So... What's Changed?

It's been almost a week since I've returned from Colombia, and as promised, I wanted to write again during "re-entry." Colombia is in my dreams and on my mind for many moments during the day-- as I wrap Colombian Christmas presents, eat snacks I haven't had all year, or drive my car and remember how glad I am not to be sitting in Bogota traffic.

And since I walked off the plane, welcomed by USA Homeland Security, I knew I had changed. My life had changed. I'm different now. "How," you may ask? We'll it's in the little things. I catch myself playing out conversations in my head in Spanish. I am now a coffee snob (Dunkins, I think we should see other people...). I want a small dinner and a big lunch. I was 20 MINUTES LATE meeting Ben for lunch. These things happen sub-consciously and I think, "Oh, how Colombian." These are the habits that you adapt to when living in a new place often seep into your being without knowing it.They only happen when you emerge yourself in a culture for enough time to become a small part of it. Only once you return to your "normal" place that these changes become apparent.

But then there are the bigger changes. These are the things I am still flushing out. The many adventures, experiences, and well... now, memories. My students made me more compassionate. Teaching made me more flexible. Bogota made me more patient. City life made me more independent. Cultural difference made me appreciate diversity in the USA. And being far from home made me thankful for such special loved ones in my life.

I'm happy to be home. I miss Colombia. I am ready for the next adventure. I am saying goodbye to this chapter. I am so glad I had this experience, stuck it out when times were tough, and made this year worth it. I don't know what my next steps will be exactly, but I do know this is only the beginning of my time working with education, public service, and South America. We will see where the road takes me!

As for tonight... I'm going to indulge in some Ben & Jerry's ice cream, snuggle my puppies, and be happy in the place I am at today.

What doesn't fit in a suitcase...

Today is the day I leave Colombia. My flight departs at midnight and I will be back on Beantown soil around 10:30 tomorrow morning. I'm wearing the exact same clothes I flew here in-- green sweater, scarf, and favorite jeans-- and I probably look the same too. But, of course, I'm not coming home the same. I'm taking home many more things than I could ever fit in a suitcase.

For example:

- A Colombian booty. That's right, I'm practically Shakira from behind. New pants shopping is high on the to-do list when I get home.

- An empty bank account. Such is the life of a volunteer, right?

- Arequipe, ajiaco, lulo tea, panela, aguardiente... Don't know what these things are? You'll find out!

- Quite a few more additions to my jewelry, shoe and scarf collections.

- Manicured and Pedicured nails. Things I would not do at home but need to take advantage of while I'm in a country where it costs nine bucks!

- A bigger vocabulary in Spanish, but a suffering English vocabulary! 

- Friendships with Colombians. So many great people have told me I will always have a home to come back to here. And I feel that. I will come back someday and it will feel like a little piece of home again.

- Friendships with fellow WorldTeach volunteers. I feel so lucky to have been a part of such a spectacular group of people. We have now shared a bond that will connect us for a long time.

- Questions. I came here with questions, and I am leaving with many more. But that is the beauty of exploration-- of places and of life. I honestly cannot say what my life will look like in the next year or even the next month. But one thing Colombia has taught me is to be tranquila and just let it happen. So we will see!

- Motivation. Some may also call this "itchy feet." I am so happy to go home and see loved ones, but I know there will be a point in the near future where I will be ready to go again. Go where? I don't know. Not a clue. But traveling is absolutely something that becomes addictive, and there is so much more of the world I want to see. I want to DO and SEE and GO! The Doing, Seeing, and Going is yet to be determined.

- A full heart. I can remember moments this year when I felt pure joy. I can remember moments where I felt absolute sadness and fear. Each tug of my emotions Colombia has put me through has made me a bit stronger and a lot more full of life. Not to mention the gifts my students have given me and the experiences of learning about this beautifully crazy country.


I'm going to write again on the plane tonight and will continue to post in the coming weeks. This chapter of my life is not fully complete, even when my feet hit more familiar land...

Heading "Home"

I just finished our End of Service Conference with WorldTeach and it was a great way to begin my final week in Colombia. Tomorrow I head to my favorite place-- Villa de Leyva. I've said before that it's a beautiful town and I will be with some of my favorite people. Then I return for a few final days in Bogota before my midnight flight on Saturday. End of Service kicked off my own period of reflection on this year and started to prepare me for the process of "going back home." I have some anxiety about the many unknowns in the future and I expect a good deal of reverse culture shock. The process of going home is so much more than a place or even a community I am a part of. Here is a quote WorldTeach shared with us that touches on the important aspects of how a year abroad changes you...


"The problem is the word home. It suggests a place and a life all set up and waiting for us; all we have to do is move in. But home isn't merely  a place we inhabit; it's a lifestyle we construct (wherever we go), a pattern of routines, habits and behaviors associated with certain people, places and objects, all confined to a limited area or neighborhood. We can certainly construct a home back in our own culture-- just as we did abroad-- but there will not be one waiting for us when we arrive. And this is true even if you move back into the same house you lives in before you went overseas. In other words no one goes home; rather, we return to our native country and, in due course, we create a new home."

