9/13 - 9/15

Buenos Tardes (Good Afternoon)

Sorry we haven't posted since Friday. We had a very busy weekend with lots of excitement. The plan was to write all about it, yesterday afternoon, but I ended up getting the Montezuma's Revenge. It hit pretty hard, and put me out of commission for about 18 hours. Luckily we brought a prescription of Cipro with us, and I started taking that last night. I'm feeling much better now, but will still be careful about eating in the next day or two.

We met a wonderful family, The Kerns, while we have been waiting for our referral. They adopted their daughter Lucy from Colombia two years ago. During their flight to Colombia, they met a young woman named, Adriana, who was flying back home to Colombia. They talked during the flight and became friends. If you have not already heard, the people of Colombia are known for their warmth and hospitality and true to form, Adriana invited The Kerns to have lunch with her family on a Sunday during their stay. They have since stayed friends and even vacationed in Virginia with them this summer.

The Kerns asked us to bring some pictures to Colombia, so we could deliver them to their friend, Adriana. Adriana called us on Thursday and asked if we would like to have lunch with her on Saturday. On Saturday, we were waiting at the front of our hotel when two cars full of people pulled up. It was Adriana and her entire family! They were so excited to meet us, and we were so glad to have the opportunity to meet them. We started out with an hour 1/2 drive, north of Bogota, into a country village where we had a traditional Colombian lunch that consisted of Chicken, Beef, Potatoes, Avacados, soup, and of course beers. It was such a beautiful setting. Don't take my word for it, you'll have to see in the pictures. From the minute we arrived, Johnny and I didn't get to hold Manny! He was passed around from family member to family member getting lots of hugs and kisses.

After lunch, we drove to the town of Tabio. It's a quaint village nestled in the mountains. I found a site on Google, that has great information. If you wish to read more about it, click on the link below.

Tabio Website

We went in to many shops that boasted handcrafted goods that are native to the area. There was one shop in particular that I loved ; ) Of course they sold sterling silver jewelry and Johnny bought me a pair of earrings. The last stop in Tabio was a postre shop, which is a pastry or dessert shop. Johnny and I shared a piece of Tirimisu with a wonderful sauce on top called, tres leche, which is three milks. On the ride home, we had very nice conversation with Adriana and her father Godfrey. We talked about Colombia and how the rest of the world perceives it. He loves his country and is so proud and hopes someday the rest of the world will know what a great country it is. Godfrey spoke of the Kern family and how they are very special friends of his family and are wonderful people. He also added that he felt the same way about us. We told him that we had our best day in Colombia with his family aside from the first day we met Emmanuel. What a wonderful day!

On Sundays and holidays from 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., 121 kilometers of the main Bogotá streets become CYCLE-WAYS, or lanes for bicycle, skaters or strollers. The Cycle-way has become the most important recreational and sports activity for Bogotá inhabitants, since on Sundays and holidays over three million citizens participate. Johnny, Manny and I were three of the three million on Sunday! It was so nice to push the stroller down the flat level street! We walked for about four hours with a break for lunch at Patecones. The best way to describe the food would be like nachos. They take a plantane (Patecone) and flatten it and fry it. Then they add whatever toppings you order. The dish I had was Mexicanno, which had Beef, Queso, Lettuce, Guacamole and black beans. Check out the pictures below:





We were heading back to the hotel when we saw a place called, American Cheesecake. Of course we had to stop! We had a piece of dessert and some coffee and Manny had a bottle. There was a lady in the shop that spoke English and she was asking about Manny and where he was born. When we told her we adopted him, she said, Oh what a beautiful thing it is to adopt! We told her we were the lucky ones to have this little guy in our lives and she said, well, his name does mean, Gift from God. That couldn't be more true!

Now on to Monday.
We hung out at the hotel all day today, since I needed to stick close to the bathroom : ( We had a skype call with my cousin Stacy in Stillwater, and now are getting ready to go downstairs for dinner. We were scheduled to have our meeting with the Defender of Minors tomorrow morning, which is the last step before we are assigned to a court. We received a call from Cecilia this afternoon and she said our appt. was cancelled because the Strike is still not over. She is hoping that we can have our meeting rescheduled for next week. (If the strike is over by then). Unfortunately, our case won't move until it's assigned to a court. Once the court is assigned, we usually have another 4-5 weeks left before we receive Sentencia. (which is the final adoption decree from the court) From there, we have 4 days to get Manny's passport, visit the embassy, etc. and then we can travel home.

So, it seems like we may be here for the long haul, but we have always expected the worst and hoped for the best. There are things that can help us through our wait here. We will try to take in as much of Bogota and some other parts of Colombia as possible. We love to stay in touch with everyone at home. Sykpe has been especially helpful, because it feels like we are just in the next room talking. Manny loves to be on skype and usually coos and giggles for the people on the other end of the line. If you have a web-cam and an internet connection, you can sign up for skype for free. The calls are free if you are calling computer to computer. If you sign up, our account is under the name, Johnny Becker Jr. in Minnetonka MN. We would love to talk to you! Well, we are going to head down to dinner. Tonight there will be a family from Minnesota arriving around 10pm, so we'll be able to hang out with another family who speaks English : )

Enjoy the picture slideshow!

Love,

Dulcie, Johnny and Manny