Life in Cartagena

Here's some photos from my daily life in Cartagena:

Here's a street in my neighborhood.

Here's my street. Notice the Colombian flags painted on every lampost. Puts our little American flags in SUV windows to shame.

The view from the balcony of the house where I live:

I could not survive without juice. I have juice at this stand probably twice a day average. It is the only thing able to keep my raging sugar cravings in check.

A long line of fruit stands that I pass on the way to and from work every day.

The fare collectors on the buses are so cool. They double as baby-carriers, old lady-helpers, grocery bag-transferrers, and traffic signalers.

This is a typical business that we fund through OptINnow: the ubiquitous snack stand.

An internet oasis! I'm saved!

A typical community in which we work. It is basically a slum that began as an illegal invasion of land and eventually established itself as a neighborhood. That's not to say that the people aren't very poor.

Visiting the businesses funded through OptINnow to take pictures, talk with them, and post updates to the site.

Another typical business we fund. A business like this can feed (barely) a family of 8. Hard to believe, isn't it?

Relaxing in the rocking chair after a long day of trekking around.

Mari-Luz rocking out with some sweet shades.

A Trust Group of entrepreneurial women being funded by Opportunity International. One woman said her goals were to own her own home, increased business revenue, a good education for her children, and peaceful international relations. Now that's ambition!