Colombia es muy bacano!

Hello Friends!!

I have been really bad about updating this blog but I will try to be better about it. So what has happened? YES! DALLAS has won the championship as well the Nacional which is the local soccer team. The day they won ...everyone who lives in La Ceja came to the main plaza and started singing, dancing, throwing fireworks and made an impromtu parade. (See pics below) It was hella crazy!! Haha, latinos don't mess with their soccer! Because the hotel that I am staying at is one of the few in town, we get tons of people. So..we have had wrestlers, government officials, cyclists and I am hoping that we are going to get the bodybuilders. Yes, this small town in Colombia is hosting a bodybuilding contest next month...will I be there? haha, of course!! I will post awesome pics too.

I have been traveling a bit as the students and teachers have vacation so it means that schools are closed. When they get back on July, I will doing lots of observations. However, I am excited because it will be great to work on the project again. Also, Colombia has tons of events going on next month. I am going to watch the FIFA Sub-20 game in Medellin (Argentina vs. Mexico)..I am so excited!! I will also stick around and see the Feria de Las Flores (Flower Festival).

Yesterday, I went with my friend Cris and some of her students to Rio Claro, a natural reserve and climbed up a waterfall that lead to this small cave. It was great! However, there were some bats in there and decided to go back down. I had to cross this river with a strong current and the only thing that you have for support is a rope that is tied to rocks. Luckily, there were people around to make sure I did not drown. But it was not that bad. I did get some bruises but it was worth it. It was really fun to chill at the waterfall and swim in the river. I really can't complain...I am having a blast in Colombia! So usually in the US when you camp out or go to parks you make a BBQ but here people make salcocho or soups. After swimming, we had to make a fire (which took about an hour) and cook the beef/chicken soup. I am not going to lie..I thought it was not going to taste good considering that we used the water from the river to make it and to wash all of the vegetables. As I was washing potatoes at the lake, I had a flashback of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala of when Colleen and I saw people from the restaurant go wash radishes at the lake. I have to say though the lake water in Colombia is much cleaner but that's because this place has strict rules about littering and things like that. The soup ended up being really delicious. Haha..so far I do not feel sick. I am going to have a strong stomach when I get to the US. Sadly, I was only able to take a couple of pictures of the trip because my camera's battery drained but my friend is going to send me the rest.

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This weekend I am going to hit the beach. I am going to the coast to visit two cities, Cartagena and Santa Marta. Cartagena has huge walls that were built by the Spaniards to keep away invaders and pirates. (So..I am envisioning something like something from Pirates of the Caribbean) However, since it is very touristy people have told me to go to these islands so I might to do that. I hear that it has nice weather so I will probably get another tan but this time I am going to wear lots of sunscreen. I learned my lesson in Guatemala. What I am really excited about is that I am going to visit the mud volcano of Totumo. Visitors get to take a mud bath inside this crater! It's 2300 meters deep but it is impossible for a person to drown! I should be fun times since I have never taken a mud bath before and apparently it's good for the skin and health. If you want me to bring you mud, let me know. They sell the mud in coke bottles. :)

http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/southamerica/volcan-totumo02.shtml

Best trip so far? Penol and Guatape! For Avi's birthday we went to visit/climb La Pierdra de Penol. What is it? A huge rock that no one has an idea how it got there. Some say that its a meteor rock but no one knows for sure. Interestingly enough the city of Penol is new since many people had to move in order to create a dam. The entire city was flooded to make the reserve and what is left is this......... pretty spectacular, right? Also, the rock has a giant G written on it because the city of Guatape wanted to "claim it" but the city of Penol did not like that because it is technically theirs so the writing was stopped. However, the rock still has letters on it. (That one is not my pic but just wanted to show you.) I find it a bit funny that people tried to graffiti a giant rock.

There is a myth that the city is buried underneath the water. However, this guy told us that it's a lie and that they had cleared the city before flooding it. However, when you go on a boat ride, they have a huge cross of where the city's church was. People can take boat rides, jet ski, zip line, and do all sorts of water activities. Guatape is also known for being where Pablo Escobar, famous Colombian drug lord, lived. He had built tunnels around his home to make sure he could escape if the cops came after him. Below is picture of it but it's in pretty bad shape since it was bombed and burned down. (I think by the police but not sure.)

