A New Member of the Family

A little over a month ago we adopted a new family member named 진짜 (Jinja).  It's Korean for "really" as in "Really?? We got a cat?"  But actually, it was always our favorite word in Korean, we said we would someday name an animal after it, and Jinja just seemed to fit (her Colombian nickname is Jinjita). 

It all began while our friend Kaylyn and my brother Jake were visiting. We visited Pance (the little mountain town outside of Cali) and ate lunch at a little restaurant that specialized in roasted chicken. In typical Colombian style, an adorable, little gray kitten kept pawing at our toes and jumping on our laps while we were eating.  It had to only be about 4 weeks old. The owner of the restaurant said we could take her with us right then and there.  We joked about it but were not serious at all about taking her home.

However, a week later after Kaylyn had left and Jake and I were still traveling, Aaron couldn't stand it anymore---the urge for that little kitten was too strong.  So, Aaron decided to make the trek back up to Pance to find himself a four-legged friend.  When he arrived, the kitten that had charmed us at lunch was no longer there, but 2 of her siblings were.  Aaron had his pick, and after playing and cuddling with both, made his decision. 

We have seriously fallen in love.  Yes, I sound like a mother.  But she really is so much fun to have around and is growing so fast! Aaron has fallen so in love that he even built her a play area out of wood, rope and carpet scraps.  She absolutely loves it! Although, a simple plastic bag suffices most of the time.

Teachers and Students and Spiders...Oh my!

There are a lot of reasons why I love working at the same school as Aaron.  We get to have the same schedule, share coffee together in the morning and lunch together in the afternoon, sneak into each other's rooms during prep just to say hi, and empathize with each other when one of us needs to vent.  However, I gained a whole new appreciation for working at the same school as my husband a little over a week ago.

You see, my classroom is totally open.  This means it is vulnerable to all the elements: wind, rain, chilly air (I feel like I can't say cold because my "cold" is like MAYBE 60 degrees), and creatures.  Most of the time it's simply the teeny ants that decide to march in a perfect line to a crumb on the floor.  However, sometimes it's something bigger...like a spider. 

It was five minutes until my class was going to begin.  I had gone to make some copies and came back to my room to see a large, lanky yet beefy spider scurrying under my students' desks.  I immediately turned around, went straight to the bathroom, and proceeded to do my business thinking that I would simply go back to my room and it would be gone.  Well, upon my return, it had made it's way across the room and was taunting me under my desk.  Now, I love the outdoors and don't mind most insects, but this spider was the biggest one I'd seen in Colombia and one of the biggest I've seen in my life (aside from tarantulas).  I decided to run to my 10th grade colleague to see if he could help me wrangle this thing out of my room.  He came in, took one look, and gingerly backed away.  "Crap!  Students are going to be here soon!" I panicked, knowing that this would cause my students to have an exponential freak out that would certainly stall the beginning of class!  So, I knew Aaron was on prep and decided to sprint over to the science center and ask him to save the day.  Sure enough, my prince charming aka science teacher extraordinaire arrived with garbage can in toe.  You see, in true science teacher form, he wasn't just planning on removing it from my classroom--he was determined to keep it as a pet!  After a few tries, he managed to get the spider in the garbage can and immediately ran down the hall back to his classroom before the spider could get away. 

Aaron's new classroom pet!

The spider's habitat in Aaron's classroom.

 When my class was over, I went to Aaron's room.  He and some students had already found a glass aquarium, created a habitat for the guy, designed a breathable roof, and narrowed it down to three species (all poisonous--one flesh eating--eeek!).  Turns out you can only really tell a spider's species from looking at its reproductive organs under a microscope. 

Ultimately, he wanted to show his students how these types of creatures are common place at our school.  I just hope they aren't common place in MY classroom anymore.

Winter Break Adventures: Part 2 -- Juanchaco, Colombia

Colombia in the raw---this might be the best way to describe the Pacific coast.  Unlike the Caribbean, the Pacific coast is underdeveloped and strewn with rocky cliffs, sea caves, and expansive dark sand beaches.

We began our journey by taking a 2.5 hour bus ride from Cali to Buenaventura.  It's a gorgeous road that meanders through the lush, green mountains that disappear into the Pacific.  We took a short taxi ride from the bus station to the docks and grabbed a boat for our 45 minute ride to Juanchacho.

