Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Buenas De Bogota

Hello...

It has been a while since I attempted to post an update or the whereabouts of the Godbouts. Funny enough, I decided to check in on the good ol' blog to prep for an upcoming Powerpoint Party. Yes, this is apparently a thing, who knew? And it was a thing, believe it or not, before COVID.  I realized that my location was still listed as Shanghai, even though, we did a short stint stateside. When I say short stint, we repatriated for two years. Initially, it was a huge culture shock after being in Asia for 8 years and incredibly difficult in the midst of the pandemic. However, we were able to buy a house in our dream neighborhood, renovate it ourselves, and now have been able to keep it as an Airbnb, Godbout Getaway. This experience bonded us while allowing me to tap into my creative side...decorating, creating marketing, and utilizing my customer service skills liaising with guests. More importantly, moving back home, allowed us to refocus on what was important... cherishing our family times, soaking up time with dear friends, and allowed us to re-imagine life overseas as a teaching team. 

... and Voilà

We are now a teaching team working at a school in Bogota, Colombia. This is something we talked about for a very long time and here we are. Keith is loving being a teacher and I am also loving curating memorable STEM learning experiences. We are learning Spanish, have been able to travel around Colombia, and have made some great friends. It has not been an easy transition and if I were to write this post the first six months here, it may not have been as kind. But, here we are and this is what we are doing, so we are making the best of it. 

We are so grateful for those two years back home. It helped us be where we are today, grateful for fulfilling a dream we had so long ago of teaching abroad together. We are all at the same school again. We get to walk to school together every day, we have a lot more quality time with each other and the kids are getting to experience new things. We work with great people and love Bogota (when the weather is good!).  All in all, no regrets here. Continuing on the journey of life, growing, connecting, and serving. As always, we have an open-door policy so come visit!  

Celebrating Lunar New Year in Bogota 

Experiencing a local tradition: Dia de Velitas
El Peñón de Guatapé 
Comuna 13 Tour in Medellin with Fellow Newbies & Great Friends 

Wishing you love and peace in 2023, 

Kristy