Bogota Week Seven

Hmm this thing is becoming a monster. I will be close to 100 posts soon, but I feel I have the basis for a book. Maybe cut the chapters into regional sectors. On an aside, why do none of the computers in the fastest internet cafe in the zone have Adobe Flash Player. Do people not like music. One of them did not even have Messenger. Also the fat Ecuadorean with a dodgy moustache next to me keeps touching my elbow with his mouse. He needs to stick to his zone.

I had a Pan Au Chocolat for breakfast and then cooked a vergetarian pasta for lunch. Jennifer came over and joined Praveen and me for lunch. Then we spent the whole afternoon chatting rather than actually teaching any English. Oops an online radio started playing and then this wanker computer decided it did not like Indie music and shut it down. It was a little American middle of the road but still. Hmm trying a rock channel. Anyway Jennifer and me made a deal to go to Australia and New Zealand together and possibly to get married in ten years if both of us are single. Being an evangelical christian she does not want relationships with anyone she might not marry, so we had a fun time talking over future possibilities, but she wants to live in London eventually. We both want to go to Australia and New Zealand around the same time so we figured we could probably go and live there. After the Olympìcs I do want to nail down some French though and go and live in Paris for a year. Maybe road trip a bit of Europe and Africa as well while I am there. Praveen spent the lesson taking the piss out of us, until Jennifer called him a 'sapo'. His Spanish is a bit sucky so they ended up taking the piss out of each other in jest even though they don't have a common language. She recruited Praveen to teach Hinduism to her university class. It was kind of a very serious and very humorous conversation at the same time. Her self confidence is a little low though (which is surprisingly common in Latin America. I think it stems from the lack of trust) so I sent her a message with all of her strong qualities. I don't actually believe she has any negative ones really. Praveen picked up his third woman of six, though I think it was over the weekend. He got depressed, went out, got smashed and found an obliging perra in a bar. That night I went to the language meeting and had the only major argument I had with Gloria. Well in my time in Colombia anyway. She accused me of lying to some degree (which always pisses me off more than anything else) and then said she had read my notebook for this trip the day before and that was why she was pissed off. So that was the reason she was annoyed. She thought I had been seeing other people, which I hadn't. It pissed me off a lot. Not the reading of the book as I put up honestly on here what I am thinking anyway, but the fact that she had lied to me about there being nothing on her mind the day before. That's a major problem with this blog actually. You dredge up old emotions that you thought were dead at the time. Ah music and its guns'n'roses Rocket Queen. Good choice random radio station. Distracted lol. Still trying to persuade Yoana to come down here for a visit. I hate lying. It leaves you with a doubt over everything that person says in the future and is the reason why I won't have people around me who lie in any form. Anyway. We had a disagreement and she was upset and I was pissed. She said that was the day she realised I did not lie. I would have thought my answer to the Mayra question would have given that away. Anyway we argued a bit and I went back and out with Praveen to the shit bar for some soft drinks as neither of us were drinking then. Still felt odd. Like England, but I would be with Tim, Franny or Dan or someone with a pint in Bodegas. The usual place for therapy. Well that and it has some of the best looking barmaids in Watford (which admittedly is not saying much). Anyway he chatted with me for a bit. He said I should either end what we had there and then or continue as normal, but not leave it halfway. Was goodish advice though I ignored it and went with a middle option. I texted Gloria later that night and said don't worry about it and I would still go to hers the next night. Was still a little fuming, but Praveen at least put some of the fire out.

