Thursday, February 19th, 2015

The alarm went off at 7am and Teresa immediately said we should go to Caldas after Ramiro leaves this afternoon.  I agree and turn over and go back to sleep.

Teresa got up at 8:30 and I got up at 8:50.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I figured out it must have been Ash Wednesday because I saw people walking around town with the sign of the cross on their foreheads in ashes.  Later when we were in Exito a lady came by in religious clothing and made the sign of the cross on each of our foreheads.

Last night I called Vanguard (Zurich) and changed my address to my MBE address in Miami.  I also requested a copy of my 2014 1099R to be sent there.

The lawyer, Jim back in the States, replied to my email:

1.  I will try to email the docs by the end of today so you have them asap.

2.  There is one form that requires a witness.  A witness can be anyone.

3.  The Power of attorney for your brother would not be beneficial since you still would need to have a power of attorney notarized and witnessed.

I emailed a gringo lawyer here in Medellin (James) as to point number 3 and he replied:

Terry the process is that you go to a Colombian notary, and then we get an apostille. This will be the LEGAL EQUIVALENT of having a USA NOTARY.

I forwarded this reply to lawyer Jim in the States and he replied “An apostille would be LEGAL EQUIVALENT of having a USA NOTARY if Colombia was HCCH Member”

James here replied “They must not know what an apostille is, because under US Law this is the same thing. Did you ask them if they know what an apostille is?”

I asked Jim and he replied “I will check again”.

It sure would be nice not to have to make a trip to Bogota.

I had Teresa call Natalia because I never received confirmation for my February medical insurance payment but I feel better now that everything is probably ok.

Ramiro arrived at 12:25 with a young assistant.  I looked at the 8-10 foot railing he brought with him and it’s got a pretty good bend near one end but it might not be important for our purposes.

I called CSC and changed my address from Des Plaines, Illinois to my MBE address in Miami.  I also requested a copy of my 2014 1099R to be sent there.

Romero finished the bottom step and then proceeded to put up the railing.  At 3:15 he’s finishing the railing and still has a little work to do on the bedroom closet.  Teresa confirmed my own thoughts that we’ll leave early tomorrow for Caldas to purchase a few things and then she’ll have her nails and hair done in Envigado and about 2pm we’ll take a bus to Medellin where we’ll catch the bus to the airport to meet my brother.

At 4:15 Romero is still doing some fine tuning on the top of the stairs.  Now I can see he’s putting shims between the stairs and the top floor.  First I believe he put a thin shim between them to see how long it needed to be then he chizeled down a wider piece of wood to fit precisely.  At 5pm it looks like he’s finished with the stairs.

He moves a step ladder into the bedroom to start work on the closet but Teresa interrupts him to ask for help in putting a curtain under the sink.  He finished that in about 20 minutes.  Just before 6pm he was starting to walk out the door when Teresa stopped him and had him remove a shelf that was under the painting in front of the door.  (I thought it was a convenient place to keep stuff you need just before you walk out the door.)  He left at 6pm and I told her she was a difficult woman because she didn’t even give him any money for working here for 6 hours.  She told me he still needs to fix 

the closet and if she gave him money he wouldn’t return.

I checked my emails and I finally got a response from Jim, the US lawyer that “the title company underwriters have confirmed that they will accept it” so I won’t have to make the trip to Bogota after all!  Yay!

I forgot to mention that last night Master Chef was broadcast from Medellin.  The contestants were divided into 3 teams and they had to make different items and try to outsell each other with their products to the public.  Tonight they had to make different types of arepas.

At 10pm Teresa called Walter, the taxi driver, I believe to give us a ride back from the grocery store.

I took my sleeping pills at 11pm and we went to bed at 11:15.

T-shirt of the day: Party, sleep, repeat.

Wednesday, February 18th, 2015

I slept pretty well and Teresa woke me up at 6:15.  

Before we left we tried to coax Peter down the hill but he wouldn’t budge until I gave Tony a dog biscuit.  I gave Peter one and he ate it as I carried him to the shed.

We left the finca at 6:55 and the killer dogs barked at us from behind the fence and the doberman was soon behind us barking but not growling.  I stopped and looked at him and he stopped being aggressive.  He followed me and I finally tossed him a dog biscuit and he followed us up to the top of the hill.

