Photo: Cartagena, Colombia, 2016

I took a leap of faith and ended up in Colombia, one of the happiest countries in the world! I love warm weather, and sometimes consider myself a beach bum, so it’s only right that I post up on the coast, in Cartagena! It’s a gorgeous city with lots of character! The architecture is beautiful, awesome street art, friendly people, and I’m making muchos nuevos companeros – Colombians and fellow tourists from all around the world. The streets here are so lively, as if there are fiestas around each corner. Lots of street food vendors, people hanging out, musica, warm breezes, y espanol es being exchanged every which way. Se basica espanol, pero I can’t hold a conversation. It’s only right that I decided to study spanish while I am here! Either that or continue this poor performance of spanglish. I’m taking a class a la escuela Nueva Lengua. They also have sites in two other major cities, Bogota and Medellin. Now I can say I’ve studied abroad, twice! At least in Australia, I just had to make it pass their lovely accent. Ahora, I have to make it pass the language AND the accents. Pero, es muy divertido! My goal, while in Colombia is to become semi-fluent in spanish, make new friends, eat delicioso comida, explorar like Dora, escribir un nuevo libro para ninos, reflect, relax and rejuvenate. The colors here are extremely rich and inspiring. I’m ready to paint. Maybe I’ll even take Malik, the main character from my children’s book Peers, Cheers, and Volunteers on an adventure in the next book. We’ll see. Journey with me! Follow my blog, comment and share. Hasta luego!

Photo: I take in such beauty on my way to class.