It's Finally Over

Time flies doesn't it? It seems so long since the last time I wrote a blog post. Of course, after all the things I've been doing, I wasn't able to find a minute to do so.
I just came back from Medellin, where I was participating in the Interleage National Swimming Championship. It was just me and my sister and the rest of the Bogota Swimming League. Most of them were really nice, but you always have to be careful with the big swimmers, especially if you are a "primiparo"(first.timer). As a matter of fact, neither one of us was a primipara, but Monica (the best breast-stroker in Colombia, not to mention the meanest  of the big swimmers) thought we were, so we were basically screwed. We would close our room door with lock and chain, in hopes we could be protected from an unexpected and unwanted baptism (all first-timers are baptized by Monica. I'm still not exactly sure what that involves-I think scissors, bleach and your hair-since last year, which was our first time, we were spared because we were hardly recognized). Fortunately, we were able to survive without major incident.
When it comes to swimming, I was extremely pleased. I broke a lot of my personal records, and I felt very proud because I saw my huge effort and sacrifice I did for the past five months were really worth it.
I forgot to mention that we were swimming in the new pool, the one that was built for the South American Games that took place there less than three months ago. It felt so great to swim in the same pool Tiago Pereira and Carolina Colorado had competed on.
After I came back, I had so much catching up to do I didn't have a second left to wink. I had to make sure I hadn't missed anything, especially since the Final Exams were coming up in a week.
Apart from that, I caught a weird case of the flu mixed with amigdalitis and a little of an asthma attack. Now that I think of it, I wonder how I survived that week at all. Well I'm still hear, right?
Things are starting to clear up a little now, since I finally finished with my Science Exam. There's still the Math Exam left, and I'm not sure if I want it to never come, or if it can just be right now so I can get it over with.
Anyway, after that I won't have to think about anything for about two months. Tomorrow, I will be free to enjoy the vacations we have all been waiting for so anxiously and we have all deserve so much.

So I bid you all good-bye and have a terrific summer!

The Building Pressure

Has it ever happened to you that you have just so much to do and so little time? Do you feel that each second is precious and you just can't afford to waste one?
Well that's how I'm feeling right now. I spent the weekend a little more relaxed than usual. It was election day on Sunday, so there was practically nothing else to do for anyone but thinking who'd they vote to rule our country for the next four years.
I honestly don't like talking about politics. First of all, I'm underage, so any opinion I have is worthless since I have no right to vote. Second, politics conversations always end up in fights and people screaming at the top of their lungs why they think their candidate is the best and the other person's is a humongous retard who will ruin our country. Third, it's always underage people talking about politics. Why do they do that? Aside form the fact that they probably don't understand what they are so passionately screaming about, no one cares about what they have to say because they can't vote yet!
On Friday, I asked a girl who was trying to convince me to like Mockus and make my parents vote for him, why she was doing that?
"Well, it's my country anyway, so I have the power to change it." No you don't because you aren't 18 yet.
"Well I have changed the ideals of many people, telling them how Mockus' political campaign is so great." Yeah, I'm sure a lot of voters were convinced by a fifteen year old who doesn't even know what the campaign she's referring to is really about.
I just thought it was pathetic, especially because she was so sure she had convinced me to make my parents vote for that sick, retarded and pathetic clown.
Anyway, after seeing Santos smash Mockus on the first round, and dropping that subject until June 20, I realized I had so many things to do! This week we are going to Medellin for the National Inter-league Swimming Championship and we are missing some days at school. Because of this, we have to get ahead before we go, and later catch up when we come back. The teachers have taken the care to give us a fairly big amount of work. What's worse is that Final Exams are closing in fast. All our teachers are starting to make plans, prepare us, or simply just get on our nerves. I even have to finish the Basic Computers Project before I go on Thursday!
There's just so much to do, and so little time.
To make our huge dilemma even worse, there's the competition itself. All the nerves are building up and adding to the school stress. It's the most important championship of the season, and I've been training for it since January. Now that it is only a few days away, I feel I'm not prepared for it. All the effort and sacrifice will come down to one single moment that will last less than a minute, and will declare what  the effort was really worth.
Yes, there's a lot of pressure.

Rayman Raving Rabbids

Yesterday I found something amazing! I was with my sisters and a friend in our house after the UEFA Champions League Final. WOOHHHHHH! Inter is the champion! The Italian team (which is only Italian in the playing style. Apart from only five Italians, it's got Argentinians, Brazilians, Cameroonians, Serbians, Slovenians, Macedonians, Kenyans, Romanians, Dutchmen, Austrians, Ghanaians, Portuguese and Colombians-Ivan Ramiro Cordoba!) beat the Bayern Munchen 2-0 in a spectacular game.
Anyway, after the match, we started surfing YouTube because our friend wanted to show us a video about Remi Gaillard. It's about a weird french guy who loves causing havoc dressed as popular characters (Mario, Pacman, a kangaroo, etc.). A lot of people sue him, but he makes a profit from his videos on YouTube.
After that, we found a video of Rayman Raving Rabbids! Familiar with it? Me neither until yesterday. I still don't know what it really is about, but it's so funny (and somewhat weird).
I just felt like some of of the videos in this blog. If you want to know more you can look for more videos.



There's also Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, which is even better than the first!

The Legend of Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo has been one of the greatest automakers in history. These cars are one of the most celebrated pieces of technology and engineering that have ever been created. Since their first appearance in Milan during 1910, Alfa Romeo has created loads of memorable cars that have made an impact on automobile history. Nobody can forget the beautiful Alfa 8C 2900 Le Mans of 1938, a worldwide champion of race and style. It was indeed so great, it transcended through history and morphed into the 8C Competizione 2008. This is one of Alfa's newest inventions, and is a new heart-melting, adrenaline rushing, version of its legendary ancestor.

The Alfa Romeo Spider is one of the most famous creations of Alfa. "The Graduate" car was carefully designed by Pinnifarina and it really is a car worthy of being a movie star. Other cars like the Giulia, Gulietta and the Super Sprints have also been special models.

Through time, Alfa Romeo continues to make miracles, and is certainly one of the most important brands of vehicles. Ferrari itself was born out of Alfa Romeo's glory. Enzo Ferrari used to be one of their mechanics, and later went his own way to build a new brand of Italian monsters that would change the world, but that's another story.