-- Craig Storti, The Art of Crossing Cultures

My final lesson to my students

Well, that's it. My final day of classes. I ended each section with personal notes to each of my students and I read them "Oh, The Places You'll Go" by the one and only Dr. Suess. It was an emotional day for me and for many of my students. They are all between fourteen and sixteen years old, and sometimes at that age, life is really hard. Being their teacher was sometimes really hard. But I want to leave them with this final lesson...and I know a lot of you read this :)


The ten most important things I hope you learned from me this year:

10. Cultural exchange is really cool. People that are different from you are sometimes really cool too. Difference and diversity are beautiful things.

9. The "TH" sound means you have to stick your tongue out! It's not the same as "T"! And the "V" and the "B" are Vvvvery different sounds too.

8. Take care of yourself: your body, your mind, and your emotions. Eat vegetables!

7. The only things worth spending lots of money on are education and TRAVEL. Explore your world. There is so much to do, so much to eat, and so much to understand.

6. It is good to push yourself. Get outside your comfort zone. "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." It can be good to do things that scare you. (Like an oral presentation in English in front of the class or whatever.)

5. There is an "S" at the end of verbs in present tense third person. I walk, you walk,  she walks!" And please remember there is a difference between HE and SHE.

4. American English is better than British English. Hehe. No, I'm kidding!... but really...

3. Education is the most important gift you will ever receive. The best way to show you are thankful for it is to continue it. Find something you are passionate about and learn everything you can.

2. You speak English. Repeat. "I speak English." Yes, you do. You just had a full year of English class with a native speaker. And you can read this sentence. And you can understand at least 25% of what I say... YOU SPEAK ENGLISH! Have confidence in your talents, your English, and your SELF.

1. YOU ARE LOVED! By me and by a lot of other people too. As your teacher, I care about you and I care about your education. I want you to succeed. And most of all, if you think I helped you, I want you to go help someone else now. We call this "making a difference," and it means to change someone's life for the better.   I ask each of you to be a positive influence in the world.


Now go, on your own, out into the world... take with you a little more English, an open mind, and a lot more love.

Election Night in Colombia: "Look Colombians! Not all Americans look like me!" and other thoughts about diversity.

Well, now that the election is over, I can finally return to New Hampshire without the brainwashing of TV ads and robo-calls. It's weird watching such important events for my country from overseas (you may remember my Olympics post!), and it certainly gives you a different perspective on things. So here is my reflection, for whatever it's worth, watching the election from abroad.

First, if you didn't watch the President's victory speech, you should. It was not Democratic or liberal or political; it was presidential.

Second: One thing that I realized after living abroad, and actually miss about the states, is just what exactly having a diverse country means. Sure there are many differences between Colombians. But in the United State, for better or worse, it is relatively normal to have people around you that don't look like you, talk like you, or or especially think like you.

I like having Obama as my president while I live abroad, because I am constantly asked if everyone in America looks like me. Ummm, hello? Obama finally embodies this notion that, as he stated last night, "What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on Earth"


All day today and yesterday the election has come up frequently and randomly. Everyone wants to know who I voted for, how I voted, and if I like Obama. Here are some examples of the conversations I had:

Student: "I like Obama! Who is that other guy?"

Student: "Ohh teacher, Romney is from Boston! He wins your home?"

Student: "I like Obama because he's black."
Me: "Why does that matter?"
Student: "Well, because he's different. Someone new." 

Student: "Romney is the typical, imperialist type of person that you had so many presidents like him."
Me: "And Obama isn't?"
Student: "No, because he uses communication. He acts like a partner."

Whether you think about this when you go to the polls or not, the rest of the world is watching us on election night. When I asked my students whether the US election was important to Colombia, they all unequivocally said YES!

Read this from Thomas Friedman's Op-Ed today:

"Many in the next generation of America know climate change is real, and they want to see something done to mitigate it. Many in the next generation of America will be of Hispanic origin and insist on humane immigration reform that gives a practical legal pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants...  Many in the next generation of America see gays and lesbians in their families, workplaces and Army barracks, and they don’t want to deny them the marriage rights held by others." 

I still can't believe that in 2012 we are discussing things like equal pay for women and men and the rights of rape victims. I can't believe it's not a given that whoever your family is and whoever you love doesn't define who you are and cannot justify discrimination.

Diversity is what makes our country exceptional, and tolerance is what makes our country great. No matter what your political party may be, I hope my generation continues to appreciate the value that people with "differences" have in our communities and our lives.

I hope in the future (not so far away), when my generation grows out of the "youth vote" and looks back on this time, we can all say we were on the right side of history. Not because we did or did not vote for Obama, but because we saw intolerance and decided to change things, by voting.

