NataliaV has left 178 comments
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March in Atlanta, GA
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Hi dw, do you have a myspace? if so, add me as a friend. If not, make one. ;-) My mom was born in Ibague, but moved to Giradot when she was a toddler. The rest of my family moved to Cali when things were getting bad in Tolima some years ago. When I visit, i mostly stay in Cali, but visit Tolima to see the few relatives that still live there. I read your post earlier about your beginnings in Medellin. Very cool. Do you get back often?
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NataliaV comments on I THINK YOU ARE THE FATHER OF ONE OF MY KIDS Very funny! I was wondering where this one was going!!
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NataliaV comments on Going to Cali first time, what to expect My family does not have AC so we use fans most of the day. To us it is tough to get a good night sleep without one. I often wake up when I'm hot. I wouldn't say AC is necessary though. ChipiChape is cool mall to visit. As the men will tell you here, a great place to check out the local women as most are very attractive. Nice people watching mall. My personal favorite is Jardin Plaza. Also a fun place to have a beer or two during the day. I have been to Juanchito for salsa and had an awesome time. Very friendly people, fun atmosphere. A popular spot is Cristo Rey. Nice view. At least do it once while visiting. Check out Kilometro 18. Very chilly up there so take a jacket and go enjoy a cup of chocolate or cafe con leche.
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NataliaV comments on BOOK BY BETANCOURT PRIOR TO HER CAPTURE I copied the list too Lcacique. I am always looking for a good book to read. Any favorites on the list I should pick up first?
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NataliaV comments on US, Colombia choked rebels' communications network Very true Sam. However, we are following the history being made daily, but many others are not. A movie will potentially be seen by millions and they will finally know the real Colombia as we know it and not some stereotypical ideas that they may have.
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NataliaV comments on The Three American Hostages interviewed Friday in the wee hours I do not think I can from the CNN page. And there not on youtube yet. You have to go the cnn video page to watch the 4 clips. sorry...
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NataliaV comments on The Three American Hostages interviewed Friday in the wee hours You can go to CNN videos and watch a few clips now. Very sad some of the stories.
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NataliaV comments on BOOK BY BETANCOURT PRIOR TO HER CAPTURE Betancourt's book is what got me really interested in Colombia politics. I really enjoyed reading it.
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NataliaV comments on Husband of ex-hostage says marriage may be over I wonder how she found it so quick if that was the case. We all noticed her coldness immediately after she was freed. Maybe her mother quickly gave her the low-down on him. Thats unfortunate after all he did for her while she was hostage. If anyone watch the documentary he kept on fighting for her.
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NataliaV comments on why not shoot the living crap out of the 58 FARC? now that would have been a good rescue. I think that is an AP miscommunication and not the government changing their story. I watched it live on CNN and Santos said that it was a goodwill gesture. Plus, I am sure it was chaotic and things got twisted. But where's the part about they let them go to keep on spying?? I never heard that. Link?
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NataliaV comments on why not shoot the living crap out of the 58 FARC? now that would have been a good rescue. CG - I was about to note the same thing. I haven't heard the government change their story at all. I think it was a great move not to kill the 58. Although, I wonder if Ingrid is suffering from stockholm syndrome and that is the reason she feels pity for the farc guerrillas?
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NataliaV comments on Colombian Military Tricks FARC into releasing hostages "Peace is possible!!!" - Ingrid
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NataliaV comments on Are Ingrid Betancourt and the Three Americans Free Any links to pictures yet? I can't seem to find any.
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NataliaV comments on Need information on Passports My mom traveled last year to Colombia after 30 years too and did not need a colombian passport. Her US passport was all she needed. My grandmother who has both passports, only uses her US passport. I don't think your mom will need a Colombian passport to travel. She should be fine.
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NataliaV comments on which book are you reading at the moment Current Book List (short version) The 7 Habits of Highly Effect Families Leaving Microsoft to Change the World Mindset - The New Psychology of Success What Smart Students Should Know Giving The Making of Modern Colombia: A Nation in Spite of Itself In the Time of the Butterflies Currently reading: Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography Rediscovering Catholicism Empowering Children I don't enjoy much fiction, but will take some suggestions from the above posts and give it a whirl! Thanks!