It's so sad that here in Colombia, nobody knows what Alfa Romeo is. There's even tons of people here who didn't even know that Alfa Romeo was a car at all. Not anymore, however, since Alfa Romeo is finally coming back to Colombia! To me, this is one of my dreams come true. My family happens to be the few people in Colombia who know about Alfa Romeos. As petrolheads, we happen to own and Alfetta GTV 1976, the only one of the three which came to Colombia who is still in perfect shape (the other two were destroyed by their owner in his insane engine fixing in an attempt to beat ours in the race). Anyway, it made me a little sad to never be able to see any other Alfa Romeo on the streets, especially after the magnificent models I saw on the Internet and other car media. It was so frustrating to say "Alfa Romeo" and see people stare in confusion, ignoring the real value of the brand behind the name. It had been so long since I had resigned myself to this sad reality. It seemed the magnificent king-eating serpent, the heart-shaped shield, or even the iconic "Quadrafoglio Verde" emblem would only be acknowledge by the very few who really knew.

With Alfa's new arrival, it seems this might change. The new MiTo and the GT have already been brought to Colombia and are starting to create the sensation Alfa cars always cause. The brand is starting to gain recognition, and its shiny past is helping it make way through the hearts of the Colombians, who are seeing its beauty and power for the first time. Hopefully more of Alfa will come to enhance the streets of Bogota, and the true glory of Alfa Romeo will be known at last.

Those interested in more Alfa Romeo information and the Alfisti can go to the official Alfa Romeo webpage:
http://www.alfaromeo.com/

Tips to Help You Overcome a Cold

Note: It's Monday and I still feel like hell. This is what moved my to write this post, so other people who are feeling like me have some way to experience less suffering.

Being sick is one of the worst experiences you can have, and every single person in the world has been so at least once(seriously). However, there are some things you can do to make the experience a little less horrible. These are some tips I find useful while I am sick, and might make it easier for someone who is going through the same hall of torture:

1. Get a comfortable place to lie down: A bed, a big couch or even an arm chair. It's best to be sure this place is warm enough for you, especially when you get shivers.

2. Find a way to distract yourself. Watching T.V. is great because it doesn't require any effort or thinking. Besides, it can help you fall asleep quicker, and sleeping is a great way to recover from colds.

3. Have a box of tissues AND a trash can near by (there's nothing worse than being surrounded by used tissues).

4. Have a bit of marigold ointment or Vaseline to use on the rash you will surely get for blowing your nose so much. You can also use it on your lips if they get chapped (use this tip: my lip broke and I kept spilling blood through it all day)

5. Keep yourself hydrated constantly. Drinking lots of water or energy drinks can help you avoid severe headaches or dehydration problems. Don't try to turn a house cold into a hospital visit.

6. If possible, have someone to take care of you, or even just be by your side for a while. You may find the company can make you feel better, and it's always good to have someone there, just in case things grow out of your control.

7. Eat something. It's hard to find an appetite when you don't feel well, but it's really necessary to give your body some energy to fight the virus. Anything soft, easy to digest and tasty will do. Don't eat too much or too heavy because it may end in (vomit)!

8. Forget about school or work. Stress is not recommendable in the the fragile state you're in at the moment. Reading is hard and may give you a headache or make you dizzy.

9.*This may only apply to some people, but for me, it's the best cure to get better.
Doing any type of exercise will surely make your body work in getting rid of the hideous virus. I also find that the exercise makes you feel satisfied and refreshes you immensely. After a while of moving around, you feel ready to sleep soundly and probably find yourself cured the next day. I personally think it's better than lying in bed all day. Sometimes that makes me feel even sicker than I actually am.
(not recommended for people who have fever or don't like sports).

These are just some recommendations, and they may or may not apply to your case. I hope you get better soon.

Sick

I can't believe my bad luck! Weekend finally arrived and I happen to wake up on Saturday SICK! My nose was stuffed, my throat hurt and my head felt like a balloon about to burst. That was just great. All week I had been looking forward to spending a pretty calm weekend with my family. It's Mother's Day on Sunday so there are no important events happening during this time. I wonder, if  Mother's Day had been on a week day, would there be a Holiday for it? Damn, I feel ripped off again. Why are we skipping so many Puentes this year? Stupid 2010 and it's Holiday-less Mondays.

Anyway, I was ready for a restful weekend when I discovered I was sick. I admit I had it coming. On Friday I was feeling a little more asthmatic than normal, but I really just thought it was for the incredible amounts of rain we're receiving in Bogota these days. I never thought I was getting a cold or anything. I decided to go swimming anyway. Sometimes doing sports helps me get better and doing exercise is very good to help your body fight colds. It kind of worked for a while. After the training was over, I actually felt a lot better than when I woke up. I even felt strong enough to go horse-back riding. After that, I felt even better! I just figured I had exaggerated when I thought I had the cold, but I could never imagine what came in for me next.

We were having lunch at the club, and I felt almost normal ( I still hadn't got rid of my stuffed nose). Suddenly, I started having strong shivers running down my spine. I went pale and my throat started throbbing like if an icy poker was trying to get through. I felt so cold, and all I wanted to do was go home and lie in my warm bed for a while. I couldn't believe I got sick again! Something must have made the virus react, making it launch a second attack on my poor and helpless body. That stupid bugger was literally trying to kill me!

We went home and I went to my parents' bed, hoping the frigid cold would go away. I felt like dying.
Fortunately, I have three sisters that took care of me. They warmed me up, gave me a Dolex and stayed with me all the time watching movies while I mumbled incoherently in my sleep.
I can honestly say there is nothing I hate more than being sick. I could almost define flu as the toughest and most powerful enemy humanity has ever encountered (apart from cockroaches). I wonder what life would be like if the flu didn't exist. It would certainly be a better world to live in.
I finish this post hoping it won't be the last, and cursing the evil flu virus for ever daring to exist!

Ripped-Off

This weekend zoomed off so quickly, I didn't even feel it. Weekends usually are a small break were I can wake up later and don't need to worry about school. Even if they almost always include some type of competition (swim meet, horse-back riding tournament, car race, or polo match), I always get the rest I need. Now that I think about it, these competitions actually help me get my mind off school, which is a hundred times more stressful than any competition I've ever been to. These weekends help me go on each week, never forgetting there is the hope of vacations coming up in the distance.
This weekend however, wasn't as good as it should have been.

First of all, both Saturday and Sunday I had to wake up at 6:30AM! There was this horse-back riding competition, but they decided to make it earlier this time. Instead of starting at 8:30AM as they always do, they decided to start at 7:30AM. This meant I needed to be there by 7:00AM sharp so I could go over the course, which also meant I had to wake up at about six so we could get there on time. In the end, I woke up at 6:30, we had to rush to Arrayanes (where the competition was taking place), and I didn't make it on time to go over the course. It's a family curse: we can never be on time anywhere, no matter how hard we try. Fortunately, I was able to learn it by watching the riders who went before me (me and my great memory), and apparently, it actually worked. I always new exactly where to go, and I did a perfect course with no penalties. I felt so proud of myself!

