Adios, Colombia

One last post to round out my trip to Colombia. As this is my last post, I feel obligated to start it with a picture of a roscon- a sweet bread filled with either dulce de leche (arequipe) or other yummy flavors, and a treat that quickly became one of my favorite items of Colombian cuisine. Probably only those reading this from Colombia will understand my addiction to these things...



Now that that's out of the way, I can get to the pictures from my last full day in Bogota. The main event was a party that Edith threw Friday night, complete with empanadas and a vallenato band! Vallenato is true Colombian music, mainly from the coast, and it was so much fun having a live band at the party.


The mill, for grinding corn to make the outside crust of the empanadas



The mixture for the inside of the empanadas, boiling away



The vallenato band! Who, after learning that I was leaving the next day, proceeded to sing every song using the name "Sara" in my honor...



Enjoying the company





The party was a lot of fun, but it was also bittersweet because the last thing that I wanted to do was think about leaving...and of course, it was hard to do otherwise. The band made Julian give a speech in my honor (poor Julian!) and, being the gentleman that he is, he agreed. He's probably going to be less than thrilled to see himself speaking on this blog, but it was such a (short and) sweet moment that I'm posting the video anyway for your viewing pleasure:





After the majority of the guests had left, we sat around talking and enjoying some aguardiente with Oswaldo (who tried his best to make all of us shed a tear with a heartfelt toast or two), his girlfriend, and Edith's neighbor until we were all extremely tired. The night was so much fun, but it was also quite the exercise in self-control... I hate saying goodbyes, and even more so when I have to say goodbye to such great people.

Now I am writing this entry from the comfort of my own apartment, after long hours spent flying back home. I have to admit that I am missing Colombia already- especially the family and friends that I left behind. I never expected to find myself feeling so at home, so far away from where I actually live. But that is exactly what happened, thanks to all of the unbelievably wonderful people that made this gringa feel so welcome from the start. There are simply no adequate words to thank everyone for sharing their time with me, for sharing their homes with me, for being so very kind, and for making my stay so very rich. I hope someday to be able to return the favor. Until the next time...

Gracias...totales!!!