We're here!

After weeks of trekking through the jungle, fending off a variety of wild animals and large insects, Kathy and Alex safely arrived in the breathtaking mountainscape of Bogotá. Okay, just kidding, we both flew here. But we did make it and we couldn't be happier...or more excited.

Our first adventure together was set at the infamous "Casa Lozano" (home of CISV Colombia superstars, Maji, Juanca and Luz Lozano). Maji was arriving home from a semester in Spain and the party was supposed to be a surprise. As Canadian NJRs we also got a surprise when we experienced the cultural difference that is a Colombian surprise party. While the two of us threw in our hats at 3 am, the fiesta reportedly raged until 6:30am. Shakira claims that her hips dont' lie. By the end of the night ours were quite sore.

For the past few days we have been staying together with a lovely family named the Barreras. Camila and Ade are both on the staff team for the Annual International Meeting (AIM) and though they have both been furiously busy, they have been the best hosts we could possibly have asked for. Sunday was dad Fernando's birthday party at which we appeared as special novelty guests. Hola, somos Alex y Kathy de Canadá.

As we draw closer and closer to the beginning of the international meetings more and more CISVers have been arriving in Bogotá. Last night we discovered just how many of us are already hanging out in this beautiful city. It's interesting to be in a city knowing that dozens of other CISVers (from dozens of different countries) are so nearby. What started out as a small gathering, at a very small bar, soon became a friendly take over where old an new friends connected over pitchers and a bossa nova band. By the end of the night there wasn't a soul in the bar who wasn't looking forward to the meetings ahead.

Tomorrow morning, we'll be getting up early. Really early. At 7:00 am we will be getting on a bus to the first of our three meetings. The Americas' Regional Members Meeting or ARMM brings together representatives from the 14 CISV countries in North, Central and South America. The meeting is organized and run by the regional coordiantors (Maji from Colombia and Nano from Costa Rica) along with a staff team of Colombians and Canada's own Erin Way! Interested in getting involved with Junior Branch work in the Americas? Stay tuned to find what projects ARM will be working on this year and drop us a line if any of it sounds cool to you! There will be LOTS of opportunities to get involved. Although it may just be the two of us here in Colombia, it is all of your guys that we are representing. We want to do our best to connect international JB projects with your skills, talents, and energy. Fo' real.

Curious about the above photo? We were lucky enough to drop into the national night of a Bogotá-Ottawa interchange and they asked us to help them out. They were reforming a Colombian-Canadian tribute to the Village People. We willingly obliged. Have you seen your NJRs (including potential future NJR Shaun from Ottawa) more excited? We doubt you have.

If you have any questions... comments...thoughts...whims about anything to do with these upcomming meetings (or about life in general), your very stylish NJRs are waiting with computers in lap. It's as easy as ... njr@ca.cisv.org

un beso desde Colombia!
Kathy & Alex