I set up a new livejournal account for my time in Spain/Europe  - adamendonde.

Adam

 Last Saturday was my last English class before I leave.  It was only me and Juan who went because Daniel had to work and Mariangelica had to study.  We cut the kids lcass short half an hour because neither Juan nor I know how to teach kids and we just get frustrated....the adult class though is really enjoyable for me.  We taught some of the contractions (I'm, they're, we're, they arn't, he's) and then had to explain the dirfference between the word "John's" as in the two different meanings in sentences like "John's bicycle" and "John's my friend".  English is really confusing.  Anyways, then we taught how to conjugate verbs in the present tense (I run, you run, we run, they run, etc...) and that was pretty much it.  After that Juan and I went to a show to meet up with Diana and the CNB kids to sell things to raise money for CNB.  After arriving and pretty much not actually doing anything, we caught a bus back to my house, dropped off some things, and then went to find food.  We ended up eating veggie subs at a gas station that were actually pretty good then we all walked down the Septima(a road) until we got to the turn to go to Diana's and Juan caught a bus to his house.

Yesterday I didn't do anything except go to see a brazillian movie with Diana last night.

Today, who knows what I'm going to do.  I'm really looking forward to getting home and seeing everyone again.  I like Bogotá and I am definetly going to miss some people here, but it's always nice to come back home.

Adam

I'm still here and still alive.  I know I havnt wrote anything in a while, but I guess the novelty has just worn off.  Havnt been feeling it.  So yea.....English classes are going well, CNB too....um yea, see everyone in about 2 weeks..

adam

Diana and Marta when we were camping.



A scene of the place where we went camping.  That is Marta and Jose's tent in the photo.

Lsat Tuesday I went camping with Marta, her boyfriend Jose, and Diana.  We went to some land that Jose owns that is just potato fieleds and woods.  It was a lot of fun.  We had tents and a fire.  We cooked corn, plantains, and potatoes with aluminum foil, and also made pasta.  The next morning Diana woke and felt really sick.  We packed up and left, and I have been taking care of Diana for the last 3 or 4 days.  I think she is pretty much better now though.  So other than that, I really havnt been doing anything lately.  I didn't go to the classes on Saturday because I was taking care of Diana, soo.....

I got soem photos from the camping trip I am going to put up as soon as I can.  I kow I always promise photos, but...well..sorry maybe this time they'll get up here.

Adam

Yesterday was the second English class in Sierra Morena.  I went with my friend Daniel, but we arrived about 15 minutes late because we got on the wrong Transmilenio bus and had to change later.  Anways, the kids class had a bunch of new kids, with a total of about 25.  The adults class was packed!  There must have been 35 people or more!  I had to write real big on the board, and talk really loud (yelling really).  Daniel walked around in the classes answering people's questions, and everything went really well.  Afterwards, we had a meeting with the people who own the community salon we are using for the classes, and they said they wanted to help us expand the project to other parts of Ciudad Bolivar (one of the neighborhoods in Bogotá).  We are going to set up a meeting with epopel we have found saying they are interested in helping out and figure out who is available what days and where we are going to start setting up new classes.  

Last night I hung out with Diana, Jose, Marta and Christina, it was a lot of fun.  Also, in a taxi I got a fake $10.000 peso bill (worth like $5) but I didn't notice because it was like 3 AM, so....weak.  No one will take it in any store.  I'm going to keep trying though.

Adam

Actually not a whole lot has been going on lately.   The English classes went pretty well last Saturday, and we've gotten some repsonses from the posters of people who want to help out too, so that is good.  I've pretty much just been hanging out with Diana every day.  We are trying to figure out how to get her a visa to come visit me in the US in early December, but "Los malditos gringos" have already denied her the visa twice in the past few years, but there is a saying here with US visas "la tercera vencerá"  which prety much means, third times a charm.

