Coming to Colombia

Coming to Colombia from the States is not that easy as it sounds. You are leaving your home and your culture. Leaving your language and your family. My family back home was not the perfect but they was my family. I was never in a city or town that I didn't have at less one family member. Back home I was a free to do what I wanted and was able to jump in the car and go. I love my little home town, its nice, quite, clean, and everyone knows you. I met my Colombian husband working at Chaparral boats. We worked together for a few months before dating, not long after that we was married. After about a year of being married we came to Colombia... Coming to Colombia was the first time that I have been out of the country or away from my family. It was like being thrown into ice water. First we had a direct flight into Cali but the lights was out at the airport so we had to land in Bogotá. I was sitting around people who was speaking nothing but Spanish. I was scared a little and didn't understand one word. My husband and his nephew ran off speaking to each other in Spanish. I sitting there with my arms up in the middle of Bogotá airport yelling "Where are y´all going". Of course they didn't hear me. Out of the blue I heard a voice "They are going to call his family in Cali". The Colombian sitting next to me spoke English and translated for me. He said "Don´t worry you are ok and they are just around the corner", What is this, a nice person that didn't even know me and help me out with a few kind words. After about an hour we was able to fly into Cali. There waiting was 5 members of my husband´s family which I knew 3 of them and they was screaming "Welcome to Colombia". We got into the little mini bus and headed towards Cali. When we got to Cali, I was shocked at the streets being filled with people and so much traffic. The way the driver of the mini bus was driving I didn't think we would make it. We got to my husband´s house that he grew up in and all his family was waiting with open arms. All the neighbors and friends of my husband was waiting too. I have never had a welcome party before. There was food and music. Finally after about 2 hours of visiting with my family and it being late, we went to sleep. We woke up around 7 o´clock and went out on the patio and I have never seen mountains before. It was such a beautiful site. My husband pointed out the 3 crosses and the Cristo Rey. I thought to my self this doesn't look like a bad place. We had a wonderful breakfast of chocolate and buñuelos. In the next few days I got to know his family and look at old family pictures. It was wonderful to see my husband as a child growing up in Colombia. At first I couldn't understand the culture. I mean I have never seen people act this way. One, saying a greeting every time you see a person even if you have done said hello to them once. My poor husband´s niece that I didn't like her because I didn't say hello every time. Two, eating I have never seen people be so free at the dinner table and reach out for things. Three, being loud, I mean people are loud from 6 o´clock in the morning till late into the night. Playing music till 4 o´clock and blowing horns at a person if they stay at the red light more than a second. It was so hard to sleep for a long time here. Four, everyone in Colombia talks with their hands. I´m a person that looks at someones mouth when they speak not at their hands. Now my life has changed so much over the last 5 years. I now can say I´m a part of the Colombian culture. I found my self talking to everyone every time I see them if I have seen them already. I found my self loud and always screaming from one room to the next, then eating like there is no tomorrow. It was so hard to get used to the Colombian food but now its something I look forward to. I love Colombia and I´m thankful for Colombia. Colombia made it possible for my husband and me to have a little girl, so now coming Colombia as a family of 3, we are now a family of 4....