Adios, Medellín; hola, Cali!

The 23rd of January marked my last day in Medellín, and I must admit that I was very grateful for this relocation. I had been feeling very vulnerable and lonely in that large city-- without much guidance, and I’m very happy to report that Cali is a whole different story. The Rotarians have taken me in with more hospitality than I could have ever imagined, and I feel like I’m very well protected and in the best of company. There have been a few awkward moments (especially as I’ve attempted to navigate the university that I’m attending… Talk about not knowing the cultural norms and standard procedures!), but my social network is large, and there’s a lot less ambiguity.

The city of Medellín itself does have a lot to offer, however. It is the only city in Colombia with a metro system, and it has (comparatively) a lot of development. (Caleños, or people from Cali, have often told me how envious they are of Medellín’s impressive attractions]. This comes, nonetheless, with the poverty (the children and disabled adults aggressively pursuing me on the streets, following me, pulling my arm, begging me for money) that often accompanies urban centers in the developing world, and the city also features lots of unpleasant, smelly areas as well. Here is a slideshow featuring scenes of Medellín, just to give you a glimpse of what it’s like:

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Cali, on the other hand, isn’t quite as advanced or well maintained as Medellín (not that Medellín is an icon of the modern world!). Here are a few images of Cali:

Cali is known for something completely different; its reputation comes from its salsa dancing. It is world-renowned as the “capitol of salsa,” and my few dancing experiences thus far have shown me that it is absolutely necessary for me to take classes and improve my dancing skills to avoid complete humiliation. The women (and men, I must add) here have hips that move in most amazing ways (Shakira, after all, is from Colombia!), and my non-latina, non-elegant tactics are definitely not up to par. Oh, well! This is just another obstacle to be conquered. =)

Some friends in Medellín invited me out for a night of cumbia, merengue, vallanato, regatón, and salsa dancing. This is just a general shot of the dance floor.

First Rotary Presentation

As a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, one of my responsibilities is to present at Rotary meetings of my host country. My first presentation occurred on January 17^th at the Central Medellin Rotary Club, which has 87 members. It was quite the formal and jovial event, and I felt very welcomed by all those present. My presentation was far from perfect (I think being nervous enhances my accent when speaking in Spanish), but I think the Rotarians enjoyed the Seattle trivia (or, more importantly, the Seattle souvenir prizes!) and valued what I had to say. I even sat at the “table of honor” at the front of the room, and I exchanged flags with the club president for one of my sponsor club of the University District of Seattle. It was a very nice introduction to the Rotary activity of Colombia, and I’m looking forward to future presentations!

Week 3 = :-(

My third week here has been honestly quite challenging, and I’m trying my best to keep my spirits up and outlook positive as I transition into the new scenery of Cali (for which I will be leaving on Wednesday, which is earlier than originally planned). I’ve learned important lessons and have grown a little tougher with a higher guard, which I am sure will help me in my remaining months. I really appreciate those of you who have supported me through these tough times, and I’m optimistic that things will get better from this point onward. Please keep your fingers crossed that I’ll encounter nice people with better intentions!

With that said, I’ll end this entry with something on a "light"er note (some photos from a four-hour tour that we took of the spectacular light displays of “los alumbrados”. This entire river is covered in lights!):

Guerrillas Amongst Us

I assume that news of this has traveled to most of you, but the talk of the town recently has been that of the release of Consuelo de Perdomo and Clara Rojas, two women who were kidnapped by members of the FARC (who had been held captive for 5/6 years). Their stories and those of the history of the FARC, EPL, ELN, and paramilitaries of Colombia are incredibly interesting, depressing, and terrifying all at the same time. I am attempting to process all that I’ve learned about this horrible Colombian reality, but it is so hard to believe that I can’t even begin to make any sense of it. I hope to write a more comprehensive reflection on the topic soon, but in the meantime, please be prayerful for the more than 600 (Some figures say as high as 1,500; it was 3,000 before President Uribe was in office!!!!) others living a life of fear and suffering at the hands of the guerrillas in the Colombian jungles, away from their families and without the freedoms and comforts they deserve. Let us also not forget the family members who must live without their loved ones, waiting and worrying, not knowing if they are dead or alive-- some for more than ten years. Such injustice!!

P.S.: Six more people were kidnapped yesterday in the region of Chocó.

P.P.S.: The drug money used to run the FARC will never allow for concessions.

Extravagant Night Life in Medellín

I was in awe of the extravagant, never-ending, super-festive, high-energy atmosphere of a local Discoteca Saturday night. The place was incredibly large, and it was almost over-stimulating to take in the varied and bright decorations, loud music, enthusiastic announcer, flashing lights, entertainment (Cirque de Soleil-like acrobats, seductive dancers of both sexes, break dancers, prizes, skits, ect.), and large screens of cartoons and music videos. I was worn out and feeling rather awkward by about 3:00 AM, but my new Colombian friends were not ready to leave until 5:00. Wow-- what stamina!!!

A “Rock Climbing” Trip

Last week, I also had the opportunity to head to “El Peñol,” a massive rock that some say came from outer space. It is a 200m-high granite stone, and one must climb 701 steps to reach its highest point. This was quite a workout, but the 360-degree views at the top were most certainly worth it!

