Monday, November 25, 2019
POCO a POCO. Little by little. That’s what my tutor says when I get frustrated. That applies to many aspects of life here. THIS IS COLOMBIA is another one. I have to figure out a way to transplant both of these seemingly abstract concepts into my brain. THIS IS COLOMBIA more or less means that foreigners should not expect things to be the way they were. Like having the comforts of a toilet seat . Both of these sayings are truisms, yet I need to remind myself several times a day how true they are and that I’m not in THAT other world any longer.
I can finally cross off the problem with getting a decent haircut. I was using Jhon ever since I came to Sabaneta. We became amigos. His shop is a bit run down and he’s a horrible barber. The worst thing is, he doesn’t listen. And each time he cuts my hair, he seems like he’s gunning for the Guinness World Book of Records in speed cutting. The result is not too unlike the photo you see. Yet he’s funny. And I thought I could turn him into a good barber with constant instruction, at least good enough for me. Using his service did have its positive aspects. He’s only a block away and charges the equivalent of about $4.00. On the down side, I pass his store every day on my way to the metro. I now have to find a new street to walk to the metro. He won’t be happy to learn he’s been fired.
I went to a recommended barbershop in Viva Envigado, the largest and one of the newest malls in Colombia. Here we go with THIS IS COLOMBIA. Mr. Kutz’ (great name!) Facebook page says they open at 9am. I got there at 9:10am and waited until 10:10am. No sign of life. IS IT TOO MUCH TO EXPECT THAT A STORE LOCATED IN THE TOP MALL IN COLOMBIA PLAY BY FIRST WORLD RULES?! I left. On the way back home, I remembered a nice-looking shop not far from the metro. What the heck, I took a chance. OMG, I was taken aback to find a modern store with 6 barbers. I found out later they have a website and that’s how you make appointments. Uh oh, they’re going to bastardize the THIS IS COLOMBIA baloney. But wait.
I got a barber that looked like he was 12. He was actually 21. I sat down in the American-style barbershop chair and he started to cut. We got to talking – him in broken English and me in broken Spanish – and I learned that he learned how to cut hair from YouTube videos! I almost bolted, I swear. But I tell ya, he was as good as any barber I ever had. Plus, he was super friendly and he was fun to practice my Spanish. I found a new amigo. A truly nice kid.
But it behooves me why they need so much info to register me on their website. Like my date of birth, cedula number (like a social security number on steroids) and other personal info. All I want is to get my hair cut! Uh oh, here we go, THIS IS COLOMBIA.
Terry and I started what may be a tradition, brunch every Sunday. We’ve been at it for nearly 2 months. At first, we were going to a Colombian restaurant, Carbon de Leña in Envigado. It’s very good. Both of us always ordered the same thing, probably because it was very good. Rice & beans with scrambled eggs. We both passed on the arepa. Arepas are great but most restaurants don’t put much care into making them and they taste like cardboard. This went for about 5 or 6 weeks. Then we started experimenting, mostly out of boredom with Carbon de Leña. We tried 2 hotel buffets, both adequate but nothing more, and overpriced. Last Sunday, we hit pay dirt in Provenza. Provenza is the wealthy section of Poblado and seems to cater to gringos. Ganso y Castor.
I was almost a half hour late much to Terry’s chagrin. I got uh, misdirected. This is a frequent occurrence for me, all my life. I think I take after dad. Terry wasn’t too pleased judging by the look on his face. He doesn’t understand why I avoid buses here which are actually efficient and cheap. The reason: I would get even more lost. Too many buses with too many signs. I defer to the metro and taxis, the latter being very cheap anyway. Besides, it wasn’t totally my fault. Blame the taxi driver. There happens to be 2 such restaurants with the same name and he went to the wrong one even though I gave him the correct address!
As I entered, I sensed déjà vu. I just shrugged it off though. I sat down and Terry asked if I wanted the password for the wi-fi. I brought up the wi-fi on my phone and whoa! The password was already in my phone. It turned out I was there on one of my visits, probably 5 years ago. The experience at Ganso y Castor was great then, but I didn’t appreciate it so much thinking this type of café was the norm in Colombia. I had been craving eggs benedict for months plus a bagel plus an English muffin. My eyes were too big and I totally over ordered. They had everything I craved and it was made superbly. We won’t count the coffee though. Ganso was spectacular, best place I’ve eaten in Medellin.
Another ritual and yes, it involves food. I began having breakfast at Café Zendaya almost immediately after moving to Sabaneta. It’s a 5-minute walk from my apartment. They’ve got the best coffee in Sabaneta, but sadly, that’s not saying much. It is a small café and I came to know it when I met the owner to discuss an apartment. His wife is a realtor. There are 3 women that work there and they prepare every dish differently than one another. When I pointed this out, they shrugged it off. I think it’s funny. Besides, I don’t go there for the food. I usually just get coffee. It is my favorite time of day, early morning. It is perfect weather (around 70) and it’s on a quiet shady block with few people. I read or study Spanish here and often run into other gringos. Then I stop in parque Sabaneta and read or study some more. By then, it’s usually time for my tutor.
This kind of life may sound boring, but I enjoy it immensely.
The good news is that POCO A POCO is becoming more rapido and THIS IS COLOMBIA is becoming MY Colombia. On a somewhat sad note, the protests seem to be continuing and there was something going on in parque Sabaneta last night. Actually, it sounded more like a fiesta or rhumba as Colombians say. They never seem to cease to party.
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