Doc- The Official Meal? Heels-boots-lLgs in Bogota.

Doc thanks for your hotel and rooming post. At times I could see/feel the sun peeping in through the clouds My times at Fort Lewis, Washington seem to mimic Bogota as well as parts of Nothern California. Cool to cold and drafty at times & definitely at sea level [ catch your breath].
The comparison of whether one's novia is located in the Southern part of the city or North is a must thing to consider.
No doubts many (Bogota Latinas) appointments have been missed because of the location/distance (North/South) & horrendous traffic ( per the posts I've read). Nice insight to share.
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Now Doc! Are my fellow gringos really sending negligees to someone they have never met?
1. Did your novia give you any pointers on rules & expectations her parents, esp., the father might have of you?
2. Did your novia & mom serve everyone during mealtime? Is it (serving the males) the expected custom?
3. Are the women as loving and affectionate with their sons?
4. Is it true that the Bogota women are the most sophisticated? Is
there a class system in Colombia, esp., Bogota or throughout Colombia?
5. Question: Do children with one or two children maitain their figures through exercise?
Finally Doc: Is the make-up applied heavy or light?
%%-Thanks for your post Doc. I am envious of experiences like yours.
I just want to go to Colombia and stare at the ladies through my sunglasses. The men in Colombia sound like the signors in Italy. Making remarks to the ladies and oftentimes touching them without permission.
Take care, Santa

Santa,

North/downtown/south really does matter--it’s a big damned city. I bet you’re right that the traffic is the cause of many a late or missed appointment.

As for your questions:

The negligee story is true! Amazing, isn’t it? If you’re willing to listen, you’ll hear some incredible stories about the actions of your fellow gringos. I’m sure there are women who would respond with glee to such a gift from an American they thought was rich and would get them out of there (maybe bringing the nightie along for the appointment), but I don’t think that’s the kind of women you and I are after. Some guys go down there to party. And some guys just have no social skills.

My girlfriend didn’t tell me what to expect or what to do when I met her family. She knew a lot about me, and I understood that a relationship with her means being, so to speak, at least an auxiliary member of the family, so I think she trusted me. I realized a lot depended on what her family thinks, and whether we could get along. I did her a few questions on the way to her house: tu or usted with Mom, for instance. And remember: you’re interviewing them too, in a way.

My girlfriend and mom served everybody, but the sister and cousin joined in too. They resisted a little when I pitched in to clear the table.

I worked primarily with ODEE, and looked at LAI/LLM for the more educated woman, so my experience may be a little unusual. Certainly between those two agencies you can find a fair number of educated women. Plus, remember there are a couple of other smaller agencies that claim they look for educated women (the one run by the psychologist, and the new one run by the Australian and his wife). Check the guide. I thought about going to those, but I’ve been pleasantly sidetracked.

There’s a class system all over the world. I wouldn’t worry about it much, though, for your purposes. Just be patient, go reasonably slowly, and get to know the woman and her family and friends. If you two can talk, you share values, and any educational gap doesn’t seem like a problem, class shouldn’t be a huge issue. Just one piece of advice that I urge you to consider: tell yourself you do NOT have to find the love of your life on your first trip. What you need to do is meet some people and have some fun. If you find someone, plan to make some more trips to get to know her. I got burned once (and badly) by not taking that stance. It’s what I’m doing now, and I’m much happier and spending time with a much better person. (Whom I miss very much. Ouch! Just got home yesterday.)

Exercise: depends on the woman. Remember that the idea you and I might have about exercise is partly a function of economics. A woman with a fulltime job, a two-hour commute, a child under six, and no car to get to the grocery store may choose to spend the whole weekend with her family instead of at the gym. Are you looking for a woman with a child? If you like kids (I love ‘em), you’re headed for the right place. There are some wonderful people down there who could use a dad for their kid.

I’m not a big makeup fan myself, so I’m not the one to ask. Usually it’s applied tastefully (this may be partly class-related).

So when you headed down there? Maybe we could hook up when you go.

Doc, thanks for the info and insight. The tu & usted does equal to the South's ( USA) informal yes or no, formal = yes mam & no mam. Our younger generation is more prone to 'what'.
I recently had to remind a close friend that a native(waiter) of Peru did not mean to be disrespectful when he (waiter) said 'what'. I reminded my friend that que´ can be respectful in Peru when speaking with people of his (waiter's) generation.
One important thing that I learned on the Gringo board was to not get hooked on someone that you have never met. I tried an innumerable amout of times to convince my close friend (above) not to go to Asia ( Indonesia) thinking that she (Indonesian lady) was the one.
He convinced himself that she was, spending a few thousand dollars on phone calls and gifts before he even thought of leaving for a visit. Doc, I also tried to convince him to take the Latin America route.
I will pick him up from SFO (San Francisco International) tonight (2am). He was gone for two weeks. He called me the 2nd night from Jakarta telling me she ( Indonesia) was constantly using her cell phone, excusing herself 'too' many times. It appears she ( his pen pal) came back and apologize. He picked her address up from a publication called Affection Connection which has photos
of women from Russia, Asia and Latin America listed.
Well, he ended up having a splendid time. He called while I was replying to you. It seems that the 5 Star Hotel he was in sent what is known as party girls to his room once every two days because of their Japanese clientel. He was trying to convince me to go back to Indonesia with him this Summer. No way!!
My point about my Buddy. Never put your eggs in one basket. NEVER!!!!!!!!!
I noticed that Nelson of LLM answers questions on this board. I liked the video I ordered a year ago from LLM. Very professional women. Good news story.
Were you satisfied with Odee?
I would like to witness how Colombianas care for their children first hand and have no problems with women who have children. I tend to favor girls though boys need a good dad also. Does your Novia have a boy or girl?
Presently I'm aiming at Bucaramanga and Cartagena.
The gist of this entire board. For the most part you never know ( about the ladies) until you go. Nothing but a great experience for most.
Santa

Was I satisfied with ODEE? Well, mostly, yes. I met my girlfriend through ODEE, plus some other women who, I think, are very fine people. My main complaint would be that Angela is a little too sure of what you should be doing, and sometimes needs to butt out a little more. But I suspect that's an issue to some extent in all of the agencies. Angela worked hard to help me, and did everything she promised for a very reasonable price. My bottom line with ODEE would be go there but, as I was advised by someone before I went, "keep her on a short leash."

My novia has a little girl.

Doc! Angela sounds like my kind of matchmaker. I find that women who think they have me sized up have a better sense of my type of woman than I do.
I know how to tell people I got it and can handle it (relationship building) from here.
It appears that you have accomplished what most Colombianas want. Fell in love with their child to transition into a Father figure.
I wish you well. Business is going so fast, I must force myself to fly to Colombia this August.
Santa

Santa:

Give me your email and I'll send you a couple of pictures that will help you drag yourself away from work.