So in my last post I had three weeks left of work and now I have two, but six weeks have passed since I last updated! That means..lots of time "paseando"! I am going to make all these long stories short.
El Cocuy: We went to do a 6 day trek in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy. We went up 2000 meters (6000 feet) in one day..therefore I got altitude sickness and didn't complete the trek. I stayed there for a few days longer just hanging out in the mountains at lower elevation to enjoy it :)
HOME!: On December 20th I bought a ticket home. On the night of the 21st, I was home :) I had gotten pretty homesick despite being home three and a half weeks before, and as a Christmas present mommy bought me a ticket home! It was perfect.
Medellin and Sofia: On the same night that I got back to Colombia my friend Sofia also landed at the airport to come visit me! We went to Medellin and had an amazing new years at Mango's-- a club with midget clowns, hip-hop dancers and lots of hay. We didn't leave 'til 7 in the morning-- I would say it was a good night. When Sofia and I came back to Bogotá we went to Suesca to climb-- finally!! I had been wanting to go forever but didn't want to go alone. I am so glad we went because I had a blast and it made me realize how much I really miss rock climbing.
Bonaire: The day after Sofia left I flew to Bonaire (a small island in the Caribbean) to go diving with my mom! It was AMAZING. I had never been to the Caribbean and it was exactly like the pictures! Bonaire doesn't have the nicest beaches but it is famous for it's diving and it was everything I expected it to be. We got 14 dives in in 6 days. I feel totally comfortable in the water now and I hope we can do trips like that more often!
Back to Colombia..: I have been back in Colombia for two weeks or so. I had two days of work but they were completely pointless so I skipped two days after that and went to my host grandma's house for lunch once and Gustavo's house for lunch once. We went to Pacho for our mid-term (final for me) camp and I told the program exactly how I feel about them. That was interesting. I got sick when we got back from camp and today is my first day back at work since then. I am only going to be working in the bakery, and am probably only going to work three days a week. More to come later!
Love,
Anna
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Time is Flying and Three Weeks of Work Left!
Time is flying (or as my German friends would say, time is running). I can't believe I only have three weeks (y pico) of work left!! Today was my last day of work for 2009 (how did the whole year pass this quickly!??!) and I start work again January 13th. I am actually leaving tomorrow evening (Thursday) on a 12 hour bus ride, which I'm hoping won't be too bad.
Yesterday on the Tourist Train was exactly what I thought it would be. I did a lot more Patagonia research, like four hours, and just sat there. We went straight to Zipaquira, about 3 hours. Since I had already driven there there were no new views, not that they are really that pretty anyway. We spent an hour in Zipaquira (the town, not the salt cathedral) and then got back on the train and went back towards Bogota to Cajica. Cajica was also adorned with lights, and there were two red light up pine trees in the central plaza. She goes "oh look at the red trees! how pretty!!" and I told her that we have REAL red trees in America! She was surprised. We spent two hours walking around and eating lunch in Cajica and then returned on the train, not getting back to Bogota until about 5. We took a taxi home, which saved us about two hours, which was really nice. On the train I realized my host mom doesn't know all the seasons since there aren't any in Bogota! She forgot fall, my favorite season!
Today at work my co-worker Miriam's parents visited. We went to the Casa Hogar with them and ended up spending about an hour there with the girls just hanging out with them. It was the first time I actually enjoyed being there because I didn't have to try to get them to listen to me or anything. I wish I had that kind of setting with them more! Also we found out that the director of Casa Hogar is not going to be working there anymore when the commence again in January, but we don't know why. We know there has been multiple problems with the girls from the house stealing money from her, but that was probably only one of the problems contributing to it. Also, Miriam's parents were speaking in German when we were in the bakery, and I answered a question they asked and they were like "You understand German?!". It always feels so good when that happens! :)
OH also, I forgot a really important part of that homeless guy story. So after I said "No. Hablo. Espanol", he started speaking English to us! It was kind of broken English but what he was saying totally made sense! WHAT?! Of all people to speak English, of course it was the homeless guy. So weird.
Love,
Anna
Anna
Monday, December 7, 2009
Few little things..
Just a few little things..:
The other day a homeless man came up to me and was asked if I spoke Spanish (I was sitting in front of Museo del Oro with Amy speaking English). For some reason I decided to say "No hablo Espanol" in a really gringo accent! I don't know why I did that.
Tonight was the "Dia de los Luces" or "Dia de las Velas" or something, and Amy and I went to the North (Parque de Virrey) and it was like Candyland there, too! They really get into the Christmas spirit, but more with things like sunflower and random lights than actual Christmas themed lights.
Tomorrow I am going with my host mom on the "Tren Turistico" through parts of Bogota and up to Zipaquira and back because it is a festivo. I am hoping that it doesn't take too long, but she told me to bring a book in case I get bored...I think it basically just like sitting all day and looking out the window at parts of the country that I've already seen! But we'll see..