Entrance to Yubarta's Hospedaje

One of our friends suggested to stay at Yubarta's Hospedaje Rural.  It's in Juanchaco and run by Cesar, an enthusiastic and gracious guide.  With a beaming smile, he greeted us at the boat in Juanchaco and led us to his place, about a 15 minute walk from the dock.  We stayed in quaint cabins with a nice bed, fans, full bathroom, and even screens on the windows (something you never see in Colombia!).  The place has a nice common area with hammocks and places to sit and enjoy the breeze.  It's also very close to a beautiful view of the Pacific.  After a fantastic lunch of fresh fish, veggies, and juice, we were off on our first adventure.

Cesar speaks very little English and we speak some Spanish so communication wasn't perfect, but enough to get to know how much he loves this place.  He led us about an hour down the coast, through residential areas and down through the jungle, to La Barra.  This was one of the largest beaches I've ever seen!  We spent quite some time swimming, exploring the cliff's rock layers, and watching the tiny camouflaged crabs scurry around.  It was unlike any beach I had ever been to.  Eventually we came across a little indigenous fishing village on the beach.  Here, Cesar surprised us with beers and we sat back and enjoyed the view.

La Barra Beach

Can you spot the crab?

Kids will be kids.

The local fishing village on La Barra.

Beers with a view.

Local kids playing "captain of the boat" in the village.

Amable, our guide, paddling away.

Soon, as the tide began rising, Cesar hurried us along to our next activity.  A local fisherman took us in his canoe for a ride through the mangroves.  Now, as you know, Aaron, Kaylyn, and I have done quite a bit of canoeing in our lives and have never really been scared of being in a canoe.  This trip changed that---very quickly.  We all piled into the canoe and as we pushed off Amable, our local guide, continued to stand in the back while Cesar awkwardly stood in the front to paddle.  STOOD!  Yes, the first rule of being in a canoe is to NEVER STAND!  Our boat was rocking more than a salsa dancer's hips!  Thankfully, as we got going, all of us figured out how to balance a bit more and deal with the sudden jerks (and the possibility that we very well might go in the water).  I was channeling my inner zen and trying to meditate on the sounds of the parrots and toucans.  After a rocky start (literally), it turned out to be a pretty neat experience. We stopped at a freshwater pool in the middle of the jungle which had a natural water slide feeding into it.  Our trip didn't end until dark, so we got to see the forest come alive at dusk! A true cacophony of sound!

Little did I know...

Aaron had to get a picture of the paddle shape--it will be his next paddle project.

Refreshing freshwater pool and water slide.

This area of Colombia is considered one of the rainiest places in the world.  Thankfully, we had perfect weather on our first day.  But, when we were supposed to get up at 5:00am to go sea kayaking on day 2, the rain and wind screamed "buenas dias".  Cesar wasn't worried and encouraged us to keep our plans.  Hesitantly, we walked in our drenched raincoats to the beach.  Along the way, Cesar disappeared a few times and it wasn't until later that we discovered he was waking up our guides.  :/  Long story short, it didn't stop raining and we were kayaking in some crazy waves, but the water was warm and Cesar's optimism was contagious.

To kayak or not to kayak...

We spent the rest of the day napping and checking out Ladrilleros beach.  Surrounded by cliffs and a sea cave, it's a clean, beautiful beach that was perfect for swimming.  We ended the day with a Afro-Colombian music (my favorite!), a fantastic fresh seafood meal (Maria is a fantastic cook!), and cards. 

Aaron's favorite place during our time in Juanchaco.

Typcial house in Juanchaco.

Perhaps the most disturbing part of the trip was experiencing first hand what I had just taught my students weeks before.  We talked about plastic in the ocean and how our oceans are just becoming a cesspool with 46, 000 pieces of plastic per square mile of ocean.  Juanchaco's beach was littered with plastic bottles and garbage that washed ashore.  La Barra and Ladrilleros were cleaner, but there was still some evidence of this harsh reality.  Our plastic addiction is disgusting and this realization has really motivated Aaron and I to be more conscious of our plastic consumption.

Just a small glimpse of our plastic addiction.

Sea cave yoga on Juanchaco beach.

As we were leaving, locals were playing soccer at low tide on Juanchaco beach.

All in all, I would definitely recommend going to Juanchaco if you want to see a different side of Colombia.  The people were beautiful---incredibly kind, friendly, and ecstatic to share their piece of the world with us.  We definitely want to go back when the whales come in August.