The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Last night, it rained in my apartment (again). This time I heard it begin and put the garbage, a large, and a pot in the bathroom to catch some of the water. It helped quite a bit, but is in no way a long-term solution. I went back to the offices this morning to tell them that the ceiling had leaked again, but when I got back this afternoon, nothing had changed. I'm definitely not happy with the landlords right now, but the best I can do is talk to them in broken Spanish, which really just can't come across as sternly as I would like. I guess I will have to wait until Katie gets back, and in the meantime, hope it doesn't rain too much.


Ah, that dreaded ceiling panel. The water mainly drips from that one corner, but also comes from that whole front edge. The light fixture fills with water, which can't be very safe.


The water continues its journey down the mirror....


and ends up in the garbage, the sink, and all over the toilet and the floor. I was surprised when I woke up the next morning to see just how much water had collected, not to mention whatever had made its way down the sink drain already (which must have been a substantial amount, since the largest "stream" was directly over the sink). At least the floor is a little cleaner...


Now I'm going to walk you through part of a typical weekday. Lucky you.

Here AnaCe and Guillermo are putting the very hot polypropylene sheet onto a torso mold. They then wrap the torso tightly so the plastic cools snugly to the shape of the plaster torso.

When I leave Gilete, these are some of the things I see every day...

Yes, this is another picture of mountains, but not just mountains. See that white building, a little to the right? It's called Monserrate Sanctuary. I've been admiring it for quite a while now, and found websites about it. It is now on my list of places to see before I leave. I love seeing the mountains every day; does it show?


I really have no idea what building this wall is guarding, but the entire top edge of the wall is covered with broken glass bottles. Apparently, someone doesn't want people getting in or out over this wall...


Here's another part of the wall with some random graffiti. Kudos to anyone who can figure out what that thing on the right is supposed to be (and no, 'alien' or 'monster' don't count).


This guy is juggling in the crosswalk while the light is red. There are people like him all over the city, trying to make a few pesos with various stunts and tricks. A few days ago, there was a different person in this same crosswalk who was balancing a bicycle on his face as he went from a standing position to laying on the ground. That was pretty impressive.


I got a kick out of this: it appears to be a Latin-Americanized Subway...except for the name.


Just about any main road has medians - the bigger the road, the bigger the median. This particular road basically has a park in the middle, complete with benches, gardens, and these! Okay, fine it is just a garbage can, but it looks like R2-D2. See it now? Yeah, there it is. I smile a little every time I see one. Matthew suggested I find a large blue bowl and complete the ensemble. Let the hunt begin! And people thought I was crazy taking a photo of the garbage can...yes, Bogotá, I represent the U.S.


Speaking of R2-D2...I found him! He's working at an audio-visual shop in Bogotá. Who knew?


And finally, the last stop on our tour: my place!

I hope you've enjoyed this little walk in my shoes. You might be wondering, "But Jess, what's with the title? What was good, what was bad, and what was ugly?"

That's open to interpretation, my friend. Consider it a work of modern art. You're welcome.