On Wednesday night I leave for El Cocuy with two friends. I am actually kind of hoping that we don't do the seven day trek we previously planned because I want to save money for Patagonia. I am looking forward to just doing day hikes and having some relaxed alone time with pretty scenery! Also, speaking of Patagonia, I am really hoping that I can do that trip. I have been researching it a lot lately and am going to plan it all down to the dollar so that I can be organized and prepared for the whole thing. One problem though: the backpack that my dad gave me to bring is TINY! It fits the tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and about one or two outfits of clothing. For a month worth of backpacking! No stove. No jackets. No Chacos. No books...We'll see how it goes! I will definitely travel as lightly as possible, but I hope it'll all work out. I'm sure it will!
Ta-ta for now.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
A Great Welcome
I guess after all those bad things I had to go do something fun. On Tuesday night I went to Monserrate, a church on top of a huge hill looking out over Bogota. The Philharmonic (Filarmonico) Orchestra was playing a classical concert along with some Christmas songs. We sat outside and it was freezing, but so amazing! The view of Bogota was so gorgeous at night, with the whole city lit up. Monserrate was also totally decked out in Christmas lights, making me feel like I was in Candyland. There was also a fireworks show! It felt so festive which was nice because it's hard to get in the Christmas when it's 70 degrees outside!
Other than that my host dad is STILL GONE and should be returning..who knows when!? I made bread all alone in the bakery today! The main baker was gone because she was at meetings with her kid's teachers, so I told her I thought I could do it alone. I was so proud when it turned out well! I knew I could do it, but it was still a good feeling. I also recently did some research on high altitude baking and figured out that some ingredients need to be adjusted, so with my newfound information I made REAL chocolate chip cookies! They were so much like the ones at home, it was amazing :).
OH and drama on the home front. So there is a lady named Erika who also works in the bakery, who I actually don't like. I'm not sure if I've posted about her before, but basically, she always asks us (the westerners) for clothes and shoes and stuff, telling us how much she needs them for her daughters, but then when offered clothes and shoes from the other main baker, she turns them down because "she doesn't like them". Now in my eyes, if she needs it, she should take whatever she can get! Anyway, two of her girls live in the Casa Hogar during the week, and she has a 13 year old that lives at home with her. I recently found out that her 13 year old daughter is...wait for it...PREGNANT. I guess she had been sending her, since she was ten, to this guys house (who is supposedly thirty!) to get money for the family. Well of course he wanted something in return... Also, the main baker lady told me that there is another girl in the Casa Hogar that is pregnant! Bad news bears...
Anyway, I'm really enjoying myself here! My Spanish is like getting worse, but whatever. I am baking up a storm and am excited to see how Christmas is going to be! I decided my Christmas presents for people would be baked goods, which is exactly what I'd be doing if I were home.
I hope everyone is well!
Monday, November 30, 2009
My Week Home
My week home was amazing, but went by so so so quickly. I remember right after my dad left and knowing there was only four weeks until I went home, and now I'm already back in Colombia. The highlights were the first Saturday night, when I went to a friend's house where almost all of the friends I wanted to see were, and my two trips to Tahoe, on one of which I went skiing! I really enjoyed the fall colors (and the snow!) also, because there definitely aren't fall colors (or snow) here in Colombia. I also had a blast baking, and am probably going to put my mom in the poor house when I get home! I baked: oatmeal cranberry cookies, two peanut butter pies, pecan bars, four pumpkin loaves and six pumpkin muffins, a mixed berry pie, a two layer apple spice cake, dark chocolate spice cupcakes with chocolate ganache, banana nutella muffins and sugar-topped molasses spice cookies (I think that's it...)! Thanksgiving dinner was really nice and I am glad I got to see everyone. I also I took tons of pictures to show my host parents, and am excited to show them a little more of my life in America.
My flights back were as good as they could have been-- I slept the whole way on both flights. The airport was a madhouse when I landed in Bogotá because five flights had gotten in at the same time, so that was a little stressful. My host mom and host uncle were waiting for me, because my host dad is travling on business AGAIN. It took about an hour and a half for me to get from the plane out of the airport, and then another twenty-five minutes waiting to figure out what was going to be done with the car since it was POURING (and supposedly it hadn't rained the whole time I'd been gone but now it started. Great welcome) and we got separated. I finally got home about three hours after I had landed and started unpacking. I had told the lady at the United counter when I first checked my bags that I had a glass bottle in one of them, and she never put the fragile sticker on. Because of that, I had a broken glass bottle and "KinderPunsch" spilled all over my clothing. I went to bed around two and woke up around 5 and was all wet. My pants, my bed and my comforter were soaked, and I realized that it was raining inside my room! While I was gone a crack had formed in my celing and it was now raining down on me. Great. After all of that, I am now at work, and am feeling a little better (because I was obviously super frustrated after all of that). I only have two weeks and then I get four weeks off! I am really excited to take advantage of my time left here in Colombia and make the most of it.