There’s a lot of highway building going on near the road.  After a 5 minute wait we were on a bus to Envigado.  We took a taxi up to Nueva eps and were waiting in line by 7:55.  We waited 30 minutes to get moved to another room for another 20 minutes.  I had my blood draw and we were at El Carbón de Leña for breakfast at 9am.  Teresa had fish and I had calentao (rice and beans) and scrambled eggs for 14mil.

I added another 20mil to my cell phone and then took more cash out of the ATM.

We stopped at an internet café where I printed 2 copies of the medications I take and my medical history for 2mil.

Teresa looked at blouses at a few stores but didn’t find what she liked at an acceptable price.

We stopped at a number of tailor shops (sastrerias) and at the 5^th she finally found a lady who could make the changes she wanted to a blouse.

We stopped at a small hardware store and bought 3 clamps to hold water pipes together.

We stopped at Heel Quik but the shoes she left for repair won’t be ready until tomorrow.

Teresa spent about an hour looking at clothes in Exito while I wandered around the tablets, PCs, and video games.  We were going to buy a 6-pack of beer for my brother but it was too heavy.  Teresa said we will buy it in Caldas tomorrow.

We had lunch at La Bahia.  Teresa had their special of the day (chicken) but I wasn’t real hungry so I only had frijoles, salad and juice.  We picked up an order for Laura to have back at the finca.  The total came to 15mil.

We took a taxi to the highway and found plenty of seating on a bus back to the finca.  There is a lot of work going on near the entrance to the side road.  It’s starting to look like the new highway is going to go right over the side road.

Coming down the path the killer dogs barked and came out with the doberman in the lead.  When he got behind me in the center of the path he stopped barking and looked at me expectantly.  I tossed him a dog biscuit and we continued down to the finca.

It started raining about 4:30 and got harder at 5pm.  Teresa told me it is winter after all.  It stopped by 6:30.

I finished Paula Hawkins’ 288 page novel The Girl on the Train and downloaded James Michener’s 767 page Space: A Novel.

Teresa and Laura cleaned the finca so now it’s ready to receive my brother.

My brother had an interesting idea.  Can I give him Power of Attorney to sign the documents for me?  I sent an email to the lawyer.

I set the alarm on my cell phone to 7am because we want to leave early for Caldas to buy beer for my brother and some other food (he’s a really big eater).   LOL!

I took my sleeping pills at 10:45 and we went to bed at 11pm.

T-shirt of the day: Let’s fiesta like there’s no mañana.

Tuesday, February 17th, 2015

We left the finca at 10:15 and the doberman and the other dogs barked at us as we approached the neighbor’s house.  The doberman came out and I threw him my last half of a dog biscuit.  After that he followed us all the way to the top of the hill but didn’t threaten us.

We quickly caught a bus to La Estrella metro station (southern end of the line) for 4 mil.  We took a taxi for 5mil to Hotel Porton in Sabaneta and were pleasantly surprised to find they are having a special so we got both our rooms for only 115 mil each.  We made reservations for two rooms for this Friday, February 20^th.

We took a bus to San Diego CC and got there at noon so we stopped at Frisby for something to eat.   We each had a salad with chicken breast and a glass of juice and it was very filling for 40,400.

After that we met Vicky outside by the pedestrian crossover bridge and she returned my other 250mil.  That was nice!  We all sat in a panaderia where Vicky had a glass of juice.  This is the first time I’ve seen her in the daylight, dressed up with makeup and she’s an attractive woman.  She’s about 48 years old, about 5’1” with medium to dark brown hair and brown eyes and a nice figure.

While they were talking I excused myself and went to an ATM where I took some cash out for my brother.

We took a Circular Sur 303 bus and 40 minutes later we got off at Calle 35 (about 2 blocks short of Exito Laureles).  We walked east about 3 blocks and stopped at Solar Hotel Casa Laureles (Comercial.hcl@solarhoteles.com) and found a Friday night room for 1 person is 150mil and for 2 persons is 185mil.  Teresa thought that was way too expensive but we didn't look at the rooms. We were both so hot we stayed there for a while and had a drink on their porch. 

A couple blocks away we stopped at Sol de Laureles Casa Hotel (SolDeLaurelesCasaHotel@hotmail.com) where we found a room for one is 93mil and for 2 people is 118mil.  They showed us the same room my brother and I looked at when we were there and another one upstairs.  Teresa liked that hotel much more.  

We sat outside on their porch for a while and enjoyed their shade and slight breeze.  (Medellin can be so hot sometimes!  I would feel much better in shorts, t-shirt and sandals.)