So...we decided to rent a boat and take this tour to get to see more sights BUT to spice it up a bit we also got to take turns riding a donut on the back of it. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! I was so scared when I go on because our "tour guide" told me that lots of people drown because it is very dark underwater and hardly visible. See my scared face below! I had never done anything like that before but I would totally do it again. Because you have to hang on tightly because the boat is going fast, my arms were sore the next day. I did end up falling haha..and that was way scarier but good thing for life jackets. Avi was way better at it than Cris and I and stayed on for a while. (He was even close to making an entire flip with the donut, too!) Overall, it was a blast! (Or as Colombians would say bacano!)

We then went around Guatape and explored the city. Each building has these zocalos, or tiles at the bottom, that symbolize or shows what business they have or what that family feels characterizes them. For example, a bar that we passed by had a tile of people playing poker, the meat market has tiles of cows..ect. I took lots of pictures of these. It's kinda cool to have a something that others can see that tells them something about you. What would yours be?! I am not sure about mine yet. I will posting all of my Colombia and Guatemala pics on Facebook since Blogger hates uploading things. I am going to have a hard time leaving Colombia. August is fast approaching and then it will back to the real world and back to school.

I hope everyone is doing well and I am happy to hear about people's travels and summers. As much as I love it here, I am looking forward to seeing everyone again! Love you all !! :)

La Ceja!!!

Hello Friends!

Hope you are all doing well! So in Colombia they have these small restaurants called ejecutivos where they serve a limited menu but it is HELLA cheap! For three dollars, you can get a soup, rice, salad, some sort of meat, and juice. They are not small portions either! However, I am still not ready to tackle the beast - el Plato Paisa..this wonderful plate consists of rice, beans, fried eggs, steak, ground beef, avocado, arepa (kinda like a tortilla), pork rinds, sausage, tomatoes, blood sausage and fried plantains. Conclusion: Colombians can eat!!

We have finally arrived to La Ceja! It's a small town - peaceful and with a great view. I can not say this enough: Colombians are really nice and generous people. It's neat to walk around town and bump into people that we've met. It is going to be a great experience living here.

Upon arriving to La Ceja, we had the opportunity to meet the minister of education of La Ceja and the school directors. We had a short meeting with them about what we hoped to accomplish and to see if there is anyway we can support their schools. Two areas that we are going to be looking at is the bilingual education program and the vocational/technical training programs in schools in La Ceja and another municipality, Carmen de Viboral. We saw a technical school in Carmen de Viboral (See pictures below). Students who graduate from this school receive a technical degree such as metalwork, computer engineers, electricians..ect. The students are able to get training in a field that will provide them the skills to work in that field. However, students do have the opportunity to go to college if they meet the requirements. Thus, the vocational degree can help them get a job that will make college affordable. Also, if a student can not or does not want to go to college, they have a set of skills that can help them get better jobs.






Later on that night we went to see the night classes at Instituto La Paz. That night, students had performances that included dances and skits. There was this one guy in the dance group that was really good. We were introduced to the entire student body and were asked to say a few words. After the presentations, some of the students came up to us and asked us questions about the US and our lives. The neat thing about this night program is that adults from all ages can join. Some students have grandchildren but we were told that the older students are usually the ones with the higher grades. (It is never too late to get an education!)

The next day, we visited a school where we were asked to talk to the teachers about our experiences and the educational system in the US. Primarily, the school director wants us to work with the school to help them develop a stronger bilingual education program. The issue is that the Colombian government passed a law a few years ago that required for English to be taught in schools. However, many teachers do not speak English which makes it difficult to teach students the language. Thus, the director wants us to help them identify ways to improve the bilingual education program at the school. We also got to go to an English class later in the evening. That was super fun. We had the opportunity to speak to the class about life in the US and the class got to ask us questions in English.

Avi and I also had the chance to watch a soccer game with one of the school directors. It was Cali versus Club Atletico Nacional (the local favorite). It was an exciting game! Nacional scored a goal in the last minutes of the game and then it went to penalties. (Yep, they won!) We then proceeded to watch the Heat vs. Mavericks game --- Dallas lost then! :( But..they won their last game!