The playlist to my year

Every period of one's life comes with certain songs that trigger special memories and associations. This year in Colombia has been no exception. It's quite the mix of Colombian and American tunes, but each song will forever be one of my Colombian songs.


The sing-a-long on the bus song:  Luis Enrique "Yo No Se Mañana"
(Also my favorite Colombian love song)

The song everyone is singing in the bars and you can't understand the words:
Michel Teló "Ai Se Eu Te Pego"
(Spoiler alert: no one knows the words because they're Portuguese!)

The song to remind you what your students think of you:
Carlos Vives "Carito"
(The answer is they all have crushes on us)

The song that becomes a sensation in the States and nobody gets here UNTIL NOW and also describes a typical Friday night:  Carly Rae Jepson "Call Me Maybe"

The song to sum up Colombians' obsession with 80s music and desire to learn new dance moves wherever and whenever:   Michael Jackson "Thriller"

The song we here at our favorite bar as we get free drinks and life becomes complete:
Justin Timberlake (Featuring Nelly) "Girlfriend"

I swear I cannot make this up, every bar without fail plays songs from the past three decades. I have no complaints.

There's also an odd amount of show tunes in the public transit system (I've heard Mamma Mia more than I can count)

And finally, The song that echos throughout the city each day at 6am and 6pm. One of the most beautiful National Anthems in the world. (Don't take my word for it, there was a study!)

Himno Nacional de Colombia!
(There may or may not be a video of me singing the first verse of this on Student Day... I may or may not know all the words...)

Wills and Won'ts

As of today I have exactly 35 days left here in Bogota. This past week it's started to really hit me that things are coming to a close. I have only 13 classroom teaching days left, and I know that is going to fly by. As I cram as much as possible into the teenagers' reluctant brains, I've been thinking about what I will miss most (and least) about this year. Here's a working list...

1.  Will miss- my students, most of them, when they do their work and care about learning and speak          English.
     Won't miss- grading, making worksheets, lesson planning, teenage too-cool-for-school-ness.

2. Will miss- rocking my lab coat every day.  
     Won't miss- all my ugly clothes here. Most of which I am leaving behind.

3.  Will miss- practicing Spanish
      Won't miss- struggling to express myself in Spanish

4. Will miss- cafe con leche
     Won't miss- disgusting coffee at my school and when Juan Valdez doesn't open until 9ish on a Sunday!

5.  Will miss- The awesome albeit crazy Transmilenio and generally great access to public transportation.
      Won't miss- the super bad pollution and general traffic chaos.

6.  Will miss- So many fruits! Feijoa,lulo, mora, maracuya, guava, guanabana...
     Won't miss- PAPAYA! Disgusting feet fruit sneaking its way into fruit salads and silently terrorizing fruit eaters everywhere.

7.  Will miss- Cheap veggies! Freshest and tasty non-GMO tomatoes and lettuce and so many yummy things.
      Won't miss- walking by dead pigs in storefronts and general displays of dead animals.

8.  Will miss- Arepas, empanadas, and the plethora of street food.
      Won't miss- rice and potatoes at the same meal and constant carb overload

9.  Will miss- no humidity and no bugs at a comfortable 9,000 feet above sea level.
      Won't miss- the lack of seasons. I miss fall and snow and even sometimes heat.

10. Will miss- walking to buy groceries and city living with things right on the block.
       Won't miss- threats of street crime and sticking out wherever I go

11.  Will miss- Villa de Leyva! By far my favorite place in Colombia. And all of my opportunities to travel.
        Won't miss- I actually really like all of the places I've been and will miss them all...

12. Will miss- Simon Bolivar Park. The Central Park of Bogota.
       Won't miss- rain crashing our picnics

13. Will miss- Colombian music and dance parties. Especially Vallenato music.
        Won't miss- The dance parties in my house all night when I'm trying to snooze.

14.  Will miss- Ridiculously cheap haircuts and manicures.
        Won't miss- The risk of getting way too many layers or losing skin during a pedicure.

15. Will miss- Colombians' happiness, sharing, sensitive feelings, and love of having fun.
       Won't miss- General disorganization little "AHHH" moments of frustration living in a new culture.


Yea, I'm going to miss a lot. And even the things I won't miss I may look back on fondly after some time. (Except for the dead animals in the windows and the papaya. I'm really over that...)

Colombian flag on a street in Villa de Leyva

Do you know where your coffee comes from?

If you are thinking about traveling to South America, you have to consider Colombia. 

If you come to Colombia, you have to go to the coffee region. 

If you go to the coffee region, you have to go to Salento. 

And if you go to Salento, you have to visit Don Elias' coffee farm!

I spent a few great days in the coffee region, and all of it is beautiful. But my visit to Don Elias' coffee farm made the trip really worth it. 

