Happy Birthday Nicole

One of my newest friends and soon to be travel buddy, turned +1 this week! In celebration of her wonderful being we celebrated at the craziest/weirdest/most eclectic venue named Dulce Jesus Mio. 

Here are a few fun pictures from the evening!! 

First part of the group!

Little peeps singin' on stage.... Others dressed in drag to come later....

Weird things

It's a dance party!

Yup, that's right ladies..... That's how you wash your hands!

It's the birthday girl!!

Selfie with Yomary!

Proud of Medellin and Antioquia!!

Making a wish

We made it on the stage! Some stayed up there longer than others!!

So..... Happy Birthday Nicole!! Hope you had fun, but mostly I'm glad I found you as a friend!! 

South American Fruits

This post is especially for my dad!! :-)

Produce in Colombia is slightly different than the produce you would find in America. If I was in Texas, shopping for produce, I would probably buy a spaghetti squash, a few apples, grapefruit in the fall along with Honey Crisp Apples and maybe some strawberries (depending on the time of year)......

Here in Colombia you can't find spaghetti squash or grape fruit, or Honey Crisp Apples..... But you do find these gems....

I am going to introduce you to a few of the strangest fruits I've ever seen:

Fruit #1: Mangosteen

The thick purple outer covering gets peeled away

It's starting to emerge!!!

You eat the white "brain" like part!! Taste great, looks weird, hard to get the fruit out in my opinion.

Fruit #2: Pitahaya

Otherwise known as dragon fruit

Cut in half

Scoop out slimy guts and eat with a spoon, seeds and all!! Can't describe it's taste, but very yummy 

Fruit #3: Gramadilla

Now, my personal favorite!! Looks completely delicious and normal....

Cut the top off and you get these slimy guts!! Totally freaked me out, but tasted it anyway. The only way to describe is to say it "taste like tropical slime with sunflower seeds.....

This is what it looks like when scooped out into the blender over some peaches!! Doesn't it look like brains?!? So cool!!

So there are way more fruits to blog about.... Baby bananas (don't know their real names), giant papayas that smell like dirty feet, and a few more I'm not brave enough to try yet (but sure they all taste like the tropics).....

And if you were wondering, Colombians celebrated their Valentines this past saturday (gag and barf as flowers were being delivered and couples were happy).... 

And later, walking by a store front found christmas vomit!!

So there you have it!!! 

On another note, I haven't book a trip home yet in December, waiting on some cash... I'll be home in November for Brian's wedding, but can't make any promises to see folks because I'm not sure my plans for any of it yet..... But most likely will need to wait until December to see everyone!! 

Muchos besos y abrazos!

Ciao

Things I'm doing

I haven't written a blog in quite sometime.... There's not much to say, work is in full swing!!! Started our 4th week of instruction! But in case you were curious about what I've been up to, here's a few pictures to catch you up:

Sancocho: Colombian soup with crane rez, plantain, corn, carrots, yucca, and potatoes. Served with rice and an avocado!

Delicious!

Coffee, lots of it (get up too early for my own good)....

An oven so tiny even a small cookie sheet won't fit.

A house keeper that cuts the end of my zuchinni off (to make it last longer??? No idea)

 Out with friends

Playing random music instruments at random places

Dancing, lots of dancing!!

Fun fruits, until you open and see the insides!!! #scared #whatdidigetmyselfinto

Crazy tropical fruits that look like slime and bugs, but taste tropically with sunflower seed crunch (super freaky)....

Turn said fruit into juice!!

Planning October vacation (Colombian/panama border).... It's okay, be jealous!

And weird men with eyes that pop out of their head!!

Expensive, important kitchen utinsels that break at the wrong time..... A girl should never not have her wine!!!

A broken flat iron :-( especially sad in a city where it will cost me my arm and a kidney to afford another :-( (1st world problems, I'll go with frizzy crazy hair)

Packages from home that make you smile!!!

Reminders of why I'm so far from home....

Scary looking selfie pictures to send back home!!! Lol makes me laugh everytime #kortnyeistheselfiequeen #iamnot

My classroom (the before pictures, one day I'll take pictures of the after)

So, there you have it!!! My life in pictures!! 5 weeks until our fall break!!! Yay!!