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.

Welcome to Medellín

Well here we go for trip #2. I never fully wrapped up the blogging from Tanzania but, as you can tell from my vague ending, I have known for the past three years that there was going to be more. Looking at the name of my blog, I guess you could say that I was struck with the wanderlust bug before even leaving the first time. One more quick comparison to my Tanzania blogging.... if you followed that journey on here, prepare yourself for something that is much different. I promise to fill it with all the same raw, unedited information with probably just as many typos. However, I plan to be much, much busier so you will not be getting the day by day rundown.

I am somewhat overwhelmed with the information to share with you in just 3 short days but I'll give it my best. So, let's start with the trip down to Colombia (with an o not a u!). It's safe to say that I was very excited to get into Medellín late Monday night. Monday started bright an early - 2:23 am to be exact - and I got to my apartment about 8:30 pm local time which is 9:30 eastern pm. We are really in the same 'time zone' but Colombia doesn't do daylight's saving time so I will be one hour behind for half of the year and the same time the other half of the year. Mom took me to the airport and we were grateful for the 5:45 am flight because there wasn't going to be much sleeping anyways and half asleep goodbyes are always easier. After a weekend full of 'see you laters', I was emotionally exhausted by the time Monday came around. I saw tons of family for Luke's birthday party Saturday (thanks to everyone for the letters.... I've been opening them slowly) and then had to say some rough goodbyes to Katie, Sam, Luke and Logan Saturday. Thank goodness for FaceTime!!

My flights took me to Washington DC then Panama then Medellín. I met other teachers for the first time on my last flight and it was so great talking with others and putting faces with names. Needless to say, it is a fun, adventurous, easy going group of people. They are awesome! We got our bags, got all organized, and got into two different buses to finally get to our apartments. Upon landing, they gave us some money for travel reimbursement. The currency here is Colombian pesos and approximately 3000 pesos is 1 dollar.

Easy way to be a millionaire??  Do it in pesos

The apartments themselves are spread out all over the city. I am a little further from the city center and about 10 minutes away from other teachers. I am still working out some kinks in my apartment (hot water, furniture, some lights, etc) but overall I have been happy with it so far. Here are some quick pictures after a little unpacking Monday night.

 

Driving from the airport to the city took us down off the mountain and into the city bowl. I am surprised at how hilly everything is. My first view of everything was at dark (the sun rises and sets much earlier here) so I was ready for quite the treat when Tuesday morning rolled around.

Tuesday was a shopping day. We went to different stores (one mainly for home goods and one for food). Let me just tell you that it is a little stressful trying to stock a brand new apartment from scratch. A couple interesting things from the shopping trips. Buildings here are often built up and not out. That means escalators for shopping carts at store.

The grocery store has many workers/ sales people in the aisles asking you what you were looking for and trying to sell you a certain product. Its pretty fun and interesting to shop in another language. You don't always know what you are getting. But with a good attitude and a smile, it all works out. I bought the basics along with some new-to-me fruits and some that I have not had in a while. The verdict is still out on the peanut butter selection. I am hoping to find some different kinds at other supermarkets. In between the two stores, we made a quick stop for lunch. I got my first Colombian dish, ajiaco,  which was a chicken soup with potatoes and corn. It was very good.

I made it back to my apartment around 4 and worked the rest of the evening to get this place organized. Slowly but surely....

Wednesday morning I met the bus outside to head to immigration to get our cedula (government ID) and to the doctor for a checkup. We got done about 1:00 so I decided to go on a little adventure. We dropped off two teachers that live much closer to things (shopping, dining, etc) than I do and I got out with them to explore. I went to Santa Fe mall and walked around a while. I got some data on my phone and some lunch. The mall was massive and beautiful. There were four floors with multiple different wings and many American stores/ restaurants. Side note: have I talked about the weather here yet?? Its pretty perfect. Perfect enough that there is no AC or heat in most places and even doors for that matter. It is a little cool in the morning and evening, a little toasty mid day, but generally perfect. I walked back to my apartment (think straight up hill for a mile) in attempt to get the lay of the land.

'inside' the mall

The 'doors' to the mall

Okay so I think that gets me caught up. We are going on a city tour tomorrow so I am sure I will have more pictures of that. I want to include a few more random thoughts before I check out on this (much longer that usual I would believe) post.