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NataliaV comments on Colombia transportation Hi there. You can absolutely hire a bus/van to transport you about the country. When you get there just begin calling a few transport companies and getting quotes. When we travel we hire a 12 passenger mini-van and a driver for a few days to drive us from Cali to Ibague/Giradot. It cost about $600 for 2-3 days. The company will even bring the van over so you can see it beforehand. We do this to make sure it is in good condition with new tires etc. My family also rents a 27 passenger van & driver to pick us up from the airport or when we go sightseeing. I can't remember the name of the company we used but I'm sure you can find one once your there. Good luck!
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NataliaV comments on woman with lion from jungle of colombia This is the same story from a while back. It was all over the news. She rescued it from a circus and it was badly malnourished. She has an animal shelter in Cali. From the Orlando paper... Torres runs the Villa Lorena animal shelter in Cali, Colombia, where she fed and nursed Jupiter the African lion back to health years ago after it was found abused and emaciated in a traveling circus. "It is amazing to see an animal like that be so sweet and affectionate," said Torres. "This hug is the most sincere one that I have received in my life." Torres, 47, said her work rehabilitating animals began more than a decade ago when a friend gave her an owl that had been kept as a pet. Later, when she asked her students to bring their pets to school, she realized many families illegally kept wild fauna from Colombia's biologically diverse jungles in their homes. The number of animals under her care grew, and now Jupiter is among 800 recovering creatures at Villa Lorena, where Torres looks after, among others, burned peacocks, limbless flamengos, blind monkeys and mutilated elephants. Most of the animals are caged, though some, like iguanas, roam freely around the grounds of the shelter, which are enclosed by a 13-foot wall. Torres said she relies on donations and her modest teacher's salary to run the shelter. "We dedicate our lives to the care of these animals without one single peso from the state," Torres said.
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NataliaV comments on I do not agree with your post. I have learned many many things from reading and occasionally posting here on PBH. Yes - some posts are rather negative, but I have learned far more positive things about Colombia then I may have been able to get elsewhere. Especially about places that I have not yet had the opportunity to travel to. Sure there are some people on here that are probably full of BS. But I take what everyone says with a grain of salt. And people need to keep in mind when reading as I do that these are peoples opinions. But I do think your "test" was a complete waste and has no point. But this is my opinion. Also, if you want to portray more positive things about Colombia....Great Job! You just added to the negative as you said "I bet there are probably people right now who are repeating this story." Your right - they probably are - a false and untrue story that just adds to peoples concerns about safety in Colombia. Nice.
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NataliaV comments on Nice Youtube clip of Colombia - Grupo Niche - Listo Medellin....if that is the one you are referring to...
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NataliaV comments on Varios Foticos en MedellÃn - April / May 2008 Great pics! Question....do you ask permission to take people's photos? I would love to take more pics out and about, but have always been nervous about taking the camera out in such public places and drawing attention to my "touristy" self.
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NataliaV comments on Colombia - "Frontline" - war on drugs (Mar.2008) Thanks Lcacique. I would like to see the whole video but don't think I will be purchasing it.. ;-) It is actually 52 minutes long. I'm sure another doc similar to this one will be along eventually.
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NataliaV comments on Colombia - "Frontline" - war on drugs (Mar.2008) Is there a part II? It seemed like it wasn't the whole video.
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NataliaV comments on Eat As Much As You Want In Colombia And Lose Weight True. Everyone in my family that traveled to Cali last May came back to the states lighter. I can't explain because we ate everything in sight! We actually talked about this in a thread awhile back.
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NataliaV comments on Hate Crimes in Colombia I look at it this way....I am a Catholic and proud to be so. I tend to agree with the Catholic church in most areas. However, I also believe it is not my place to judge others and that is left up to God himself. So in my book you can be anything you want to be as long as you are not effecting me and while I may not agree, I know you will one day meet God and he will judge what was right and wrong. In short, Mononoke, I agree with you. It's not our place to judge and if someone is an atheist but is nice, treats people fairly etc...I have no problem with them in my book.
