The Ultimate New Year's Revolution- Colombia New Things!

Happy Birthday 2012! I'm sending out my final post state-side, and it's going to be an important one. Usually I don't pay too much time to New Year's resolutions, but this is a special year, and I think I ought to have some goals set for my new South American life.

Many of you readers may already know my dear friend and mentor Trish has a fabulous blog about New Things both at home and while teaching in Jordan for the year. Taking my inspiration from her, I present to you my thoughtful yet still incomplete list of New Things a.k.a challenges a.k.a "resolutions" for my wild ride through 2012. All feedback is welcome and encouraged!

So here it goes...

Learn Spanish: This may sound like a simple one but it may possibly be one of the hardest goals to accomplish. Yes, I'll be immersing myself in the language, but I've failed miserably at all prior attempts to roll my tongue and I certainly hope my American accent is as sexy to the Colombians as Sofia Vergara's is to us

Figure out how to add Spanish accents to words on my keyboard: Ok, this one really should be an easy one. Who knows the secret and can help me out here?

 

Learn to dance the salsa:(Among other dances.) I am in the land of the "hips don't lie" and I intend to come back able to teach all my fellow New Englanders how to get their groove on and "move like you come from Colombia." I promise that's the last  Shakira reference for awhile. 

Stay vegetarian: This one may take some work but should be mostly doable. I'll have to make some exceptions when I don't want to be rude or go hungry. But I think it's important to take some of the values that are most important to you with you to a new place. This will be one of mine. 

Cook a traditional Colombian dish: Speaking of food. I love learning new recipes and I certainly hope to dive into some yummy authentic cuisine. Also to this point I should include avoiding a Bogotano hotspot known as Crepes & Waffles and to branch out from Juan Valdez (aka starbucks) and find a favorite local coffee shop. 

Read 100 years of Solitude: I tried it once and found the book to be very hard to get through. But Gabriel Garcia Marquez is Colombian and I am bringing this with me to try at it again. 

Now for the adventure New Things...

Bogota bike tour! (http://www.bogotabiketours.com/) So this is a cool way to tour Bogota and I'd like to check it out. I covered the basic Bogota attractions last summer when I visited, but I am always game for getting a new perspective of the same place. The main goal for Bogota adventure is finding a groove that feels like normal life and searching for that niche of great culture and community that makes a place home.

Travel to Barranquilla for Carnaval (supposedly the biggest Mardi Gras outside of Brazil!)

Travel to Manizales and the coffee roasting region (The "student labor action movement" girl in me is dying to check out this region and meet the people behind the beans we are so addicted to. 

Travel to Cartegena for some R&R It's beautiful. It's warm. It's historical. 'nuff said.

Travel to Medellin, the city of eternal spring. Recent news says the world's longest escalator was just built there. Dubai's love for everything "world's greatest..." has given me the thirst for all things record-breaking.

Travel to Machu Pichu. Meredith, Eliza and I already have this in the works. Considering Peru will be my neighbor and this is a huge must see/ bucket list kind of place-- now seems as good a time as any. 

Travel to Central America (Panama, Costa Rica?) Companions welcome. Options wide open!

AMAZON! This may be the hardest challenge to accomplish because of the very much still ongoing conflict in Colombia. There are parts that are safe and tourist-friendly. The hard part is getting there. But again, The Amazon is a must see (preferably before all the species are extinct). 

e   That's where I will leave you tonight-- Just 25 hours away from landing at El Dorado airport. This list will grow much more once I find more places to explore. So far I think I have much to look forward to!