Medellin

My time in Medellin was far too short.  I arrived from Cartagena Monday afternoon, and I left Wednesday afternoon.  Fortunately, I stayed the two nights with the Feltes + Walter equivalents.  

In such a short time, I have never clicked so well with an entire family.  I felt very comfortable and at home with them, which made my quick trip that much more enjoyable!  

On Tuesday, I explored the city via cable car, metro, and much much walking. 

I especially enjoyed visiting Parque Botero, which is an open plaza with work from Fernando Botero,

 . . and Pueblito Paisa, wich is a small replica of what a small Colombian town used to look like. 

 My time was too short to fully embrace the culture of Medellin, but I and so glad I kept it on my itinerary, especially because now I have my own family in Colombia!

Adios!

~Quique

Cartagena y Playa Blanca

I enjoyed a nice relaxing weekend in Cartagena.  Although much more touristy than the rest of Colombia, Cartegena was a nice break from the bigger cities.  The center consists of a beautiful yellow clock tower surrounding colorful colonial-style building.  It reminded me of many of the smaller cities in Europe, with its small boutiques and classic stone pathways.  Beautiful!

I spent my second day with a few other Americans at La Playa Blanca, which was about a two hour boat ride form Cartagena.  I had originally planned on renting a hammock for the night, but I had to catch a plane the next day to Medellin.  Oh well.  I'll have to plan on staying a bit longer the next time I come to Colombia :).  Playa Blanca was simply beautiful.  I have never in my life seen such clear water before!

I really feel like my time in Cartagena y Playa Blanca was a vacation within a vacation.  A perfect getaway from my getaway!

En Barranquilla, se Bailan Asi!

Like my Spanish, my dancing abilities are always better after a few cervezas.  

If this is also true for Colombianos, then cervesa must be running through their veins.  For my last night in Barranquilla, I went to a few local clubs with some hostel mates. 

I’ve never seen dancing quite like this before:

At first, I felt a little creepy taking so many videos of them, but I couldn’t stop!  They were just so good!  Nevertheless, I’m pretty sure they liked the attention :)

After the first club, we headed to La Troja, which is an outdoor Salsa bar / club.  

I’m pretty sure I was the only person from the United States there, but that’s what made it so fun.  I met plenty of Colombians, and they are all so proud to be from Barranquilla! I especially loved this man:

Tonight has by far been my favorite night in Colombia, full of rich Colombian culture.  

Here’s a collection of Barranquilleros dancing.  As Wycleff Jean says in “Hips Don’t Lie,” “En Barranquilla se bailan asi!” (In Barranquilla, they dance like this!)

Adios!

~Quique

Pies Descalzos, Te Quiero

Dear Pies Descalzos,

I will miss you greatly.  Your music.  Your spirit.  Your energy.  

Un abrazo muy fuerte,

Quique

Cinco Paises en Una Mesa

El 9 de agosto

One of the most rewarding parts of backpacking throughout another country is having the opportunity to meet so many different people.  Yesterday at Pies Descalzos, I ran into a great girl from Oregon, Patricia. She and her boyfriend, Eric, are currently serving in the Peace Corps.

  

She lives a few blocks from my hostel, and she was kind enough to take the bus with me so I didn't have to pay for yet another taxi. 

After meeting her boyfriend and hanging out at the hostel for a little while, we decided to go out to dinner at a nearby Lebanese restaurant. 

Although tasty, most Colombian food is very mild.  This was by far the most flavorful meal I've had here yet. 

. . .

This morning, a student from the university (Miguel) and I took a trip to El Museo del Caribe. 

Miguel is from Mexico, and he's currently staying at the hostel while he searches for an apartment.

The museum started with a beautiful presentation of works from Gabriel Garcia Marquez through projections on the walls and floor. 

Each floor was dedicated to a different theme, but my favorite two floors were "El Baile" . . .

. . . and "La Lengua."

I found this wall of words hilarious.  I can't tell you how many times I've heard people here say "Chevere!" which roughly translates to "Cool!"

. . .

In the afternoon, I headed back to Pies Descalzos for my second day with the kids. 

  

When I walked through the door, I saw so many students wearing their necklaces and bracelets that were donations!  Although the students were, yet again, incredibly rowdy, they managed to learn the rest of a dance, play "La Parada" and "El Gatito Quiere un Esquina," and learn how to play "Freeze Dance."  To conclude, I thought I'd embarrass myself royally and try to keep up with them at "Waka Waka."

For lunch, I had originally planned on eating in the cafeteria, but Consuelo invited me to join her and a few other coworkers at the house of one of the students' grandmother.  After riding in a "carromoto" for about 10 minutes . . .

. . . we arrived at our destination. Not only did I enjoy the company of my new coworkers, . . .

. . .but I also experienced eating "arroz con coco" (rice with coconut), "patacones," (fried mashed plantains) and fish that wouldn't stop staring at me.  

. . .

After dinner tonight, a group from the hostel decided to go out for a beer and hookah.  It's pretty amazing to know that without Spanish, the 5 of us from 5 different countries would not have been able to communicate verbally if it weren't for Spanish. 

A Mexican, Spaniard, Danish, Italian, and American walk into a bar . . .

Until next time . . .

Adios!

~Quique

El Primer Dia de Escuela

El 8 de agosto

Currently, I'm sitting in a hammock on the back patio of the hostel in humid and hot Barranquilla reflecting on today's events.  Wear to start? . . .

I woke up this morning at about 6:00 after a nightmare in which I was being buried alive, but that always happens when I sleep in a bottom bunk.  After a quick breakfast from down the street, I took a taxi to "Pies Descalzos" for my first day.  I had the pleasure of meeting Consuelo Hernandez Arroyabe, who works at the foundation.  Consuelo took me on a tour of the facility and talked with me about what I wanted to accomplish by the end of the week.  

. . .

In the middle of the day, one class of seventh graders did not have a teacher, so I was thrown into the midst of 40 hormone driven Colombian 7th graders.  It was one of those "WHAT THE HELL DID I GET MYSELF INTO???!!!!!" moments.  This is wear acting and teaching become one.  I walked into the room with confidence and acted like I knew what I was doing.  Thanks to the donations, I won the students over pretty quickly.  I started by asking them questions like "Who is the president of the United States?" and each time someone got one right, they earned a bracelet.  This only lasted about thirty seconds until all the students were out of their seats, reaching for a "regalito."

At this time, I asked them to move their chairs and form a circle.  About far too many minutes later, the circle was formed (and I thought U.S. students were hard to control.  UY!)  We started by playing "El Gatito Quiere un Esquina" (Kitty Wants a Corner) in which I say this phrase, and the person needs to respond, "Pregunta a mi vecino" (Go ask my neighbor.)  When I'm asking someone this question, students behind me have the option to change places with someone else across the circle, but if I get to an empty space before the other person, then the person left in the circle is the new "gatito."  The kids absolutely loved the game!!  As it progressed, I added more rules.  For example, if the "gatito" says "Elefante, 1, 2, 3,"  the person must form the trunk of an elephant, and the two people next to him or her must form ears for the elephant.  Overall, it was a huge success. 

I concluded with this same group my playing "Parada," which in English we call "Bench Game" where one person waits for a bus while the other person does something funny or gross to get the other person off.  One student found a LIVE COCKROACH on the ground, picked it up, and threw it at the other person.  Colombia has taken this game to a whole new level.

All in all, I survived my first class with Colombians!

. . .

At about 2:00, I had another group of about 15 girls, ages 7 to 12.  Along with "Gatito Quiere un Esquina," they loved "Parada."

I also started teaching them a dance to the song "Wave Your Flag" by K'Naan and David Bisbal.  Unfortunately, I left my notes at home, so I pretty much made it up on the spot!

Something else I really wanted to do was teach them the dance to Waka Waka.  Little did I know, their version was MUCH better than ours!  Check out the DIVA in the front row!

. . .

I can't wait to finish teaching "Wave Your Flag" tomorrow, and hopefully get another improv game in!

Adios!

~Quique

Adios y Hola

El 7 de agosto

Today was a day of transitions full of conflicting emotions.  I resentfully left Bogota and eagerly travelled to Barranquilla.  I am shocked at how warm and accommodating everyone was in Bogota.  I've lived and travelled to several cities outside the U.S., but so far, no one compares to the people of Bogota.  Several people gave up full days to be my personal tour guide in their city.  Two people even welcomed me into their house and cooked me food without asking for anything in return.  According to Gloria, the best people in the world reside in Medellin.  We will see how true she is in less than a week!

After arriving at the airport, I had some time to spare, so I checked one thing off my "To Do" list and bought a beautiful Colombian flag to put in my classroom.  I hope to some day have one flag for each Spanish-speaking country.  

I also bought the most delicious postre de ariquipe:

I'm not sure who enjoyed this more: me or the people watching me make out with it.  When I was done, my inner fat kid started scratching to get out, begging for more.  I'm not joking, it was the best postre I've ever eaten in my life.  I need another one NOW!

. . .

Once I arrived in Barranquilla, I felt a rush of humid heat hit my body.  This time of year, Bogota is very dry and cool.  Barranquilla, on the other hand, is nothing but heat.  

This experience will be completely different than that of Bogota, for more reasons than the heat.  For one, I am alone.  I don't know anyone here, and I am staying in a hostel.  To make things even more interesting (I say "interesting" because I want to stay positive!), there is absolutely no air conditioning in this hostel.  Currently, I'm sitting on the back porch, and there is a nice breeze, now that the sun is down. 

However, as soon as you enter my room, you are hit with another wall of heat.  There is a fan and a window in my room, but the window looks out to a very small enclosed patio that gets no air.  

As I read over what I have already written, I can't help but think of those memes on facebook called "First World Problems."  Really, my life is SO hard.  I'm sitting on a patio with a nice breeze, typing on my MAC, thinking about what song I should use in my next video, and complaining about the heat in a different room, while the majority of shacks I saw from the airport to this hostel definitely don't have air conditioning. 

Another reason this part of my trip will be different is because instead of sight seeing, I will FINALLY be working at Los Pies Descalzos, which is what I have been waiting for since October.  I can't wait to get rid of these two HEAVY bags of donations tomorrow!

. . .

Although I don't know anyone who lives here, I am fortunate to have been put in contact with Angelica Munera who lives in Cartagena.  Angelica just so happens to be staying in Barranquilla until Thursday.  After meeting me at my hostel, Angelica and I took a walk to a nearby pizza place called "Firenze" and shared a delicious Hawaiian pizza. 

. . .

Tomorrow, I have a meeting with the principal of the school at 10:00.  I have been told the school is about 10 minutes away via taxi, so I plan on getting up early, finding a place to have breakfast, and getting to the school without having to rush.  

Send positive thoughts my way!

Adios!

~Quique

    

Bogota, Te Quiero

El 5 de agosto

I enjoyed a nice walk this morning with Gloria after my 2 breakfasts.  Colombians like to cook, and so I didn’t have the heart to tell Cecilia or Gloria that I was eating in two places.  Fortunately, both breakfasts were delicious, so I didn’t mind at all.  During our walk, Gloria informed me that many streets in Bogota are closed to cars on Sundays from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm.  This is a way to cut down on pollution while also promoting exercising.  

Gloria and I walked to her friend’s house where I met her friend’s daughter, Dani, and her two friends, Sandy y Edna. 

The four of us took a trip to a barrio in Bogota called Usaquen.  On Sundays and holidays, there is a market called La Feria de Pulgas (Flea Market).  

Because the streets were so crowded, we decided to take a taxi to Alimentarte, which is a smaller and cheaper version of Taste of Chicago.   

We enjoyed crepes de jamon y queso, helado y malteado de ariquipe, y un tinto tambien.

El 6 de agosto

I woke up this morning to cafe tinto, jugo de naranja, y huevos (eggs).  After a nice chat with Cecilia about how she is going to pray for me to bring me back to the Catholic church, I went on a day-long excursion with Nydia.  Today was my first day on a Bogota bus . . .

I wish I knew the bus drivers didn't close the door or wait for you to get your entire body in the bus before moving.  Fortunately, I learned my lesson: MOVE FAST!

The bus ride itself took about an hour.  It was actually pretty nice to see a large portion of the city while the driver blasted salsa music :D

Nydia took me to a barrio in Bogota que se llama "Candelaria," which reminded me a lot of "La Boca," a barrio in Buenos Aires, because of the bright colored buildings.  

It also had very strong Spanish influence in some of the older buildings, especially in the plaza.

Nydia also took me to the president's home.  Ironically the president himself was entering the grounds right as we were walking by.  Of course I wouldn't have know this, but his car was followed by several police motorcycles and an ambulance.  Nydia says the president always has an ambulance on hand, just in case.

Nydia also took me to "El Museo de Arte del Banco de la Republica" . . .

and her son Ricardo's blacksmith shop.  Ricardo is incredibly talented.  Several buildings in Bogota have his iron artwork in their walls.  

After touring his shop and listening to him sing and play the guitar, the four of us (Ricardo's daughter, Fabiana came along too!) took a trip to Monserrate.  For anyone who has been to Barcelona, this reminded me very much of the Catalonian Montserrat, although it was much smaller.  Nevertheless, we saw a great view of the city at almost 10,000 feet above sea level.  

 

After a much needed nap, I went out again with Dani to a fun area full of great restaurants and clubs.  I am definitely going to miss the culture and friendly faces of Bogota.

Adios!

~Quique