After shopping, the family was able to get some groceries. As mom shopped, Bleidys and I tried to communicate to each other about the various kinds of fruits that we have in our countries. The grocery stores are very nice in the mall and security is very visible. All bags are checked upon entering and exiting the store. And at the very end of our mall trip, the girls had a chance to get ice cream, which they loved! Our ride back home was sad for me because I realized that our day was coming to a close. We took a few more photos of the girls with the items we had bought and then we said our good byes with hugs and kisses.

 Everything on this day was a whirlwind of activity and I wish that more details would remain with me but one thing I know is that I love these girls and this family and I hope that I can continue to be a committed  and able sponsor in their lives. They have a lot of potential and support from their families and they have a deep faith in God, which they have communicated to me.  I reminded Bleidys to listen to her mom, which I think mom appreciated. Her mom's face lit up a bit as she nodded in agreement, because I can see that Miss Bleidys is definitely going to be her own person with definite ideas. Little Maria seems to be a little more  reserved, but she's coming out some.

Spending the day with this family  was one of the best days in my life. I hope that will be able to visit them again in the future and help the girls  as they continue to grow and develop into lovely and productive young women in the community, with a good education and promising economic opportunities.

The next activity on the agenda after lighting the birthday cake was to visit the arcade. The girls were very eager this time to try out some of the games. On the first visit in 2011, they were a little shy. They wanted to play games instead of riding, so we tried out several games, a couple of which were not operating correctly. I have some videos that I will upload later.

Next it was time to shop for outfits and Bleidys spotted a store that she liked so we headed for this. They had a great time trying on outfits. Thankfully Emily, my translator, was there to help the girls with the selections since I don't enjoy shopping for clothes :) Bleidys and Maria finally selected cute little dresses!

Maria smiles for the camera as we shop for clothes :)

 

 

Off to the Mall!

After we finished exchanging gifts, we hopped into the CI van on a trip to the mall. The girls' father had to stay behind because he had to work. He is a very hard working man and was working the last time that I visited. On the way to the mall, I asked the girls how things were going in school. They said that they were doing well. Bleidys is taking a course to help her pass an upcoming test. Little Maria is doing well in first grade class. The children returned to school about a week ago after having been on break for about a month, I think. The girls sang beautiful songs for me as we travelled even though they were not feeling well. Traveling long distances in the van seem to make them a little sick and this same thing happened to Nelson, another child that I visited.

When we arrived at the mall, the first thing that we did was eat lunch. The girls had a very good appetite this time and ate lots of chicken. All leftovers would be taken home. After this we decided to try to find a birthday cake for both girls since they have never had one before, and Bleidys had mentioned this once. Choosing which kind of cake to get took awhile but after awhile a beautiful pink and white cake won out over chocolate. Victor, the CI drive, had the fun task of getting the trick candles and the girls had a ball trying to blow out the candles. I think that they really enjoy this! It was great to see the joy on their faces!

Opening Gifts

 

Some of their little gifts included decorative T shirts, art activities, school supplies, bracelets and a necklace, hair bows, and nail polish.

Day 2 Continued

Bleidys and Maria were with their parents when we pulled up to the home. We all exchanged hugs and the girls were radiant. They are both beautiful and loving children. When we went inside of the home, I did not think that they were in the same home that they were in on my visit because things looked so different. I remember asking them how long they had been in the new home. On my first visit, there was only one large room with a small sofa on in the middle and a small corner with a burner and refrigerator for the kitchen. But now, after I realized that this was the same home, the family has been able to make some additions such as tables and very pretty  chairs, curtains, and most important of all, a new sanitary facility that the girls' aunt has been able to provide for the family. So the sanitary area is now where the kitchen use to be, and the kitchen area was moved to another corner area.  Their mom showed me the new burners we had been able to get for them with a fundraiser. Their mom showed me the bedroom area with the new TV that we were also able to get for them also. The family looked so happy and proud of everything that they had been able to accomplish!

The family in 2011, with in front of the kitchen area. They had the one sofa in the living area.

2013

 The family presents me with a beautiful painting and roses. What a sweet family!

 The girls, mom, and me inside of the home. The poster that the girls made is behind us.

Both mom and I are a little teary.

Posing with Maria and the beautiful roses

The bathroom in the corner where the kitchen use to be

New chairs, the bathroom and the bedroom for the family is behind the curtains

The family then presented me with a very nice painting of Colombian musical instruments. I love the colors of the painting. Bleidys told me the name of each musical instrument and the girls had also make a beautiful poster for me that had words of appreciation for me. It was so sweet and a very thoughtful thing for them to do.

Day 2 - Monday

Day 2 was a very very interesting and exciting day. It started off very shaky because in my excitement I had forgotten that Colombia is one hour behind US time and so I was up at 3:30 a.m. and made my way down to the lobby at 4:30 a.m. only to find that the front door to the hotel had been chained. This is the method of security for the building and so I was alarmed thinking that there was no one around who would be able to unlock this in time for me to meet the van that was to take me to Barranquilla. So after calling for help, a very sleepy young man jumped up from the sofa in the office area. I guess he was the night watchman and as I tried to explain to him in my broken Spanish, he stayed with me at the front door as we waited for the van.  I guess no one had informed him that I needed to be up this early.