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NataliaV comments on bilingual schools for kids in santa marta...expensive?! Although as rhydewithdiss said things may be shifting in the way private schools held the advantage....although I still believe they are a better choice. Clip from the above article: And coming from a prestigious suburban public school or elite private school may not offer the same advantages it once did for students. Many Ivy League schools say they're going after low-income students more aggressively, making it harder for middle-class kids to stand out. Juicebud...good points.
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NataliaV comments on bilingual schools for kids in santa marta...expensive?! hahaha I am in the business of 10k private SAT prep tutors. But here are the links to the articles: http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2007/11/29/gold-medal-schools.html And the WSJ article I will have to post because you can't view it unless you subscribe. Sorry it's so long: How to Get Into Harvard A WSJ study finds that certain high schools have a remarkable record of sending their students to elite colleges. By ELLEN GAMERMAN November 30, 2007; Page W1 As college-application season enters its most stressful final stretch, parents want to know if their children's schools are delivering the goods -- consistently getting students into top universities. It's a tricky question to answer, but for a snapshot, The Wall Street Journal examined this year's freshman classes at eight highly selective colleges to find out where they went to high school. New York City private schools and New England prep schools continue to hold sway -- Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., is a virtual factory, sending 19 kids to Harvard this fall -- but these institutions are seeing some new competition from schools overseas and public schools that focus on math and science. The 10 schools that performed best in our survey are all private schools. Two top performers overall are located in South Korea. Daewon Foreign Language High School in Seoul sent 14% of its graduating class to the eight colleges we examined -- that's more than four times the acceptance rate of the prestigious Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, N.Y. No ranking of high schools is perfect, and this one offers a cross-section, rather than an exhaustive appraisal, of college admissions. For our survey, we chose eight colleges with an average admissions selectivity of 18% and whose accepted applicants had reading and math SAT scores in the 1350-1450 range, according to the College Board: Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Williams, Pomona, Swarthmore, the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins. Some colleges that would otherwise have met our criteria were excluded from our study because information on their students' high-school alma maters was unavailable. All the colleges in our survey received a record number of applications last year. We tracked down the high-school alma maters of these colleges' current freshmen -- nearly 7,000 kids in all -- and made a list of the high schools that had graduating classes of at least 50 students. We then calculated what percentage of last year's graduating class at each high school had gone on to the colleges in our survey. Despite the fact that many people who went to state schools or obscure liberal arts colleges lead happy, successful lives, high-school seniors and their parents are routinely terrorized with alarming and now familiar college-admissions statistics. There are more high-school seniors going on to college in America now than at any point in U.S. history. Last year, Harvard admitted an all-time low of 9% of applicants after receiving a record 23,000 applications. In a sign of the shifting global economic food chain, students from abroad now take up a growing number of spots. At the University of Pennsylvania, 13% of the class of 2011 is made up of international students, up from 11.8% the previous year. And coming from a prestigious suburban public school or elite private school may not offer the same advantages it once did for students. Many Ivy League schools say they're going after low-income students more aggressively, making it harder for middle-class kids to stand out. "It's scary," says Jessica Assaf, 17 years old, who's waiting for word on her early application to Brown University. Ms. Assaf, whose parents send her to the $29,800-a-year Branson School north of San Francisco, is highlighting her work with an organization that focuses on the health hazards of cosmetics. But she worries her activism won't be enough to get her in, especially given Brown's record-low acceptance rate of about 13.5% last year. "A 14% acceptance rate isn't a good statistic," she says. "If someone said you had a 14% chance of living, that's nowhere near being reassured." WHO'S GETTING IN Among public schools, those that specialize in math and science fared well in our survey, in part because some top universities are focusing more on drawing high-caliber science and engineering students. Last year, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a magnet school in Alexandria, Va., sent 9% of its graduates to the colleges on our list -- with 14 students, or 3% of its graduates, going to Princeton. Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, another public school for kids who excel in science and engineering, last year sent graduates to Harvard, MIT, Duke and Cornell, and 14 went to nearby Johns Hopkins. Kids see that list of colleges every time they walk by the guidance office: It's written on a 10-foot board to give students inspiration, the school's director says. Good neighbors make good feeder schools. Princeton High School, a public school down the street from Princeton University, sent 19 kids to the college last year, up from 12 four years ago. Jeff Lowe, the high school's college adviser, says the numbers are so high in part because the children of Princeton professors are more likely to attend the high school, and they're also likely to be good students. He says the school typically sends between 10 and 20 kids to the university every year. (The university subsidizes up to half the tuition for the child of a faculty member.) Two years ago, the high school began accepting kids from outside the district for $15,817, after parents requested it. THE POWER OF THE COUNSELOR Still, many parents enroll their kids in private schools for the trump card that top prep schools have long held: the powerful, highly connected college counselor. The college counselors at many private schools have spent years building relationships with college admissions offices. Some have inside experience in the admissions process. Jon Reider, director of college counseling at San Francisco University High School, is a former senior associate admissions director at Stanford University. Mr. Reider says his former colleagues are no longer working at the university -- he left seven years ago -- but he still thinks having worked in an admissions office gives him an edge. "Because I've been on the other side of the desk, I have some idea how an application reads and what goes through an admissions officer's mind when they read it," he says. Last year, he says, Stanford admitted 11 of his students -- more than any year since he took the high-school job. Nancy Siegel, head counselor at Millburn High School in northern New Jersey, says that when an applicant vows that he or she will attend a particular college if accepted, she'll often let the school know. That can help a student's chances -- but if the child has a change of heart, she says, the high school is in trouble. "You talk to kids ahead of time and say, 'Don't you dare say that unless you mean it because the high school's reputation goes down the tubes,"' she says. Samantha Broussard-Wilson promised to attend Georgetown if the school accepted her early application. It did. But later that spring, the student from Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif., got into Yale. When she decided to go to New Haven, she says some teachers at her high school turned hostile. "I actually did get a lot of negative comments," says Ms. Broussard-Wilson, 18, now a freshman at Yale. "Teachers told me, 'You may have taken one of the spots from someone else at our school.'" Richard Bischoff, director of admissions at the California Institute of Technology, says parents overestimate the importance of a high-school name. He recently received a letter from a parent of a toddler wanting to know where the child needs to go in order to get accepted at Caltech. Mr. Bischoff wouldn't indulge the question. "I don't have the formula," he says.
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NataliaV comments on Hate Crimes in Colombia I agree Simon. Children need to have faith in their lives. And its no question that parents that attend mass and teach their children about God are better behaved.
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NataliaV comments on Elmo's Surprise Birthday Party Happy Belated Elmo! Looks like an eventful evening!
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NataliaV comments on Google the phrase "2 girls 1 cup" don't watch it ladies. disgusting. Don't do it. I warn you!!
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NataliaV comments on bilingual schools for kids in santa marta...expensive?! I agree with rhydewithdis to an extent. Yes, those things do play a major factor in getting into college. And every year students from public schools do go off to some great colleges. But to get into an Ivy, going to a private school is your best bet. Below is a clip from a recent article by the WSJ: As college-application season enters its most stressful final stretch, parents want to know if their children's schools are delivering the goods -- consistently getting students into top universities. It's a tricky question to answer, but for a snapshot, The Wall Street Journal examined this year's freshman classes at eight highly selective colleges to find out where they went to high school. New York City private schools and New England prep schools continue to hold sway -- Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., is a virtual factory, sending 19 kids to Harvard this fall -- but these institutions are seeing some new competition from schools overseas and public schools that focus on math and science. The 10 schools that performed best in our survey are all private schools. Two top performers overall are located in South Korea. Daewon Foreign Language High School in Seoul sent 14% of its graduating class to the eight colleges we examined -- that's more than four times the acceptance rate of the prestigious Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, N.Y. -The article does state that some public schools are catching up, so here is a list of the top ten public high schools which are extremely competitive to get into: Rank School Name and Location College Readiness Quality-adjusted Exams per Test Taker 1 Thomas Jefferson High School Fairfax County, Alexandria, Virginia 100.0 6.5 2 Pacific Collegiate Charter Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz, California 100.0 4.9 3 International Baccalaureate Program Polk County, Bartow, Florida 100.0 4.3 4 Oxford Academy Orange County, Cypress, California 100.0 3.8 5 International School King County, Bellevue, Washington 100.0 2.8 6 Pine View School for Gifted Sarasota County, Osprey, Florida 99.3 4.7 7 High Technology High School Monmouth County, Lincroft, New Jersey 98.8 2.9 8 Design & Architectural Senior High Miami-Dade County, Miami, Florida 98.1 2.3 9 Stanton College Preparatory Duval County, Jacksonville, Florida 96.2 4.4 10 Preuss School Ucsd San Diego County, La Jolla, California 95.8 2.3 I do believe that a student can make the most of their education no matter what type of school, but I do think to get into an Ivy your chances are better if you go to a top private school. (As the study by WSJ says though...that may be changing).