- The streets are small and very crowded. There are lots of motorcycles that weave in and out of that stopped cars. They have almost created a third lane on a two lane road by riding on the lines.
- Also, traffic, traffic, traffic. all the time. any where you go.
- everything takes time and more time than you think. (refer to the bullet above)

- there is absolutely no leniency for foreigners as far as language goes. The assumption is that you are fluent in Spanish. They is no slowing down or anything when they talk to you. I need lots more practice listening and speaking. Fortunately, I am getting that each and every day with every single thing that I do. With that said, people are generally extremely welcoming and appreciate any attempt at trying to communicate with them.
- wow at the hills.
- love all the green. its everywhere. trees. bushes. flowers. Speaking of flowers, there is a huge flower festival coming up soon.
- the other teachers are great! it has been so fun getting to know them. They are easy to talk to, interesting, and easy going. needless to say, we are all here for a reason.
- the city has some neat architecture, street art, etc. all over

One last thing... as far as getting a hold of me goes, I still have my same US number. As long as I have wifi, I will be able to talk/ text normally. It won't cost you or me. So stay in touch!


Well thats a wrap for the first post from Colombia. Talk soon.

p.s. don't worry about my safety. The people here have been very friendly and I think three (one not pictured) separate locks will suffice.

5/24/14 - 5/30/14

5/24/14

woke up and ate a big breakfast at the christmas tree. then packed up and booked it on over to hotel tilapia. i say by the late this time… away from my normal post on the top deck. it was very windy and actually a bit chilly but very nice. i interneted and then played the gameboy for a little before going to charge my laptop. i got a missi roti or something like that and it was good. 

then i left for the airport and it was official. i was heading out. traveling was very uneventful today, which i take as a great thing. they were fine with my bags and my backpack was the perfect weight (just under 20 kg). I went to dar and then kilimanjaro. both of the flights showed up and they were even early! go fastjet! from the airport, i took a shuttle to moshi town for only 10,000tsh versus at least $45 for a taxi. i got to moshi by 10pm and then took a short little taxi to my hostel, the twiga home. i walked in, they handed me the key, and i walked straight to my room and went to bed. they didn't ask my name or how long i would stay or anything. i quickly packed my bag for my kilimanjaro day trek tomorrow before i went to sleep. 

5/25/14 

the silence that i found last night only lasted so long. some kind of construction began at 5:30 and that just compounded the effect of the roosters and dogs. i went out to meet ambrose, the owner of materuni tours, and he took me to the office to pay for my trips. there, i met my guide and then we headed out. just the two of us with a driver, heading to the marangu gate. it took about 45 minutes to get there but then we got out, grabbed our stuff, registered for the permit, and were off. 

i was really surprised at how green this area was. the whole base of kilimanjaro is a rainforest. it was incredibly lush, moist, and varied. lots of moss on the trees. ferns and ivy. monkeys playing in the tree (black and white colobus monkeys and blue? monkeys). it took 2 and 1/2 hours to get to the mandara hut at 9000 ft, about 8 km. It was actually cool when we first got there but i had quite the sweat going as i was hiking. however, when i stopped to eat lunch at the madara hut, i got cold. i enjoyed lunch. something different and i was starving. as soon as we finished lunch, we walked about 20 minutes further to the maundi crater, which is really a caldera and not a crater). unfortunately, it was a cloudy day (well actually, it was cloudy every single day i was there because it was the rainy season). however, from the maundi crater on a clear day you can see both peaks of kilimanjaro and also a good bit into kenya. anyways, we walked around the crater and spotted the famous protea flower and then headed back. it took a little over 2 hours to get back. overall, gone from 10 - 4:15. my body held up really well too. i was very happy with it. on the way back, i had them stop at a supermarket for me and i got some water and cereal (which was awful). took a much needed shower when i made it back to taiga and then just messed around for the night. 

