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Still Crazy After All These Years

January 23, 2013

I was born on March 7th, 1987. The following day, the 8th of March, my biological mother left me at an orphanage. She was twenty three years old when I was born. The events surrounding my birth have always been a mystery. I’ve never been able to hop in on conversations about my weight as a newborn or the exact time of birth. These tidbits of information are intimate parts of my personal story that, for the moment, remain a mystery. My “hajj” or return to my land of birth came full circle with the recent visit of my parents. * * * * * In November 1987, I was adopted and left Bogotá headed for Beverly, Massachusetts. In the airport, my parents were stopped and questioned about the powdered milk that they had bought for me. The cocaine production in Medellin and Cali in the 1980’s - 90’s and the subsequent exportation to North American markets made my parents’ adoption story probably seem like the perfect ploy to smuggle narcotics out of the country. The era o

My Barranquilla Life

September 05, 2012

Since arriving in mid June, I’ve done my best to get to know modern day Colombia through time spent sharing coastal culture with the beautiful people of Barranquilla . In the entry entitled The Playa Es Hot , I gave a brief introduction into how my Barranquilla life was shaping up. Since then a lot has happened and saying that I’ve adapted to the heat would be a fabrication of the truth, as I’ve only got more use to sweating. In my quest to understand Barranquilla, I’ve started to see that it’s the details of my daily routine that make up what this port city will always be to me. Barranquilla is slowly being defined by the little things like my host sister’s smile, the not so little cockroaches, the contagious rhythms of salsa on every corner, the rain , the sun, the coastal spanish, and everything else in between. It’s hot. I wish I could start by writing about something else but I can’t. I’m currently sitting on my bed, in front of my fan, it’s 9:33 PM and I’m sweating. I sti

June 2013 - Despedidas and Bogotá

September 23, 2013

Well, it's been more than a minute since my last post. I'm currently writing this from an academic building at the New School in Manhattan, New York but I'll get to that soon enough. I'd like to first share with you some pictures of my last days in Colombia . . . These photos are from my town "despedidas" - going away parties. The ones from the pool party were with my English class and the others are from my MUEVETE class. Both of these classes are highlighted in this blog entry. Domino Helping Marta with her camera. Preparing the meat. DANCE! MUEVETE! And again! The next group of photos are from my "despedida" at the Peace Corps office. In true Latin American fashion, I had to "dar palabras" or give some closing thoughts. JFK. Yes, I'm still talking . . . Finally, I rang the s&#$ out of that bell. Thank you Peace Corps Colombia. It was a wild 38 months wi

Just In Case You Were Wondering . . .

June 20, 2012

A Night That Will Live in Infamy - The First Domino

November 09, 2016

The following entry was written beginning at 1:12AM on the 9th of November, 2016 and is a stream of consciousness reflecting my current mood. DJT is now electoral college points away from being named POTUS. This election result will go down as one, if not, the biggest political upset in modern world history. It also begins what many believe to be the beginning of the end. Now, I don't think that he'll push a button and start a war with North Korea as soon as he gets sworn in but then again I didn't think we'd be here. So, I guess only time will tell. What I refer to, when I say that this is just the first of many dominoes to fall, is that this country, a country that adopted me and inculcated me into the 'American dream', may never bounce back from the repercussions of tonight's decision within my lifetime. DJT will enter office, most likely, with a Republican House, Senate, and the ability to chose the next Supreme Court Justice, which would give h

THE LAST FOUR MONTHS

May 28, 2013

I’m back. While this implies that I left, I assure you that I’ve been here, on the coast of Colombia, the entire time. A lot has happened since my last entry. I’m going to dedicate this entry to catching up on the past couple of months. I should’ve really dedicated a substantial entry to each one of the following events but due to the interests of time, I’m going to do something that is very un-latino; I’m going to keep things brief. FEBRUARY February was Carnaval and Sarah’s visit. Having Sarah here was great. It’s always refreshing having people visit from your life before Peace Corps and Sarah’s visit was no different. We spent four days in Barranquilla enjoying live music, dancing, drinking, more dancing, and then doing it all again. Sarah was also able to spend a lot of time with my host family, as she spent the four nights of Carnaval in my barrio , La Playa . In truth, I really should have written about Carnaval when it was fresh in my mind. Looking back on it now,

Author

Jarrett Carpenter is a South American born, New England Raised, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer with an M.A. in International Affairs. This blog was created and is maintained in order to share his experiences with friends and family. Enjoy!

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All of the opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author

and do not reflect those of any organization mentioned within this blog.

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EST. 2011

Unloading The Materials

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More Blog Posts

Still Crazy After All These Years

My Barranquilla Life

June 2013 - Despedidas and Bogotá

Just In Case You Were Wondering . . .

A Night That Will Live in Infamy - The First Domino

THE LAST FOUR MONTHS