 After a little while I realized that I had forgotten that Colombian time was an hour behind my time on my cell and so I tried to explain this to him and told him that I would return to my room and try again an hour later. So after a quick snooze, I tiptoed back down to the lobby area and asked for the young man's help again. He was very nice about it and stayed me again but after about 30 minutes, there was no van. I began to get worried. By about 6:15 there was still no van and the young man called the company which informed us that a van was on the way. They apologized for the delay. Finally at 6:30, the van pulled up packed with passengers and I was on my way. Well, I thought that I was on my way because during the course of the ride, I began to realize that the driver did not know where the Children International office was located in Barranquilla, even though arrangements with the address had been made the night before by the hotel staff. By this time, I realized that I did not have the address with me. Eventually,  I was the very last passenger on the van and after a few phone calls, the driver wrote down some address. I asked him if this was the correct address and he assured me that it was.

Well, to my dismay, I realized that we were not at the right building when we pulled up to a sign that did say Children International. It was a community center instead of the main office. By this time it was around 8:00 a.m., the time that I was supposed to start my visit with Bleidys and Maria! I guess I looked very funny as I entered the building with my small overnight bag and bag of goodies for my children, as I tried to communicate my reason for being there. Someone finally figured out that I was a lost sponsor! It was so funny as they scrambled to find someone who could speak English. Finally a gentleman was able to communicate with me and called the main office to contact my translator, Emily, who was going to meet me there at the center.

Everyone was very nice and as I was waiting for the translator, I was taken on a tour around the facility. I saw the offices of the doctor and dentists who do the checkups for sponsored children and I saw where medications are kept as well as the meeting areas for parents. The best part was visiting the pretty library where a group of children were gathered around a table reading books. I learned that the children were back in school now but that they attended classes at different times during the day. I had a chance to speak to some of the children in Spanish, asking them their names. They seemed to be very happy and comfortable in the center.

Finally, Emily entered and I could tell that she had been worried about what had happened since I had informed her the night before, that I would be at the main office very early in the morning, based on the information that the hotel staff had given me. I was worried too that we would not be able to do everything that we had planned for the visit with the girls, but Emily said that everything would be okay. I was so happy to have Emily as my translator because I know her. She is also a group sponsor for one of the children that I group sponsor too. I also knew Victor, the CI driver, because he had accompanied me on my first trip in 2011.

 Bleidys in her annual CI Photo, 2013

Maria in her annual CI photo, 2013

Anyway, we were finally off to see Bleidys and Maria. A little information about Bleidys and Maria. I have been sponsoring Bleidys for about 3 years now and after I met her little sister in 2011, I decided to sponsor her also. They are 2 very sweet little girls who write very loving and appreciative letters. Bleidys is now 11 and little Maria is only 6. They live with their mom and dad (the stepdad of Bleidys) and they both attend school. I have been able to pay for some of the girls' school tuition in the past.

As we entered the Village of Hope, the area where they lived, everything looked very familiar but I was too excited to focus on the details of the surroundings. I just remember seeing the areas of poverty and children walking to school in their uniforms down the streets, dodging trash and rocks in the pathways. . When we finally arrived at their home, I saw that the girls and their parents had placed a large sign on the front welcoming me to their home and they had decorated the home with balloons! I was so surprised!

Back a little later to continue with Day 2, Visiting Bleidys and Maria!

Day 1 - Arriving in Colombia

I am back from my trip to Colombia! Unfortunately, I was unable to post to my blog during the trip as I had planned but I was able to make posts from Colombia onto my Facebook page. My little notebook and tablets did not work too well with the Blogger system when I was there, so now I will post all about my wonderful trip to see my sponsored children.

First of all, I want to say that I love the people of Colombia and  I especially love all of the children and their families, as well as the staff at Children International. This experience helped me to see more and more how sponsorship can make a big difference in the life of a child living in poverty. All of my sponsored children live in substandard housing and some of them struggle from day to day with various difficulties like insufficient food and home supplies. The benefits that they receive at Children International through sponsorship, help to provide them with basic necessities such as doctor and dentists checkups, vitamins and supplements if needed, emergency food if needed, clothing, school supplies, special needs gifts,  and many other forms of support. This agency is well managed and is making a difference in the lives of children in these communities.

In addition to writing about my actual visits with the children I will write about other things that happened on the trip including many details,  on this blog :)

I landed in Cartagena, Colombia on Sunday afternoon after a nice flight of only 2 and a half hours. I sat beside a young lady who is from Cartagena but who  is attending school in the states. She was very excited about returning to her home city. When we landed, I recognized everything from the first trip. The lines for customs were very long but the time passed quickly as eager tourists chattered excitedly about their plans. Once I made it through customs, I easily located my bags and flagged down a taxi. Tourists are admonished not to do this but it's okay to me. The taxi driver was very courteous and explained in espanol that he could take me to the 3 Banderas Hotel for 2 mil which equals $10 USA. The fare has gone up by a few dollars since the last visit but I had been reading about this on travel websites so I was prepared :)

After a fast and interesting ride through the city, we finally arrived at the hotel which is located on a street that is about 10 minutes away from the main entrance to the Old City. I had no idea where I was until I figured this out on Thursday, the night before I was to leave!!! The hotel is very close to one of the quieter plazas and other little hotels surround it. It was a very beautiful place with inviting sitting areas and lots of greenery, which I  like.