We stopped in Exito where I bought another 30-day supply of Tamsulosin for 42,600 and Teresa got some face soap for 51,800.  In Exito I saw Extra Strength Excedrin for the first time for 17mil (24 tablets).

Teresa spent some time talking to a lady who works there about hair dye so I picked up some bath soap, dog biscuits, floss, granola and gum for 52,900.  

We stopped at Mimo’s and Teresa had a peach sundae and I had a strawberry sundae for 11,700.

At 4:30 we left Exito Laureles and took a Circular Sur 302 bus to Aquacatala.  On the way traffic was very heavy and the bus took several “shortcuts” down side streets.  We only had to wait a couple minutes for a TraTam bus back to the finca.  On the way I was surprised to see a young man on a skateboard going down the tall curvy mountain road.  There’s a first time for everything.

As we were walking up the side road to the finca Don Carlos’s grandchildren were coming back from school in their catholic uniforms: the girls in their white blouses, plaid skirts and knee length white socks, the boy in his black pants and white shirt.  Teresa told me Don Carlos has 8 children.

As we were coming down the path the doberman was standing in the middle waiting for us – not growling, not even barking.  He stood there about 10’ away while we opened a plastic bag, took out the box of dog biscuits, tore open the box and the bag inside and I tossed him one.  He quickly took it to the side of the he path and started eating it.  We walked past him and he followed us down and I tossed him another and then another.  By then the Terriers were approaching and he didn’t follow us any further.  I think I’ve finally converted him.  We were so happy we celebrated by giving each of the Terriers a dog biscuit.  We were back at the finca by 6:15.

I kept seeing (what I thought I remembered as) “calzado” on signs on the highway and today I noticed the same word on stores in San Diego.  Using Google I translated “calzado” to “footwear” and using my dictionary it led me to “calzada” which means “road” or “roadway”.

At 8pm we put on Master Chef again.  There’s a young lady contestant “Evelyn” whose voice I can’t stand.  Even though I don’t understand what she’s saying it sounds like she’s whining.  Whenever she talks Teresa and Laura look at me cringing to the sound of my voice and they laugh.

I got an email from the lawyer asking how soon I could get the legal documents back to him.  I told him in 2-3 weeks depending on whether my brother wants to take a trip to Bogota next week while he’s here.  I asked the lawyer to get me the documents no later than the weekend.

I took my sleeping pills at 10pm and we went to bed at 10:15.

T-shirt of the day: Lift large, get large – with a diagram of a man lifting a glass of beer.

Monday, February 16th, 2015

I had corn on the cob last night but I believe I used too much salt resulting in me getting a bad headache which didn’t allow me to sleep much.

I had the alarm on my cell phone set to 5:30 in order for us to leave at 7am to arrive at the clinic before 9am.  When it went off Teresa learned that I had a bad night’s sleep so we decided to postpone today’s travels to another day.

I finished watching The Winds of War, a 7 part series on Netflix and started watching The War, another 7 part series.

The hose outside that delivers water to the house came apart.  Teresa forced them together and then wrapped wire around them to hold them together.

At 8pm we put on Master Chef.  I guess we’re going to see the same contestants all season.

I took my sleeping pills at 10:15 and we went to bed at 10:45.  

T-shirt of the day: Rock and Roll Lives – New York East Village – 1979.

Sunday, February 15th, 2015

We left the finca at 9:10 and as we passed the neighbor’s we were challenged by the doberman.  I turned around and tossed my last full dog biscuit to him.  He sniffed it several times and then gingerly picked it up and carried it into the bushes.

After a 5 minute wait we were on a bus to Caldas.  As I stepped on, my first step took me right below an open window in the roof but when I took another step I hit my head on the edge of the ceiling.  All the seats were taken so I turned around and the driver motioned for me to sit in the area behind him.  Teresa was also standing but was talking to some big busted middle aged woman seated next to her.

We three of us got off the bus together and somehow I understood the 4 mil I paid was for all of us.  We walked together to the center of town and then the lady went a different way.  Teresa and I stopped first at Aymará because she hadn’t had breakfast.  Before the waitress took our order I asked in my limited Spanish, if I bought one of their loaves of bread would they be able to slice it here.  She answered “yes” and after that Teresa told me the Spanish words for thin (delgado) and thick (espesor) although I probably won’t remember them.  I explained to Teresa that the sandwich bread we buy in Exito is too thin for the toaster I want to buy next month.  Teresa had an arepa de chocolo, small meat pastry and 2 cups of hot chocolate.  I tried one of their chocolate chip cookies (same as the US) and I also had 2 cups of coffee.  The total was 10,300.  I told her I wouldn’t mind coming here every Sunday for breakfast and then I would buy a loaf of bread for the week.  Teresa agreed but wanted to add attending mass to the mix.