When Ben and I got to Salento, we were following many WorldTeach volunteers before us and had a lot of advice about what to do and where to go. There are yummy American food restaurants and great hikes, but the number one activity on my list was to take a coffee tour.

There were quite a few tours to choose from. Not many were available in English, and they ranged from bigger farms to little fincas. Ben and I decided to go for a smaller place, and decided I could translate for Ben just fine in English We found a jeep-taxi in town and drove about 30 minutes into the mountains. We pulled up to a small fence with a little wooden sign that read "Don Elias- Coffee Tour." . A few friends recommended Don Elias but warned us that he was a little old man with no teeth. They said to hope for his grandson that's quick and super easy to understand.

Well, we got Don Elias.

He greeted us with a big smile and mumbled (in Spanish) "My farm is small, but it is the work of my life. Welcome." Ben and I exchanged a look of "what are we getting ourselves into?" and off we went into the field. 

Not exactly the fields of Vermont or the Midwest

The fields were set along a fairly steep hill, and we soon noticed coffee trees weren't the only thing growing here. Plantain and banana trees, blackberry bushes and pineapple shrubs sprouted all over the place. We walked through the trees touching, smelling, and of course picking the red and yellow beans. 

Don Elias reminded us throughout the tour of the importance of his natural, tradition approach to farming. he pointed to a spider wed and said. "these are my only pesticides. These friends eat all the unwanted bugs." And for the coffee shells and rotten fruit, "This is natural compost, the best possible food for the soil." He was so into it, and of course the Vermonters in Ben and me were thrilled to see such an organic process.

Here's some things you may not have known about coffee:

It's colorful!

The tree flowers first in April and May and produces coffee through the fall-- October into November. (Perfect time for us to be there!)

It's the second most traded commodity in the world after oil.

De-shelling the beans. Don Elias uses all hand operated machines.He said if he
used an automatic one he'd be out of work.

There are two types grown in Colombia, and the Arabica type is most popularly exported.

Beans are exported before they are roasted. They look like this when they arrive at the door of Starbucks or Dunkins.

The tour with Don Elias was by far one of my favorite things I have done in Colombia. It was great to see where something that is so integral to our lives comes from. It's important to remember that these things we love come from the earth and there are real people harvesting these for us. So maybe this morning you'll think of this sipping on your cup of joe.

Things I can now successfully do in Spanish:

1. Get from one end of the city to the other (and successfully survive the bus "system").

2. Talk about anything related to food vocabulary or cooking. I understand 98% of food vocabulary and the 2% would be the exotic meats this vegetarian doesn't eat.

3. Get my hair cut. three different times. two of which I did not hate.

4. Read the mysterious handouts that I am asked to give my students. Now I'm in on the secret field trips and assemblies that were much more of a surprise in the spring.

5. Understand when my kids swear in class and call them on it. (Mierda! Endendiste?!)

6. Make one dirty joke. And possible three regular jokes. (Other than people just laughing at my accent.)

7. Understand and sing the entire Colombian National Anthem. (Part of which is on video for further proof.)

8. Have multiple bus conversations about the everyday trials and tribulations of the 8th graders on my bus. And understand their jokes, usually related to vomiting or falling down.

9. Eavesdrop on approximately four conversations. This takes quite a bit of brainpower, and I usually put in the effort only when I can tell they are talking about me.

10. Adapt my vocabulary and mannerisms to include Colombian Spanish sound effects such as uush, uuuf, oye no, and related hand gestures.

and maybe a few more things... I am certainly no where near being fluent at this point. But of course I understand more now than last year or even last May. Speaking another language in my opinion is a necessary evil. (Evil only because it's so hard.)

And some Spanish-speaking goals of mine before I leave here:

1.  Practice writing, my level of reading and speaking is much higher.

2. Learn the lyrics to a full song and be able to sing it. I have a few that I've been practicing.

3. Successfully explain and/or discuss politics. There are some great organizations I would love to be involved in here if only I could get over the language barrier fear.

4. Have better come backs when people say dumb things or make fun of me. Particularly a new roommate of mine who has had two five-minute conversations with me so far, both of which have been mildly offensive. Ugh.


So I have just under two months left! And luckily I have no choice but to practice every day!

Post Secret

My students were learning about wishes and regrets, so I had them make their own post secret postcards. If you don't know about the post secret blog, check it out now! It's a project to promote anonymous secret-telling with the mission of suicide prevention and to prevent the isolation so many young people feel. Here's some of my students' dreams, wishes, and secrets...

"I wish the capitalism would end"^ this student is good friends with
the student below.

"I wish I could travel to the USA again" complete with capitalism's finest
McDonald's and Disney World. 

The English isn't perfect, but I think the sentiment comes across quite clearly. I have some beautiful kids and I'm constantly reminded that I am here because of them. 

