i could tell you ...

We have been in Taganga over a week now. I've sat down to write so many times, I know people are waiting. Waiting to hear what we are doing, where we are living, what we are seeing, feeling. I know. Truth is, its been a long week, a very long week. I knew it was going to be hard. I didn't know it was going to be really hard. I've been wanting to write, I have, but I can't put my finger on what to write.

I could tell you about the rain, how much of it there has been. How gross the beach is from the rain. How there is no hot water, not for a shower or to wash cloths. How the rain makes the air wet and my cloths take forever to dry because, yeah you guessed it, there are no dryers. There is barely a washer. I could tell you how I ate corn arepas for 3 meals yesterday. Oh by the way, I don't eat corn. Well I should say, I didn't eat corn. I could tell you its been harder on Luis and I than I imagined. Not on me or him but on us. I could tell you how our stuff is still sitting in the container at the port because we failed to plan. Failing as in we didn't know we had to pay a ridiculously high tax to bring our things in. The difference between 10% and 26% is a lot, a lot when you're talking about thousands of dollars. I could tell you about how badly I want out things. Or what I would do right now for a highchair or food, any food that's not corn. I could tell you how we are living in 1 room again only this room has the tiniest little bathroom and no closet. I could tell you its hot, like really hot and how we sweat all the time. I could tell you how home sick I am. Not for food or culture but for people, for comfort.

I could tell you about all those things but I wouldn't want to bore you.

What I will tell you about is how much Spanish Nico is speaking in just 1 week. Not instructed Spanish but speaking on his own, knowing what to say when and how to say it. I will tell you about how grateful I am that we have a washer right by our room and don't have to send our cloths out with the high possibility of not coming back. I will tell you that the rain will pass soon and it leaves behind a refreshed beach. Clean, ready for business, for the high season. I will tell you the rain makes the nights cool enough to sit outside and listen to the ocean. I will tell you how happy I am they cook everything in oil and I haven't had a single dairy or gluten issue. I will tell you that in Colombia its law to label gluten. Ah happy day! No reading every Spanish label wondering if I'm about to get sick. It's right there is big bold letters, "contiene gluten". I will tell you that we found a store that sells gluten free pasta, cookies and carries rice milk. Okay, yeah its still corn but could be worse. I will tell you this again, this makes me so happy! I will tell we were blessed with some help to get our things. I will tell you the business looks promising and that we will be up and running, ready for the tourist season. I will tell you how I met multiple contacts for a teaching job. I will tell you about the homeopathic doctor I was connected with and how she tests and treats food allergies. I will tell you they have soccer leagues here in town for women. I will tell you about the beautiful farm we went to yesterday. A coconut farm on the beach in the rainforest. I will tell you how cool it was to swim in the river, looking up at the mountains and out at the ocean.

I will tell you all these things because these things are what matter.

 

Negative thinking only does one things, breads more negativity. And I don't have time for that. Truth is, this place needs even bigger prayer than I thought. That's okay. I've got nothing but time and a really big god on my side.

 

I'm not sure this is the first post you were expecting to see but its all I've got right now. Thanks for reading. And thank you for your prayers.

 

Peace & Grace