We walked next door to a small hardware store where Teresa bought 2 quarts of white paint, 2 quarts of blue paint, paint thinner, a 1” wide paint brush, and 2 small packages of wood screws for 81,800.  I tried to tell her I would like to buy a piece of hardware (I don’t know its name) that you would screw into the door and rotate to secure a shutter window from the inside.  I looked around but I didn’t see it, although many things were in plastic packages behind a counter and therefore difficult to see.  We saw some really large light bulbs that might be nice to have in the cathedral ceilings of the kitchen and dining room but Teresa has to ask an electrician if the circuits will support them.

Walter met us outside the shop and drove us a few blocks away where Teresa bought a 55# bag of dog food for 75,000 that should last about 6 weeks.  Then he drove us somewhere else where Teresa bought a 50# bag of cement mix for 24,500.

Last night it rained and I was hoping the road up the hill to the finca wouldn’t be wet and it wasn’t.  Still, Walter only got 2/3 the way up and the car started slipping in the dirt.  I told Teresa maybe I should get out to lessen the load but she said to stay in the car.  Walter backed up about 200’ and tried again but was once again unsuccessful.  He backed down again, got out of the car and checked the position of the wheels.  Finally, he asked both of us to get out of the car.  I tried to ask him if he had front wheel or rear wheel drive and I understood front wheel drive.  Finally, he was able to drive all the way to the top without us.  

At the top we got back in and were challenged first by the neighbor’s dogs and then by the Terriers.  He drove all the way down to where the rock path begins.  I carried the hardware down to the finca, Teresa unlocked the doors and Walter made 2 trips to bring the dog food and the cement.  Teresa gave him 25mil for his trouble.  She made arrangements to have Walter pick up Teresa and I and my brother next Saturday afternoon in Envigado.

Back at the finca I tried to google the hardware I tried to tell Teresa about but how do you find something you have difficulty describing?

I finished taking my eye drops.  They have been looking better since my first application last week.

I thought the Academy Awards were tonight but I see they are next Sunday night.  The only movie I’ve seen that is up for Best Picture is The Grand Budapest Hotel which was very good.

Laura wanted to watch a new Jennifer Lopez movie The Boy Next Door (4.3).  Not only did it look like someone copied it in the theatre with a camera but it wasn’t a very good movie; but they liked it.

I took my sleeping pills at 10:15 and we went to bed at 10:45.

T-shirt of the day: Here comes the son.

Saturday, February 14th, 2015

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone.  Here in Colombia they have Day of Love and Friendship in September.

I slept pretty well waking and getting up at 8am.  I made waffles, my best ever, for everyone.  There was enough mix for 4 waffles (sections) for each person and I didn’t have any mix spill over.

My eyes felt very tired so I lay back down for about 30 minutes.

Laura left at 10am for her English lesson with Jhon.

Here’s an email I received from ExpatExchange.com that I could have used last December: “The US Embassy's Federal Benefits Office routinely issues official letters in Spanish confirming government pensions that are acceptable to immigration and don't need apostille. Just write them a request in Bogota, including reference information (pension number, SS number, etc.) and a copy of the ID pages of your passport and they will mail back the letter. Good luck—Priscilla.  Brson; Colombia Expats; 2/13/2015.”

And when I asked Priscilla for more details, I received “For a pension confirmation letter from the Embassy, write to: American Citizen Services - Federal Benefits Unit US Embassy Cra. 45, No. 24B-27. Bogota There is no cost, except for the postage, which in this country without a legitimate post office will cost over $3.00.  You can confirm this information by emailing the FBU at FBUBogota@state.gov...just in case anything has changed. They will respond to inquiries within a couple days. Cheers! – Priscilla

Brson; Colombia Expats; 2/14/2015.”

Teresa talked to Vicky and made arrangements to meet at San Diego CC on Monday to return my 250mil.

I’m looking forward to seeing Houdini on the History Channel tonight although it will probably be only in English and I’ve read there are A LOT of inaccuracies in this mini series.

I talked to Teresa and we decided I would watch it from 5-7pm in English and she will watch it from 9-11pm in Spanish.  After watching for more than 3 hours I realized this must be a 6 hour mini-series.  I told Teresa that next time it’s on (probably later this week) she could watch it in Spanish.

