8,661 Feet Above Sea Level

Finally in Bogota. It’s chilly and I’m in a very urban part. Many people on the street going to and fro, cars and motorcycles. I feel good. Last night I was drinking with a few guys I had just met. We were in an apartment on the 17th floor and we had some weed and whiskey. The guys were talking excitedly and it was pretty difficult to understand, yet it was enjoyable interpreting the body language and the emotions that came through the chain of sounds that I didn’t understand. Sometimes it’s preferable to no be able to understand people. I was talking to this guy I just met he was a dentist about weird shit. Another guy was a lawyer. All were a little nerdy and pretty smart, I gathered. Cultural integration is great.

Small World

I met a girl here. She’s also from Miami and we hung out with my friend, Lina, who lives here too, and who I met in Miami Beach. Well, me and this girl, Andrea, we hit it off and I’m going to see her again. Honestly, I want to meet a local Colombia girl, but if my experience with Andrea goes well, then why not? As long as I meet a good woman. It doesn’t matter where she’s from. 

Time to Act

I realize more than ever that I need to act and act now. Raise a family. It has to be now. Go fast go quick be confident be aggressive be someone who knows what they want and knows how to get it. 

Champinero

I walk the streets of Bogota. Central downtown Bogota. Many people in the streets and it’s bustling, even at night. The neighborhood I’m in is kinda run down but it’s got great restaurants, bars, and the like. Well decorated, great lighting. The interiors are fabulous. Very artsy in the esthetic. I’m inspired by the energy of the people and the lighting. 

2 Girls and a Guy

I was walking next to a park called “Parque de Los Hippies” and there were people everywhere talking, drinking, and smoking Mary Jane. I approached two girls:

Me: Hello, do you know why this is called Parque de los Hippies?

Girls: No

A little awkward silence

Me: Because the park is full of hippies.

Girls: 

Me: Modern day hippies! With a new style.

Silence

Me: Ok, have a good night!

The girls looked uncomfortable. About as uncomfortable as I felt. 

I didn’t make friends, but at least I tried by initiating conversation. I walked away smiling.  

Another Encounter

About a few days later in the same park. I bought a beer and crossed the street. I saw a policeman coming down the street towards me. I got nervous, because I had been stopped by the cops before while drinking a beer on the street in Mexico, so I kept walking and approached two girls and asked them if it was legal to drink in public. They said yes and then another cop comes by and walks really close to us. It was creepy. One girl was Venezuelan but had lived in Colombia for 4 years, and the other was a Colombian girl from Cartagena. Overall the conversation was good. We talked and laughed. Then the Venezuelan girl said that there was a club down the street that was the biggest club in Latin America. I said, “how do you know that?” Like, I hear that phrase all the time. This is the biggest ________ of (place). It could be Latin America or the world or the United States. She reacted somewhat crest-fallen. This conversation didn’t go over well. Then later, different subject, the girl said, “Spanish is harder to learn that English.” I hear this all the time. But nobody really knows which is harder to learn. We spoke in English and I told her that she knows what it’s like to learn English, but she doesn’t know what it’s like to learn Spanish, so she cannot compare the two. This also didn’t go over well. I should have known that this would not be a popular topic but I tread in anyway because I wanted to not be a ‘kiss-ass’, and remain quiet with something I don’t agree with. Now that I think about it, I should have let these two conversation topics just go. 

Learning

Today I was at the store buying jeans. I looked at many pairs narrowing it down to two. I chose 1 pair but the employee handed the cashier the two pairs. I told the cashier that I was only purchasing two. He rang up a charge larger than expected so I asked him, did he ring up both? He said yes. So I was about to say, “I told you that I wanted just one.” But I didn’t. Instead I said, “I’m only buying one pair.” I’m glad with that decision, because reminding others that they made a mistake isn’t nice. I’d be a little bothered if someone said that to me, and they have.

Lost Family

I did the 23 and Me DNA test and from those results, my brother, Kelly, and I were able to find the identity of our Grandfather. Now we have spoken with his children who are our 2 Uncles and Aunt. This is fascinating and it happened so quickly. All of a sudden we have additional family members. Grandfather is named James Shredl and he’s of Czech descent. And when I saw that I had 25.8% Czech DNA, I knew something was up.

Dream Job

I took and passed the Oral Assessment of the Consular Fellows Program. It was a two day interview and they asked me really difficult questions. For example: When was a time that you had an interpersonal conflict at work and how did you settle it? This interview was in addition to a multiple choice test. Then a review board then a Spanish test. Now all I have to do is pass a medical examination and a background check, which I believe will be no problem. I’m thrilled about this. I would be working at a US consulate in a Spanish speaking country. It’s the job I’ve been trying to get for over 8 years. I’ve taken the tests multiple times but never got this far. The money is good, too. More bones than I’ve ever made and the benefits are really, really good, and of course I would be living overseas. This could be my retirement job, a ride off into the sunset job. I’m going to do anything to get this job. 

Conclusion

Life can turn on a dime. Make that part of your prediction for your future.