My flights back were as good as they could have been-- I slept the whole way on both flights. The airport was a madhouse when I landed in Bogotá because five flights had gotten in at the same time, so that was a little stressful. My host mom and host uncle were waiting for me, because my host dad is travling on business AGAIN. It took about an hour and a half for me to get from the plane out of the airport, and then another twenty-five minutes waiting to figure out what was going to be done with the car since it was POURING (and supposedly it hadn't rained the whole time I'd been gone but now it started. Great welcome) and we got separated. I finally got home about three hours after I had landed and started unpacking. I had told the lady at the United counter when I first checked my bags that I had a glass bottle in one of them, and she never put the fragile sticker on. Because of that, I had a broken glass bottle and "KinderPunsch" spilled all over my clothing. I went to bed around two and woke up around 5 and was all wet. My pants, my bed and my comforter were soaked, and I realized that it was raining inside my room! While I was gone a crack had formed in my celing and it was now raining down on me. Great. After all of that, I am now at work, and am feeling a little better (because I was obviously super frustrated after all of that). I only have two weeks and then I get four weeks off! I am really excited to take advantage of my time left here in Colombia and make the most of it.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Rio Claro
I had been wanting to go to Rio Claro ever since the first puente, but it was a more complicated trip than the others. We had tried to find a hostel, but to no avail. The Rio Claro that I wanted to go to was a specific reserve, and not just anywhere along the river. Because of this, we ended up camping, which was quite an adventure!
Rio Claro is in Antioquia, about 6 hours from Bogota and 3 from Medellin. The closest town is Doradal, which was kind of a shady town. We stayed in the reserve for the whole trip because there was enough to do there, which was really nice. We used my host uncle's tent, which was HUGE to carry because it is super old. We had a few troubles putting it up, since there were no directions and no labels on any of the poles, but we finally did it and were surprised that it didn't fall down at all for the two days it was up. It unfortunately rained the second night, and it started raining inside the tent... We fixed that with water bottles cut in half and placed under the drips! It worked pretty well, but I can't say I slept well at all that night.
In Rio Claro we spent a lot of time at the river (obviously) and on the 'beach', which was relaly just a huge slab of rock. The current was surprisingly stong, and we heard that many people die there each year, usually because they mixed river with alcohol. On Saturday we just hung out and explored a bit, and on Sunday we rented innertubes and floated down the river, which was really fun! It was hot enough out that we didn't get cold, even though we were sitting in the water for hours. The tree coverage was gorgeous and there were lots of pretty butterflies :). The river wasn't actually very 'claro' because it had been raining, but on Sunday it was still very pretty and had a turquoise-ish color to it. I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked because we spent most of the time in the river, but I will post the ones I did take on my Picasa.
Besides the Rio Claro trip I have been enjoying work more because I am getting along really well with my colleagues and am spending more time in the bakery. One thing I really wish is that I was able to go to Gustavo's for lunch more often, because the good Colombian food at my house isn't really existent anymore. I am still getting along amazingly with my host parents, and I recently went to a cousin's birthday celebration and felt great because I could totally join in on the conversation, which I don't always feel like I can do. Right now I am so excited to be home in four days, but I recognize how much I will really really really miss Colombia. I love the relaxed, slower way of life here. I don't hate Bogota as much now, and I love that I get an amazing view of the mountains from any part of the city. Colombia has so much to offer and I am so lucky that I have been taking advantage of that, and I know I will miss that once I am back home for good.
Rio Claro is in Antioquia, about 6 hours from Bogota and 3 from Medellin. The closest town is Doradal, which was kind of a shady town. We stayed in the reserve for the whole trip because there was enough to do there, which was really nice. We used my host uncle's tent, which was HUGE to carry because it is super old. We had a few troubles putting it up, since there were no directions and no labels on any of the poles, but we finally did it and were surprised that it didn't fall down at all for the two days it was up. It unfortunately rained the second night, and it started raining inside the tent... We fixed that with water bottles cut in half and placed under the drips! It worked pretty well, but I can't say I slept well at all that night.
In Rio Claro we spent a lot of time at the river (obviously) and on the 'beach', which was relaly just a huge slab of rock. The current was surprisingly stong, and we heard that many people die there each year, usually because they mixed river with alcohol. On Saturday we just hung out and explored a bit, and on Sunday we rented innertubes and floated down the river, which was really fun! It was hot enough out that we didn't get cold, even though we were sitting in the water for hours. The tree coverage was gorgeous and there were lots of pretty butterflies :). The river wasn't actually very 'claro' because it had been raining, but on Sunday it was still very pretty and had a turquoise-ish color to it. I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked because we spent most of the time in the river, but I will post the ones I did take on my Picasa.
