THE LAST FOUR MONTHS

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, those four days have swirled into one mirage of pure uninterrupted fun. I could probably write an entire entry dedicated to Carnaval in Barranquilla,but, like the best things in life, you just have to live it to get it. 

From Barranquilla, Sarah and I set off for Parque Tayrona. We spent a night in Santa Marta, which is about an hour away from the park’s entrance. Many tourists/backpackers use Santa Marta as a jumping off point for Parque Tayrona. We spent almost two full days trekking through the jungles of the Colombian coast and sun-bathing on the amazing beaches. At night, we spent time with other travelers and made some good friends from Argentina. The picture below is of out dinner crew and various other photos from the trip. Yes, Sarah got a lot of Colombian sol that day!

From Tayrona, we headed for Cartagena. Cartagena is a UNESCO site and may be one of my favorite places in the world. The beaches, the colonial architecture and feel, the walled city, and the friendly locals make it the most visited city in Colombia for a reason. We spent Sarah’s remaining time on the beaches and going out at night. It was here that we made some friends from Medellin - Sergio and Jessica. (It was during this time in Cartagena that I would invite them, Sergio and Jessica, to come to Barranquilla to watch a Colombian World Cup qualifying game). The pictures below are from our time in Cartagena. 

Sarah’s trip was a really special time. It was great to have a childhood friend visit and see how my “day to day” is here on the coast!

MARCH

March brought me one step closer to the third floor, as I turned a ripe old 26! It was also the third time that I was able to see the Colombian national team play. As I had mentioned before, while in Cartagena I invited Sergio and Jessica to the Colombia game in Barranquilla. Since they’re from Medellin, I told them that I would more than pay for the tickets if they were willing to make the trek out of the interior to the coast to see the national team play. It took little convincing and sure enough we went, the three of us, to see Colombia put a hurting on Bolivia. The final score was 5-0, which in soccer, for those of you who may not follow the global game, is like winning by 30 points in basketball or by more than 40 points in American Football. Looking back at it now, the game, like Carnaval, is now a blur of pure celebration. Colombia’s fifth goal was scored in stoppage time. Needless to say, the game was good, at least for Colombians, up until the final whistle. If you click HERE, you can watch a review of all the goals. If you look closely, I’m wearing a yellow jersey and jumping up and down! The following pictures are from the game.

APRIL

April was dedicated to getting two community classes up and running. I’m currently a co-leader in a community workout class for women of the Playa and teach a once-a-week english course for Playa community members.

The workout class is called - Muevete!(move yourself!) I co-lead the class with my site-mate, Kendra. Kendra and I are now in our 11th week of classes  and things could not be going any better. At our first class back in late March, we had 13 women show up. Now, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we average about 65 women per class depending on weather, national holidays, etc. Originally, we only met on Mondays and Wednesdays but we decided to add an extra day, Friday, due to high interest in the class. In the first week, we measured the women’s BMIs and use this as a gauge for how well our class is progressing. The class is entirely women. We wanted to create a place and space for women to workout. Many of the local gyms are overrun with men, only have free weights, and don’t offer classes specifically for women. 

Each class is made up of multiple parts. We start with stretching as a group and then go into Yoga which is run by Kendra. From Yoga we do  core or abdominal strengthening which I lead.  I also lead the next section which is a mixture of plyometric movements and calisthenics designed to increase core and overall strength, burn fat, and most of all sweat. Kendra finishes off each class with Zumba. She normally picks about 4 songs and does an aerobic choreography to each one which leaves the women feeling great. Each session ends with stretching. The women are also starting to look more into how a balanced diet and nutrition will increase their overall health. In May, they started attending classes at the local high school on nutrition. The local high school is the same place where we do our Muevete classes! I’ve attached some photos below of Kendra doing Yoga and Zumba! 

I also teach an english class, which has been a very interesting side project! Below are some pictures of a day in the life of teaching english on the Colombian coast.

MAY

May was Medellin and James and Maria’s Trip. I’m going to only talk about Medellin but rest assured James and Maria’s trip will be documented shortly. 

Medellin. Where to begin? Medellin has long been on my list of places to visit and explore. I spent the five days living and hanging out with Sergio - a Medellin native. He was a perfect tour guide. He mixed very touristy places with locally known(not in your lonely planet guide) cuisine. There were times were I felt like Anthony Bourdain but then I realized that I wasn’t being invited to these hole in the wall places and actually had to pay the bill. Medellin is known as the innovative city and after being there for less then a day I could more than see why. On the first day, we went exploring the city with an emphasis on enjoying the public transit. Now, I know what you’re thinking - who goes to a city to ride the metro? However, in Medellin, the transit system is a truly integral part of the city’s identity. The people are very proud of their transit system, especially as it is the only city in Colombia that can proudly say that it even has a metro or subway system. Due to the topographical complications of the city, Medellin’s transit system has had to adapt to the cauldron like area where Medellin lies. The transit system comprises of buses, bikes, the metro, and the metrocable. On our first day, we started by walking - as one would do in any urban area. Then, we got on a very clean bus. To get on the bus we had to buy a ticket and pass through a turn-style, which is where we entered the Medelling transit system. Upon getting off the bus, we transferred over to the subway or Metro. We took the Metro to the last stop and then get on the metrocable. The metrocable was probably the most impressive part of the entire day’s adventure. It allows Medellin’s citizens to easily go up and down the hills which surround the entire downtown area. The following photos are of the transit system. 

The following photo shows a really cool idea that doesn’t always work. It’s a pick-up and read book tank. You can simply take a book out. Read it and return it when you’re done. This is where the whole process falls apart, as Sergio tells me that many people often forget to return the books. However, as long as they’re being read - who cares if it’s on the subway, right?

The transit system made getting around Medellin really easy and enjoyable. The next couple of photos are from the places we went to see in Medellin.

Cool optical illusion at the parque explora.

These were really neat. Sergio stood infront of one of these giant half domes and I did the same with the opposite one. With our backs to one another, he began to talk. The echo that was created made it seem as though we were talking on the phone. Very Medellin. 

The most innovative city!

Delicious "dos manos" burrito!

Botero Sculpture Park

Guatapé

The next couple of photos are from my trip to Guatapé. Guatapé is located about an hour and a half outside the city and was more than worth the trip. Enjoy! 

I tried to take it with me.

Medellin was incredible. I really look forward to going back one day. I LOVE MEDELLIN!

I hope that you enjoyed getting caught up on the last couple months of my life. On a final note, I've decided to enroll in THE NEW SCHOOL in New York! So, come this fall 2013, I'll be calling La Gran Manzana my new home. I'm looking forward to studying at the Milano School for International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy. I'll be studying International Affairs with an emphasis on development in Latin America. Til next time. I LOVE COLOMBIA.