Week 4: Daily Life in Filandia (posted by Wade)

Filandia has been the perfect place for us to live for three weeks. It is a town of about 12,000 people, perched on a hillside surrounded by pastures and coffee farms. Filandia reminds us a bit of Harbor Springs, Michigan in that tourism keeps the town prosperous and busy. Except instead of Lake Michigan, Filandia has the Andes mountains -- and a lot of great music pouring onto the streets.

The views are spectacular and the tourist infrastructure means that there are plenty of good restaurants and outdoor activities. Yet authentic Colombian culture still balances out the waves of visitors.

We have settled into a routine here in Colombia's coffee country. Every few days we venture away from Filandia for a day trip. When not exploring the wider region, the Morris girls busy themselves with schoolwork, exercise, and cooking.

Jane, Annie, and Eliza have found some great coffee shops to quietly work on Math and their research projects. We have also used Filandia's public library for schoolwork, and even a really nice lady to tutor Jane in Spanish. 

Most the girls' time is spent on their Colombian research projects. Jane's research project is about Colombian literature. Annie is studying the broader significance of Colombia's street art. Eliza is learning about Colombia coffee industry. They are turning their research into an essay, which will eventually become a Zoom presentation for their grandparents.

To get some exercise, some days we go on hikes, other days we run up a steep hill a few times, and on others just a Peloton class. My favorite activity that we do to stretch our legs, though, has been basketball. Filandia has one of the most scenic courts that I've seen, just on the edge of the town and overlooking the countryside. On the court, I transform into Coach Dad, running drills and taking on the girls in one-on-three matchups (they have yet to score a point).

Just one more week in Filandia and then we are off to Cartagena!