring rain or dogs barking. Dogs are making noise almost constantly though, so that’s not really a morning phenomena.
As much as I love Cali, there are a few things I miss about life in my home and native land.
Such as …
- Macleans magazines
- my mom’s waffles
- air conditioning
- warm showers
- my family (duh!)
- English … haha
But mostly, I am doing my best to soak everything in and enjoy myself. Even a few things that might be seen as a downer (no wireless internet) is probably going to be beneficial in the long run (breaking the addiction to Facebook, check).
Here’s a few of my favourite things about Cali:
… anyone have the Sound of Music song in their head yet. No? “Brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favourite things …” Now?
- fresh fruit. Emilse squeezes the oranges for juice every morning, and there are mangos and pineapples growing within a hundred metres of my front door. Mmmmm …
- the Vasquez family. I’m not sure if they’ve adopted me yet, but I think I’m adopting them as my Spanish familia.
- the plant life. Vibrant flowers and tall, sprawling trees are everywhere. It’s so green. There’s also a palm outside my bedroom window, which is quite the perk.
- the pace. No one seems to be in a big hurry – I’m pretty sure that’s a very American thing, that we Canadians have shrugged on. Of course, it helps that school isn’t in session yet, but even on the street and in the mall, I didn’t see anyone rushing around (except crossing the street – drivers don’t stop for pedestrians) or stressed. The people are super warm and friendly, exuberant and shameless … and I want to be like them.
Photos from Cali
As promised, here are a few shots of my new home in Colombia.
The house I'm staying in
The school where I'll be teaching
A view of the city ... nearly three million people live in Cali.
A small glimpse of the beauty here
Right now I’m getting settled in, figuring out the curriculum for my classes and trying not to melt. The temperature is about what I expected, but it’s more humid than I thought it would be. It actually rained yesterday though, which doesn’t happen too often. It’s really quiet around the compound right now, but over the next couple of weeks preparation for classes will pick up and the children will start flooding the hallway – it will be welcome chaos.
I made it!
I’m finally here, in beautiful Cali, Colombia.
The journey was long, the airport a little crazy, the Spanish hard to follow … but I made it. Tomorrow I begin prep for my English classes – I’ll be teaching grades 7 to 11.
Photos to come soon, I hope!
Only hours to go …
Soon, so very soon, I’ll be boarding a plane to begin my journey to Cali, Colombia. It all seems surreal still, but I am extremely stoked.
A new bank account has been opened to provide my missionary support funds, travel insurance has been purchased. My clothes are washed, my luggage packed. I purchased a suitcase to accompany Eduardo after realizing the duffle bag I planned to use was simply not big enough. Man, I have a lot of things.
At 10:51 p.m. local time – if all goes as scheduled – I’ll be landing in the city that I will call home for 315 days.
Even though I will desperately miss my family, I cannot be anything less than eager and excited about this opportunity God has opened to me. I can’t wait to begin teaching the high school students, settling into my new room and exploring the city as much as my blonde hair will allow.
One word pretty much sums my emotions up: WOOOOO!!!
Balloons, string and plastic wrap
There’s a tradition our family has. Well okay, I have. Or, started at least.
Over the years, there have been several additions to our extended clan as cousins get married. Each time a potential husband visits the cottage, we’ve arranged a few surprises for them. Tosses into the lake, attachments to random pieces of outdoor furniture, disappearances of personal items, etc.
Basically, we try and make them feel welcome.
This year, three fellow pranksters and I pulled off the best caper yet. The victim: Joel, beau of Chrissy – one of my best friends. Even close ties don’t deter me from masterminding special discoveries.
The night before the two were set to depart from the cottage, we waited until Chrissy was fast asleep in a tent and Joel was the same in a bunkroom inside. We blew up approximately 100 balloons and filled Joel’s Matrix with them. A roll of string was tied to random things all over the vehicle. The finishing touches were made up of plastic wrap, which went around the steering wheel, individual CDs and outside the doors.
Some photos of our masterpiece:
The trunk
The outside
Joel peeking through the driver's window - he was a good sport about it.
Another shot of the front seats
The photos aren’t great because of the reflections in the window, but you get the idea. Someone suggested our evil plan be voted the best prank carried out among our family members. I tend to agree.
Rock Lake
For the last summer, my extended family (aka. the Vogel clan) collected near Bancroft in a lodge/cottage on Rock Lake. We’re growing every year, and now we’ve become too large for the area to sustain us, so we’re searching for an alternative for next August.
Despite the sadness about it being the last year, we thoroughly enjoyed our time together. Especially because my immediate family was in one place for the first time in nearly two years.
Here’s some photos of the week.
There was some pretty intense volleyball games.
The three youngest babies, all in a row - Allie, Sierra and Beniah.
Rock Lake - so peaceful.
The three Brink grandkids - Allie, Jacob and Kellon.
The sun setting over lily pad lagoon, as we call it.
Allie celebrated her first birthday ... and quite enjoyed her cake.
The night sky over Rock Lake.
That’s a quick summary. Good times all around.
Just kidding …
Well, apparently the Colombian consulate director and I have some bad miscommunication. I went to the embassy this morning to pick up my visa, and found out instead that it was denied.
I can’t reapply for six months, so I guess I’m going as a tourist. Whatever happens, I am getting on a plane on Thursday.
I feel I have fell off the face of the earth lately, with all my travel preparations and family vacations. What have you all been up to recently – leave me a comment and catch me up!
Visa
My visa has finally been approved by the Colombian consulate and I am picking it up next week. Whew! Glad that stress is over. I’m leaving in eight days … or should I said, ocho dias.
In the meantime, I am relaxin’ to the max at a cottage in Bancroft. It’s an annual vacation with nearly my entire extended family on one side – there’s about 50 of us that crowd this huge lodge on a lake and have a phenomenal time together. Pictures to come later, so stay tuned.
Roller coaster ride
I am scheduled to leave for Colombia in less than two weeks now. I’m super excited, but the quasi-stressful preparations have made the process quite a roller coaster.
I still don’t have my visa. The consulate needs more paperwork, which is making my departure date much less concrete. I’m not a fan of last-minute stuff …
Yesterday I finished moving out of the pink-shuttered house in Ottawa – my room is now bare and, well, no longer my room. I’m officially in transition, without really a home anywhere. It’s nice to have all of my stuff in one place again, though that place is a complete disaster at this point. Eventually I’ll be all organized and packed.
Only 13 days to go … (if all goes as planned)
Cheryl