Day 2 of being here in Medellin! My journey here has been powerful and telling on who I am, who I have been and who I either returning to or becoming!
I showed up on 20 minutes of sleep in 2 days…I took a 4 hour nap that only barely quenched my thirst for rest. I went out on search for dinner, wandering the streets until I found just the right nook for me to have a tasty meal. Oddly enough I am in a part of that doesn’t have Colombian, typical food, it is almost all international…Vietnamese, Mexican, Pizza, etc. So the tacos won and I ate Mexican food at this sweet little place! It was delicious! At dinner I talked to a man that has been living here 4 months…he is learning Spanish and it had my heart thrill to know that I could do that too…possibly not here in Medellin, as it is still a city…not what I’m looking for. But to learn Spanish, that is exciting for me! He also told me in all the big cities the water is so chlorinated that it is drinkable…now I’m not sure if that is good news or not, but he, along with many others seem to think that is a plus over drinking out of plastic. I don’t like either myself.
I am staying in a lovely hostel in a dorm room with 5 other women and a private bathroom…and the best thing about this space is that every bed has it’s own curtain…which makes it so much easier for my self love and self pleasuring practice daily…though I just have to keep my sound down…which I am not used to..haha! It is worth it though. As some of my roommates are just lovely! I love how each one is so independent, from different countries, doing their own thing and on their own exploration!
I forced myself to stay up until 10:30pm that night…and I know it is the best way to get over jetlag.
I woke up the first morning after 9 hours of sleep. I think it is has been 2 or 3 months since I have even gotten 8 hours of sleep. Preparing for this trip was a full time job on top of working, etc. And now it is time to relax. I didn’t jump out of bed…I didn’t run to my phone or my computer. I just laid there feeling my body…how tired it was, how wonderful it was to do nothing. Self employment….as much as I LOVE it…it has done a number to my relaxing schedule. I really “got” the week I was leaving one big reason for coming on a long trip is to learn more about how to balance things…I have been working for 6 years solid, no long vacations…so my system finally just needed a big traveling journey…which is why I am here. If I’d gone to Mexico, like planned in January I probably wouldn’t be here now…and I know everything is perfect.
I got out of bed at 11am, man…I don’t remember the last time I did that. I got dressed and headed out to find the breakfast I’ve been longing for…beans, rice, eggs and PLATANOS (which are cooked bananas)! I love Plantains! I fell in love with them in Guatemala and have never stopped loving or thinking of them. I remember flying into Medellin, seeing all the greenery, so gorgeous..and just like Guatemala city the city came in and it was a bit of a shock…but this city is different…it is clean, there are no holes in the middle of the sidewalks you can fall into and it has green everywhere.
As I wandered out to find my breakfast, the receptionist wasn’t used to people asking for traditional breakfast…so it took her a while to find a place a 12 minute walk away, which was fine by me. I took the walk, the first thing I noticed are the people are so aware…they were aware of me walking up behind them…they looked at me, they really looked at my armpit hair if I raised my arms..oh well…it is all good! They were very sweet and no one spoke English! For a city this big, 2nd largest city here in Colombia, it is amazing they don’t speak English..which is so good, as I get to practice.
As I sat down for breakfast in this sweet little place, surrounded by a water fountain, an open courtyard, orange tile floors, I looked at the menu…I didn’t find what I wanted all in one…this woman came over and pieced my meal together…her attitude was one of being of service. As I waited for my meal I sat and read…no phone, just read about this area…FINALLY! If I’d read about it sooner…if I’d had the time to get to know this area before coming from the US, I probably would have packed differently…and it is all good. My blood started to pump, my heart excited, my traveling being started to perk up and the thrill of this country poured into me!
And then breakfast came, it was perfect…I’d never seen plantains so large with so many on my plate all for me! I was in heaven and they tasted even better! Half way through my meal I realized I was hurrying so I could read…and realized there was no hurry, I could read while eating..which is better for my digestion. This was the first time I read and ate in years…to take the time to take in both…be conscious with each bite and to take in my book…YUM! And 1.5 hours later my hot cocoa was done and most of my breakfast, and I was full…I was exhilarated by just one chapter of guide book!
I walked out onto the streets and I noticed my eyes took in everything…I was curious…my tiredness had worn off some and excitement was in it’s place. I was off to find a sim card for my phone…now, I’d been told this was quite a feat, and it was…store to store to store…many had the sim card, but didn’t have the service. After 2 malls I was drawn to a Samsun store and as I walked up the man inside said “Hello, how are you?” I was taken back a bit as that was the first English I’d heard most all day and it was clear and the best I’ve heard!
I love how people in shops will just leave their shop to show you where you need to go. No telling the other people in the shop, they just leave. He found me the right store and I was set up within 30-40 minutes with a new sim card, number and service for all of $13.00 a month!
This was pretty exhausting so I headed back to my hostel to find a way of calling 800 numbers in the US from my phone (international calls are not included) but 800 numbers maybe an exception. As one of my bank accounts wouldn’t let me sign in without my US phone number…they knew my phone was off within 24 HOURS of me being out of the country…that is crazy! Well, after much trying, I turned to Skype and it worked! And after much explaining she finally found a way to get me on my computer with my bank account..which to my bank “isn’t allowed” without a US phone number. It took some hoop jumping but I got in!
I laid down for a bit, realizing I had nothing to do…and didn’t need, nor want to do anything but relax as I was tired.
I went to find dinner and found a new friend from the hostel at a restaurant, and had my very first pizza with chicken and broccoli on it, I added mushrooms..it was so good!
I really got so see how much I have to unwind, slow down and take every moment as it comes. I really got I needed to get a few things done but do it in a way that feels good to my system. The truth is I am not always working at home…but my mind doesn’t turn off. As so now, I get to work on being in the moment. I also notice when I have something “scheduled” there is a certain tension in my system..mostly as I want to be on time and don’t know how to get anywhere just yet by Metro.
There is lots of unwind…and my first day here was heaven…I really loved how it just flowed and I got things done and the magic of travel came back into my blood!
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