New Year's Eve Colombia Style

Colombia has a tradition of burning effigies at midnight to free yourself from the bad of the previous year.  The week before New Year's Eve, you see people selling effigies on the side of the road all throughout Colombia.  Some are generic people while some are political figures, celebrities, etc.  On our way to the store on Saturday, we just happened to find a life-size Donald Trump effigy at a stoplight, and we HAD TO HAVE IT!  Our effigy consisted mostly of clothes stuffed with leaves (a Donald Trump scarecrow if you will) and a paper mache head with classic and ridiculous Donald Trump hair.  We were giddy as we sat him up in the back seat of our van--tiny hands and all. 

Now, we were planning on having a nice dinner out and then come home to burn Mr. Trump at midnight.  We got dressed up and headed to one of the main going out areas in Cali...however, much to our dismay and surprise, EVERYTHING was closed.  All of the restaurants, all of the bars, all of the stores...even Subway and Dominoes were closed!!  I knew that New Year's Eve was a family holiday in Colombia, but I expected most restaurants to be open.  Note to self: Host a house party if we are ever in Colombia again for New Year's Eve.  Therefore, we roamed the streets to find a cab home, but first, in true Colombian fashion, stopped by the pharmacy and got some roadie beers.  When we got home, Aaron whipped up a hodge-podge of green curry with whatever we had in our cupboard, and we ate and watched Netflix until the big event.

Before. 

After.

Luckily, nothing got in our way when it came to our Trump toast.  We drove our van 1/2 block to a side road, propped up Mr. Trump on a concrete light post, verbally unloaded all of 2016's frustrations, transgressions, and disappointments, toasted to 2017, and fired up the camp stove.  I have to say...it felt kinda good. There's something primal about fire and its destruction, and I think both Aaron and I felt a sense of relief while watching it (ehem...him) burn.  I think we will turn the effigy thing into a yearly tradition. 

It was a fitting end to a year of immense professional and personal growth for both of us.  Thank you 2016 for all that you taught us about perseverance, love, patience, and the power of community. 2017...we're ready for you.