Yesterday Christina was telling me and Marina(from Italy) about how whenever people notice her accent and she tells them she is from Spain they are like "Wow!  That is so awesome!  Cool!".  I told her that when people ask where I'm from and I say the US, they just are like "oh....hm", not "wow cool!" just "oh."  Diana says she isn't patriotic or anything, but she likes being Colombian, and that she doesn't deny her country like I usually do.  Yea, I defiently deny mine, or if I tell people I'm from the US, I always follow it up with immedeatly saying "I'm ashamed of my country."  Diana and Christina don't have anything to be ashamed of with their nationality, I do - a TON.

Anyways, I think Diana and I are going to go to this natural park where you can ride horses, there are cabins to stay the night, and it is in cloud forest, about 20 KM from Bogotá.  Diana starts school on August 1st, so we should go before then.

I went to use Marta's computer yesterday to put up some photos on here, she finally got it back from being fixed after about a month.  Well, as soon as I turned it on, it was all screwed up again, and she had to take it back to get it fixed again today.  WEAK.

Comida, No Bombas is going well.  People are starting to show up every week without us having to go hunt them down.  I'm satisfied with the progress.  Also, we get a ton of donations now from some other places, and usually have vegetables to give away along with the meal of soup and rice.

I made hummus yesterday.  It was amazing.

Adam 

Yesterday Juan and I went to Sierra Morena to post posters for the English class that we are starting over.  We start on Saturday.  After we got back, I went and hung out with Diana and her friend Mari.  We made rice, lentils, and fried potatoes, and ate a lot.  Afterwards, Mari left, and Diana and I hung out in the living room talking until her mom came home.  I got home at like 3 AM last night, and Marta and the kids from Spain had all goten back from their trip.  After kicking Marta out of my bed, I went to sleep.  Today at 12:30 I met Juan at the Universidad Nacional and we posted flyers to get people to help out with the classes in Sierra Morena.  We met one lady when we were posting flyers in the foriegn language department who offered to pay us $20.000 pesos/hour to talk to her students in English.  She runs an English school I guess.  That is like $10/hour - So I think I might give it a try, I still have quite a bit of free time.
Then I came home, cooked some food, and now I'm here.

Adam

I've been trying to plan out what I want to do when I get back in September, and me and Diana are thinking about doing some pretty crazy things in the near future.  Things have been pretty chill around here lately.  Marta gets back from travelling with the other kids from Spain tommorow or Wednesday.  June 21st we start up the English classes again.  Today we're going to see a mexican movie called The Violin about a group of mexican musicians supporting the guerillas in the mexican revolution. Sweeett.  Yesterday Diana and I went to the fleamarket but didn't find anything too good.

Adam

Diana and I got back into Bogotá yesterday afternoon.  It was a 16 hour bus ride from Santa Marta.  When we got to my apartment the key didn't work in the door.  After repeated attempts the keys eventually ended up being thrown on the ground in quite an angry manner.  We went to Diana's house since my house was broken and I had to stay the night there last night because I couldn't get a hold of Leo or anyone who had keys.  This afternoon I called Marta, who is still travelling with the other españoles, and she gave the number for Leo's mom.  She told me she had keys, that Leo had changed the lock "Didn't he tell you?" she asked me to which I replied "um..no".  So anyways she came down to the apartment, unlocked the door, I made a copy of the key,  and then she left telling me "You're going to be here by yourself so use good judgement, but I know you always do anyways, unlike Marta, that pothead" hahah.  Then Diana and I went to a vegetarian restaurant to eat, and I caught a bus back to my place.  We have decided to have 2 or 3 days apart seeing as how we have been together 24/7(quite literally) for almost 3 weeks.  Everything between us is awesome, but it just seems to me like a good idea.  During the trip we were getting a bit snappy at each other a few times, but that is normal, and I think healthy to have disagreements and arguments.

I have a lot of things to do with the english classes and Comida, no Bombas.  I feel like I have been slacking off lately, so I'm going to get back on track with that.

Adam