Getting 'Home'

Milwaukee, WI

Bogotá, Colombia

There must only be a few things relatively similar to international teaching: sleep-away camp, CBS's Big Brother, bootcamp and prison. I mean this in the sense that you arrive in an unfamiliar place with a group of strangers and then form quick bonds over shared (and sometimes uncommon) experiences. The degree of uncertainty with this life event is exciting and intimidating.

It was a brief and whirlwind break between jobs. Moving from Quito back to the States in the end of June, followed by a full week of socializing and catching-up, then another in San Diego for work-related training, and a bit more than one additional week for further reunions and making-up for lost reading... it all culminated with a intercontinental move to Bogotá, Colombia. I knew a short transition was something I'd need to cope with regardless of where my next destination would lie, with Ecuador having a 200-day school year. It will be completely worth it in the end, and I can stand to be an adult who puts-up with minor disturbances.

My departure for Bogotá started with checking four bags, plus one carryon and a backpack. The most I have been able to move at a single time [Major airlines enact a temporal embargo, limiting the number/weight/size of luggage, in-and-out of Ecuador during peak travel times. These also happen to be during the period when international teachers are moving to or from the country]. And the check-in was so easy, on-time flights and enough time to grab a filling dinner before my second flight. It was also a time for some initial introductions and bonding with several other new hires on my same flight. It really is like the first time going to sleep-away camp. You drop your bags off in a circle and get to know a group of strangers, albeit on a mostly superficial level, and strive to feel a sense of belonging. I could tell I made the right decision by these other newbies who shared similar excitement, anticipation and curiosity and I had been feeling.

Leaving the hotel for my apartment

Like a professional, the second that plane landed in Bogotá, I was quick and ready to Immigration and getting my bags. Having struggled with transporting four 50-pound bags only fourteen hours prior, I immediately flagged down assistance from an airport employee who pushes luggage carts. He loaded all four of my bags (THEY ALL ARRIVED TOGETHER! I felt such relief that none were lost or left behind), and we passed out to the sala siempre-lleno-de-familia. It's when I realized I had no idea who or what I was looking for. Thankfully, my new friend Heather sent a foto of the spectacular and hard-working HR team at my new job. They threw the two of us in a cab and sent us off to our accommodations for that night.


The community building at the airport the previous evening made the first morning less intimidating. I knew who I could look for and sit with, preventing that other awkward camp moment in the cafeteria. It was a full morning of orientation before we checked-out of our rooms and moved into our new apartments. Rising up the elevator, the head HR person turns to me and says "this is one of my favorite apartments," opens the door and my jaw drops.

My apartment view at day

Who did I impress... what did I do to impress... how did I luck out in getting assigned this apartment? It has what I lacked in my former apartment and more! I was hoping for a place with larger counter space and gas stove in the kitchen. I also craved direct sunlight at the least, and if possible a view. Check, check, check. It exceeds my wildest dreams. I also have a more private, lofted bedroom/personal area with tons of closet space... that you have to take a spiral staircase up to. A guest bathroom. But seriously, the view. I can see most of the north half of Bogotá. I have an unobstructed view of the airport, where I can watch plane after plane arrive and depart. Several nights, I've been able to watch thunderstorms at night west of the city illuminate the landscape.

My apartment view at night

The jardín where I got my plants

After a couple of weeks in my new apartment, I've begun adding my own personal touches. It started with making my first large appliance purchase ever. It is a combo washer-dryer, my one mega-Westerner luxury item that I need to survive. After that, one of the first purchases I needed to make were plants. Seven is only a start, but with two balconies —one in my living room and the other in my bedroom— there is still a journey ahead before my garden in the sky has been realized. I'm in the middle of painting my apartment, as well. This is the tenth apartment I've lived in since moving off campus at UWEC thirteen years ago; three of the last four I lived in for a minimum of two years. Yet, I never have painted my own apartment. It was about time to change that. The colors I've chosen have given me so much more inspiration how to add additional personal touches so that I can have a place to call and feel home in this gigantic city.

Expressing my creativity in my living room

The home concept is odd, truly. Moving away from home— whether it is across town, across the state or country, or to an entirely different country— can be scary, but it gets easier the more you do it. But home is usually the last place you lived, not always just the first one you remember. Still, we carry each of those homes with us, too. Six weeks ago, I was at home in Quito and now I sit here 450 miles/730 kilometers away from there in a new place that I am eagerly making changes I regret not doing in my previous homes. All while ardently waiting for that moment when, not just my apartment but, Bogotá feels like home.