Buenos Dias de Tunja

Sister Barbarita met me at the airport with her friend Amparo and other family friends whose husband spoke english as he lived in New Jersey for a bit. It was nice having a translator to get us situated and off on the journey. Amparo and Barbarita speak more english than I speak spanish, but that's not saying much since I can count on my hands the words I know. First stop - the Dominican sisterhood convent in Bogota. She showed me the church and chapel and we met her fellow sisters and friends. On the right is Lucia Prada; second from the left is Amparo who drove us around yesterday. The nun on the far left is Maria Lopez and she was at a missionary in Cuba. Sister Barbarita is already trying to get me to do the same for a year. Only God knows what will be :)

We had lunch/dinner at Cali Mio which was chicken and potatoes. Muy bien! They give out plastic gloves to eat with so your hands stay clean. Next we stopped at Guillermo's sister's house - Margarita, Jaime (pron: hi-me) who was actually in Delray Beach, and their daughter Maria Paula. We visited with them and saw pictures from their trip to Dubai and Manhattan. Maria Paula is going to university for Political Science and speaks excellent english. It was nice to have another translator for a bit. Pictured below is Margarita, Amparo, Cecilia Imelda, and Maria Paula next to me.

We took a bus to Tunja which was about a 3 hour drive winding up the mountains. It was beautiful and I enjoyed watching the scenery and everyone going about their evening routine. We arrived at Colegio De La Presentacion after dark and a somewhat scary walk to the school from where the bus dropped us off with crossing streets and rough sidewalks. Sister Barbarita thankfully got a guy to carry one of the 50 pound suitcases and I was left to carry my own which serves me right for taking so much (56 lbs!). Here's a picture of me and Barbarita:

I'm so blessed to be on this trip and the sisters and Guillermo's family have been incredibly welcoming. My spanish/spanglish is already getting a little better and I've only been here a day. Quick side note: the internet is very spotty; I'm connected to the school's wifi, but it drops quite often. I will do my best to update this as much as I can since Facebook is blocked. No complaints here though, having my phone and laptop with any connection is wonderful! Until next time, God bless! :)