Medellin, Colombia: Getting Back Into The ''Spring'' of Things

We're back in our happy place... a place filled with abundant sunshine, blooming flowers, and friendly faces. A place fondly called La Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera. We are back in Medellin, Colombia for our fifth extended visit, and once again, we are very happy to get back into the ''Spring'' of things.

Sabaneta, a municipality just south of Medellin, is our ''home'' for the next two months. We enjoy the laid-back vibes of Colombia's smallest municipality while still being close to everything that Medellin has to offer.

Dominoes, anyone?

Our (and in ''our'' I mean Doug's) Spanish has gotten quite proficient, and we continue to think about venturing out to other Central and South American countries. But something keeps drawing us back to Medellin.

Could it be...

The natural beauty of the mountains that surround this city in the Aburrá valley?

The overflowing baskets of fresh fruit that give us a healthy start every morning?

The delicious homemade ''menú del día'' lunch that more than fills us up for the rest of the day?

The comfortable Airbnb apartment that spoils us with all the ''luxuries'' of home?

The colorful and welcoming barrios with their unique and exuberant personalities?

Or the joy of being able to enjoy this fabulous weather all year long?

It could be any of those reasons, but for us, it's more than that.

It's the...

''dear old amigos'' who warmly welcome us back, 

and the new friendships that are formed when we attend nightly language exchanges at local cafés.

It's the...

opportunity to improve our Spanish as we help teach English,

and seeing the smiles of former students who are as proud of their accomplishments as we are of them.

It's the gift of once again being able to return to a place friendships blossom 

... as brilliantly as the spring flowers.

Welcome Home! Dade City, Florida Habitat For Humanity Build

''Home is where love resides, memories are created, family and friends belong, and laughter never ends.''

A year ago, I walked up to a house that had been given to the local Habitat affiliate... unsure of what I had just ''volunteered'' to help with. Scraggly bushes and an over-surplus of weeds embraced the building. Acrobatic skills were needed as I carefully stepped over the warped porch boards in order to get into the building. And as I entered the house, it was definitely not the aroma of fresh-baked cookies that greeted me. Yet, the contagious smiles, laughter and dedication of the other Habitat volunteers... along with the firm belief that this structure would someday welcome a deserving family is what encouraged me to stay and help with this rehab project.

A few weeks ago, Doug and I returned to Dade City, Florida to participate in another Habitat for Humanity Care-a-Vanner build. Initially when we started doing this volunteer activity, we would choose new cities to explore and new affiliates to assist. But recently, we have found ourselves being drawn back to this small town in central Florida to help build houses that will eventually welcome hard-working families home.

While morning temps were not quite as extreme as they were up north, we were taking no chances and donned our winter jackets as we gathered around the campfire for morning instructions and devotion. This affiliate has done a great job at making sure the Care-a-Vanners feel welcome in their camping area. They built a volunteer community center with a kitchen, bathrooms, showers, and a large screened porch that surrounds the full-hookup camping sites. This area overlooks a pond where migrating sand-cranes serenade us, and Mr Alligator basks in the sun.

My first day on the job was spent doing a familiar task ... caulking the siding and windows with a local volunteer. As we started talking, I could sense the excitement bubbling over in her. Marissa had worked for over a year to become a Habitat homeowner. The challenge of taking numerous ''future homeowner'' classes and working three-hundred volunteer hours while continuing to work full-time and care for her family was about to pay off. She was closing on and moving into her new home in a few days. And what a joy to hear that her new home was the house that I had helped work on the year before!

When we arrived at the dedication ceremony the following week, I was blown over by the transformation.

Neatly planted bushes replaced the weeds. Strong and sturdy steps led the family onto the porch where they would cut the ribbon, and accept their house key... along with an affordable 30 year mortgage.

As they invited us into their new home, fellow volunteer, Sally and I were so happy to see that our persistence the year before played a small but still important part in helping welcome another family ''home''.

This welcoming spirit is what keeps us coming back to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity's Care-A-Vanner program.

Whether on the job site...

or around a campfire... 

or at the paintbrush cleaning station...

or at the local ice cream shoppe...

or during a ''potluck'' pancake breakfast...

or while debating whether the current outdoor temp of 55 degrees is winter jacket or t-shirt weather...

Guess who has Canadian blood and

who has lost his hardy Minnesota spirit ??!!

friendships are formed...

and families are welcomed home...

during each Habitat for Humanity build that we are grateful to participate in.

If you are interested in learning more about Habitat for Humanity's Care-a-Vanner program or future building opportunities,

talk to us or visit...

the Habitat for Humanity website.