Day One: Getting Started!

¡Feliz año nuevo! It’s a new year (which means new beginnings, right?), and I’m appropriately in a new country! I was in flight as 2007 turned into 2008, and I symbolically arrived to Colombia on January 1st-- ready to begin a new adventure.

The lush green mountains surrounding Medellín, as viewed from my airplane window.

There were a few minor kinks and moments of confusion during the travels that brought me here, but I certainly cannot complain. I must admit that it was a huge relief, however, when I stepped out of the airport and found a man holding a sign with my name on it; it felt so nice to be in the care of someone who knew what he was doing! This driver’s name was Fernando, and he definitely exemplified the characteristics of many taxi drivers in Latin America that I have grown to know and respect. His speedometer read “0” (no matter how fast he was going), and he seemed to vary from the extremes of driving incredibly fast (passing people left and right) and crawling along at a very slow pace (motioning to others to proceed ahead of us). We were able to view the massive city of Medellín as we drove lower and lower into the green valley, and we arrived to my new place of residence about an hour after our initial encounter.

The views from my bedroom window. The twinkling lights of the city (on the hills, not visible here) provide a very nice backdrop in the night.

I was promptly greeted by Julian (whom I suppose could be labeled as a “host brother”) and by the loud and vibrant music that filled the streets. I had the impression that this must be the site of a permanent “fiesta,” but I soon learned it was simply the locals’ way of celebrating the national holiday of New Years Day-- with lots of dancing and merriment, all day long. I wish I could have enjoyed this jolly atmosphere for longer, but (in spite of the noise) I was exhausted from my travels and soon took a very long nap. I was only awakened by the large bangs of bomb-like fireworks, which sounded regularly until well into the night. It was a great introduction to the Colombian spirit!

One of the beautiful and challenging things about embarking on this sort of “new beginning” is that one must start completely over. I’m a little overwhelmed when I think of how few people know, how much my Spanish needs to improve, and how little I know about my new surroundings, but I have accepted the fact that my learning curve will be huge. I’m just hoping to be patient and allow myself to be in the mercy of others as I discover more and begin to adjust. Here´s hoping I´ll embrace this humbling transition!