We arrived in Bogota on Wednesday, July 8th. It was raining hard during our cab ride to our hotel/hostel. During that 30 minutes, I noticed three distinct differences between Bogota and Cali: 1) the climate -- Bogota's elevation is 8,600 feet (3,000 feet higher than Denver!), so it's much, much cooler; 2) the air -- I didn't notice as much smog or pollution; 3) the traffic -- although the drivers are still crazy here, there weren't as many motorcycles as Cali. And one other thing...Bogota is HUGE, both in terms of population (about 9 million) and size (75 miles wide).
We're staying in a very nice place. It's called the "Hotel Paris," and it's owner, Katya Paris, is a great gal who has been hosting families in her hotel for years now. It's a bit bigger than Rayna's place in Cali. It's got probably 10 rooms, a living area, dining area and a back yard with playroom. It's in a very nice part of Bogota.
A couple of hours after we arrived on Wednesday, we had our doctor's appointment for the kids. There's nothing wrong with them -- it's just a step the US requires before they allow the kids into the country.
On Thursday, we got up early to go to the US Embassy and file for the kids' visas. It was a very cool feeling to see that huge US flag flying in US airspace on US soil. We arrived around 10 a.m. and didn't get the final OK until 1 p.m. It should be a 5 minute process. Our paperwork was all prepared beforehand. We submitted it, paid our $800, then waited for someone to look it over. That's about it.
Then Friday, I went back to the embassy to pick up the kids' passports with their completed visas, as well as a super-secret envelope for each that can't be opened until we reach customs in Houston. We lose those envelopes and we don't get back into the good-'ol USA!
We took one excursion yesterday, to the mountain of Monserrate, and the Cerro de Monserrate. Monserrate is a mountain that looms over Bogota. On the very top of it is a Church -- Cerro de Monserrate. According to the website, "Monserrate is the main symbol of Colombia's main city, not as an ecological icon but it's religious nature, whose Sanctuary was visited by thousands of people and pilgrims, since 1640 when it was founded."
It was breathtaking. To get to the top, you take a cable car. Once there, you follow a beautiful brick-path that curves back and forth. Along the path are the Stations of the Cross in beautiful sculpture. Also along the path are amazing views of the surrounding mountains, colorful flowers and trees, trees, trees.
Then at the end of the path, you see the Church.
These pictures don't do it justice because it was cloudy, and of course, I forgot the camera, so I had to use the iPhone. It's not a huge church, but it's really beautiful.
As we made our way up the path and into the church, it was clear that Mari knew who Jesus is and that we were in a holy place. It's clear either her birth-mother or her foster mother had taken her to church. When we got inside, we walked up to the front, and the Priest was just finishing up a short blessing for a crowd there. Mari sat down in a pew, very saintly-like, and just looked and listened.
After the Priest was done, we took the kids up to him, and introduced ourselves and told him we had adopted Mari and Alex. And we asked him to bless the kids, which he did.
Now those of you who know me probably just fell out of your chairs reading those last two sentences. I'm not a "believer" anymore, but being on that mountain, in that church, watching Mari react to it all, really shook me. I've always believed in a higher power of some kind, just not a biblical God. Amy does believe in God and goes to church with Joe every week. So at that moment, it felt exactly like the right thing to do. And I admit it felt good.
We then had lunch at one of the two restaurants there. It was a very nice, white-table-cloth place that overlooked Bogota (like the picture at the top of this post).
I didn't fall out of my chair about those two lines, but my eyes filled with tears..... What a moment! I am so glad you got to experience that again, and feel it, please cherish that memory and feeling...... so sorry I missed your call..... my heart broke when I heard your voice and realized I missed talking to you.... I will call you on Tues. after you have slept in hopefully and feel a little settled..... I am so glad things are progressing smoothely and you are on your way back! love to you all!
Posted by: Amie Schilling | July 12, 2009 at 11:04 PM