The next day I went for a brunch with Sylvia, from Manuel's university and then met a bunch of her friends for coffee. Was really struggling with the Bucaramanga accent after you get used to the clarity of Bogota. The league cup results came in and I believe this was the day that we beat Doncaster 5-1 or maybe it was the other 5-1 win we had over Preston (I think it was Preston). Either way we beat two shit teams in the cup. I should go to Ibague apparently. I never did. I have written 'how come children can see through bullshit but not adults.' Very true and a worthy question. I assume it was focused on the fact that children and animals can always tell if someone is a good person or not. Yet most adults are retarded when it comes to that. I went to Gloria's house in the evening and we did a photo shoot with her friends and family. Felt a little awkward there as I was not a close enough member of the family group to really be there. Still some Englishness in me no matter how much I try to kill it. They got one of the nephews to dress up in a Star Wars costume, but I think he was a little uncomfortable with it. Yet his mum insisted on getting him to perform for the cameras. He kept running for his dad though. The other nephew was clearly put out by it, because he had dressed up similar before and now he no longer had attention. I think the neice felt a little out of it as well when she had the cloak taken from her. It was when I noticed how good a person Mariann is. She noticed this and worked on cheering up the younger nephew. I tried to chat with the older one and it lightened their mood a little. I think she will make a great mum and had a great character. That's evident by the way she looks after the kids and the way they respond to her. One of the nicer people I have met. Gloria and all of her friends (with that one exception) are all really good people. It is funny though that when I asked her how many men she knew who were always loyal with their girlfriends her answer was one. Pathetic really and then men of Latin America do treat their women really shitly, even if a fair few of them are perras. I went back home and showed Praveen how to play poker in anticipation of a poker session that never happened.

Did not meet Sylvia for breakfast ion the end and Jennifer did not turn up for lessons. Typical Colombia. Many plans. Many cancellations. They don't know the meaning of keeping appointments here and yet sadly its better than most countries. Fucking hell. Now elbow mans girlfriend is leaning her jaw on my shoulder. I feel like shrugging my shoulders. Spurs beat Preston 5-1 so it was the third round. Another good performance and back to winning ways after two defeats. I have cautious optimism now, nearly 2 months later, but then I was flying with confidence for Spurs. We are still fourth. Soon I will have caught my own tail and then it won't be a problem as I can predict without hindsight. This radio is very stop start. Apparently I spent too much money on food. That's the story of my life so hardly needs mentioning. I went to Usaquen to a blues night (which was really soft rock). We talked about her father and the fact that she never got to say goodbye. That's a really shitty position to be in. She had a rough few months. I tried to persuade her that she should go to Australia to carry on the promise she made to him and to live out his dreams for her. It must be hard not to say goodbye. I rang both of my parents the day after, but I still have only had one relative die. I never got to say anything to them either. Hmm feeling melancholy now. This blog is taking my on a rollercoaster of emotions, because I am compressing 3 months of my life into 2-3 days of writing. Very surreal. Will be interesting reading this back in the future and it should provide many people with a solid insight into what kind of person I am and how I think. I ended up in an expensive taxi via Gloria's house and she had written me a letter than my Spanish was not good enough to read. I speak fine, but really can't read or write. That was uncomfortable as I am not good with sentimentality and I don't like owning possession for the simple freedom of not having to worry about losing them. Yet if it is a momento from someone else you have the added pressure of looking after it on a journey where many things get stolen and lost, because it means so more than the general things you carry with you. After this meal I went to Quiebra Canto as Praveen had summoned me and I had the only good night I have ever had there. I met him and David in the club. David agreed with me that it was full of passport hunting bitches. It is by far the worst place in Bogota for these perras. Daniela from Cali and Diego were there as well. They have a strange relationship. I don't think we ever worked out if they were together or not. Its sort of like a strange brother and sister relationship. Something slightly hinting of incest even though they are not related. Both really nice people. Daniella is quite cute and Diego is a nice guy. I would meet them a few more times in Bogota. We danced strangely (well I did) for all of the night and Alexandra turned up, looking and acting very differently. She would end up hooking up with Greg. I don't know why. He was not a great Yankee and more evidence that the coasts (excepting New York and the Pacific Northwest) suck in comparison to the areas in the middle of the US. Praveen got me to ask a dentist to dance as his Spanish still sucked. Seems odd. The night was good fun as we avoided the other people and then we went back home.

