Happy Mother’s Day!

May 10 – May 16

     ¡Feliz Día de la Madre! I’m so excited to be able to celebrate this year’s Mother’s Day at home with my American mother and family. In the morning, we went to Mass (in English!) and when the priest asked a group of little kids who they loved, one little boy raised his hand and said, “My mother,” receiving a laughter-filled round of applause from the parishioners. Later, we went to see Avengers 2 and eat Chinese food. I also gave my mother a cross-stitch project I had been working on in Colombia.

     The following day, I joined my mother for brunch with a group of her (and my) friends. It’s been a while since I’ve seen so many of the people from my hometown and it was nice to catch up with everyone. In the evening, my family watched a movie together (Selma, which was very real and quite good), which we had to finish the next day because the power went out. I liked knowing that power outs in my American home cause no problems in the short term and, though not as expected as it would be in Colombia, are actually enjoyed just because they are unusual and give us a chance to light candles and sit around the living room and talk.

     My last day in the United States for a while was mostly spent packing and just being outside. I played my recorder, and watched birds fly by and turkeys and bunnies run through our yard. And, of course, I hugged my family a million times. Colombia, here I come! I got this (I think…)!

- Miami airport is shaped like a horseshoe. I got really lost and had to go through security twice, so hopefully, knowing that it shaped like a ‘U’ will help me not get lost next time.

- If you’re traveling through the airport, know that there is a tax for leaving Colombia (that is likely included in your ticket price, but check regardless), but not for entering the country.