I received 2 1099-Rs for my Sears pension but I couldn’t get them to balance to what I thought I received last year.  I remembered that Sears was withdrawing 30% from my pension (a deduction) and when I called them on it (May of 2013) they said because I was out of the country I was a Non-Resident Alien.  I complained that I am a US citizen so I’m not an alien at all.  I checked and found that in April of 2013 they started this deduction but unknown to me they went back to 100% in April of last year (2014).  (I told them I wasn’t an alien; maybe they finally figured that out.  What’s ironic is that I might have to start taking a deduction through them if I don’t have enough deducted for this year’s taxes.)  When I took that into account they still didn’t balance.  Actually, the total of my 1099-Rs is exactly the amount for April through December.

I logged onto the pension website and it only shows my last 9 payments but it also states “Following is a list of your payments received (up to 14 months) from the date the new Sears Holdings Pension Service Center took over administration of the Sears Holdings Corporation Pension Plan.” So maybe I’ll be receiving another 1099-R?

The Houdini movie turned out to be 4 hours long but for some reason Teresa wasn’t interested in watching it from 9 to 1am.  Lol.

Now Teresa wants to go to Caldas tomorrow to buy more paint and also dog food.  She called Walter to see if he will be available – he will.

Teresa and Laura watched a movie titled Perfect Obedience in Spanish only so I read some more in my Nook.

I took my sleeping pills at 11:30 and we went to bed at midnight.

T-shirt of the day: Dad thinks I’m awesome.

Friday, February 13th, 2015

Due to one of the dogs barking almost non stop, I didn’t fall asleep until after I took a 3^rd sleeping pill at 3am.

Teresa woke me at 6:15, I took my shower and had a quick breakfast.

I checked the US movie releases and I would like to see Kingsman: The Secret Service (8.3) and maybe Everly (5.1).

Based on 126 user reviews and 123 critic reviews on IMDB.com, Fifty Shades of Grey got a terrible rating today of 3.3 out of a maximum of 10. One reviewer said “Overall, it was a terribly acted, plot-less, non-romantic nor drama movie about a girl being horny and the guy doing an attempt of bondage masochism, which comes down to.. soft-core.. almost nothing different than normal sex with bondage.. boring shit.”

Locally, everything is playing too late for us to see anything after today’s doctor’s appointment.

We were out the door by 7:15 and got past the killer dogs undetected.

At Don Carlos’ house I saw the doberman but he didn’t seem interested in us at all – maybe because he wasn’t on his own property.

We met the neighbor down at the highway with a Styrofoam box.  He got on a bus and 5 minutes later we were on a bus to Caldas.  We got off and quickly were on another bus to Medellin.  Downtown Caldas a pretty young lady got on wearing a short white dress and sat across the aisle from me.

We got off at El Poblado and for 10mil took a taxi to Torre Medico next to El Tesoro.  We were there 45 minutes early and Teresa told me she hadn’t had any breakfast so we stopped at O-Cake again.  They had about 6 magazines sitting on the counter for customers to read and 5 of them were in English.  I picked up the February copy of Rolling Stone and read part of an article about Pope Francis and another about how the US exports their global warming resources.  We each had an empanada with coffee for me and hot chocolate for her for 14,352.

We took the elevator up to the 6^th floor, checked in at the desk, paid 2,500 pesos and took seats right outside Examination Room #4.  A few minutes later the door opened and there stood a pretty young lady with an older man.  The latter left and another man went in.  This time she didn’t close the door.  A few minutes later the man left and the lady called my name.  What?  My Urologist is a woman?  

We went in and sat down and right away I explained I only speak a little Spanish and asked if she spoke English.  (She’s an attractive woman of about 35 with a pretty face and very nice figure.)  She didn’t reply right away and Teresa started talking to her.  At one point she finally tried to talk to me in English.  With my helping her I believe we managed to answer all her questions.  I noticed a plaque on the wall that said she has a degree in psychiatry.

She led me behind the curtain where I saw an examination table.  I undid my pants and started to lie down.  She told me to drop my pants and my underwear.  I dropped my pants and lied down and she helped me pull down my undershorts.  While she was putting on her glove and lubricating her finger I had the thought that maybe I should have taken a Viagra to impress her.  Then again it was probably better I didn’t.  Lol.

After it was over she told me she thinks something else is going on other than just an enlarged prostate.  She wants me to continue my Tamsolusin, have another PSA blood test and also a Cistoscopia Trasuretral (sp?).  As usual it isn’t easy to read a doctor’s handwriting.