526/14 

i woke up at 2340 this morning and i was starving. like starving. so naturally  i crawled back in bed with my jar of peanut butter and then went back to bed. fortunately, construction was much quitter this morning and i was able to sleep in more. i ‘got up’ at 8 and read in bed until about 11. then i decided to take on my adventure for the day. i walked into town and just explored around. there really wasn't much to see out of the ordinary. i just bought some food that i wanted (fruit, roasted corn, roasted banana) and then walked on back. it was really jet an adventure to get out of the hostel and to see the city. and to buy any souvenirs if i saw any that were worth it. i was also really annoyed with people today so it was a great thing that i wasn't doing much. its also why i made it a short, fast trip into town. 

still feeling good today after the long walk yesterday so thats a big plus. only just a tiny bit sore but no pains. 

read when i got back then i go on the computer to talk to katie and mom then i did the all important journalling. i had neglected it for too long and have to finish strong. all the while, i have been spending a lot of time today on the couch which couldn't be more fun and relaxing. watched how to train your dragon this evening and enjoyed that. lastly, packed for the waterfall for hitting the sack. 

5/27/14 

last adventure today@ got picked up again today by ambrose. went with ramen, the same guide again today. however, the big difference was that today i went cheap and african which meant i took the dala dala instead of the private taxi. so yeahhh that was not too fun. we walked to the bus stand and got on a bus. luckily, we did get to sit in the front so it wasn't that tight but still… we waited over an hour and 15 minutes for the bus to fill up. and by fill up, im talking tanzanian standards. then we rode on out to the materuni village which took at 45 minutes. the scenery was very beautiful as we drove. however, honestly, i was already over it. i think i was just done with this day trip, my adventures (for right now), and i was ready to ge going home. anywayssss, the landscape was very similar to my kilimanjaro hike but with a lot more banana trees. also very muddy and slippery roads. so we got out of the dala and we walked along the main road for a while until we got to a little path. we were seriously in the thick of things, but also in the middle of nowhere.some people lived way way far back there. the walk was really beautiful… if only i could lift my eyes for the ground that was so muddy and slippery. it was also much longer than i thought it would be and i just wasn't really feeling it. ramen stopped along the way and pointed out the crops and flowers: tobacco, beans, yams, coffee, bananas, mango, avocado, guave, passion fruit, etc. its a happening place. the village here has mainly people from the chagge tribe and banana is their main food (mostly cooked bananas) so there were lots and lots of banana trees. so eventually, we got to the waterfall and i do have to say that it was quite large and quite beautiful. we took a few pictures (maybe too many? ramen wanted to take some of me which i appreciate but i think the spray was to much). then i had some of my lunch box. there was a couple there from germany and they were nice. a lotta lotta people here always vote european over american for me, particularly, sweeden and germany. then i had the adventure of going to the bathroom out there. when we had our fill, we headed on back and the walk back went much better. we stopped at oscars house on the way back though to go through the whole process of making coffee. it isn't harvesting time but ramen still took me out to where they harvest the beans. then we took the shell off them, roasted them, ground them, then made some coffee. I actually drank about a half of a cup of the coffee. it wasn't too bad. when we made it back to the office, i told them that i want to go out to buy some souvenir shops because i noticed some right around the office. and i was quite successful. got some good stuff for a good price. then i went back to twiga, showered, and stuffed my face. i was so hungry from not eating much all day so it was a busy night. i also had to pack up all my bags to get ready to go to dar and then come home!!!!

5/28/14 

i woke up early this morning and just messed around until i had my taxi driver from the first night come get me and bring me to the fast jet office in moshi, which is where the shuttle leaves from. it was a decent ride to the airport which was pretty cool. they had a tree growing perfectly in there so that it served as a roof to one ‘room’. the only other issue was when i asked a worker if i could bring a water if i bought it here on the the plane and he said yes when the real answer was no. i journalled on the plane to dar and am excited to get there because that is officially my last stop before home. but i am also really excited to see the other volunteers. 

when i got into dar, i got busy on my errand running. the goal was to spend my money on anything i found that i wanted. i got a sweet potato for lunch and it completely wrecked my stomach again. oh well, one last time. i also worked on getting roasted corn later and peanut butter and banana. i chilled out at the y and waited for the other volunteers to get to the y. as soon as they got there, we got all the luggage up to the rooms (leigh was staying with me) and then we ran to subway. although my stomach was still feeling funky, i went for a panner tikka chicken sandwich because you cant every get that in america. it was quite tasty. then we went to the rooftop bar at the holiday inn right by the ywca. and the holiday inn is like the ritz of dar. it was such a great night and so fun to see and talk with all the girls. 