Besides the Rio Claro trip I have been enjoying work more because I am getting along really well with my colleagues and am spending more time in the bakery. One thing I really wish is that I was able to go to Gustavo's for lunch more often, because the good Colombian food at my house isn't really existent anymore. I am still getting along amazingly with my host parents, and I recently went to a cousin's birthday celebration and felt great because I could totally join in on the conversation, which I don't always feel like I can do. Right now I am so excited to be home in four days, but I recognize how much I will really really really miss Colombia. I love the relaxed, slower way of life here. I don't hate Bogota as much now, and I love that I get an amazing view of the mountains from any part of the city. Colombia has so much to offer and I am so lucky that I have been taking advantage of that, and I know I will miss that once I am back home for good.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
It's a small world after all
This world is really so so so so small. Ridiculously small.
I was walking through La Candelaria the other day, and we passed a bike tour shop. We have been looking for that bike tour shop since we first heard about it in the first week we were here, so we went in and started talking to someone about it. He started speaking to us in English, and after a pleasant conversation, I asked where he was from. Turns out, he grew up in Walnut Creek and went to UC Davis! We will probably be doing a bike tour soon though.
Another La Candelaria story: Yesterday I went out for coffee after work with four friends. We were walking along the main road back to the Transmilenio station when, all of a sudden, a bunch of people started running away from the main station, back up the road towards the way we had come from. We abruptly stopped and tried to figure out what was going on, when some kind of bomb went off and smoke started going up in the air! We realized that all the shops had closed the metal panels on their windows and doors, and we took off back up the hill and ran into Crepes and Waffles, one of the only stores that hadn't closed up. We stood in there watching more and more students run up the road away from the center and learned that it was a demonstration. The police take demonstrations very seriously here, and they had brought in two tanks filled with water and tear gas if needed! There were at least 200 police men surrounding this demonstration. After we learned what it was and saw Colombians walking towards the center again, we felt safe enough to leave. It was such a scary thing at first though, to see people running away and hear a bomb-like thing go off! We had to walk about 10 minutes down the road to the next Transmilenio station because the main two stations were closed.
Other than that, I have been doing a lot of research about traveling and what I want to do with the rest of my year when I am done with this volunteer project! I am really leaning towards Patagonia and possibly an Antarctic trip, in which case I would be in debt to my parents a very huge amount of money. For now, I am going to work on enjoying Colombia and exploring everything it has to offer (which is a lot)!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Puentes
I actually have something to write about! I went to San Gil with 11 friends for the first 'puente' (3-day weekend). For those of you who don't know anything about Colombia, San Gil is in the department of Santander and is the 'adventure' capital of Colombia. It took us 5 1/2 hours to get there in a FREEZING cold bus overnight on Friday, and 8 hours to get home on Monday (ugh!).
Saturday we were all exhausted and some people went rafting (more like floating) but that didn't sound appealing to me so I went to a swimming hole with a waterfall, which was gorgeous and fun. Afterwards I went to the town of Barichara, which is supposedly the prettiest colonial town in Colombia. I did a 9 km hike/walk from Barichara to Guane, which looked very similar to Barichara except smaller. I had THE BEST AREPA I have ever had in Guane. The arepas in Santander are different than the arepas in Bogotá, and I loved them! They are made with fresh corn and are just delish.
On Sunday I went to the Juan Curi waterfall in the morning, which was totally packed with people, so we didn't stay in the crowded area for long. We wandered down the waterfall and discovered more little pools and cascades-- it was super pretty! After Juan Curi I went to Chicamocha National Park, the newest National Park in Colombia. I went alone because everyone else was doing something, but I really enjoyed it. The canyon was gorgeous and I hiked up to the 360 degree lookout point and had an amazing view. That night we went out to the local discoteca (with a lot of groaning and moaning from me, because I just wanted to sleep), and ended up having tons of fun! The next morning we woke up and tried to buy bus tickets, but the person at our hostel told us they were all sold out! We had about 20 minutes of panic but ended up going to the bus station and getting tickets.
(I actually wrote all of that about two days after I got back from San Gil, two weeks ago, but never posted it because I wanted to include pictures. Too bad! Now I will continue with the new stuff..)
This past weekend was another puente, and we went to Villa de Levya. It was by far my most fun and relaxing weekend here in Colombia. I had been kind of down and wanting to come home, but that weekend with my friends really helped me! We got the number of the nameless hostel from a friend of a friend (who is Colombian). We only had a cell phone number-- no e-mail, webpage, or address. We easily arrived in Villa de Levya after switching buses in Tunja and called the number that we had. The owner, Clara, walked to the bus station to get us. She was so absolutely caring and mom-like. She made us dinner both nights, and tailored the dinner to exactly what we wanted! The hostel itself was really cute and I know I will definitely be going back there!
