Harry Potter Exhibit

So, remember how before school started and I and the kids were all stuck at home so much of the time, and were going stir crazy?  Yeah, me dragging Leo and the kids everywhere during summer vacation is the result of that.  So one think I saw advertised was a traveling Harry Potter exhibit set up at one of the nicer malls during December. It had been to several countries, and was supposed to be a taste of Harry Potter World. 

They did get sorted into houses at the beginning.

And then they had a little Hogwarts that the kids spent 1 min climbing through and were like--that was lame.  It kind of was.

But they did have a big room, mostly for selfies, but also one cool potions class.  

See the haunted woods, train, and quidditch field were all just photo ops.  Lame. 

Potions class was fun though, although since they didn't understand Spanish yet, a lot was lost to them.

The guy in the hat was the professor. 

Anyway, after we wandered around the mall a bit (Malls are everywhere in Bogotá and the IT place to go. They're always packed and it's like been transported back to the 90's childhood I remember), we decided to let the kid play at the arcades a bit because the Harry Potter thing was pretty lame.  

Alex (Jefferson's--the uber driver we had drive the kids to and from school for the next year--son) was with us too.

And then we had fast food that made most of us sick the next day.   I think it was just that place, we at that restaurant fairly often and never got sick at the one at our mall.  

 

Arcade games!

Isabel did not want to play arcade games so I went with her to window shop.  She's wanted a blue jean jacket.  It made me laugh because it reminded me of the early 90's so much.

I wish I had bought this blazer. So cute!! But where would I wear it?  So thus, I didn't buy it.

I also loved the hot pink!! I totally would rock that outfit.  I just don't know where. 😂😂.  I love that the clothes in Colombia were more fun and colorful than clothes I usually see in the States.  But then I never go to malls or shopping at actual stores, so I don't see much.  Anyway, all in all, we had a good time.

The Beginning of December Randomness

 

Some amazing views from Leo's office.

I love Jubal's happy grin.

Another arrangement I made.

I took the kids to the dentist and I think we were ripped off because of being foreigners. Sigh. It cost the same as the States and when Leo told someone what he paid, they were shocked.

Goofy hair.  

Efraim earned a prize and chose to eat at McDonald's.  I couldn't believe that he downed the entire huge hamburger, fries and a shake.  I had a bite of the hamburger, it still tasted Colombian. 

The boys kicked a soccer ball and broke the lamp in our little group of townhouses.

I'm so terrible to not get photos, but the very beginning of December we did get together with several of Leo's aunts and uncles and a couple cousins.  We met at Simon Bolivar Parque and had a picnic dinner or ham and plum sauce, etc.  Not going to lie, it was awkward.  

The kids caught a snake and built a hut.

I looked it up after (of course) on iNaturalist and it's a little harmless snake native to the Bogota savannah. 

Mostly Nicolas built it, I think.  

The view from Elena's window one evening.

Stripey marshmallows on hot chocolate.  Yum Yum.

This was the kids at church activity.

Oh, every time I went to the store I would die laughing (on the inside) about these wooden crates of "imported" food that were sold as Christmas gift sets.  What killed me was how random the stuff was.  Like wine, ketchup, garlic powder, Maria cookies, sometimes Mac and Cheese, or a box of spaghetti.  Which garlic powder and spaghetti you can buy all over Colombia anyway.  It was just such a goofy mix. 

La Noche de las Velitas

One very Colombian Christmas tradition is celebrating La Noche de las Velitas. Every December 7th, every family goes out and lights candles. The stores all sell lanterns and candles beforehand, and sometimes you see fake candles in windows. And there's whole towns that are lit up beautifully for it that people travel to to go see. But mostly families go to parks to light them and sing Christmas carols.  

The nativity in our townhouse complex.

The little boys insisted on taking photos here.

Anyway, we didn't know what we were doing really, but I'll take any excuse to light a fire. 
Other families at the park.

I think it's supposed to be lighting the way from Mary and Joseph to get to Bethlehem.

It was fun but I wish Leo had been with us.

The kids lit them again when we got home.  

And the nativity at the park we always go to.