The staff welcomed me and one of the ladies spoke English very well. She was very courteous and took me to a very small room that was right across from the waterfall in one of the sitting areas. After a few moments, she realized that this was not the correct room, because I had requested a room on the top floor with a balcony (which I had forgotten :) I was all ready to stay in the small room because it was so quaint and located in a beautiful area, but we made the climb up to the 3rd floor. The steps were steep but they were something that I needed for exercise :) Once we made it to the top floor, I found a very nice and inviting room with fan and an air conditioner. The balcony was very nice with a cute table and chairs. I looked forward to sitting out here in the evenings to write about my trip.

Top: I am standing in one of the lobbies of the hotel
Second:  The room behind the plants on the left is the first room I was taken to :)
Third: The lobby of the hotel near the waterfall
Fourth: In front of my hotel room, third floor
Last: The balcony with work station :)



After unpacking and unwinding, I took a stroll around the plaza area trying to find a small restaurant because by then I was starving. The plaza was bustling with activity with singers and dancers performing for the tourists who were sitting in the plaza and outside restaurants. After a little searching I found a nice little restaurant that had waiters and waitresses who spoke English. Chicken and rice was my first dish along with some veggies which I did not eat. I have learned to be careful about eating fruits and veggies in the city and so I was determined to stay clear of them on the trip. The food was very good and the dancers and singers did a great job. After making my way back to the hotel, I informed the hotel staff that I needed to reserve a van for the morning to make my first visit which would be in Barranquilla, Colombia. Barranquilla is about an hour from Cartagena and I was hoping to take the less frightening coastal route. The lady at the front desk took my information which included the address of the CI main office and assured me that everything had been arranged. I only needed to be ready to go by 5:30 a.m., which meant that I needed to be up by 4:30 a.m. This was doable since I knew that I would not get much sleep this night, anticipating the visit with Bleidys and Maria, two sisters who I visited on my first trip in 2011. So with this, I went over the plans for the next day and turned in for the night!!.

Stay tuned for Day 2!

I Made It!

After an interesting day on the train to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and a very nice plane ride, I finally landed in Cartagena, Colombia. Another exciting and scary ride down through the busy city led me to the 3 Banderas Hotel. It is very quaint and quiet here, located on one of the side streets away from the hustle and bustle of the main streets in the Old City.  The staff is young and they are very helpful, did everything they could to secure a van to Barranquilla in the morning so that I can visit Bleidys and Maria. After a number of tries. they finally located one that can take me straight to the CI office in Barranquilla., but the catch is, I have to be ready at 5:30 a.m. :)

After a leisurely stroll through one of the plazas in the city and after eating  dinner, I organized the gifts that I will be taking tomorrow. I have to pack everything for Bleidys and Maria as well as gifts for Leonardo and Andrea Carolina, since I will be leaving to go there directly after the Barranquilla visit. Leonardo and Andrea Carolina live in Santa Marta, about an hour away from Barrquilla.

I found out that I may be able to take Bleidys and Maria to the zoo, if they would rather do this than visit the arcades, although I know that it will be sooo hot! We'll see what they choose and after shopping for outfits, I hope that be able to get a few groceries for the family.

Now to get my cameras ready for photos and videos!

I'm Getting There

Okay, now I have my 3 bags packed and almost ready to go. I need to make a quick stop in the morning to get one more thing. Today I have been busy getting little things that I might need and trying to remember how to pack everything, once for the train and then for the plane. I hope that bags that are checked are not jostled about too much since the children's gifts are in one of those bags and I don't want gifts to get mixed up. since some of their plastic gifts bags are not fully closed. Now, I am trying to make sure that all of my electronic equipment is fully charged and I am loading songs onto my tablet for the long train ride to Ft. Lauderdale.

The plan is:

Travel on the way Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow evening
Change trains in Cary, NC
Be in Ft. Lauderdale Sat. evening
Take the flight to Cartagena Sun. morning
Travel to Barranqilla by van Mon. morning to meet Bleidys and Maria
Travel to Santa Marta Mon. evening to meet Leonardo and Andrea Maria Tues. morning
Return to Cartagena Tues. evening (this should be the longest day)
Free Day on Wednesday-Walking Tour of the Old City with Kristi
Visit Yiseth, Nelson, and Melani on Thursday
Travel back to Ft. Lauderdale



Instead of doing a tour with Dora the Explorer, I am doing a walking tour with a lady named Kristy. It is a free tour of the Old City which I am looking forward to. I would like to do a bus tour, but I am not sure if I will have time, since I hope to do a lot of blogging during free time. I may take Bleidys and Maria to the zoo or a well known park if they do not want to do the arcades this time. They seemed to be a little apprehensive of some of the rides on the first visit. But I know how hot it will be outside at the zoo or park. We'll see :)