Día 281: "Vas a perder tu miedo."

I had a blissful morning, which started with meditation and ended with fruit. In between were yoga and some core exercises, which felt a bit more difficult than usual (I soon realized this was because of the change in altitude).

At "midday," Paula/Viviana, Elena Auntie's niece, came over to show me around (and help me not burn the water I was trying to boil). She showed me around "Zona G," where our apartment is, and gave me an orientation of the amenities available nearby. Our first stop was Carulla, a 1940 house converted into a supermarket.

We then went to Juan Valdez Café, where I really got to know Vivi. She and I were very self-deprecating about our respective English and Spanish, and it was fun to teach one another our native tongues. I must say though, I certainly got more instruction time, as this sweetheart diligently made sure I was practicing my Spanish at all times, in preparation for my interview with my to-be professor this evening.

These "lessons" continued as we roamed the streets, giving patronage to an ATM and barely being able to resist doing the same at roadside jewelry shops.

For lunch, we feasted at Crepes & Waffles, the home of my heart ever since I tried it in Ecuador in 2009. I was a bit boring (or homesick) and had a tandoori chicken crepe as my meal, but I don't regret it a bit, as it was heaven on earth. Speaking of heaven, Italian tiramisu adapted with Colombian coffee ice cream . . . cannot be described.

We ran a few more errands after lunch, including grabbing me some fruit and a sandwich for my dinner, before Vivi walked me home.

During this last leg of our adventure, I was beginning to experience some altitude sickness. Being prone to headaches even at sea level, I thought it best to take some rest before the evening's introductory class. My siesta was followed by some irreverent Spanish banter with Laura and a peek at The Power of Now.

Marcela, who will be one of my teachers, dropped by our apartment to assess my level of Spanish proficiency. I was relieved when she said, "oh, so you have some Spanish already!" Thank goodness.

My biggest challenge during this immersion experience will be losing my fear. I have nothing to prove and no one to prove it to. I don't need to remind myself that I'm "intelligent" or "a fast learner" because that's whence a lot of my inhibitions about making mistakes hail. I just have to jump in. ¡Vamos a ver!