Radio is good, but inconsistent. Bit like Aaron Lennon. I had four hours of sleep and then I went to Jennifer's class on religious wars and the history of Protestantism. I could contribute bits and understood all. Being a specialist historian by nature I could offer many opinions and I was trying to get Carolina or Angelica to articulate them for me. Was a good lesson. Then the four of us went out for coffee. It was a fun discussion on religion and protestantism in particular given half the partcicipants were evangelical and the other half Catholic. We got talking on honesty. Jennifer asked if I trusted Angelica. I said yes. Then her. I said yes. Then Carolina. I said I did not know her enough to make that judgment. Angelica said it was a perfect example of my honesty when most people would just have said yes in order not to be awkward. Carolina and Angelica left and then I went for lunch in the Arabic place with Jennifer. We talked a long time about religion, children, marriage and her church. Was a good lunch and very interesting. Then I came back and taught Praveen some more poker. I was a bit knackered so we did not end up going out that night.

I had brunch with Maria as I had not seen her for a while. We went to the Arabic place again as I think I did four straight lunches in that place. Fernanda cancelled that night for a party so we ended up just going for afternoon drinks in the Zona Rosa. We chatted for a fair bit, but she expected me to pay for the cocktails again. Perras. Damn them they are everywhere so I never bothered meeting her again. I came back and all of our five different options were torpedoed in a blaze of cancellations. Impossible you would think. If you were in England you would be right. So Praveen and me played poker and watched Black Adder. Not the most tradtionally exciting of friday nights.

Spurs annihilated Burnley 5-0 at home. Good result and we were back up and charging up the table. Not far off the leaders at this point. Both Chelski and Villa lost which was even better. Liverpool were really beginning to flag at this point and its looking like them, us, Villa and Man City will be battling for the positions from number 4 down to number 7. Top 3 look safe enough, though only Chelsea look locked on after Van Persie got crushed playing for Holland yesterday. I slept in the afternoon. Not sure why. Had not been doing anything. I don't recall going to a dance show. Ah no it was the one opposite my flat which was a breakbeats and breakdancing competition and not bad. I had been having cravings for Pizza Hut (man I miss Nandos) and so we went all the way up north to have some and then met Angelica M for her birthday in Parque 93. Then we went to Candelario for the night. It was a fun night of dancing until we were moved by the bouncer. Praveen asked why but they speak no English, I asked why and did not understand. Then Angelica M asked why and did not understand. Then they said it was because someone said we smelt of sweat. What utter bollocks. We did not smell at all and it made sense why I had not understood what they had said. Fucking idiots. We were clearly moved because some guys took offense that the girls they were with were watching mine and Praveen's dancing than paying attention to them. Oh well. Praveen wanted to go back but instead we ended up dancing elsewhere. We went back to the flat and Angelica M was scared when two guys approached us, but they were clearly tiny and realised the mismatch and their mistake when they got closer.

England cricket success. I believe this was in their ridiculously good run in the ICC trophy despite being total bollocks. Somerset just missed out on the sunday league title. Does anyone have a gun? There is some fuckwit outside making duck noises and he needs to be put out of his misery. I went to Mariann's house and cooked everyone English breakfast with Colombian ingredients. It bore more of a resemblence to Bandeja de Paisa. Gloria, Mariann and some others had gone to visit her dad's ashes in the morning and some bastard had stolen one of the trees they had planted. Some people have no class. The breakfast went really well in general. Was surprised considering I had to cook eight ingredients. I had picked up a head cold somewhere and Gloria came round for the rest of the afternoon. We did not have loads of time together now so were spending a lot of it together. Praveen had to prepare for his interview for the AISEIC position in Porto Alegre and the week was rounded off in a sad note when Tim told me that our friend Karen had drowned in a boating accident off the coast of Vietnam. They were on a cycling trip around the world to raise money for charity. Where is the karma in that one.