Peace & Love (No, I'm not talking about hippies)

September, as I mentioned in my previous post, is celebrated in Colombia as Friendship and Love month. Think of this as a less-commercialized, all-inclusive Valentine's Day. (And for once in Colombia, here it is minus the saint?) And this past week was Semana de la paz or peace week. Peace and love mean different things to different people, but these holidays were special because we don't really have anything equal in the USA.


Love and Friendship Month

Today is the official love and friendship day, but it is really a month-long celebration. The most significant tradition is the game of amigos secretos-- secret friends! This is basically secret santa, where everyone has a name of a friend and leaves sweets and small gifts around for specific people. Only secret friends is better for a few reasons. Number 1, it's not around Christmas, so it's not overshadowed by other gifts for the holidays. Number 2, its for friendship, so there's no pressure like we might think of a secret admirer. Number 3, most of the gifts (usually given once a week) are candy, so it doesn't break the bank to have multiple secret friends.

I'm doing secret friends with my 10th grade girls. It's much more fun to give cards and sweets of love to everyone and anyone, rather than the obligatory Valentine's-I-need-a-date-or-I-will-never-find-love feelings. This holiday really just celebrates love. Amor. In all its forms. I also appreciate that "I love you" can be expressed in multiple ways in Spanish. Te quiero is the more inclusive love, for friends, family, anyone you care about. Te amo is "mas profundo"-- deeper and more profound. As someone that likes to express my love openly, its nice to have more options to express.


Peace Week

At the start of this week, each teacher and student was given a lime green ribbon to wear on our shirts for the week. This week's prayers were themed with peace, and students gave short presentations on what peace means to them. Of course, the desire for peace in Colombia is obvious. Colombia has been in a civil war with FARC for decades. Much of the country is considered to be unsafe, and Colombia has the second most displaced people in the world after Sudan. Fortunately, President Santos has just announced new peace talks with FARC leaders to be held in the next few months. Peace talks have been attempted before, but from what I have read, these talks seem promising. Colombians want peace and take the week very seriously as a time of reflection and hope.

Which makes me think a lot, as an American in Colombia, about my own country's relationship with the concept of peace. We certainly don't have a week to celebrate it. In fact, Colombian peace week falls right during September 11, perhaps the one day where Americans are reminded of our own lack of peace. And now we have the Embassy attacks and yet another portrayal of the extreme cultural misunderstandings we have with Islamic cultures of the world.

Why do we always seem to default to violence? Why is there such a lack of peace education? Students in schools now need to be taught about 9/11; they barely have the memories if they were born at all. I propose we teach our kids about the violent acts in the context of working towards peace. America may not have a civil war to reconcile, but we have a culture of violence that is at war with our own country's peace.

Peace and love is not just for hippies, not just for Vermonters, or the Swiss, or for Colombians. Peace is a human desire, and love is the ultimate human emotion. I didn't expect to gain so much from celebrating these holidays here in Colombia, but they have been a valuable part of my experience here. I want to bring peace and love celebrations back to the US. Who's with me?

Birthdays a lo Colombiano!

I've always loved my birthday. I think September is the best time of the year, and the US conveniently gives everyone a long weekend right around my birthday every year. There's no September Labor Day holiday in Colombia, but the month is celebrated as "Love and Friendship" month. More on that in another post, but I'm glad my birthday month still shares some special recognition. Last Wednesday was the big day, and this is how I celebrated a lo Colombiano... the Colombian way.

Part 1: Celebrations at school

I was lucky enough to have two of my favorite people, Ben Dahl and Megan Nicholson, visit for my birthday week. On Wednesday, they came to school with me. There wasn't much teaching to share with them because both classes I had that day threw us a big party. There was cake, my favorite snack popcorn, cards, candy, and lots of hugs. My students were wonderful and showed me lots of love. I have enough chocolate now to last the rest of the year. They know the way to my heart. Ben and Megan got to talk with a lot of my students and I think they were impressed with my students' English levels. It was a great gift to see how far some of my students have come. 

Carlos Acevedo drew my profile. He's super talented!

Awesome boys of 1006!

9th grade girls from my workshop class

Part 2: Colombian mall with American comforts.

Something very exciting just came to Bogota. I'm not much of a shopper (or consumerist in general) but even I was celebrating the grand opening of the first FOREVER 21 in South America. And this new American young adult goldmine happened to open literally next door to my school! This brand new mall, Titan Plaza, is chock-full of new comforts and treats like GAP, Victoria's Secret, and our favorite (Colombian) cupcake place. We shopped around a bit after school on Wednesday and went to Crepes & Waffles (American-ish, but a Colombian chain with Colombian charm) for dinner and dessert.

Part 3: Chiva! aka Colombian party bus.

This plan had been in the works since about week three of this year. One of my favorite fellow gringas, Natalie, has her birthday 8 days after mine. Naturally we needed to plan something big for a joint birthday party. This was the perfect excuse to check off another must-do on our Colombian bucket list.

Chivas used to be used as regular transportation throughout the country, and as modern buses came to be, the colorful, open-air buses gained a new purpose--parties! About 30 of our closest friends (OK, it was more like everyone we know in the whole Cundiamarca region) danced the night away while rolling through the streets of Bogota. It was definitely a unique Colombian experience. The best part of obviously the great company I shared it with-- Colombians and Americans (and a few Canadians for good measure). Overall, all birthday celebrations were a success!

Megan is here!

Some of the gang outside the Chiva!

The birthday girls! Natalie and me... and Brighid birthday-mooching.

Wetting the Canoe?

Sometimes I have no idea what is going on.

English Day has become another one of these things I am lost in, and it takes me at least four times to understand what is going on. Lots of schools in Colombia have English Days to celebrate English education, and ours is coming up in a few weeks. For the day, the English department is putting on a school play with the theme of alternative energy. English Day is combined with Technology and Expression subject areas this year.

A few English teachers wrote a play, in Spanish, and translated it to English this past week. They asked me some questions about the best way to translate certain expressions. Judy, the sixth grade teacher asked me, "What is an expression to say someone is getting gay?"... huh? I responded, "Judy, you can't get gay. It's kinda something you are or are not. You don't GET it. And what does this have to do with a school play!?"

After further explanation, leading to only more confusion, she showed me the expression they were trying to translate, "Mojar la canoa" Literally "to wet the canoe."

I was getting pretty offended that this weird idiom was even used in a SCHOOL PLAY where a boy was touching another boy's back to see if he was okay. When I suggested its inappropriateness, I got the familiar, "Maybe in the United States it is offensive, but not in Colombia." Yes in Colombia. To people of different sexual orientations in Colombia, it is still a hurtful joke. And it's not okay for teenagers to say in a SCHOOL PLAY. Humph.

Fellow gringa Tasha and I left the play rehearsal feeling pretty disturbed and decided to google the expression. The all-knowing internet translated the meaning and compared it to the expression "playing for another team." Well, that's certainly more light-hearted than "getting gay." I told the other teachers this expression and now this is the joke my two tenth graders get to crack to a crowd of students that will probably have no idea what's going on anyway.


And so, another Colombian lesson is learned. Sometimes things just really don't make sense. And things are excused as culture when sometimes they are just not. Do I pick every battle every time I hear more-than-slightly racist/sexist/homophobic statements made? No. Not every time. I hear these things often. It would be impossible. And more frustrating is my opinions are undercut by "cultural differences." I'm preaching the words of my ultra-sensitive, all-inclusive, always politically correct American culture. Oh how I wish the US was as good at being sensitive as we appear to be!

Some days more than others, things like language and culture get all gobbled up into a big sticky mess of miscommunication. It's not the sexy part of living abroad. It's the reality of learning from each other and living in new places. But my hope is that each small misunderstanding results in everyone gaining... or getting, if you will... a little more open mind.

A Gringa's Reflection on the Olympics

Did anyone else watch the Olympic closing ceremony last night? Colombia showed it live, 3pm our time, so we didn't have to wait 'til 7pm (thanks non-NBC). Now, let me say right off the bat that I know the Olympics are controversial for a variety of reasons. But here I am, outside my home country, during one of the most patriotic world events we have. It's different, watching on Colombian TV with Colombian commentators, etc. You see the US team portrayed differently, and, all eyes are actually not on us (except Michael Phelps, ALL eyes were on Phelps), but there seemed to be a bit more worldly perspective from here.

First thought- Colombia did amazing!

All eight Colombian medal winners!

This was a record breaking year for Colombia! The athletes won EIGHT medals in total, surpassing their previous record of a mere THREE by more than double. They ranked 38th out of all countries and beating all other Latin American countries but Brasil and Cuba!

The sports are fairly unusual- weightlifting, Taekwondo, and wrestling makes Colombians seem more aggressive than I have seen here. The first medal, a silver in Cycling, makes total sense because the bike culture here is very strong. But my favorite athlete is obviously the gold medalist- Mariana Pajor. She won the gold for cycling- BMX. Yes, BMX. Step aside, Latina beauty queens, we have a new role model for girls to look up to! The only gold for the country, and three out of the eight medals, are brought home by the ladies!

Mariana Pajor- Gold medalist and my new favorite Colombian.

Second thought- Let's hear it for the girls! 

While watching the women's soccer final (yay US) I thought, "This is weird- Canada, Japan, and the US medaling... Where are the Latino and African countries? They are quite good at men's soccer." There's a lot of debate as to the best approach to develop women's rights and equality within a country politically and culturally. I may be a complete failure in the world of athleticism, but legislation like Title IX does make a difference, and things like females winning the only gold in Colombia are important milestones.Colombia has its strong share of gender inequality and machismo culture. But Mariana and the Colombian medalist for women's wrestling are true role models for Colombian girls.

And of course on the home turf- For the first time in history, the U.S. women outnumbered the men for athletes and out-medaled them! And of course, this year was the first to have every country send a female athlete as a part of their team.

Sports are ingrained in our culture, and "breaking glass ceilings" there is a great step in the right direction.

Final thought- I'm okay with the US being #1

Yay for having the most medals! I doubt my friends would call me one of their most patriotic friends, but I am still super excited for the individual athlete's stories and successes. I really wish we would lose the baret hat trend. And even the Colombian announcers talked about the uniforms being made in China during the Opening Ceremony. We have work to do with our reputation in the world, but being the best at sports is one reputation I can live with.

There are so many great individual stories that make the Olympians who they are, and that is the best part of the games. It was nice to hear the stories of the non-US rock stars just as much as the US ones. I'm glad I got to watch the games and am proud of my country and the world.

And then the Spice Girls performed, and all was good in the world again :)

Festivals!

I was asked recently what the best part of Colombia is, and for some reason the first thing that popped into my head was- Celebrations! Like I have previously posted, Colombians love to celebrate in the forms of school assemblies, days off (appropriately called “festivos”) and of course, festivals. I’ve been fortunate to enjoy the international theater and book festivals, and they just keep coming! Just this weekend, I attended three different celebrations. Appropriate for the weekend before Bogota's 474 birthday on August 7th. Here's some of the highlights of festing!


Festival del Verano
The summer festival is a two-week-long festival held in Simon Bolivar Park (bigger than Central Park!) annually. It's hard to pull off summer in a city without seasons and where the only weather change is apparently "windier this time of year." The festing consists of food, concerts, a fake beach, "swooping" (sky diving show?), sports competitions (just like the real olympics!) and kite flying. Stay tuned for the giant kite, or cometa, festival in Villa de Leyva at the end of the month.

Enjoying Mazorca (corn on the cob), I probably wouldn't
have a sweater and jeans at any summer festival in the US

Additional fest-esk Circus show!
The other weekend some friends of mine scored free tickets to "Ladies' Night" at the Colombian Circus Convention. It's not quite a festival, but it was just as fun and outlandish. The tagline to the show was "where the only animal is man" which they take quite literally. The circus played a 10 minute video about circus animal cruelty before the show. I am of course already 100% behind this cause, and the video was horribly graphic. I was glad to see the performers raising awareness and getting political of course. Then we watched this wonderfully hilarious show of jugglers and acrobats and more. Totally worth paying nothing for!

Alimentarte
The next festival is a play on words meaning food and art. Two things I am quite fond of. And this festival's proceeds support the "green heart" foundation for widows and children of killed police officers. There were food tents from nearly all the famous Bogotano restaurants. There were way too many options, so I went for an Indian samosa and a pata"cone" (plantain) with mexican ceviche inside. It was delicious, of course. And we all topped our bellies off with some classically delicious Popsy ice cream.

Ecoyoga
Bogota's botanic gardens hosts regular "ecoyoga" events which, you guessed it, is basically a Colombian hippy-fest. There are stands with all the local vegetarian restaurants (there are tons, acutally!) Fresh products like homemade peanut butter (heaven!), hemp bags and shoes, and meditation/yoga necessities. This month's theme was "Returning to our indigenous roots" complete with dance shows and drum circles. There were also teenagers asking people to adopt trees and to sign up for group tree-planting excursions. Obviously, I have found my people. The gringas and I decided to opt out of collective yoga, and laid in the grass nearby for some sunshine. It was a lovely afternoon, and now I have a list of new veggie-friendly places to explore!


And that, in a nutshell, was this weekend. There's a heck of a lot going on in this big city, and I love taking advantage of all the benefits these celebrations bring: we explored new places, conquered new bus routes, tried new foods, and added to our list of reasons why Bogota is a great place to live.

The Wax Palm, national tree of Colombia.

Kate takes the school bus!

Great news! I now take the school bus to school! While going through my daily taxi- city bus combo, some of my students drove by me each day in a Minuto school bus that drives right by my apartment building. So I pulled some strings at school, and now the bus picks me up at my front door at 5:50 every day. The bus system in Colombia is pretty different than the US system, so I feel it is worthy of a share. Here’s some thoughts:

1. “La ruta,” as it is referred to, is not the big yellow school bus we have in the US. All buses are different depending on the school, and are clearly representative of the school’s wealth status. The average school bus is actually a white, 15 passenger van with “escolar” written on the back. The wealthy Bogotanos ride coach buses, sprinter vans, and even one British school has a Spice Girls-esk British flag-decked out bus.

My bus!

2. Here, it’s fairly normal for teachers to be picked up by the school bus along with the kids. It’s common for kids to travel over an hour to their school each way, and often times schools are right outside Bogota but provide services to all Bogotanos.  I’m the only teacher at Minuto that takes the bus, so I’m special in that way, but it’s not unheard of.

3. The buses all line up in a loop around the courtyard. Like I said, we have about 40 identical white vans with little numbers in the dashboard. I can never find “la ruta 20” through the sea of teenagers, so my tactic is to stand in the middle of the courtyard until one of the students from the bus flags me down.

Just try finding your bus through this.

4. Since La ruta 20 now has the only profe, and she’s the American profe, The status of la ruta 20 has significantly risen. My second afternoon ride home consisted of a solid five minute chant of “best bus ever!” I sit next to three eighth graders that are not my students, so they want to have mini-English lessons on the ride home every afternoon. I am usually too tired, and instead practice my spanish  and have them teach me teenage slang.

My bus buddies.

5. There’s no bus stops like back home. Each kid is picked up at their doorstep. So each morning I hang out with some nugget third graders and their moms while I wait for my bus to come outside my apartment lobby. It may be this way for safety reasons, or maybe it’s because there aren’t many real city bus stops in Bogota either and it’s normal to get on and off wherever it’s convenient for you.

6. Each bus, which is really a van, has a “Moni” or the monitor. They basically open the door for everyone and count to make sure everyone is on board. Our Moni is Melba, and she’s quite the spitfire. She rocks bright red lipstick, tight black shirts, and heels of course. She’s super friendly, and I’m happy to have someone over the age of 15 to talk to sometimes.

It's certainly different than the US bus routes. And I'm not sure if I really prefer one to the other. But its great to not have to worry about my commute. And its great to get some insight into another aspect of life here.

Guatape (The closest thing I will get to Lake Champlain this summer)

While exploring the Colombian department of Antioquia (similar to states), we took a trip about two hours away from Medellin to the town of Guatape! Mom put this town on my list back in January when she found a hostel that we had seen on House Hunters International (a regular program in the Bailey/Gingras/Taylor family). Guatape is an adorable lakeside town famous for a giant rock to climb and zocalos, or intricate outdoor wall art.

The beautiful "House Hunters Hostel" El Encuentro.
Secluded on its own little nook of the lake.

Here is an example of the Zocalos.  Giving directions in this town must be fun,
"Turn left at the sheep and go three blocks past the donkeys 'til you get to the house with the daffodils on it!"

And this is El Penol. The giant thumb-shaped rock we  climbed. 

And something funny and typical to my life here happened. When we bought bus tickets, they asked for my name. I said Kate. Even though it may be hovering the top ten for years in the United States, Kate is nearly unheard of here. And even worse my name sounds a lot like "Que?" Which means "What?" But at the bus station my name appeared on the ticket as "Keith." K.E.I.T.H. This, my friends , shows the importance of pronunciation and spelling when learning a new language. And yes, now you can guess what the gringas have started calling me.

Me with my "Keith" ticket.

In Guatape, we went paddle-boating, went on an afternoon boat cruise, and ate some delicious fresh fish and yummy juice. Ben tried his first Pony Malta (a DISGUSTING Colombian soda) and aguardiente (a DISGUSTING Colombian alcohol). As I promised my fellow Americans, Ben is too easy to please when it comes to food, and he pretty much liked everything.

On the boardwalk, in between Ben's first experience with Colombian street food.

We also had an adorable puppy follow us around for the day and even swim to our paddle boat in the middle of the lake. We had a great time exploring this small town and taking a small break from city living. The more I explore the smaller towns in Colombia, the more I fall in love with the country--especially for it's beauty and diversity.

Our personal Guatape tour guide and new best friend.

View from the top of the rock. A close second to my summers in VT!

Gringos Explore Colombian Paradise

Happy Monday, friends!

Before anymore time passes, let me write about vacation part two! Ben came to visit, and together with my other gringo (American) pals we traveled to the Colombian city of Medellin. If this city rings a bell, it's probably followed by its not-so-positive reputation. Medellin was once the hub for all things drug-cartel and Pablo Escobar related. Back not that long ago, this city was one of the most dangerous and murderous places in the world.  If you want to dive deeper into the history of Medellin, I highly recommend the ESPN documentary "The Two Escobars."

But for the record, things have definitely changed. We joke in WorldTeach that the couple placed in Medellin is living in paradise. The "city of eternal spring" has been pumped with development money to turn around its rough reputation. it now boasts many things to be proud of: beautiful parks and architecture; cable cars that make public transit available for communities high into the mountainside; and of course its new reputation of beautiful women (as surgically altered and implanted as possible). It is a beautiful city, and it is neat to witness such a drastic change over such a short time. Medellin should be on everyone's list when coming to Colombia.

Colombia's famous Botero Sculptures 

DUCKS! In the Botanical Gardens.

My lovable gringo on the Metro Cable.

Beautiful graffiti art from the MetroCable

the very nice Poblado neighborhood at night.