We took a taxi to MBE for 10mil where I picked up the 2 bottles of Mega Men Prostate & Virility from GNC for which I paid another 16,500.  I also picked up my January Chess Life magazine, my Social Security 1099-R, 2 different 1099-Rs for my Sears pension and my monthly receipt for same.  I also paid 36mil each for my February and March rentals.

We took a bus to Envigado where we waited in Nueva eps for awhile.  I now have an order for another blood test this Monday from 6-9am.  I also have the other appointment for next Friday the 20^th for the other thing.

We took a taxi down to the highway.  After a short wait we were on a bus back to the finca.  We got past the killer dogs undetected.

Teresa questioned why I pay so much money to MBE each month for magazines that I throw away and other things that she thought were junk mail.  I explained to her that 1^st, I don’t pay for my monthly magazine because I became a life member years ago, I read it, sometimes remove pages I want to keep for reference and then throw away the rest; 2^nd, I received my 2014 1099-Rs that I explained I need to pay my taxes on April 15^th; 3^rd, before I started renting a box with MBE I wasn’t receiving any mail, perhaps because I wasn’t home when they attempted delivery.

I did a little online research and found per WebMD, Cystoscopy is a test to look at the inner lining of the bladder and the tube from the bladder to the outside of the body (urethra). The cystoscope is a thin, lighted viewing tool that is put into the urethra and moved into the bladder.

A cystoscopy can check for stones, tumors, bleeding, and infection. Cystoscopy can see areas of the bladder and urethra that usually do not show up well on X-rays. Tiny surgical instruments can be put through the cystoscope to remove samples of tissue (biopsy) or samples of urine.

Cystoscopy also can be used to treat some bladder problems, such as removing small bladder stones and some small growths.

Teresa called me into a meeting she was having with Laura and informed me she wants to major in Psychology at the university.  I didn’t understand much of her concerns and asked her to wait until my brother is here to translate.

I reminded Teresa that Vicky still owes me another 250mil.

Teresa told me she is going to wait until after my brother leaves to begin her first painting class.

We continued watching Quigley Down Under, only delaying it from 8 to 9 to watch Master Chef.

We finally finished the movie at 10pm, I took my sleeping pills and we went to bed at 10:30.

T-shirt of the day: Risque.

Thursday, February 12th, 2015

I slept well last night finally waking/getting up at 9.

Laura came back at 1:30.

The lawyer contacted me again about the real estate documents.  I have to go to Bogota to have them notarized (US style) sometime late February or early March.   At least they told me they are going to pay me for my trouble.  I sent an email to Expat Exchange asking for some advice as to how to get there by plane and where to stay.

Teresa did some more painting around the house.  She wanted to paint my large mirror white.  Right now it’s a nice brown natural wood which I think contrasts nicely against the white walls but I told her fine.

I’ve been watching the old TV series The Winds of War (8.3).  It’s good but sometimes slow, especially the romantic parts.

At 8pm I stopped and put on Master Chef again.  It’s the same contestants for 2 weeks now.  Today they had to identify 10 different types of fish but looking at them.  A couple days ago they had to identify the ingredients by tasting an unknown dish.

Teresa told me she wants to continue her painting classes by the Chess Park either on Monday, Tuesday, or Saturday either from 9 to noon or 2 to 5.  I asked her to let me think about it.  I thought maybe I could play chess with Dario while she’s going to her painting class.

Tomorrow we leave early for my 9:30am Urologist appointment in El Tesoro.

I took my sleeping pills at 9:30 and we went to bed at 10pm.

T-shirt of the day: The world without art is just eh.

Wednesday, February 11th, 2015

I slept well last night finally waking/getting up at 8:30.

Whenever we leave the finca we try to catch Peter and shut him in the backyard shed because he tends to follow us down to the highway.  I entice him with half a dog biscuit and then reward him with another when we finally get back and let him out.

We left the finca at 1:10pm.  The killer dogs gave us a hard time but didn’t come out from behind the fence.

We only had to wait a couple minutes before we caught a Jerico bus to Envigado.  Once again the driver was nice enough to drop us off right next to Home Center.

Teresa exchanged the cans of paint and picked up a few other things for 23,500.  She also wanted to buy a curtain and hang a shower rod but I told her I’m sure my brother would rather shower in the other bathroom that has hot water – at least not cold, so we skipped buying that.