Villa de Levya was one of the places I had really been wanting to go to because my guide book says it's really pretty and not to be missed. It wasn't anything too special, but the overall experience was great. On Saturday we went to a French bakery in the early afternoon (which we spent about 5 hours at over the whole weekend) and in the late afternoon we rented horses and rode to Pozos Azules, these bright turquoise pools about an hour away on horseback. On the way there the horses just walked and I felt really uncomfortable on them, but on the way back I started feeling more comfortable and it started raining, so the horses started trotting and almost even galloping! It was really fun, and now my fear of horses is pretty much gone. On Sunday we set out early and walked 6 km along the road to "El Fosil", the most complete kronosaurous fossil ever found. It is still in the same place where it was discovered but is now covered by a mini-museum that also includes other little fossils. We then walked about 3 km more to "El Infiernito" which is supposedly the "Stonehenge of Colombia" but it was really disappointing! We didn't even pay to go inside because it didn't look like much. We were all really tired and did not feel like walking when a zebra painted tour jeep with two rich Colombians pulled up. I asked the driver what the best way to get back to the main road was, and he said we could just ride with them! That was a nice treat, but we forgot to get pictures of the jeep. On our way home on Monday morning we stopped off in Chiquinquira, a religious town. The Pope visited it in the 1980's at some point, and it also has a church in the main square that houses the oldest documented painting in Colombia. It wasn't that exciting, but it was a cool thing to say that we did.
This weekend I am hoping to go to the Laguna Guatavita on Saturday and do some hiking! I am trying to get in shape and prepared for my El Cocuy trek in mid-December. The weekend after this one is a puente, and we are going to go to Rio Claro, which is another place I have really wanted to visit. The weekend after that, I come home!
Saturday we were all exhausted and some people went rafting (more like floating) but that didn't sound appealing to me so I went to a swimming hole with a waterfall, which was gorgeous and fun. Afterwards I went to the town of Barichara, which is supposedly the prettiest colonial town in Colombia. I did a 9 km hike/walk from Barichara to Guane, which looked very similar to Barichara except smaller. I had THE BEST AREPA I have ever had in Guane. The arepas in Santander are different than the arepas in Bogotá, and I loved them! They are made with fresh corn and are just delish.
On Sunday I went to the Juan Curi waterfall in the morning, which was totally packed with people, so we didn't stay in the crowded area for long. We wandered down the waterfall and discovered more little pools and cascades-- it was super pretty! After Juan Curi I went to Chicamocha National Park, the newest National Park in Colombia. I went alone because everyone else was doing something, but I really enjoyed it. The canyon was gorgeous and I hiked up to the 360 degree lookout point and had an amazing view. That night we went out to the local discoteca (with a lot of groaning and moaning from me, because I just wanted to sleep), and ended up having tons of fun! The next morning we woke up and tried to buy bus tickets, but the person at our hostel told us they were all sold out! We had about 20 minutes of panic but ended up going to the bus station and getting tickets.
(I actually wrote all of that about two days after I got back from San Gil, two weeks ago, but never posted it because I wanted to include pictures. Too bad! Now I will continue with the new stuff..)
This past weekend was another puente, and we went to Villa de Levya. It was by far my most fun and relaxing weekend here in Colombia. I had been kind of down and wanting to come home, but that weekend with my friends really helped me! We got the number of the nameless hostel from a friend of a friend (who is Colombian). We only had a cell phone number-- no e-mail, webpage, or address. We easily arrived in Villa de Levya after switching buses in Tunja and called the number that we had. The owner, Clara, walked to the bus station to get us. She was so absolutely caring and mom-like. She made us dinner both nights, and tailored the dinner to exactly what we wanted! The hostel itself was really cute and I know I will definitely be going back there!
Villa de Levya was one of the places I had really been wanting to go to because my guide book says it's really pretty and not to be missed. It wasn't anything too special, but the overall experience was great. On Saturday we went to a French bakery in the early afternoon (which we spent about 5 hours at over the whole weekend) and in the late afternoon we rented horses and rode to Pozos Azules, these bright turquoise pools about an hour away on horseback. On the way there the horses just walked and I felt really uncomfortable on them, but on the way back I started feeling more comfortable and it started raining, so the horses started trotting and almost even galloping! It was really fun, and now my fear of horses is pretty much gone. On Sunday we set out early and walked 6 km along the road to "El Fosil", the most complete kronosaurous fossil ever found. It is still in the same place where it was discovered but is now covered by a mini-museum that also includes other little fossils. We then walked about 3 km more to "El Infiernito" which is supposedly the "Stonehenge of Colombia" but it was really disappointing! We didn't even pay to go inside because it didn't look like much. We were all really tired and did not feel like walking when a zebra painted tour jeep with two rich Colombians pulled up. I asked the driver what the best way to get back to the main road was, and he said we could just ride with them! That was a nice treat, but we forgot to get pictures of the jeep. On our way home on Monday morning we stopped off in Chiquinquira, a religious town. The Pope visited it in the 1980's at some point, and it also has a church in the main square that houses the oldest documented painting in Colombia. It wasn't that exciting, but it was a cool thing to say that we did.