On Thursday, we went to another municipality, Las Caldas, where they hold an annual event: Los Juegos de La Calle. Kids from all around Colombia come to the town and compete in games such as hopscotch, marbles, jacks, jump rope, boxcar racing and many other games that do not require expensive equipment. Educators use the games to teach students math concepts, and moral values such as teamwork. It was an extremely fun day! Avi and I also met with this guy who does incredible moves with a spinning top! (Blogger is not letting me upload the video for some reason but I'll post it next time.) He's been in several competitions and holds several records. Two little girls taught me how to play jacks. I am not very good but it was nice to see these classic games being played. The coordinator of the games gave us some books that talk about how games can be used in the classroom to stimulate learning and creativity. I think the US should definitely do something like this. (Or maybe we can have these competitions at Peabody!)

Until next time! Sending everyone a giant hug!!! :)

Medellin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hola Friends!

Hope you are all well!!! The last couple of days has been full of meetings and me trying to absorb as much info as possible! I am currently writing from Medellin (City of Eternal Spring).

To start off, we met with the World Bank to hash out the logistics of our internship. The people there have been extremely nice. We met with our contact, Martha, who is the education specialist for the World Bank in Colombia. She gave us an overview of the education system. Below are some things that are different than the American system:

1) They offer school only up to 11th grade.
2) Education is provided for free for students only up to 9th grade. That means that students who want to go to 10th and 11th often times have to pay to attend. (Except in Antioquia it seems)
3) Teacher unions are very powerful here in Colombia too!

We are going to be working in two locations - La Ceja and El Carmen de Viboral. However, our other contact, Leon Dario, is taking us around other municipalidades to look at various schools. Our primary focus will be to evaluate various vocational/technical training programs in high schools and document what factors are leading to them work or not work. Also, we are going to be able to work with the schools, volunteer, maybe hold workshops, and overall, get involved in the community. La Ceja and Carmen de Viboral are both small municipalities in Antioquia so we are going to be living and working in very small town. Can't wait! I have never lived in a tiny, rural town so I am really excited! As long as I have running water, I'm good!

Since we have arrived in Medellin, Avi and I have met with lots of people who are involved in the educational programs in Antioquia. There are many programs being piloted in the region and all of the people have been gracious enough to answer all of our questions and have offered to take us to various schools to see these projects in action. We are going to be able to see a Escuela Nueva school. (Escuela Nueva is an educational model created by educators in Colombia in order to improve the quality of education in multigrade, rural schools) Some rural schools have only 1 teacher. A teacher is responsible for teaching students from different grade levels and ages in a classroom. The model requires for students to have study guides in order for them to set the pace of their learning..a student can complete a grade level or more within a year. (I met with one of the teachers who created these guides and she gave a copy of them.) I know it's kinda nerdy, but I was super excited when I got them.

So now to the other touristy parts...

So in Bogota, we were stopped by the Colombia police to check our IDs. They do random checks in order to make sure that people do not have any criminal records (or so we were told). So I did not have my passport or my ID (did not think I needed it). This is what happened...

COP: Where are you from?
Me: US, I'm American.
COP: Looks at me closely.... are you really American?
Me: Yes, I am.
Awkward stares and silent moments later..
COP: Alright, you can go.

Next time I'll just say I'm from Canada. :)

In Bogota, we visited Mount Monseratte - you take a cable car up the hill and you get to see really awesome views of the city. These are some of the pics...



























I'm learning tons of Colombian slang words too... there's more but I can not think of them right now.

chimba - cool - but only use it in Medellin ..in other places it is very offensive!
parce - friend
pelado/a - student/child (haha, this one I am definitely going to use!)


Medellin is known for many things - great weather, shopping, plastic surgery, parties....awesome landscapes! It is a place where lots of people are dressed to impress.

Across the street from the hotel, there is a park that has sculptures made by Botero. He's a famous Colombian artist that draws people with lots of volume. Years ago, drug dealers/criminals placed a bomb in one of his dove sculptures which killed many people. Botero decided to place a replica next to the damaged dove as a reminder of what occurred and the need for peace. Also, some of his sculptures gave missing pieces (stolen)...such as a sculpture of a cat is missing its whiskers.

