The operating room may have stayed dark for the last several days, but that doesn’t mean it’s been a quiet holiday week here in Cartagena.

The relaxed, fun atmosphere of the city – due to the tourists, the beaches, the clubs (and the Chivas!) is contagious.  It’s impossible not to be affected by all the smiling, happy people out and around…

 Adventures with Iris

Iris and I have had a fantastic week – wandering around the city and enjoying all that it has to offer.  (I swear, my next book is going to be called, “Adventures with Iris” and I am going to chronicle all of our various escapades).  But since she’s camera shy, it would be kind of a crazy book – with photos of me standing alone in all sorts of cool places..

We’ve been all over town, sampling various cuisine, drinking a micholada here and there, and enjoying the refreshing evenings that serve as a relief to the sultry heat of the day.  We get along great so there is always something to talk about when we hang out.

I have a bit of a routine here – in the early mornings (if I wake up early enough), I head out to walk along the beach for some exercise.  By 7:30 or so – the sun, heat and humidity are already out in full force, and it’s time to head back indoors.

The rest of the morning is spent sewing, writing, reading, or crocheting.

After lunch it’s time for a siesta to pass the afternoon before the ocean breezes come to shore and cool off the city.  (Without the daily afternoon cool down, I think the city would just be unbearable, particularly for someone like myself, who is unaccustomed to the heat.  People from South Florida probably don’t even notice it.)

In the late afternoons – we head out for various activities..

Colombian crafts – continued

I am making a lot of progress on my first crochet project – the universal, ever popular  ‘Colombian bag.’

Of course, mine won’t be as fancy as these here (since it’s my first) but I did add a jazzy yellow stripe.

Avenida Brasil – More drama than the hair-pulling, cat-fighting “Dynasty” style dramas of the 1980’s.  (That’s probably not their advertising slogan).

I also work on the bag some evenings while we watch “Avenida Brasil” which is one of the typical melodramatic (always crying or screaming) telenovelas on television.  As the name implies, it’s actually a Brazilian show.  It’s a bad stereotype of Latin American soap operas with tired story lines (everyone cheats – no one uses contraception, so everyone gets pregnant (but somehow never gets HIV).  It has none of the substance of “El Patron” but it’s popular here, so I watch it.   But maybe all soap operas are like this – I was never a big fan of the Young & the Restless or whatever…

For the last week of episodes: the wicked Carmina  has been crying/ carrying on (and manipulating everyone) in every episode.  She recently caught her husband, Tifon cheating on her with one of his old friends, Mona Lisa.  But that’s no surprise to chronic watchers despite the fact that Mona Lisa just married another guy..  ( and Of course, Carmina has not only been cheating on Tifon for several years – but actually lives in a shared home with her amante, Max, his unsuspecting family, as well as her in-laws and her daughter (whose father is actually Max.)

Probably the only interesting story line for me is the serial polygamist. I don’t know the name of the character – but he’s suave and handsome in kind of a bland Argentine kind of way.. It’s like he just can’t help himself – as he marries woman after woman and maintains several separate lives.  He was recently found out by his three wives (who were completely unaware of each other) – while dating and wooing a fourth woman.  It’s only interesting to me in that he seems completely oblivious yet totally manipulating and calculating at the same time.  It’s a common theme that reflects much of the ‘machismo‘ here.

Then there is Jorgita (Jorge), the son of Carmina and all of his trials and tribulations.  Of course, he is in love with one woman, while dating and impregnating another.   He’s supposed to be so wonderful and charming – but I find him quite revolting with all of his flashy jewelry and declarations of ardent amor.

Of course there are a myriad of other characters and story lines but this is probably enough to give an accurate depiction.

Hecho en Colombia

 

I’ve also been sewing a dress using some fabric and patterns I bought here.  I altered the pattern (quite a bit) to make it more of my 1920’s style and on a whim – have been sewing it by hand.

Maybe when I get done – I can label it ‘Hecho en Colombia’ since I made it here in Cartagena using a Colombian sewing pattern, and Colombian fabric.  (Both the pattern company and the fabric manufacturer are in Medellin.)

Iris has a perfectly fine Brother sewing machine – (I used it to create a new helmet guard for Dr. B’s helmet light) but I just felt like doing it by hand.

 

Dr. B’s new helmet liner

It’s a cushion made of fabric covered foam that keeps the metal frame that holds the surgical light from shifting or weighing too heavily on his head during surgery.  It’s navy blue so it’s hard to see in the photos.  It has velcro strips to affix it to the metal frame, and adjust for individual sizing.

Haha.. Kind of funny how even sewing always circles back to surgery, isn’t it?