Thursday 22nd - a mixed day!

This was the day Nini and I were due to deliver my presents to the community of children near to the finca but it didn't work out that way.

I left home at 9.45am with three large plastic bags, one with hot dogs which sometimes they call "dogs", very confusing! The other two were full of presents which you will have seen in previous posts.

I took a taxi and we arranged to meet at the Olimpica supermarket in Cuba. About 11.45, Nini arrived with Sofia and we walked two blocks to the jeep "bus stop" to catch a jeep at 12. There is a photo of that also in an earlier post. We had been talking about some way that I can help them (meaning my family of 3) to move out of their home into something larger. I could easily buy a house in Cuba, no need for a mortgage. A modest house in Cuba would be around 30k euros. I expressed surprise when we were in Cartagena at how easy it would be. I said in a light-hearted way, "You want a house??"

But, while we waited for the jeep, suddenly a polite conversation descended into an argument which upset me. So Nini and Sofia went to the finca alone, with all the presents and the dogs! And I went to get a coffee. And, as I write this tonight at 9pm we haven't spoken since. That is really sad. But I have another friend in Pereira, my solicitor, and I am meeting her socially for coffee tomorrow at 11am. I have never met her, we have just chatted online. I guess her age is around 40. She looks very glamorous on the company website!

I hope I am finding the right balance between describing what has happened here without saying anything damaging or bad about my friend. Or writing anything too private. I have enormous respect for her but, bearing in mind the huge difference in our backgrounds and age, it is not a surprise that we fall out sometimes. But this was fairly serious. Lots of people here compliment me on my Spanish but sometimes I had difficulty following the Colombian accent. And words! Nini asked me to pick up a bottle of gaseoso at the supermarket. Er?? She meant, Coca Cola!!

A car here is un caro. To me, that is what you push around a supermarket. And the word, "listo" is very popular here. But I always liked the word. It means.. ready, all correct, everything ok.


Here is a photo of my festive apartment!