So far, so good. I'm loving it here. I feel like in the future I am going to be living somewhere in Latin America. Well, take care peeps and send everyone a giant hug!

PS: Go Mavericks! They had a great comeback! There are LOTS of Miami Heat fans in Bogota (you would appreciate it Nashira). Sadly, the Bulls lost (Sorry roomie). However, I am thinking Dallas is going to win it all!

I'm in Bogota!

Hola Friends!!

Greetings from Colombia! First of all, thank you Katie for hosting me in Atlanta! I had a blast on the mini-road trip! I arrived to Colombia on Friday and have been exploring the city. I'm having a great time! The people are really nice and there is lots to see! Ok, so I know that I should start telling you what I have seen in chronological order but I was super excited about the things I saw yesterday. Every Sunday in Bogota from 7am - 2pm they close some of the streets to encourage people to do exercise by walking, rollerblading, or biking. They call this...Ciclovia! The cool thing about it is that vendors, musicians, and food carts pop up along the side of the streets drawing a big crowd.

As I was walking, I saw people gathered around the front of a church. I was totally surprised to find that a man with three guinea pigs. He had trained the guinea pigs to run into buckets with holes. The purpose was to get people to bet on which hole they think the guinea pig would run into. If you win, you collect half the money that was gambled. I played and lost a total of 200 pesos which is an equivalent of 11 cents. :( Watch the video below! I have included pics of the guinea pigs because they were super cute. Also, they eat them here too. Not sure I want to try any though. However, the street food here has been awesome. I have had the best fruit drinks (guayaba with milk), roasted corn, and empanadas. Nope, I have not gotten sick! (Crossing fingers)

I saw a protest yesterday too. It appears that there is ongoing discrimination towards Afro-Colombians. The protesters want the government to protect their rights and to ensure that they could have equal access to the prestigious colleges and universities as well as to better job opportunities. I did hear some people say some racist remarks to the protesters. However, overall, it was a peaceful demonstration. In the plaza, I also saw this poster about Bush and Obama. They were drawn as vampires and the poster was criticizing them for the war in Afghanistan and Iraq and the deaths that it has caused. I took a picture of it as I thought it was a good drawing on President Bush too. I have not found people respond negatively when I tell them I am American..haha..although some do not believe it as much so I just tell people I am Salvadoran. I think it is easier for Colombians to figure out I am not from here because my Spanish sounds very different to them (which it is). Who knows? Maybe I'll have a Colombian accent when I go back home.

I also went to El Museo de Oro (Gold Museum) where have artifacts that were crafted by pre-Hispanic tribes in Colombia. I have attached pics so you can see some of my favorite statues and masks.




Bogota has the strangest weather. One minute is warm, and then it gets cold and rainy. There has been some flooding in the city but nothing too bad as in other areas in Colombia. Not how I thought it was going to be...sadly, I packed my sandals and left my boots at home. I am trying to make it without having to buy an umbrella because I do not want to have to pack it in my luggage as it is filled to the max! Speaking of luggage - avoid flying Spirit Airlines if you can! I know it's cheap but not worth it. So when I arrived to Bogota (late as the plane was delayed), I went to pick up the bags and one was missing. The Spirit rep said that it was left in Fort Lauderdale....which ended it up being a lie because what had happened was that someone had taken the bag... because of this Spirit said it was not their fault and the bag needed to be picked up at the airport. Luckly, the person who took it brought the luggage back but still, how can they not check if a person is taking the correct bags?! Good news, Avi's bag was recovered. Bad news, I still have to use Spirit to get back home. (Boo!)

Now in terms of the internship, we are flying to Medellin on Thursday. Avi and I are meeting with Martha, our contact, tomorrow to discuss what we are going to exactly. I am super excited to get started and to explore Medellin which I hear has great weather and it's beautiful.

Now we are off to Mount Monseratte - you can see the whole city from up there. I'll make sure to take good pics. I miss you all and send everyone a giant hug! Let me know if you want to come visit!!