This weekend I am hoping to go to the Laguna Guatavita on Saturday and do some hiking! I am trying to get in shape and prepared for my El Cocuy trek in mid-December. The weekend after this one is a puente, and we are going to go to Rio Claro, which is another place I have really wanted to visit. The weekend after that, I come home!
Monday, October 26, 2009
A Nice Family Visit
So, sorry if this post is lacking. I just wrote a whole post and the stupid computers at work erased it.
I have been MIA because Daddy was visiting! I think I haven't posted for over two weeks, sorry! All in all, it was a really wonderful visit with great timing. I was starting to get homesick, maybe just in anticipation of them arriving, so it was great when they finally did! It was also a great pleasure to see Martha :). We got lots of amazing meals from Mariela, that I know Gpa LOVED. He did so much better than I thought he would, and I was so happy! He even did the five-story stair climb to my apartment :). It was a great four days off of work, but it went by so so so quickly! I guess before I know it though, I will be home for Thanksgiving.
Other than that, I still haven't posted about my San Gil adventures. I have the post all written up already but I wanted to add pictures to the post and I am very technologically challenged and too lazy to figure it out. I promise it is coming soon though! This weekend I think we are going to Villa de Leyva, because it is another three day weekend, and I am super duper excited about that. I think there is a lot of hiking I can do and the town is supposedly absolutely stunning.
As far as my project, I am still not enjoying anything about it but the bakery. I realized that I think the reason I am not enjoying it is because I don't feel like I am making a difference at all, and that is one of the main reasons I wanted to come here. I think I just need to focus on the small things that I do that make positive impacts, but that is hard. I would definitely ask to switch projects if I didn't only have ten weeks of work left! I am already a third of the way done with working.
My next few months go something like this: four weeks of work, one week home, two weeks of work, four weeks of break (in which I will climb El Cocuy, visit Medellin with Sofia, and go on a trip with mommy), four more weeks of work and voila! I am done. Then I come home. I would like to visit the Amazon for two weeks when I am done though, so we will see!
Hope everyone is well!
I have been MIA because Daddy was visiting! I think I haven't posted for over two weeks, sorry! All in all, it was a really wonderful visit with great timing. I was starting to get homesick, maybe just in anticipation of them arriving, so it was great when they finally did! It was also a great pleasure to see Martha :). We got lots of amazing meals from Mariela, that I know Gpa LOVED. He did so much better than I thought he would, and I was so happy! He even did the five-story stair climb to my apartment :). It was a great four days off of work, but it went by so so so quickly! I guess before I know it though, I will be home for Thanksgiving.
Other than that, I still haven't posted about my San Gil adventures. I have the post all written up already but I wanted to add pictures to the post and I am very technologically challenged and too lazy to figure it out. I promise it is coming soon though! This weekend I think we are going to Villa de Leyva, because it is another three day weekend, and I am super duper excited about that. I think there is a lot of hiking I can do and the town is supposedly absolutely stunning.
As far as my project, I am still not enjoying anything about it but the bakery. I realized that I think the reason I am not enjoying it is because I don't feel like I am making a difference at all, and that is one of the main reasons I wanted to come here. I think I just need to focus on the small things that I do that make positive impacts, but that is hard. I would definitely ask to switch projects if I didn't only have ten weeks of work left! I am already a third of the way done with working.
My next few months go something like this: four weeks of work, one week home, two weeks of work, four weeks of break (in which I will climb El Cocuy, visit Medellin with Sofia, and go on a trip with mommy), four more weeks of work and voila! I am done. Then I come home. I would like to visit the Amazon for two weeks when I am done though, so we will see!
Hope everyone is well!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Life Whizzing By
Everything seems to have gone by very quickly in the past week, but I feel that is not bad.
I am really looking forward to my family visiting, and I also found out that I get off for vacation from my project one week sooner than expected! That probably means I will go climb El Cocuy, about a 6 day round trip.
This week there are no girls in the Casa Hogar and the kindergarten is on break. The public schools in Bogotá have evaluations, so we have basically just been sitting in the library. This week has been a blur of coming to work late and doing college stuff while I am supposed to be working, but I don't think anyone is missing my 'work'.
I haven't been to see Gustavo since Saturday (I hiked again on Sunday and will put up pictures soon. It was ten times gorgeous as last time!), and I probably won't get to go until next week. I found out the exact dates that Martha is coming, so I will probably go over to Gustavo's on Wednesday afternoon, when Martha is there. My dad comes Thursday and then we will spend Friday morning at Martha's hotel, or at least that is what I understood.
There isn't much new stuff going on! Sorry if the posts are less frequent.
