Dear Bogota Expats!
It has been almost a month that we have been living here in Bogota, the grand capital of Colombia! Within the confines of the 25+ blocks that we normally live (from block 69 to 95, the living is easy, expensive, and quite safe. I can elaborate quite a bit on each of these adjectives. Easy - the city is compact enough that everything you need can be found probably within 4-5 blocks, and surely everything within these 25+ blocks that I referred to. You can have all the help that you want, though you have to get used to dealing with having a "staff" and managing them, which can be a lot of work if you are not used to it or don't have a schedule set up. Expensive - as we are living in the northern part of the city, I would say it is easily the most affluent and expensive area of the city - where the rents are high, utilities are high, and this also includes the groceries and restaurants (we are 4 blocks away from the Zona G, "g" for gastronomy)! It also seems the city is quite safe - I see police cars from time to time, but not in any crazy chase, and have not seen anyone being apprehended or pulled over for anything more than a fender-bender situation. Every other corner has armed guards with serious machinery at the ready, but I have never heard or seen any action so far - thankfully!
FINDING NEW FRIENDS
I find more and more that I am in another period of my life, where after having moved as many times as I have years (I am hitting my fourth decade in a few hours!), it is much more to find and make new friends. We also don't got out to bars or nightclubs anymore - we haven't for the last 9 years of our lives! And you find that you are who you are, and it is a lot of work to once again introduce yourself, build trust, and find a good network of good friends to have over on a Friday night, or for Sunday brunch, or just for heated up leftovers on a Tuesday night.
My husband studied at one of the best schools in Boston - yes, that one - and he made friends with a Chilean-Colombian who studied at the neighboring other best school in Boston - yes, that one. So on Saturday, they arranged to have brunch together. The plans changed, and we all of a sudden got invited over to his friend Natasha's place, who did her PhD at one of the best schools in northern California, yes, that one - no, the other one. So, everyone is English speaking, but we spoke in Spanish 99.9% of the time. They have a wonderful apt as part of a 4-apt complex in the mountains up beyond the Calera (the long winding drive up over the mountains from Bogota), where the views are stunning and you feel like you're in the countryside, even though you're only 20 or so minutes from Bogota. (This is definitely a wonderful option to live instead of being in the city, though we might save this option for the last year!) We had a great time getting to know each other and having a great chat - really spending the whole day together from 9:30am to 5:30pm! After a French-inspired meal, we walked down to the river behind their house, and then sat outside in this huge sloping backyard that all the neighbors share. I do hope we can get integrated into their lives - they are very interesting, well-traveled and open! (Even after they dropped us off - I forgot to mention, the hostess Natasha so nicely came into the city to pick us up, then drive us back to our apt - they invited us out for the evening!)
CITY IS OPENING ITSELF UP!
We will live 4-5 blocks from Parque 93, and have found this is an incredible center of northern Bogota life. Last week JEEP set up a huge exhibition/test drive track in the block that is always open for such events, like a blank stage that comes to life every week. This weekend, there was a huge Book Fair and also a few car brands took over the block to show off their new cars (Land Rover, Mercedes, KIA, Audi, etc. - even Frank, our VOLVO salesperson was there). I imagine there must be many spaces like this in the city where there is much to do and see, and experience.
Day by day, we are finding the city opening itself up to us... and we are finding, little by little, it is quite nice to be here.
Lots of love, y abrazos,
Avila