5/29/14

end of service day! and the day that i can officially say that i am leaving tomorrow! overall it was such a nice way to go out. it was great to have a group of people together who truly understand what you experience, how it happened, how the little things bother you and the big things dont seem to matter as much. they just understand whereas i dont think other will every be able to not matter how much i talk and how much they want to. it was just a lot of reflection, discussion, comparison, closure, and laughter. we went to the national museum for lunch and then went back to the ministry of education for a little session about world teach business and about reverse culture shock. we talked about how to handle yourself and others when you return, to understand that a lot of stuff happened in our lives but that same is true of their lives while we were gone, adjustment, how to handle conversations with others, etc. we had a little bit of free time where i worked on my volunteer profile and also wrote a letter to myself that kim said she would mail to us in a year. then we walked to chefs pride for dinner. i enjoyed my vegetable curry. i have been loving me some indian food that for sure. anything with spice. we stopped at snoopy’s on the way back for ice cream and then went back to the y to chill before going to the holiday inn again for one last hurrah. we stayed there until about 1:30 when we said our goodbyes to laurel who was leaving that night and to night who was leaving the next morning for kilimanjaro. so it was a late night and a typical tanzanian morning (aka wake up 6ish). who needs sleep… 

5/30/14

nick and leigh left for the airport this morning. leigh went to pick up her brother from the airport. they are climbing kili together and then going to visit their sister who has been living and working in mongolia. katie also went to the airport last night to pick up her boyfriend. all kinds of excitement! and speaking of excitement… lets make sure that you know that i am coming home today!!! 

so coleen and ariel and i went to breakfast where kim joined up to get our last paperwork. i said my last goodbye and thank you to kim and then kept ticking away on my to do list before i left. this really just mean i needed to do some shopping. katie and her boyfriend were going to a hotel that was right beside a place that airel and i wanted to go shopping so we all shared a cab out there. ariel and i were quite successful. we went to slipway. it was far from a cheap place to go as the prices were much higher than other places but they had it all in one place and it was goof enough for me. so i got me last few things and spent most all of my money so that made me happy. we came back, starving, and went with colleen to subway again. got the sub of the day, sliced chicken, and at 6 inches then and saved 6 for later in the day. after that they were on a search for flats so we went to a few stores but came up pretty empty.i got back and pack up all my bags and just chilled with ariel, leigh, and coleen. i went out at some point to get the last few things for the supermarket. and i kinda hit me then that i was leaving. i was walking and thinking how comfortable i felt here. how normal it was to be doing what i was doing. it was a little odd but it felt so nice to know that i am so content with what i was doing and what i have done. I had to say my goodbyes to these guys, and then it was time to go! as soon as they left for dinner, i immediately got so excited and so happy. my heart started going. i grabbed my stuff and headed downstairs to meet steven. i grabbed a picture with erika, a lady at the y that is always so sweet. then steven and i journeyed on to the airport for the last time. traffic was nice to us and we made good time. steven helped me with my bags and then it was game time. my back pack was just under 20kg and my duffel was 10. i made it through all the check points fine. while waiting, i met a girl from marietta. she had been working with her methodist church to come volunteer in morogoro for a year. small world! 

the flight left at 10:55 pm so theoretically, i should shave been tired. but this body just doesn't do the whole sleeping on the plane thing. i really tried to make it work but it is what it is. we got a surprise meal at almost 1am and you bet i ate it! i also watch gravity towards the end of the flight. masterdom was pretty uneventful as well and i have been typing up this blog post on this last plane ride! my battery is almost dead but im almost done so its all good. as of right this minute, i will arrive in atlanta in 4 hours and 41 minutes. i am flying over greenland right now and you can see chunks of ice (im assuming) out the plan window. i have watched frozen and then life of pi and now i have captain phillips going. the movie choice are great on this flight. the first one… not so much. the plane is cold as always. i have my sweatpants on with the blanket they give you and i have a kikoy wrapped around my shoulders. nice and cozy, comfy. 

so how to wrap this thing up?? i know that i cannot even tell you how excited i am to see my friends and family so soon! this week is going to be exhilarating and exhausting. It may be a little while before i get back on here and wrap this thing up. ill wait for anything the resembles profound thoughts to strike me. but for now, all i can say is how glad i am that i did this. sure, there were plenty of times that were hard and trying but i am probably most thankful for them. this has been a journey of personal growth from begging to end and i am so thankful for everyone and everything that got me to this point. thank you for your support, regardless of what that support looked like! so thank you, thank you, thank you, and i cant wait to see you soon!