Love,
Anna
I am really looking forward to my family visiting, and I also found out that I get off for vacation from my project one week sooner than expected! That probably means I will go climb El Cocuy, about a 6 day round trip.
This week there are no girls in the Casa Hogar and the kindergarten is on break. The public schools in Bogotá have evaluations, so we have basically just been sitting in the library. This week has been a blur of coming to work late and doing college stuff while I am supposed to be working, but I don't think anyone is missing my 'work'.
I haven't been to see Gustavo since Saturday (I hiked again on Sunday and will put up pictures soon. It was ten times gorgeous as last time!), and I probably won't get to go until next week. I found out the exact dates that Martha is coming, so I will probably go over to Gustavo's on Wednesday afternoon, when Martha is there. My dad comes Thursday and then we will spend Friday morning at Martha's hotel, or at least that is what I understood.
There isn't much new stuff going on! Sorry if the posts are less frequent.
Love,
Anna
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Projects
I have decided that I want to start projects when I get home from Colombia(ok yeah, I am planning ahead just a little..).
Potential projects include:
Scrapbooking clay, graham and my's whole childhoods for my mother
building a bike from scratch
starting a garden of edibles (basil, mint, tomatoes, etc)
perfecting my cookbook
cooking and baking new things everyday
I am really missing my freedom in that sense and I especially miss eating natural and organic foods!
As far as my work here, it is going alright. The past two days haven't been that bad, luckily. Our personal development workshop went better than I thought it would, but it was still pretty tough. It's hard to be doing that when I feel like they don't care about what I have to say, because I did spend a good amount of time preparing for that. The kindergarten English class also wasn't bad, and I actually feel like I could teach the kids a few things by the end, which is a nice feeling.
Gotta go teach English to the girls in Casa Hogar (wish me luck)!
Love,
Anna
Potential projects include:
Scrapbooking clay, graham and my's whole childhoods for my mother
building a bike from scratch
starting a garden of edibles (basil, mint, tomatoes, etc)
perfecting my cookbook
cooking and baking new things everyday
I am really missing my freedom in that sense and I especially miss eating natural and organic foods!
As far as my work here, it is going alright. The past two days haven't been that bad, luckily. Our personal development workshop went better than I thought it would, but it was still pretty tough. It's hard to be doing that when I feel like they don't care about what I have to say, because I did spend a good amount of time preparing for that. The kindergarten English class also wasn't bad, and I actually feel like I could teach the kids a few things by the end, which is a nice feeling.
Gotta go teach English to the girls in Casa Hogar (wish me luck)!
Love,
Anna
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Finding the little things that make me feel at home
The hike was amazing! I am so glad I went. I ended up going alone because Amy was sick, but there were about 35 other people and they were all so welcoming and nice. It seemed like they were kind of a close knit group, most of which all went every Sunday with this same group. I am looking forward to going on more hikes with them! Here is the link to my Picasa again, because I put up pictures from the hike:
www.picasaweb.google.com/anna.garzon
Monday was great as well, because I went rock climbing at a new climbing gym with two friends. We met some cool people who go rock climbing outdoors at Suesca, the best outdoor climbing in Colombia (only an hour from Bogota) so hopefully I will be able to go soon with some of the people that I met! I love that I am getting more into the groove of things that I did at home, because it makes me feel more comfortable here and not necessarily like I am stuck in a huge city, like I am.
Today I made peanut butter cookies in the bakery :). I love working there, it is definitely my favorite! I head lady in the bakery is super nice, and we actually get to make the bread by ourselves from the very beginning because she trusts us now! My host dad has loved both of the cookies I have brought him, and he even joked about getting an oven so that I would bake for him (my host mom can't eat sugar so she hasn't tried them)! I said I would be down to make cookies everyday if they bought an oven!
We also started the English lessons for the girls from Casa Hogar. The lessons were AWFUL. The girls have no respect for authority and do not know how to use 'inside voices' (and I don't know how to say that in Spanish.) They also have been taught a lot of things wrong in their classes at school, like to use the wrong prepositions. They are so adamant that THEY ARE RIGHT when we teach them a different way, and I have to explain that I am the native English speaker and they can trust who they want but if they want to be taken seriously they need to listen to me! It's an argument I never thought I'd have.
I have to teach the preschool English class again tomorrow, and I am planning to just sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" about fifteen times with them again until I tire them out. I also have my personal development workshop with the girls, and am prepared to not take ANY shit or backtalk from them. If they don't respect me I will not do the workshop, and I am totally fine with that. I am here as a volunteer and I don't deserve to be treated badly!
Little stories:
Last week one of the girls from Casa Hogar asked me if the kids in America spoke English. I said of course! I told her that they don't speak Spanish, and she was so surprised!