We walked over to another Nohelia next to Exito where Teresa spent the next 90 minutes getting a manicure and pedicure for 26mil (about $12).  While she was doing that I went next door to Exito to buy garbage bags.  While I was walking down one aisle I checked their toasters and they have a nice Black & Decker model for 81,900 ($35).  I asked a young lady where I could find “bolsas para basura” and she had no idea what I was talking about.  I tried twice more being more careful with my pronunciation but it still didn’t work.  I picked up a nearby package of cookies, pointed to them and said “bolsas plastico” and repeated “para basura” and finally she caught on.  I picked up a package of 6 garbage bags and paid 2mil but had to wait in line for about 10 minutes to pay for them.

We took a taxi to the highway and the driver turned on the radio and I heard I Can See Clearly Now which was originally done by Johnny Nash of Chicago.

While we were waiting for the bus, Teresa really surprised me when she told me that the lady who did her nails is a transvestite.  I never would have guessed; she looked completely feminine to me.

We quickly caught a Jerico minivan back to the finca.

As we were walking down towards the neighbor’s house he and his wife were walking toward us with the doberman at their feet.  (By the way, he was wearing the “t-shirt of the day”.)  The dog started to get aggressive but they controlled him.

Back at the finca Teresa cancelled her doctor’s appointment for tomorrow.  For some reason she wants to reschedule it for a Friday.  

I checked and Friday is my 9:30 appointment with the Urologist in Torre Medico, El Tesoro C.C. (Carrera 25A #1A Sur 45, 6^th floor).  I believe this is the same building where Teresa had her breast exams.  If I understand the printed information his fee will be 12,510 pesos (about $5.30).

I took my sleeping pills at 11pm and we went to bed at 11:15.

T-shirt of the day: How hard can you blow? – Double Bubble

Colombia

The 12 Best Things About Being an Expat in Medellín

Life has pulled me in some interesting directions over the past few years.  In all honesty, I never could have predicted that I’d wind up living as an expat in Medellín, Colombia.  I couldn’t have predicted, when I landed in this city as a backpacker in 2013, just how quickly I would fall in love with it or that I’d still feel its magnetic pull long after I’d left.
Medellín is an excellent stop for any traveler–I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone–but it’s an even more special place to live as an expat.
I’ve just hit the three-month mark since my aquatic arrival and I’ve run up a whole list of reasons why being an expat in Medellín rocks.  Here are my favorite aspects of life as an honorary Paisa.

The locals are friendly.

I feel quite comfortable asking just about any stranger I find on the street for directions if I’m lost.  Taxi drivers welcome you with a warm greeting as soon as you climb in and send you off with a cordial ¡Que Diós le bendiga! (God bless!) when you exit.  I’m constantly referred to as parce (friend), muñeca (doll), corazón (heart), amor (love), or mija (my daughter).  If I leave my purse unzipped (as I’ve been known to do) someone will promptly remind me to close it so I don’t “give papaya” (make myself an easy target for theft).  In the three months since my arrival, I have never once felt unwelcome in this city.

The scenery is gorgeous.

I wake up to this view every morning.  *Pinch* …Yep, it’s real.

The weather is perfect all year.

The City of Eternal Spring is no misnomer.  Medellín is never too hot, never too cold.  It suits me quite nicely to be able to lay by the pool in January, thanks.

The cost of living is low.

The low rent, though not as low as what I paid in Thailand, is still quite reasonable for a newly minted freelancer like myself who’s not exactly rolling in the Benjamins.  My room costs me a mere $275 a month; and I could easily find something much cheaper if I wanted to give up my gated complex complete with pool, sauna and gym on-site…but I don’t.

The public transportation is excellent.

Buses typically take me where I need to go during daylight hours for $0.85 per ride.  I can flag it down anywhere along its route and hop off wherever I please.  Sure, people hop on to try to sell me things or perhaps entertain me with a Christmas-themed rap, but that’s pretty much par for the course in South America.  Medellín’s metro system, the only one in the country, is extensive, clean and efficient.  If I want to avoid traffic or I need to go somewhere farther from home, just one dollar gets me there.

The food is incredible.

I love the local plato típico, a plate known as Bandeja Paisa that overflows with deliciousness–rice, beans, plantain, an arepa, chorizo (sausage), chicharrón (fried pork belly), avocado and a fried egg.  Sometimes they throw on coleslaw in a poor attempt to feign nutritional value knowing full well no one’s going to eat it.  In addition to the local food, though, Medellín is teeming with mouth-watering international cuisine. I’ll never have time to try all the places that have caught my eye (or my nose), especially when there are a certain few I just keep going back to.