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NataliaV comments on bilingual schools for kids in santa marta...expensive?! A student can make the most of the education no matter where they go. Parental involvement is of course very very important. People pay top dollar for private schools in the US not only for a "better" education, but also for the connections that the school has. Such as counselors having relationships with top ivy leagues schools which in a normal public school most counselors do not have any type of relationship with the top admisions team. Also, looking at the numbers as to how many students from that private school went off to an ivy league school. Those with the highest percent of students can request the top tuition amount. Its not just the private school education....its the chances of your child going to a top university is far better than those students coming from a public school.
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NataliaV comments on Are You A True Colombian? I find it amusing too slyguy. Needless to say, I have been reading all the posts cause I am a bit curious what others think of the topic. However, I don't feel the need to "debate" who is more colombian than others. I am proud of who I am and don't care what others think about my colombianess or lack thereof. And who am I to judge what makes someone colombian....it is what they feel they are and what they feel connected to know matter how they came about it.
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NataliaV comments on elmo's thread agree. Both should do their part. I was very lucky to marry a man that indeeds helps out more than I ask. Plus, he doesn't always like being waited on hand and foot.
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NataliaV comments on elmo's thread Yeah, my husband always says he got a broken colombiana because I don't always get his plate of food or am not constantly cleaning the house like my mom and abuela do. And, get this, when we are at my abuela's house, she yells at me if I am not catering to his every need. He loves it. But I will say he is well taken care of and he just plays in to it for fun.
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NataliaV comments on MitchAlvarez Work, party, work....sounds like my day minus the partying! How do you balance all that partying you do?? And on a Monday night at that! I can't hang like that anymore....I would be dead the next day and not able to function without at least 6 hours sleep!
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NataliaV comments on MitchAlvarez Hi Mitch..thanks for the comment! Whats new with you lately? Like your new pic...
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NataliaV comments on Muhammed Ali and Bruce Lee Bruce Lee was a martial artist first and actor later in life. He began training at an early age in many different styles of martial arts including boxing. He was a boxing champ in Hong Kong before moving to the US for good. Many martial art movie stars are discovered while competing in local and national tournaments. Bruce Lee is the real deal and not just an actor. Hands down, he would win.
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NataliaV comments on Muhammed Ali and Bruce Lee I would have to disagree kalder. I think Bruce would win. I think it would be a nice fight to see, but Bruce would come out on top. A boxer only has knowledge of using their hands. A true Martial Artist, such as Bruce Lee, has mastered using hands, feet and other techniques that a boxer wouldn't stand a chance against. Just look at the MMA world today. Boxers can't hang with a more well rounded fighter.
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NataliaV comments on Foreclosed Real Estate---Bogota Not to get off subject about Bogota, but what if say you bought (2) 3 unit homes in Cali and lived in one of the apartments and rented out the others. And paid cash for it. Do you think you could live off the rent from the others in Cali of course as I'm sure prices vary greatly from city to city?
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NataliaV comments on Foreclosed Real Estate---Bogota gringoloid, why not keep a few to rent out instead of flipping? I assume you would be paying cash for the foreclosures? If you pay cash and rent them for awhile you could build up a pretty nice monthly cash flow I would assume. Maybe I'm wrong?
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