Santa Fe de Antioquia

Federico, Christine (a German traveler who stayed in my household for the past week and served as a much-appreciated companion), and I ventured to Santa Fe de Antioquia for a day of exploration on Thursday. Our journey there took us through many beautiful scenes of the Andes Mountains (up to the clouds) and through the longest tunnel in all of Latin America (8 kilometers!). Santa Fe is the oldest settlement of the area and is very well preserved because of its “Patrimonio Cultural” status, which means that its buildings and public places cannot be modernized in any way. It was founded in 1541 and has tons of history, a lot of which is related to the large role it played in the slave trade. It features old-fashioned, narrow cobblestone streets and elaborately carved woodwork around windows and doorways. The pueblo definitely had a very colonial feel to it!

In addition, Santa Fe de Antioquia is home to the national monument of Puente de Occidente (“West Bridge”), which is an attraction because it was one of the first suspension bridges constructed in the Americas. It was designed my José María Villa and was completed between 1887 and 1895. We braved the heat and humidity to cross the bridge and climb various rock faces to get better views of the scenery and the Cauca River.

Security Level = High

As has been the case in many other Latin American countries, one thing that has become apparent to me is the very high level of security that can be found in every neighborhood, shopping center, apartment, highway, and public place in Colombia. Most places of residence are protected with broken glass or barbed wire, and security guards, policemen, and military soldiers toting huge guns are everywhere. I joined a local gym last week, and it blew my mind that I must enter a secret code and place my finger on a special device that recognizes my finger print every time that I enter (It’s just like they have to do in the top-secret laboratories of science fiction movies!). I try to make things like this make me feel safe, but they often have the opposite effect…

These members of the army stopped our bus on its route to El Peñol (described above). We were all asked to get off the bus and stand in a straight line as they searched our bodies and all of our belongings. (It was reminiscent of the motorcycle police experience described in a previous entry).

I figure it’s always a good idea to befriend the people who are here to protect you, right? =)

Fun Facts about Colombia!!!

Fun Fact #1: Colombia claims to have more plant and animal species per square kilometer than any other country in the world. This includes 18% of the world’s bird species. There are around 1900 recorded species of birds, ranging from the huge Andean condor to the tiny hummingbird. More than 140 of these bird species are endemic to Colombia (source: The Lonely Planet). I definitely haven’t seen them all in the short time that I’ve been here, but I’ve really enjoyed watching all of the brightly colored birds fly about my surroundings. (I’ve wasted quite a lot of time trying to capture good pictures of them!). They come in many shades of exotic colors, including this vivid yellow that seems to be quite common in Medellín and neighboring areas:










I’m not sure if this “animal” figure includes bugs, but I’ve encountered quite a few very interesting ones thus far! I was far less excited, however, to see this huge cockroach crawling on the wall of our apartment building than I was to see the beautiful birds pictured above!! =)Fun Fact #2: Colombia is the world’s largest exporter of cut flowers. This definitely adds to the beauty of the country! I’ve seen quite a few flower production facilities, such as this one:

Sight Seeing

Saturday was the first opportunity that I´ve had to get out and about to explore massive Medellín and surrounding areas. Alejandra (pictured here) (the daughter of Gloria, the kind woman who does the cooking and cleaning in our apartment) was my companion and guide, and I was very grateful to have her with me. We saw all sorts of attractions of the city, including the following scenes:

residential areas,

the National Library,

the metro,

Parque de Luces,

la Iglesia de Veracruz, tons of hustle and bustle in the city,

many Bolero sculptures (including this one of a bird, which was the site of a bombing that killed many people in el Centro de San Antonio. The plaque below it lists their names.),

and los "alumbrados" (fabulous light displays).

We also waited in a long line
to ride the cable cars (featured here) that transport people to the tops of the surrounding populated mountainsides.This was an enjoyable way to see the city from above, and you can share some of this experience with me by watching the enclosed video. Please note our little "guide," who entertained us by giving us her own descriptions of the views that surrounded us. In this scene, she is telling us about the people of "caracoles," which translates to mean "snails." I´m not exactly sure what this means!! =)

After the day´s adventures, I attempted to ride a taxi back to my residence here in Envigado. I felt quite uncomfortable as the driver continued to call me "princess"/"beautiful," ask for my phone number, tell me about how he´d like to marry me, ect., and I hoped that my ride with him would end quickly. However, we got very lost (I wasn´t much help because I definitely do not know my way around these parts yet), and it took FOREVER for me to arrive to my home-sweet-home! It reminded me of scenes from The Amazing Race as we stopped and showed every single passerby the address and asked for any suggestions they could give us to help us find it. I was very relieved when I finally made it to the apartment building, 1.5 hours later! 80)

Early Images of Colombia

My shy roommate, whom I call "Geico"

The process of making "panela," a sweet candy derived from sugar cane. I bought two pounds of it, only to discover that I´m not a fan!

Traditional village scenes , including the town center

Old-fashioned homes are still crafted with these natural materials.

Traditional souvenir crafts

The beautiful scenery of where my Spanish class took place today