The shopping is divine.

Though there are a handful of Colombian fashion trends I just can’t get on board with (like neon everything, all the time), Medellín is full of creative designers and the boutiques I’ve had the pleasure of perusing would rival those of New York or Paris any day.  

The public spaces are beautiful.

I recently wrote about the revival of downtown Medellín and the innovative ways in which the city has transformed its public spaces.  But it’s not all concrete, either.  Medellín is surprisingly green; parks are plentiful and it’s evident the city planners took great care to leave trees right where they grew.  

The WiFi is reliable.

I’d have been out of here a long time ago if it wasn’t.

There’s a robust community of like-minded expats.

Medellín is named over and over again as a top choice as a home base for digital nomads and entrepreneurs. The reliable WiFi and low cost of living both contribute to its popularity in that regard, though I definitely think blogger David Lee played a big role in opening people’s eyes to how amazing Medellín was when he began gushing about his love for Paisa culture through his site Medellín Living in 2009.  It’s a great place for networking, and it’s always nice to know there are people around with whom I can indulge in silly American traditions that I miss, like eating a proper Thanksgiving dinner or watching the Seahawks dominate the Superbowl next Sunday (BEAST MODE).

The tourist visa is generous. *Updated

If you’re coming to Colombia and have no intention of obtaining a work visa (if you work online like me, for instance), there’s a way you can stay in the country for a year on a tourist visa and you’ll only have to hop the border once. Foreigners are allowed 6 months in the country per calendar year; if you time your arrival for the end of June, you can extend your initial 90-day period for another 90-days, cross the border at the end of the year and get a fresh 90-days upon return in January (which can then be extended again at immigration).  Of course if that still sounds like too much work and you’re interested obtaining other types of visas, Medellin Living’s got all the information you need.

Getting around to other cities is a breeze.

Medellín is a major transportation hub; should I feel the need to escape for a hot minute, I can do so with ease. Not only do buses leave frequently for just about every destination around the country, the city also has its own major airport.  Outside of heavy travel periods, flights within the country are very affordable and can sometimes even be cheaper than taking the bus.

The perks of being an expat in Medellín don’t end there!  But for the rest you’ll have to come and experience it for yourself.  Have I convinced you?

Medellin almost too safe for dangerous city ranking

Jan 21, 2015 posted by Adriaan Alsema

Medellin (Photo: Rogier Klappe)

Medellin, long infamous for being one of the world’s most dangerous cities, might have become too safe to be featured on next year’s list of the world’s most dangerous urban centers.
According to the Mexican Citizens’ Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice, a non-governmental crime monitor, Medellin is still featured on the 2014 list of the most dangerous cities on earth together with four other Colombian cities.
The capital of the Antioquia state is currently the world’s 49th most dangerous city based on homicide rates in the 50-city ranking.
However, the city has shown impressive drops in the city’s homicide rates since 2009 when a war between rival factions of crime syndicate Oficina de Envigado came to an end and neo-paramilitary group Urabeños signed a truce with the city’s crime syndicate.

Medellin’s homicide rate

Colombia’s most dangerous cities Cali, Valle del Cauca Palmira, Valle del Cauca Pereira, Risaralda Cucuta, Norte de Santander Medellin, Antioquia

“Maintaining this tendency, it is almost certain that in 2015 Medellin will fall off the ranking,” the report said.
In fact, “If in 2014 the rate of position 50 had stayed the same as in 2013, Medellin already would have left the list.”
According to local authorities, the homicide rate in Medellin dropped approximately 30% between 2013 and 2014.

MORE: Thanks to Medellin and Cali, Colombia boasts least homicides in decades

In spite of also having recorded a 25% drop in homicides, Colombia’s third largest city, Cali, continues to officially be the country’s most dangerous city.

Cali’s homicide rate

Fact sheets Medellin crime statistics Cali crime statistics

Policies introduced by Cali mayor Rodrigo Guerrero to curb the city’s problematic homicide rate did not take visible effect until last year when the city’s homicides plummeted in spite of ongoing warfare between rival drug trafficking organizations in the city.
Other cities with a notable homicide rate are Palmira, Pereira and Cucuta.
Colombian cities occupied five of the 50 spots in the ranking. Brazil was featured most prominently with 19 cities. Mexican cities occupied 10 spots. Venezuela and the United States both saw four of their cities on the list.