Times and Seasons

A few days ago JTP noticed again that it is rains like crazy here some times, so he talked with one of the embassy drivers about it (these guys always have good information). They taught him a new expression “Abril lluevias mil”, basically “April showers bring May flowers” (even though there are flowers year round). Colombians also like to say that you can tell the weather by looking at Monserrate (a church on top of a mountain overlooking Bogota). They say "If you can see Monserrate it is going to rain. If you can't see Monserrate, it's raining." In fact, right now there’s a rain storm with thunder echoing in the mountains.

There are only two seasons in Colombia, “summer” and “winter”. “Winter” is the rainy season and “summer” is the dry season. Or as JTP’s brother SMP describes Costa Rica, “rainy season” and “somewhat less rainy season”.

The first thing TSP noticed about Colombia was the smell. Everywhere you go there is smell. It may be the exhaust from frightfully old buses, the oily smell of frying empanadas or the sweet smell of flowers. One of my favorites is the Eucalyptus. It's smell is so powerful sometimes - especially after it rains.

TSP also noticed the amazing colors of Colombia. The sagey green color of Eucalyptus trees mix with the dark green of the evergreens and the kelly green of the deciduous trees to make an over the top greenness. Some of the avenues close to our house are divided with trees and flowers down the center. This may not seem very different than other places except that the flowers bloom all year long and the trees lose their leaves little by little. This makes the whole scene beautiful no matter when one looks at it. Sometimes TSP looks at the mountains and sees the clouds slowly creeping over them almost like a warm blanket. It seems a bit ironic since the rain usually makes it chilly. When it is sunny the sky is an incredible color of blue. It is almost like a deep french blue.

One interesting point about Colombia for someone from the U.S. is that there is no daylight savings. You really do not need it if there are 12 hours of daylight every day. The sun rises at 6 am and sets around 6 pm, 365 days a year. Not too bad, except you have no idea what month you are in. With no seasons or time changes, sometimes you feel like you're stuck in a parallel universe.