back in the USA
Colombia turned out not to be what we wanted. We had plans to build a business there - to find land and buy property and grow with the tourist sector. To spend our free time learning Chinese, getting fit, and working out everyday. To figure out what we were going to do for the rest of our lives, or at least for the next year.
Instead, we killed four months. We didnāt even leave Medellin to explore and pueblear. We definitely didnāt learn Chinese or workout. And we decided Colombia wasnāt going to be the place for us.
It felt different with a toddler - difficult. The sidewalks were either nonexistent or bumpy, and nothing was accessible with a stroller. There were only two metro lines, and the one by us was a 30 minute walk from the apartment. Only one supermarket carried organic products (carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, kale, lettuce, and parsley), and it was a ten minute train ride plus another ten minute walk. I did sign up for a fruit and vegetable CSA that helped a lot. Anytime we ate out, our toddler broke out. The supermarket meat grossed me out, and the one time I ordered chicken online from an āorganicā business, the owner explained that the chickens didnāt eat organic feed or grow on pasture. I trusted, though, and when the chicken arrived, it was giant, fatty, and abnormally yellow. I forced myself to cook it all, and I never ate chicken in Colombia again.
I was lazy. I was bored. I didnāt have motivation to do anything, and I spent most of my time just getting by. Cooking, cleaning, and hanging around. At home, on walks, or at the mall. I will always be grateful of the time we got to spend with our baby, but I never want to spend this much time doing nothing again.
I suppose thatās the lesson we (I) needed to learn. For the longest time, I was against buying a home. Traveling with my family was the goal. Resting, exploring, chilling with my boys. But having time off only feels good when we have time on. I feel ready to be on. What excites me now is the idea of creating. Putting down roots, having a stable home, and setting a routine. Writing, exercising, meditating. Iām happy to miss out on all the novelty in order to turn inwards and focus on me and what I can do.