My Coffee Baseline

I never drank coffee in college.  I prided myself on the fact that through four years of undergrad and one year in a master's program, I drank coffee fewer than the number of fingers on my hands.  I refused to become addicted to the ever-enticing caffeine.  And, when I did need that caffeine boost, I small coffee was all I needed for a few extra hours of alertness.

That was before I lived in Colombia.  To not drink coffee in Colombia is practically social suicide.  Professional events and social encounters revolve around the liquid which, in place with being associated with all-nighters and your morning wake-up, is connected to simply enjoying life, sip by sip.

The ever-enticing cafe latte.

So, while I still never almost never drink coffee for some extra pep in the morning, I supposedly drink it often enough to have increased my baseline level for caffeine effectiveness.  Today, before an afternoon outing, I decided I needed a pick-me-up to be somewhat social and pleasant.  However, this espresso-shot cafe latte did nothing for me.  In fact, immediately after its consumption, I found that I had fallen asleep for an unplanned 2 hour nap.

My 24-year attempt at avoiding the coffee bean has officially come to an end.  But among my experiences in Colombian of learning to sit back and relax while sipping up some caffeine, I'm not too disappointed with myself.

Colombian News

"We don't want S.O.P.A.!"
A pun on words:
Sopa translated from Spanish to English means soup.

As little as I keep up with the current events of my native country, it was of no surprise that I learned first about the SOPA and PIPA bills from my Colombian counterparts.  I was taken aback by the strong reactions and protests of my Colombian friends and quickly made a move to learn more the U.S. bill that would have an international impact.

I wanted to mention one such blog that I follow here to keep me up on Colombian News.  Mike Ceasar, founder of Bogota Bike Tours created his initial blog, Mike's Bogotá Bike Blog, to focus specifically on the political and social issues surrounding bicycling in Bogota.  A year later he began Mike's Bogota Blog in 2010 which serves as a more general commentary on various Colombian issues.  I use his blog as my main only source to keep on Bogotano/Colombian news.  And, it was in fact for Mr. Mike's lack of a commentary on the recent SOPA and PIPA bills that I did not learn about the bills on my own.

I'm waiting for Mike's post on these bills.  Until then, enjoy his other posts!

P.S.  I plan on going on one of Mike's tours in the coming months.  I will be sure to report back -- if I survive the streets of Bogotá ;)

Es Un Milagro

When I typed in the letter f into my browser and saw that my own blog URL did not automatically come up as a suggested site, I knew it had been a long time since I logged into Foreign Encounters.  After a long holiday vacation stateside where I found, to my surprise, requests from friends and family to continue the blogging I have resolved to begin anew.  I hope that old and new readers alike enjoy what my blogging year holds.

"Es un milagro" (translation: it's been a long time) to be back in the blogging world.