The next day, I had to wake up at the same time to go see my sister pass. I wouldn't have woken up if my mother's cell phone hadn't rung so loudly at about five thirty. I wasn't able to keep on sleeping, so I decided to just go (beats staying at home all day). In the end, it wasn't so bad because after my sister was done, my mother let us stay to see the Totto Cup, in which two of my teammates won (Take that other horse-back riding teams).

So right now, I feel very sleepy, and I'm looking ahead to a painfully long school week. And what's even worse, is that I wouldn't have to be worrying so much about it, because tomorrow would be a holiday. But it just so happened that Worker's Day fell on a Saturday. There's no Puente for the working people of Colombia because their special holiday fell on the start of weekend! Anyway, right now I'm sitting here, writing this post and I just imagine how late I would have woken up tomorrow, relaxing from the weekend competition and having fun with my father. He arrives today from Medellin at about 9:30PM, and we won't have a chance to see him until tomorrow, because we need to go to bed early because tomorrow there's no Puente!

To make my night even worse, I just remembered that next year, Worker's Day falls on a Sunday!

A Series of Unfortunate Dreams

 After an intense day of school, horse-back riding class, swimming training and loads of homework, there could be nothing more needed than a a good night's sleep. Why would it be that that's exactly what I can't have? A few days ago, I started having very bad nights, and they are ruining my days! The funny thing is they all follow a very similar sequence:
 I first go to bed and get knocked out the instant my head touches the pillow, but then I begin to dream. These dreams however, are not the regular ones I am used to. These dreams are extremely vivid,  and make me feel like if I were awake. What happens next is never too clear to me. During the dream (no matter what is happening before), I suddenly feel there is something very wrong, and things start becoming hazy. I become desperate and run, thinking only that I need to fix that problem somehow. But then, I can't remember what the problem was, and then realize it was all just a dream. This situation really drives me nuts! Not only did I fail solving whatever problem the dream told me to solve, but I woke up for nothing, and have to try to go back to sleep. This is very annoying!
These situations are sucking away all my rest, and in the morning I feel like if I'd been awake all night. It's very inconvenient, especially when it comes to staying awake during the first class of the day. I hope my yawning hasn't scared my teachers yet.
Anyway, I have to deal with this soon, because not only am I having bad nights, but my restless sleepwalking is waking up half of my family (That's how violent it gets). My twin (which sleeps in my same room) says that I don't only sleepwalk, but I talk at night. She also tells me that when I stand up, I frantically ask her some nonsense, and suddenly go back to sleep. For example:
"Lu, dou you know when we zzzzzz."
Even in a langauge nobody knew existed.
"Lu, I think erhyostel myortliosta urgenmio zzzz."
My father is another one of the victims. On week days, I'm the one in charge of waking everyone to get ready for school (because I'm the only one who is able to wake up alone at 5:45 AM), so I go to everybody in the house and wake them up. One occasion, I dreamt the alarm clock was ringing, and the bus was going to leave us. I ran to my father's bedroom (he's the one I wake first because he gives us breakfast) and this happened:
Me: Dad, dad, it's time, we are late, wake up fast!
Dad: (half asleep and confused) What are you talking about, it's 3:30 AM.
Me: Oh. But I heard the alarm clock!
Dad: It's not time yet, go back to sleep.
I really hope this doesn't get any worse. Maybe school is giving me too many things to worry about, and they are causing these bad nights. I hope that whatever my dreams are telling me that's wrong has nothing to do with real life. Now that would be really scary!
Maybe I need some vacations. I hope June gets here soon.

Redemption

This weekend was the Country Club's Ninetieth Anniversary Swimming Competition. In short terms, it is the most important 25m pool competition of the year. 250 swimmers from all over Colombia came. There were people from Cali, Bucaramanga, and many parts of Cundinamarca.

It may have been a very astounding fact, but during this competition I couldn't care less about all this. I was completely concentrated on myself. To me, this competition was a test to see if my good-for-nothing knee would be able to endure the three rounds that made up all the heats. It had been ten days already since my knee had all of the sudden decided to turn into a painful lump extending from my body. I was completely desperate, and during this time, I'd had nightmares of what would happen. The nerves were crushing me as the days rushed by and my knee wasn't getting better. I felt completely betrayed by me knee! I had taken so much care of it since it started whining, and every single day I made my best effort to try and make it comfortable and never have to force it in the very least. I had even spent whole hours with a freezing bag of ice on top of it, and then an insanely hot fever bag over it. During the last training days I never even flexed my leg in any movement similar to breaststroke kick, because I didn't have the courage to see if the stinging would come back.
Finally, Friday came, with all the might of 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle. It wasn't the real challenge yet. Ironically 100m breaststroke (the only breaststroke race in the whole championship) was the last race of the last round. This was more like a test if at least I could get into my race mode, and this would probably take the fear out of my head. I was actually glad with this round. There was a moment when I forgot I had a knee problem, and for that small instance I went back to the old thrilling sensation of competing. That feeling that pushes you to the best of your abilities, and rushes the adrenaline through every inch of your body. It's precisely that feeling that makes the huge effort of competing worth it.

On Saturday morning we had the Inauguration Ceremony. It's a tradition of the Country Club that the flags are taken by a swimmer through the pool as the National Hymn plays. I got to take the Country Club flag! Apart from that, this round we had to swim 100m medley or "combi" and 100m backstroke. I was earnestly surprised, because I suck at backstroke, but I won a bronze medal! (Like my grandmother would say, the other swimmers were just to bad.) Also, in the 100m medley, when I swum breaststroke, my knee didn't hurt a bit! I felt a little relieved, but I still had worry eating at me. After all, those were only 25m. What would 100m do to my knee?

At long last, the third round came, and I couldn't stand the nerves. After 50m freestyle, I realized I was about to face my destiny. Whatever would happen next would decide my future for the rest of my swimming life. I would succeed or I would fail, and that would be the end of it. As I stood in front of the starting platform, I deiced an emergency plan, just in case. If my I couldn't go on, I'd finish the lap and get out fast, before anyone noticed. I realized it was stupid to think that, and decide to just concentrate.

It all ended too fast. I can't remember exactly what happened, but I do remember I suddenly felt a surge of energy pass through my body. I swam as I never had swum before, and it all came so naturally. I turned to the last lap and powerfully swum back, my knee finally cooperating as it is supposed to. I hit the black pad and turned my head. The timer marked 1:27: I had broken my personal record! I felt swollen like a balloon with euphoria. All my worries from the past ten days were gone. It all felt so perfect, and there was nothing that could pop me out of my happiness. I had finally confronted my fear, and came out of it better than I could have possibly imagined.

I am now getting ready to classify for the Mid-term Interleague National, and hope everything can turn out as great as it did this time. All I can say is I feel I have come back to good terms with my knee. It better stay that way!

South Africa 2010!

The Soccer World Cup is coming up, and everyone is getting the fever. Around the streets and in every store there are people selling the album stickers. You can see kids of all ages with the sticker packets, or their checklist walking around ready to trade or bet.

This year is the first time I'm making the album. Back in October, when Colombia was almost surely qualifying, my father promised he would make the album. Obviously Colombia messed it up in the end (as it always does) and was eliminated. It's just so sad that everybody loves soccer in Colombia. It's the national sport (apart form Tejo), and no matter how fanatic and obsessed people are about soccer, it just sucks! There is not one team and not one selection of good players that can represent our soccer mad country decently. I'm talking about men soccer, because women soccer is a lot better, and ironically, it receives a lot less attention from the media, the fans, and the general public. The day one team enters a quarter final in the "Copa Libertadores Cup" is declared a national day, while the women team (Sub-20) becomes Sub-Champion in the South American Championship and the game isn't even transmitted by T.V. Anyhow, even if Colombia didn't classify to the world cup, that championship is just too important to miss. We finally decided to make the album between us because it would be a lot more entertaining to do it together.

We started on Monday with a sticker we saw falling on the floor. The guy seemed to busy to notice and perhaps it was just a repeated one for him. We have kept on filling the album with the ones my father occasionally buys in the store. He is the most enthusiastic of us, because he says it reminds him of his happy childhood. Like every single Colombian boy, he too started playing soccer when he was about 5 years old, and like every true Colombian, any brief moment were there is enough space and time, he'd start playing soccer with his friends. (At least they always have something to do).

I’m so happy because until now, I have found Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldhino, many team emblems (they are shiny) and part of the official logo. My little sister on the other hand found Messi (lucky her). Anyway, we still have along way to go before we fill the 637 stickers plus the Coca Cola ones. Really, there's no hurry, because we still have about two months before the championship begins, and by then, we'll be ready to enjoy real soccer. I can't wait!

Can't Keep Walking

One of the most important competitions of the year is coming up in a few months. This year's Interleague Swimming National is in Girardot, and I've been training so hard for it. It wouldn't be surprising that something had to go wrong so close to the competition. Last Wednesday, I was training as I usually do but something went wrong that I didn't notice until it was too late. My specialty is breaststroke, and I have to swim it a lot so I can get better and do great at the National. That day our trainer made us swim some (a lot) speed laps, and I was trying to do my best. The whole training was very intense, as had been training for almost two weeks now, but it was only now that I was noticing something was going to go wrong. It turns up next morning I couldn't even bend my left leg. It was stiff, and one of the inside tendons was swollen. This was a nightmare. How was I supposed to swim breaststroke if I couldn't bend my leg? I couldn't walk well in school (and my school is full of stairs and hills), and I felt so sore all day!

That day we arrived extremely late to the swimming pool (my dad had the brilliant idea to leave the car in the mechanic, and forgot that getting a taxi at 5:30 when it's raining is next to impossible. Fortunately fate smiled at us and after half an hour of soaking in the rain we got a taxi), which wasn't too beneficial for my cause. My trainer was burning in a silent rage (he hates that I horse-back ride), and I didn't dare to explain why we were so late. I got in to swim and my knee was killing me! I knew I couldn't breaststroke, but even in freestyle I was aware of a hard sting at the inside of the knee. We only had time to swim about 1500 meters, but they were enough to make me realize my condition was serious. As soon as we were done, I went to my trainer and told him. He didn't take me too seriously, but when I insisted, he came up with just the answer I knew he would say, and I had already ruled out, "That's just for horse-back riding." UGH, I hate it when he does that! That just wasn't right, because on Wednesday I wasn't able to horse-back ride, and it was only then when my knee got messed up. He always balmes it on horse-backriding.
My knee was getting worse, and walking around the school wasn't the best thing for it. What is very curious is that on Thursday and Friday, while I was horse-back riding, the pain just went away! The stinging was gone, and I even forgot for that short hour that anything was wrong with me. I am 100% sure it's not horse-back riding's fault.
 Sadly, my leg is still messed up. I'm very worried because my training isn't worth anything anymore. I've got to avoid breaststroke at all costs, even if my trainer is still pretending nothing serious is wrong with me. I'm hoping this weekend gives my knee a good rest, and if I'm lucky, it will get better on its own. I'll just have to "keep walking".

Medellin a Succes!

Yesterday was the final closing of the "IX Juegos Suramericanos Medellin 2010", the greatest South American games in all history! I have to give it to those paisas, they did a great job in the making of those games. Every single aspect of the organization was perfect, and I think everybody agrees they were the best games that have ever been made in this part of the continent.

The games took place from March 19 to March 30 in Medellin and other nearby towns. The organizers worked day and night to get all the coliseums ready, new ones built, old ones refurbished, and all transportation and logistics set. An Olympic Villa was built for the thousands of athletes that would be coming, and the whole city was prepared for the event. A fantastic inauguration took place in the Atanasio Girardot Stadium, and the competitions started.

At first, nobody expected Colombia to win anything. The big favorites to win the games were Brazil and Argentina. Everyone thought Colombia would be fighting third place with Venezuela (not a very good image for the host country). But bets started changing as competitions took place. In cycling, weightlifting, bowling, boxing and skating, Colombia swept with no mercy. It was also a surprise in many sports like archery, taekwondo, judo and other sports. For example, it is the first time in history that Colombia beats Brazil and Venezuela in archery (my father participated in the team final and they won the gold medal!). Even in sports that are heavily dominated by other countries, Colombia was able to show strength and progress since the last games. Swimming for example, is mastered by Brazil and Venezuela, but Colombia made a good presentation with more medals won than what they had planned for. In the end, every single Colombian athlete helped Colombia triumph over all the other countries. Thanks to them, Colombia was able to win a South American Competition for the first time in history!

There were so many things I loved from these games. One of them was Llin, the Games’ official mascot. It was a weird bird (some combination between a rooster and a parrot) that was created by the kids of Medellin. I loved how cute and funny he was, and it was very important for the image of the games. The official logo was also great. There was a competition in Medellin to see who could make the best logo for the games, and a 21 year old woman won with the beautiful and symbolic logo she created. I also loved that Colombia was able to win the games, and that sport in Colombia is becoming strong enough to compete against world monsters like Brazil and Argentina. It's the first time Colombia makes me feel so proud, and it shows all of us that think Colombia is only about bad soccer (because we honestly suck at it), that there are other sports out there that actually leave Colombia in a very strong position in world ranking (one of the few world records beaten in these games was by a Colombian skater, because Colombia is probably the best country in the world in race skating). Finally, what I loved the most was the great image Medellin left for this country. They proved they are capable of organizing top quality events, and foreigners saw how beautiful and developed Colombia is (at least Medellin, because Bogota is a nothing against Medellin, and if the games had been in Bogota, they would have been ruined completely. Honestly, Bogota could never have done half the job Medellin did). Everything went better than anyone could have imagined, and I'm sorry for Santiago de Chile: they have to work VERY hard to beat Medellin in 2014.

ASDF Movies

Some days ago, a friend presented ASDF Movies to me. It was kind of random, because we were in Chinese class and the teacher wasn't there yet (he had gone somewhere and still wasn't back) so we were really bored. Then we thought about the first thing every single person thinks in times of absolute boredom: watch YouTube videos! He wanted to show us something called ASDF movies, and insisted it was totally hilarious. Unfortunately, YouTube in the school is blocked, and there was no way we could bypass the security block. So the first thing I did (actually one of the last ones I did before I went to sleep. I am quite busy these days) was go on You Tube and search for the video. I really didn't think of it was going to funny. I actually didn't know what to think of a video that was called "ASDF movie". Still, I was so curious to see what was so darn funny to him. So I searched it on YouTube and found what I have posted here. I personally have to agree it is the funniest set of random things set in a video, and it really is absolutely awesome!
These are the two movies made by TomSka (you can ignore the first fifteen seconds of the video, because they have nothing to do with TomSka).

All You Need is Second Chance

Not to anyone's surprise, today there was another horse-back riding meet. No really, every weekend there is some kind of horse-back riding activity. This time, it was just a "paso de pista", an informal competition which is usually easier than official meets. There are no official judges, and some rules aren't followed so seriously. For example, you don't need the uniform jacket, lack boots and white breeches. Instead you can use any polo-styled shirt and breeches. To many riders, these types of meets are the perfect moment to dare to try higher courses or start new horses because of the relaxed environment. Well not this time! To me, this has been one of the hardest and toughest competitions I have ever experienced.

First of all, everything was a mess from the moment we arrived to Guaymaral. My course had been built on the grass stage, which can be used for Derbies (not a good place to build a course where amateurs are going to jump). I really don't know what was happening to the builder that morning, but his mind wasn't very set on the ground as he was supposed to be. As a friend likes to say, "He was not all there." The course was all wrong from the first jump. Some stride counts weren't right, other jumps were too close to each other, then others had too many weird tricks. Who in their right mind could think Amateur 0.80-0.90 riders are capable of going through a water obstacle? I certainly can't (because Luna is afraid of water). Apart from that, the Amateur 1.00m tie brake course was built along the 0.80-0-90 one, so everything was a tiny bit crowded. Googies (my teacher) had to go over the whole course (and I mean all of it) and fix the mistakes. God praise Googies! He saved us all from terrible, sad deaths, caused by a crazy course builder that can't distinguish between Open Championship Professionals and beginning Amateurs.

Second of all, the paddock was a terrible chaos! Suddenly it was full of horses performing all possible activities a horse can do with a rider: walk, trot canter, eat grass, jump, kick, stand on two feet, bolt, neigh, whine and everything else possible. A girl I know fell off her horse and got a little bit stepped on (nothing serious happened to her, fortunately). Another girl finished her course but the horse ran off, she fell, and I think because of terror, she fainted and I'm not sure when she woke up. I really felt the air was very tense, and it made me nervous.

 As I made my way through the mayhem, I warmed up and was ready to do the course. I started and was so happy because Luna was jumping perfectly. I could feel myself soar as she jumped each obstacle effortlessly. But there was something wrong with her. Every time I got close to the far side of the grass lane, she stood her ears up (the way she always does when she's about to bolt) and got really tense. I held on to the right reign and ignored it. I continued with my course and went on to the seventh jump. This was a double with one stride in the middle heading straight to the far side of the grass lane. I had to make Luna go fast because she's got a very small stride and there were four long strides to get to the double. I was heading right on to 7a when suddenly Luna takes off to the left, terrified by something that was moving at the far side of the grass. There was a split second after that where so many thoughts came to me at the same time. I was extremely angry with myself for letting Luna get off the jumping line, because I know it's my fault. I couldn’t believe Luna had done this to me again, after so many refusals less courses during the year. I remember I also thought about going to that grass line and get rid of whatever stupid thing that had Luna so freaked out. During that time, I managed to make a perfect turn and push her into the jump (I might add that we managed to squeeze two strides between the double and not even touch the obstacle). I successfully finished the course, but I had a huge lump of anger that wouldn't go away. I sat on Luna's back, fuming away on that stupid mistake that had cost me a perfect course, a bit of my self-esteem and a bit of my confidence. I finally decided I couldn't be angry for too long, so I just got over the anger (but not over the pain). But suddenly, Googies came with a message that would make me recover, “do you want to try again?" A second chance is just what I needed to get over the incident. I would be able to try again and get rid of that terrible feeling that I was a pathetic rider. In effect, I redid the course, and this time, I was prepared to get Luna serious and head on to the double without a second of doubt. I really appreciated that opportunity, and it meant a lot to my self-esteem and my connection with Luna. This was just another experience that will hopefully help me become a better rider. I just have to say second chances are the best!

Taking Off

Today was a very special day for me. I mean, every day has something interesting I want to remember, but this one is one I will keep with me so I can tell my grandchildren when I am old (something my grandmother loves doing every weekend we visit her). As I was saying, today was very special; because it's the first time my dad lets us take the car alone! Honestly, he didn't have a choice. He was very busy training for the South American Games that will be in Medellin in a week or so (he classified in archery because he is one of the best archers in Colombia. He even participated in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles) and my mother had to take my little sister to her first basketball match. We needed to go ride our horses in CESPO which is at the opposite side of Bogota where my sister was playing. We took the car (my big sister driving) and we drove across Bogota. We successfully made it to CESPO, went to our grandmother's house to have lunch, and went back home without getting lost! (Thanks to the iPhone's GPS, this is exclusively managed by me, the navigator). I'm so sorry with my dad, because he was so nervous. Not for my sister's driving skills, because he trusts her completely, but for the huge mass of drivers that go out on Saturdays. 90% of them are completely clueless about good driving. Seriously, in Bogota you have to be aware of angry buses, crazy taxis, and furious old ladies who lack that little voice that tells you to be careful. He died about 20 years ago. In any case, we were able to sort everything out, and we proved to our dad we are capable of taking care of ourselves on the road.

There wouldn't have been a problem at all if we still had the horse-back riding and the polo field in our club (which is a step away from our house), but some stupid idiot called Enrique Peñalosa worked his ass off to take it away from us. I really don't know how he did it. The Country Club is private property, but he somehow managed to claim it as public property and turn it into a park! Supposedly the mayor (Alcaldia de Bogota) should pay the Country Club for that land, which by the way is worth like 35,000,000 pesos ($20,000), but they have only paid 5,000,000 pesos ($2,000). I found out the process in which they are taking the club is completely illegal. Still, the game is not over yet; because Peñalosa lost the mayor elections to Samuel Moreno, which promised he would give it back. The weakling hasn't been able to live up to his promise, because communist politicians would critize him and say he gave the "rich people" their land back. It's unfair, but the worst part is the taking won't end because Peñalosa isn't going to stop until he gets rid of the whole Country Club. As soon as he gets over the polo field completely, his next move is the golf course, and next the whole club. For people that think this would teach the rich people a lesson, I think they are fooling themselves, because not only would the rich people loose, but the whole city would be affected.. First, Colombia would loose it's most famous golf course, which has already hosted countless international tournaments, including the PGA a few weeks ago. Second, there are about1000 employees working at the Country Club. Where would they go? Third, Bogota would loose one of its largest green areas that help balance the toxic fumes from the millions of buses that contaminate our city. The pureness of the land would be ruined by anything else they want to put on top (another reason Peñalosa has to destroy the club is to make a street on top of it). Fourth, it would promote government corruption in the country. The government would be free to abuse power in any way they want, without any consequence. Colombia is already corrupt enough, and it's inconceivable they can go taking land to their delight.

I really hope Peñalosa doesn't get away with his scheme, and somehow justice will be able to save our beloved Country Club.

Double 0

This weekend there was a show jumping championship in Pueblo Viejo. On both days I did great! I came clean on both courses, and on Saturday I won third prize on the raffle (on Amateur .80-.90m, those riders who had 0 faults in total go on a raffle to sort the prizes, on most tournaments). For me, this was a very important triumph (not because of the third prize) because this was precisely the place where I fell about three months ago. I previously commented on my problems with Luna the last championships of 2009. The climax of her refusal habit came on the last competition, where on the ninth jump she stopped dry and I went flying off her neck. This weekend, however, I was determined to do my best and give her no chance of refusing to jump. Fortunately, everything went well. Luna was working in her best behavior, and together we were able to finish both courses successfully! I certainly hope we can keep it up, and I hope I can learn how to avoid mistakes that make things difficult for Luna. After all, most of failed jumps are the rider's fault, and I really need to work on doing things right. In any case, I have promised to do my very best, no matter how hard I have to try.


This is a video of Saturday's course. I thank Roberto Santamaria for filming me!

The Pro Am Tournament

Yesterday was an awesome day, not only because there was no school because of the Transportation Strike, (which by the way made this entry possible), because the Pro Am Tournament took place in my club (Country Club de Bogota). Celebrities from the whole country were playing golf on the golf course I glance at every morning form my window. Camilo Villegas, Juan Pablo Montoya, and other huge characters were playing golf downstairs, a few meters away! I personally couldn't believe it myself, and we decided to follow the players during their round. (Note: this tournament was sponsored by Helm Bank- the bank where my mother has worked for the past 25 years- as part of their publicity campaign to display their new image). In effect it was true! We saw a bunch of PGA players (which by the way came for the PGA Nationwide Tour which begins tomorrow in my club. Yes, my club is very special), almost got hit by a TV host called Calero, and watched the world famous Camilo Villegas play. Man, is he awesome! I honestly can say I have never seen such a powerful drive in real life. You wouldn't believe the size of his muscle arms. The typical golf player is fat and rather wimpy. Well I have to say Villegas is anything but the typical golfer. He is tall, thin and, as I mentioned before, has incredible arms (wow, I think I'm taking too long on the description). Anyhow, I thought the experience had ended there. We had to go to our swimming training and later go home and go to bed early so the shock of having school again wouldn't be so hard. We certainly didn't expect what was coming next.

I mentioned earlier that my mom's bank was the one sponsoring the tournament. While we were mercilessly massacred by our swimming trainer (I think he got over excited with the golf event. His passion is golf, and he always stares away to the start of the thirteenth hole with a wispy look), my mom was able to get invitations for the inauguration party. Surprisingly (no wait, not surprisingly, because she always makes the impossible possible), she got some for us! We got in just in time to see Andres Lopez, the most famous and extremely hilarious comedian Colombia has ever seen. I stood on tip toes the whole show, utterly stunned I could actually see him in real life. There are simply no words to describe my happiness. But things just get better. I noticed that every time he made a joke about Nascar, there was someone in front of me that kept giving him the thumbs up. I realized then that Juan Pablo Montoya was standing about a meter away from me! After the show, he sat down, and we were dying for a picture with him. But I thought, “sure, he's going to give you, a snooty fan, a picture." Suddenly, he stood up and started to walk slowly towards Lucia. He made a quiet sign and before I understood what was happening, he went and hugged Lucia! This was completely stunning, and seriously, I'm not making this up. All I could do was stare amazed as Lucia started babbling everything we had planned to say ever since we new Juan Pablo Montoya was coming to our club. Hopefully he understood something, and he asked if we wanted to take a picture with him. We did (I think I looked horrible, but I don't care. I have an official picture standing next to Montoya!), and then we got out. It was just too much emotion in too little time. I mean, this is exactly the guy I woke up early on Sundays to watch race the Formula 1. I saw him win Monaco, and every time I wished he'd do well. Now I see him in Nascar racing those stock cars at 300mph. He inspired us to start racing; this is my personal hero and I have a picture taken beside him in the most awesome party I've ever been too.

I think that was too much happiness for me in one night, because I have never had so many awesome things happen to me at once. I declare that night I was the happiest girl in the world (apart from Lucia; she got hugged).
I may post the picture with him later, as soon as I can get my hands on it!

Pen Pen TriIcelon!!

Probably no one knows this game well (probably you don't know it at all), because it's for Sega Dreamcast, Play Station's competition. But it's such a great game! It's about penpens living in Ice Planet that race against each other in a course with various styles of racing: sliding, walking and swimming (it's like an ice Triathlon). Every year they hold a big TriIcelon race to see which penpen is the best racer!


The Penpens are:

Sparky: very energetic, happy and loves speed.

Tina: cute and extremely proud of herself.

Mr.Bow: a Pendog that is quite reckless and a little dumb.

Back: a Penwalrus, loves to rest and nap, but when he wakes up watch out!

Sneak: the Penoctopus. He likes to be the clown and has a very good sense of humor.

Jaw: a Penshark that is very wild and tends to get rough at times.



Ballery: a Penhippo, very cute and childish, but very aggressive when racing.

Hanamizu:? Nobody knows what he really is. He has skis and is faster than any of the penpens, but he seems dull and doesn't really know what's going on.



The penpens get to race on four courses:

Sweets: owned by Mrs. Cream, the mayor of Sweets Town.

Jungle: owned by Unga Pongo, a leader of the jungle land.

Toys: owned by Bambi Mask, who built Toys Land for the penpens.

Horror: owned by Horror Man, the lord of all the ghosts in Ice Planet. He is 4771 years old.



Seriously, we have spent whole days playing this game, and the songs are so catchy! Again, since I suck at videogames, most of the times I see my sisters play, but this summer, I learned to play it better, and I actually got to beat my sister -doesn't matter which.

I hope that someday you can come across this game..it's really awesome!

                                                            

Gran Turismo 3

Note: if you get through the boring personal story, you'll get a special surprise at the end !

About 5 years ago, a family friend brought us a present for Christmas that would change our lives forever. In a small packet all wrapped in green and red, he brought this weird box that looked like a huge DVD player, and a smaller box that looked like a DVD. My father was all excited, and kept saying it was the newest game console on the market. They took a while to install the "Play Station II" and they put the movie (I saw the cover and thought it was a movie about a race. After all, it had the picture of a car). It turned out to be a video game (not a movie) called Gran Turismo 3. From the moment I saw it I fell in love with the game (actually it is a race simulator). It was so real and so awesome! We spent the whole night playing the game, racing each other, starting the championship, buying tune up for the cars we started winning. Ok, it took longer than a night to get cars. It actually took us a month at least to get some decent car that could win the various races. And to think we were only on the beginner's league. Still, it was so great, and so exciting to play it. To tell the truth, I suck at video games, especially those where you have to drive. I always crash, spin or run off in curves (Fortunately in the game nothing happens to you or the car. I think the cars I drive have to be thankful for that). I actually enjoy seeing my sisters race. They are so great at racing, and it's so exciting to see them fight for the gold cup. I think I could deserve at least 1% of the merit, because not only do I suffer every second of the race with them, I actually help them with all the stuff they can't see at once. I'm almost like their navigator or copilot (in real life, I am my big sister's copilot when we race in Tocancipa in the Regularity Championship). I would like to get better at driving one day and actually get a victory myself.

This is the introduction of the Japanese version, which I think it is even better than the European or the American version.

The FS-PRO Record Breaker Kneeskin

Last weekend, my four sisters and I attended the first swimming competition of the year. "Torneo de Apertura 2010". I had a lot of fun, and was quite pleased with my results, especially because I didn't mess up my times after the National, which happened in December and is basically the most important event of the year. What made this competition so special was the fact that I was using my FS-PRO Record Breaker Kneeskin swimsuit. M y father bought it for me for the National, and I did great with it both on the National and last weekend.

God is it a wonderful creation of technology! Never had engineering and physics had been combined to conceive such a brilliant and extraordinarily perfect piece of art. I can personally say I had never been so pleased and impressed with something I bought, especially a swimsuit. It's just so stunning when you first get into the water and suddenly feel you are no longer trying to fight against the water. Instead, the water is almost taking you, and advancing becomes such an easy and thoughtless action. With it, I was able to finally make 40 seconds in 50m breast stroke, and 1.28min in 100m breast stroke. I was so happy with it, and I realized swimming with this new swimsuit and the one I previously used for competition was hugely different.

Unfortunately, all good things have their down side. Putting them on is every swimmer's nightmare.The first time I put mine on, it took about 15 minutes of wrestling and pulling in an impossible attempt to get myself into the tiny swimsuit. The thing is, they have to be very tight to stop water from getting inside, and the fabric is very tough, so it won't give in as easily. In the end, with help from my three sisters and my mom, I made it in (And to think my sister and I would have to do the same thing every single time a big competition happened. Fortunately we got better at it). After you get it on, it's not that bad, but after swimming, it is necessary to take it off as soon as possible. I think it's me, but every time I get out of the pool and the swimsuit starts to dry, it starts shrinking! On Friday my race was early, but I had to wait until my twin swam her race which was a lot later than mine. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take the swimsuit off because I had nothing else to wear. I didn't think much about it until the swimsuit started shrinking. There was a point in which it was so tight I felt I had put on a corset, and my whole body was all held tight. I had never looked so skinny in front of a mirror (oh, I should put it on one day when a dress doesn't fit). Still, I feel so special for having the best legal competition swimsuit there is. Yes, starting form January 2010, all women swimsuits cannot go longer than the knee, and men have to go no higher than the waist. That is so sad. In Cali (National), all the guys had their long swimsuits, the LZR's and even the Jaked swimsuit. They all looked so professional and ready to win. Almost all the records were broken in that competition, and everybody was swimming faster than ever. Last weekend it all changed. The same swim pros I had seen no less than two months ago looked now like amateurs that came from river trip (In Colombia, many people from the rural areas like to go have lunch by a river). Guys had very small swimsuits that looked pathetic against the LZR's, and girls had either regular swimsuits or the one I had (Lucky for me it is still legal). I felt a little depressed. The whole essence of serious swimming competition was in the swimsuit image, and now that they are gone, no one is going to feel the same again. How I miss those days of unbanned swimsuits.

Showjumping Weekend

This weekend was the first showjumping competition of the year. It is a really important one because the horses had been on vacations for at least two months, and after getting them in shape the last month, you wonder if you are actually ready to start competing again.
I was really nervous this time, because I didn't do too well the final tournaments of last year. In October, my loyal companion Luna, had an accident with a guy (he usually helps my teacher ride the horses when their owners don't come) who passes her on higher courses in some competitions. My teacher says he lost his mind. In a set of jumps, instead of letting her do the three strides as they were supposed to, he pushed her into a ridiculous two stride. Luna tried to jump, but the oxer was too wide and she was too far away, and she crashed into the jump, sending the rider flying into a third jump ahead. He broke his neck bone, and was disabled for two months. Luna hurt herself in the chest, and she got a huge ball of liquid that faded away after a week or so. Luckily she didn't break her neck, which is what usually happens in those situations, according to her vet. After that, she was very scared of jumping, but I was able to ride her and she eventually got her confidence back. That is, after a lot of terrible days in which she sometimes refused to jump. The last time she did, I fell and unfortunately, it was precisely in the last competition of the year. I was eliminated, and lost the chance to enter the finals of the National Amateur 0.80-0.90m Competition. That was so sad, but either way, that's what showjumping's all about. Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose, sometimes you fall.
This experience had my nerves bubbling the whole week before the competition. I kept wondering if I could actually finish the course without making the mistakes that so often make Luna refuse to jump. Still, I was so determined to get over myself and do a good job on the course. My determination seems to work, because I managed to come clean the two courses of the competition. I was so happy, because on the last day, my whole family from my mom's side was there, so I had a lot of pressure. I was hoping I wasn't going to fall in front of my 94 year old grandfather. That would be very inconvenient, because they never come to see me, and that would mess up my honor. However, I did great, and not only did I come out as the best horse back rider in the world for my aunts and grandparents (which obviously don't know anything about this sport) but I was able to convince myself I could do a good job if I put my mind to it. Still, I have to do my best while I'm still in Amateur 0.80-0.90m. I certainly don't think it's going to be that easy when Googies puts me up for Amateur 1.00m. Those are much higher courses, and silly mistakes like those I frequently do are not allowed there. I certainly hope I can manage the height.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3laGKn7b520  
Thanks to Roberto Santamaria for the video!

A Couple of Poems for Golfo de Morrosquillo

Last year, our school trip was visiting Golfo de Morrosquillo. It was a truly beautiful place and it inspired my to write about it. I am quite clumsy with rhyming, but I felt nothing but poetry could describe the beauty I saw in that magical paradise.

Doorway to Infinity

I look ahead into the sea
The doorway to infinity
There is so much I cannot see
Of this wide ocean’s beauty

Pushing forth and pulling back
The tide goes on and on
Of all the times I’m loosing track
From daybreak to sundown

So immense, too large to know
So big and so profound
It's secrets hiding very low

Just swimming all around

A Sunset

Flaming on the blood streaked sky
The sun prepares to go
Shooting light from up so high
A hazy yellow glow

Scarlet, orange, crimson, gold
Extending all around
And in its midst pure shine it holds
Compare is hardly found

A tinge of color paints the sea
Reflected on the water
As it receives the final plea
To not go any farther

But sadly it leaves us behind
Leaving our small and sad world blind

Life on Other Planets

In Science class we are studying the universe. Unlike any other class I've taken before, this is not a repetition of past classes where the same information is repeated over and over again. I think I can even save my notes from one year and use them in next year's science class, and everything would be the same. This class on the other side, is a completely new view of learning. The teacher is not teaching us the same old diagram of the solar system, and giving us the definition of black holes, and telling us we are the only planet with any life that will ever exist. No. In fact, the whole point of this unit is trying to discover if there can be life on other planets!! As we go through the class, I wonder if there could possibly exist life on other planets, and if we will ever discover it during my lifetime. I remeber when I was in Elementary School, I used to think about little green people that would attack Earth one day, but I came to think it was impossible that there could be life on other planets. After all, the universe outside our atmosphere seems so hostile and barren, and its scary to think there could be other creatures living out there. Anyhow, this thought, which is common in many other people, has to disappear if we are going to look into the future and find things that could blow us off with impression. After all, technology has taken a huge leap in the past fifteen years. So many missions are going to space and discovering fascinating things, like water in Europa, and elements of life in Titan. With all of these innovations, it would be sad to think that in 30 years they don't make a breakthrough. It is a little arrogant to think we are the only living planet across this massive universe that is millions of light years wide. I just hope they hurry up and find the question that has bugged humanity for most of its history.
This page has alot of interesting information on the Cassini mission to Saturn's moons, and other interesting information on space exploration. Who knows, maybe they'll find something interesting
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/

Paipa: A Precious Piece of My Childhood

I am a very active traveler, and I love trips; the farther, the better. That is why it´s so weird I would like so much our occasional trips to Paipa, a little town in Boyaca, close to Tunja. There is nothing too exciting in Paipa. It´s just very close to thermal water sources, but I´m not really into hot pools (they say that if you stay too long, you could have a stroke). So why do I like it so much? The reason is, they always come with some type of unexpected adventure. They usually come unexpectedly, with no warning and usually last only one night there. My dad takes us when my mother is gone on one of her various trips around the world. He always makes trips a lot funner, because my mother is always fussing about prices, and where we are going to stay, etc. Dad only cares about whether we have fun together. Besides, he has a special knack to make them very exciting. For example, he once took us when our Alfa Romeo had just gotten out of the mechanic with a brand new engine. He thought it would be a good idea to ride it around "La Savanna de Bogotá" to get it running well. Turns out we got to Tunja faster than we expected, and decided to go to Paipa to my grandmother´s birthday. She was so impressed that we had arrived so soon, and she was so happy. Later, we went back to Bogotá, (The trip to Paipa takes like 3 hours, we did it in 2 1/2). Another time, we were planning to meet a person in Villa de Leyva (a friend of my mother´s). We never found him, and later got a message he had some type of appointment and had to cancel our meeting. That was not too bad. We spent the afternoon in the town, but riding the stone paved streets of the "Historical Patrimony of Humanity" we messed up the muffler. Dad was so furious, and we were all worried. It was a Saturday afternoon, and no mechanic shops were open that day. We managed to arrive to Tunja, and miraculously, we found a little shop open. The owner was a mechanic who worked is his home garage. He fixed everything in five minutes, and Dad was so happy he decided to go to Paipa to celebrate!

Still, the best part of going to Paipa is the never skipped horse-back riding. The hotel horses already know us, and the one in charge always has a new path to take us around. The best route we have ever taken was when we went up the mountain to see the "Pantano de Vargas" from the tallest point. We had to go fast to make the whole trip, and it turned out the little hotel horses were much stronger and faster than we expected. It was a very exhilarating ride, ignoring the fact that the fog blocked the "Pantano de Vargas" view. At the top of the mountain, the sun started coming up, and the dew covered every single flower and spiderweb around. It was very magical, and I will never forget how beautiful the scene turned in just a few seconds.

Those trips to Paipa are a small piece of childhood I will keep with me forever, because they are moments in which I can honestly say I am truly happy.