ko-LOM-bee-yaa!!

s a part of New Year's Eve celebrations in Colombia it is customary to carry a suitcase around the block to ensure many travels throughout the new year. Such a contrast to the kinds of things that Americans wish for at the start of their new year. Americans wish for things like smaller waistlines and making more money. So of course, among other reasons too, I was very excited to visit a country that puts such high value on traveling and experiencing new places.

From January 2nd through 9th I had the chance to visit Colombia for the first time. Why Colombia you ask? No, I am not Colombian, as everyone I tell about my trip first assumes. Arya went a couple years ago and ever since he had been raving about how amazing the country and the people are, etc, etc. I couldn't handle it anymore and convinced him (didn't take much effort) that if it was that great then he was due for a return. Plus, he wanted me to finally see what all his fuss was about. After more than a year of hearing about how amazing Colombia was, how could I turn down the suggestion? And that's how I eventually ended up in Colombia.

Although it was Arya's second time in Colombia, his first trip was very different than what we experienced this January. He spent his first trip primarily at the parties and beaches of  Santa Marta, while our trip was spent at a different city everyday. We got to see Bucaramanga, San Gil, Tunja, Villa de Lleyva, Sogamoso, Laguna de Tota, Playa Blanca, and Bogotá. A lot of time spent in cars, buses, and planes, but it was all well worth it.

I saw so much I don't even know where to start. I guess I will just share some pictures and let it stand at that. Please keep in mind that we only took pictures with an iPhone 4 (sorry we were lazy) and pictures never ever give beautiful places the justice they deserve. And Colombia is a BEAUTIFUL place, no lie. The only unfortunate part about our trip was that it was too short (there was so much more we wanted to see) and Colombia just experienced a series of freak floods, so it occasionally rained, which is very unusual. Even at it's ugliest, the country didn't stop taking my breath away. Considering how beautiful every place we visited was, I was not surprised by the pride and love all of their citizens have for their home.

And now for some pictures:

A Farewell to the Fabulous 2010

2010 has come and gone, even though it feels like only yesterday that I celebrated the start of 2010.

Beginning of 2010

Beginning of 2011

Still, I can’t believe how much has happened between those two pictures. After ending such a fabulous year filled with so much growth, first times, and fun, I'm reallyyyy looking forward to whatever is in store for 2011.

:)

Christmas Giving

ust as expected, my Christmas was amazing. My sister and I flew to Upstate New York to see our American side of the family. It was a typical Simpson Christmas, filled with pepperoni rolls, Catch Phrase, cousin photo shoots, and laughing until the aunts start crying. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Some cousins, the sister, an aunt, and me.

Anyways, years back, when all of my dad’s sisters and brother started having children of their own, they decided that instead of exchanging gifts between everyone, they agreed to just buy gifts for each other’s kids. This was an effort to reduce the stress and clutter of unnecessary and unwanted gifts. But as the children started getting older the rules of who should receive gifts started to blur. There was no cut-off date; what happened when a kid graduated high school and then college? I am the oldest, so many years ago I started trying to make it clear that there was no reason to keep giving me gifts. Yet, every Christmas the gifts continued. I guess it’s hard to break tradition? Thankfully this year the family finally realized that, as a college graduate, I can finally graduate from gifts too.

Since I was in my early teens, I have always been against the idea of me receiving Christmas gifts. Unlike my little sister who used to write out a detailed wish list spreadsheet complete with links/sizes/colors, I acknowledge that I live a very privileged life and I have always gotten all that I wanted. I am always so spoiled that by the time Christmas rolls around I have nothing left to ask for. I have always honestly felt that the true beauty of the holiday season is showing love to your family and friends (in forms other than superficial gifts). I tried asking people not to buy me gifts and to instead make donations, in my honor, to their favorite charity. This year I took it a step even further and as my gift to others I made donations to non-profits that I thought would tie-in nicely with their interests or passions. Don’t worry, of course I made exceptions for little kids who still deserve the excitement of tangible toys and don’t understand what a donation means.

I love it when I hear about families who go to soup kitchens or send gifts to orphanages in lieu of the traditional Christmas gift exchange. In America we are so unbelievably blessed that we can afford to take the Christmas spirit to a broader level. Yes, giving to our family and friends is wonderful and should happen all year long, but when we are taking extra time off to celebrate maybe we should take some of that love and spread it around even more? Personally, I can't stand the idea of just buying gifts for my little circle of family and friends.

Yes, my face is an ornament...

As I was listening to NPR on my ride home from work in early December, I heard the story of a lady who didn’t have the money to pay her bills and never experienced a ‘typical’ family Christmas. She lived in foster-care her whole life, and now that she has an infant of her own she was so excited to finally be able to give her daughter what she never had herself, a family to love around the holidays and traditions of their own to start. It just killed me to be reminded of how lucky my family and I are even in a non-monetary sense, and how important it is to share any good fortune with others. Ok, yes I know others feel this way too and I’m probably the least giving person all year round, but the more I remind myself of these ideas, hopefully the more I can actually live them. Please don’t see this post as a lecture on how amazing I am or how people should be more giving like me. I mean it only as a gentle self-reminder to continue being grateful and remembering there is a world outside myself. That is all.

Anyways, I did receive some amazing and much appreciated gifts this year. Since I have been going on about how it’s my dream to be a bartender, the roomie surprised me with a bartending starter kit, complete with recipe book, all the garnishes, and a colorful (very important) mixer shaker thing. Also, my grandfather made a big donation to an organization that supplies desks to classrooms in Africa that are in desperate need of better facilities. He also gave me a large set of beautifully bound century old books that belonged to his father. My dream of filling a Beauty and the Beast style library one day is now well on its way. I feel so lucky to have people around me that actually listen to my hopes and dreams, no matter how silly they may be. Told you I live a very privileged life. :)