Parque Virrey

As we have come to notice, having a park at your doorstep is highly restorative. You don't feel the huzzle and buzzle of the million city when you hear the birds chirping and dogs barking playfully in the park.

There are always people in Parque Virrey - whether they are business people, joggers, dog walkers, mothers with their children or just young kids during school break.









Of course we are not the only ones who have noticed this. The park is filled with people especially during lunch breaks and on the weekends. The bogotanos know when to take advantage of and enjoy the beautiful weather because it might rain any moment.







If you get hungry during the stroll, buy a snack. Or phone home to ask Daddy to pick you up.







But.
What comes then when the park path ends? Because not only parks are close - so is everything else, such as...

Tall buildings.

A delicious Italian restaurant.

And a Mediterranean restaurant.

Bogota Beer Company.

Big streets.

... that carry a lot of traffic and noisy busses.

And luckily some more parks!

Carulla

During the past couple of weeks Bogotá has been treating us well. The weather has been a far cry of the cold December rains we got to experience before Christmas holidays. Albeit we haven't been able to enjoy the time outside as much as we could have. Both of us have been working and adjusting slowly to the life. In addition to working with a project, I have been trying out in the new cuisine.

Lucky for us, the closest grocery store is just a few blocks away. To get the groceries needed for my experimental cooking, we have to across a tiny park, step over to this busy street and continue past the street vendors towards the mountains.



Getting creative in the kitchen can be fun even if you don't always have all the ingredients. So far the menu has included dishes like filled red peppers, creamy blue cheese salmon with cauliflower, fajitas with sun salad, broccoli creme soup, spaghetti bolognaise, and roasted pesto onion chicken, to name a few.

After getting used to the product selection in Chile, it's challenging to learn them all over again. You went to a store, grabbed what you needed and got out. Here I need much longer time studying the labels and comparing the prices - which are high, by the way!

Carulla is close, just 7 minute walk away. Although, when you carrying heavy 5 litre water canisters and several bags, it feels long! Anyhow, the trip is short...

Until the sunniest moment turns into storm clouds whilst shopping... And then you have to run!

Emerald City

The life in Bogotá has begun. As we are still new to the city, know only some neighbourhoods, and haven't had the time yet to get to know more, I will show you some pictures taken on our last trip in December - during the pre-Christmas time when the city was still in holiday suit.

Bogotá is an emerald city - it's green and there are a lot of parks, such as this Parque Virrey. However, there are no neat, coherent blocks or beautiful boulevards where trees are shading the driveway. It is not as highly developed as Santiago is - yet. New, fancy buildings can stand proud and tall next to neglected ramshackle houses.

Nevertheless, the city has charmed us with its shabby chicness. Even if there are locals who are not concerned about the looks of the houses, they do care what they are wearing. Colombians are groomed and precise till the tip of the nail.

Therefore, we are lucky to live close to the transformation area: the shopping centres!





This is where the magic happens. This is what we think of as the centre of the city, even though the actual centre is about 80 blocks to the south. For us, this represents the core of the action - going out, activities, shopping, people, life.

And on Sundays, when healthy Colombians get up at the sunrise and start doing sports on the ciclovia - a road blocked from vehicles from 7 am to 2 pm, we can join the athletic crowds, too. Or just continue sleeping and enjoy the silence.

Reflections

During the 2 ½ years we lived in Chile we experienced a lot - the challenges of a new culture and language; living through natural disasters of earthquakes, aftershocks and erupting volcanoes; getting to know new friends who came and went; learning the beauty of different kind of nature; beginning to love the fruits received from this particular nature; being unprejudiced and trying out new flavours; and adjusting to a different pace and life rhythm.








Of course there were also less joyous moments that planted seeds of skepticism, mistrust, frustration, disappointment, fear and helplessness in us. Sometimes these feelings were called for; other times they may have been unnecessarily born.


Yes, we learned many lessons. Not just from the country we were living in but we learned also about ourselves. It shaped us as who we are and left a permanent print in our souls. It gave a new meaning to the word home - it made us appreciate our home lands and heritage even more than before. And after all this our learning period is not over yet.

Some of you may have come across to a Finnish saying: "New year, new tricks." New beginnings. 2012 means a big change for us - a relocation into a new country.

Adios, Chile! Bienvenidos, Colombia!

2012

For some the beginning of a new year means promises. Some of them are kept, others not - the main thing is to try to be a better person. To others, new year can mean new beginnings.

The new year is also a chance to reflect on last year, to see what we went through, what we learned, what could we do better this year. Anyhow, like once a lady called Mary Pickford said: The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power. So let's enjoy today and live it to the fullest!

Happy New Year!

It's Christmas

Christmas is here again!



In Finland, celebrating Christmas is a very traditional holiday that is meant to be spent with the family. People are preparing for Christmas for several weeks with cleaning, baking and cooking the Christmas food.

Typically Christmas consists of eating season's delicacies, listening to Christmas carols, giving presents and going to sauna, but not necessarily in this order.
The highlight of the evening is Santa Clause!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas!