City Tour and my first glimpse of The Columbus School

Day 3 (Thursday) we got treated to a city tour. We loaded up the bus and headed into the city, a city that continues to amaze me. July 20th is Colombia's Independence Day, which they actually do not really celebrate. I was told that they are happy that it is a holiday and they do not have to work but it is not celebrated like it is in the US. We were supposed to have a guide that spoke English but he didn't show up so I got to put my listening skills to use.

The front book bag is a new trend and safety precaution against theft.

Our first stop was Centro where all the famous Fernando Botero sculptures live. They were all very neat. Many people were walking around in this area and of course trying to sell us souvenirs. The building behind some of these sculptures that was beautiful but it is actually unfinished and not used for anything because they ran out of money while building it. The Museo De Antioquia was also right there. Here we also took our first picture of the group!

Next we went to Parque De Los Deseos where they had all kinds of neat things to interact with. They had a sun dial which told time by placing your phone on top of a pole and watching where the light beam reflected on the wall. They had a two domes (moons) about 100 feet apart that allowed you talk to each other and hear clearly due to the echoes. There was also a planetarium and a spot for outdoor movies.

We walked just a few more minutes and came to Parque Explora. This was a very busy place with lots and lots to do. We arrived before they opened and there was a long, long line of people waiting to get in. Here they have the largest aquarium in South America and plenty of other things to do to last the whole day.  We actually did not go in but we checked out the floor paining that looks 3D and the mist showers nearby.

And just a few more minutes away we walked around the botanical gardens. Flowers here are huge. There is a large flower festival/ parade that is going to be happening here in a few weeks. The garden itself was beautiful. It felt like you were walking around in a jungle. Medellin has mastered the art of combining nature with architecture. We passed a beautiful girl who was taking pictures for her quincienro and stopped for a little snack break before heading on to the next adventure. A couple of people had this pastry with cheese in it and I found out just how good these are the next day.

Love the street art!

   

Tree you are supposed to hug to get rid of all your bad vibes. 

Next we went to this place that took us through this whole process with our bare feet to essentially meditate and relax. We took our shoes off and went through various textures and obstacles. We started on 'sand' (aka little rocks) and then went to grass and back to sand.

We had to build a 'mountain' and then jump on it

We went through a maze of pillars with our eyes closed and arms crossed to symbolize the obstacles that will pop up in life in order to remind ourselves that we can get through them. We made our way across a group of pillars with different heights without looking down to represent the journey through the ups and downs in life. After that we rubbed our feet against these incredibly soft trees from Japan. From this tree, we took a dead leaf, crumpled it, and rubbed it in our hands. Though we all grabbed the same leaf, each persons smelt different according to our pH levels.

And yes. We were absolutely great entertainment for the locals. 

Love this tree... To be different is to be normal.

Our last texture was water. We sat down beside the water and slowly put our feet in the water and gave ourselves a little foot massage. We moved to a deeper bath with jets that massaged our feet. And finally made it to a large, peaceful waterfall that drowned out the noise of the city. All in all, it was a very unexpected yet interesting experience.

The last stop before lunch was a small area that was made to replicate how Antioquia used to look. There was a little square of small building with great roofs and vibrant colors. We climbed some stairs to be rewarded with more sweeping views of the city. It was here that I got my first taste of rain. The weather is still perfect to me but I may have to reevaluate when the rainy season later this 'fall/winter' comes along. Fall and winter got quotes because we don't get temperature seasons here. We will just have dry (still rains) and wet.

We finally made it to lunch at a place in Parque Lleras. Parque Lleras is the most popular parque, especially for the expatriates and the night life.


That afternoon my big adventure was finding a grocery store near me. I walked to El Tesoro which is an upscale mall near me. Once again, the mall was huge and had the open air feel. There were many American stores and even a little amusement part in there for kids. I walked a little bit more to find an exito (combinations of a grocery store and home goods store) that I will likely do my all shopping at. I headed back and raced the clock to beat dark (sometime around 7:00ish here).

Friday, we made our first trip to school. The school is up the mountains so, with a bus, it is slow going. There were various stations that we had to work out way through. We got our bank card, selected our phone plan, signed up for both our private and public health insurance, talked to a credit union, learned about a discount card to various things in and out of Medllín, etc. Human Resources talked to us about various benefits, schedules, rules, bus routes, and more before we signed our contracts.

Student Art 

Beautiful school- elementary, middle, and high each have their own building

One quick thing about doctors/ sickness here. With my private health care, if I get sick (even if just a cold or something pretty minor like that), I call a number, explain what is wrong, and then a doctor will come to my apartment. What's crazier? Its free. If something is an 'emergency' then you go see them for 64.000 pesos which is about $21 and everything that results from that visit is included - medicine, hospital stay, specialists, exams, surgeries, anything. And before you start to question this benefit, do some research because their medicine here is very good.

Go tigers?!?!

We were served some stir fry for lunch with a yummy salad and an interesting dessert (that nobody knew what it was). With a few minutes before our afternoon meetings, we roamed the school to find out classrooms! Our names were already on the doors and mine was the first door when you walked it so it wasn't hard. My high school secretary let me and gave me the keys later in the day. I absolutely love the light, windows, size, everything. That afternoon, we learned about flexible compensation and other ways to manage money and minimize taxes. It was another mentally exhausting day with lots of decisions and lots of information. Overall, being at the school made it feel a little more real. Even though I have had my own place since I got here, it has still seemed like we were just on a vacation with way too much luggage. I am very excited to meet all the other staff and especially my students.

My room! With windows that will be open all. the. time. 

Basketball and soccer all in one!

That afternoon, maintenance came to my apartment and helped me with just about all of my problems. He 'stopped' both toilets from leaking, adjusted my door so it closes easily, 'fixed' the light in my closet (not yet convinced but it works for now), and,  most importantly, I now have hot water.

As soon as he left, I went with another teacher that lives near me to meet most of the rest of the teachers in the heart of the city. We started at a bar (which had a church directly beside it- doors open, people praying, and all) and then walked just a few blocks to Parque Lleras to grab some dinner. This is definitely the place to be at night. Lots of different bars, music, people, and of course dancing. No picture (especially on a not-so-great phone) could capture that atmosphere.

I am sitting here now typing this post on Saturday morning. I have had some furniture delivered this morning but I am still waiting on a curtain instillation and some major wifi help. I have had wifi since I got here but it has always been spotty and often kicks me off. Well this morning, it kicked me off for good and I haven't had access to it again. Every day is a new day and every thing that happens in a another learning opportunity.