One of my favorite things has been teaching English to people in the library. I have found some difficulties though, especially since I didn't learn English as a second language. I have found it hard to explain that "Buenas Noches" can't be literally translated into Goodnight and used in the same context, because you only really say Goodnight when you are going to sleep! Also, we have been working a lot on pronunciation, especially of the TH sound, because that doesn't exist in Spanish. It is so funny to watch them try! We say that they have to put their tongues between their teeth, and it's just hilarious to see them try. I always have to try my hardest not to laugh!
We also discovered that the main lady in the library speaks English! Not any better than we speak Spanish, so it doesn't really help, but we were so surprised when she said a complete sentence to us in English, because we thought she only knew "Hello, How are you?, and I'm fine."
I hope everyone is well!
Love,
Anna
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Fresh air and why I hate my "boss"
This week has been alright. My project is still really boring and I would be dying without the Germans! I went late almost everyday this week (around 8:30 instead of 8:00) because there isn't anything to do in the mornings anyway, we just sit in the library and talk basically. I was also sick earlier in the week, therefore authorized to be late to work/skip it alltogether, and I milked that for all it was worth.
I have decided not to accompany the girls from Casa Hogar unless I am helping with English class or doing my personal development workshop with them. I always get in a bad mood when I am in that house for some reason, and I just don't like it. The director of the house also is very...demanding? For our English classes (luckily I am just helping out with them so I don't have to plan them) she wants us to create a lesson plan with Topic, Objective, Methods, Ultimate Goal, Materials needed, Who we will be giving it to, and the time and date, for ALL 24 LESSONS BEFORE VACATION. I think that is nearly impossible to make accurately because if we have something planned for a certain day and the girls don't learn it then we are going to review it again..that is just dumb! There is no reason she should need that. Also, for our personal development workshop, she wants us to do the samething. Luckily there is only 12 of those before break, but still. It took us about an hour to plan our first one, and then she cancelled it... On Friday in Casa Hogar there was a party from 9 to 11. We got there at 9, it didn't start until 11... Being in that house for 4 hours was so hard! The air is so stuffy and all the girls smell bad... We also taught another English class in the library. That and the bakery are definitely my favorite! The time flies when we are teaching. We worked a lot on the 'th' sound, and it so soooo hard for all of them!
I am going on a hike tomorrow! With a hiking group in Bogotá that I found online. I just really need to get out of the city and get fresh air and do something active. It sounds like it is going to be fun.
I hate the head guy here. He is totally insensitive and annoying and I just really don't like him! He is a pain to deal with because he acts like he thinks he is better than everyone else. I talked to him multiple times about taking days off when my family comes to visit and he never gave me a clear answer. I worked last Saturday (I don't remember if I wrote about it in the last post but we had to take a "Manipulación de Alimentos" class and it was four and a half hours long and all in Spanish, including a test at the end, and I did totally fine! I understood everything that was going on and it felt so good :)) and I am working today. I am sitting in the library computer lab writing this. I haven't talked to him about when I am coming but I am just going to do enough extra hours so that I feel like I deserve days off. It's just dumb because I am just sitting here on the computer doing absolutely nothing. I have been here for two and a half hours and I have only helped some little kid with English (he was 9 and couldn't read so that made it really hard) for 30 minutes and spent the rest of the time doing my own thing on the computer.
In the English class yesterday I recognized that maybe the 71 year old that is AWFUL might not be able to read...whenever we write something on the board it makes his pronunciation worse. It is tough to teach English to people who can't read! My kindergarten English class was basically equally awful on Thursday, but I was a little more prepared. I already knew what they knew at that point, but I still can't figure out how to actually teach a class of 25 little kids, half of who don't actually want to learn. I basically just sang songs to them, four, actually. We probably did "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" about 15 times. Such fun.
Nothing too exciting has happened at all, but I will definitely re-post when it does!
Love,
Anna
I have decided not to accompany the girls from Casa Hogar unless I am helping with English class or doing my personal development workshop with them. I always get in a bad mood when I am in that house for some reason, and I just don't like it. The director of the house also is very...demanding? For our English classes (luckily I am just helping out with them so I don't have to plan them) she wants us to create a lesson plan with Topic, Objective, Methods, Ultimate Goal, Materials needed, Who we will be giving it to, and the time and date, for ALL 24 LESSONS BEFORE VACATION. I think that is nearly impossible to make accurately because if we have something planned for a certain day and the girls don't learn it then we are going to review it again..that is just dumb! There is no reason she should need that. Also, for our personal development workshop, she wants us to do the samething. Luckily there is only 12 of those before break, but still. It took us about an hour to plan our first one, and then she cancelled it... On Friday in Casa Hogar there was a party from 9 to 11. We got there at 9, it didn't start until 11... Being in that house for 4 hours was so hard! The air is so stuffy and all the girls smell bad... We also taught another English class in the library. That and the bakery are definitely my favorite! The time flies when we are teaching. We worked a lot on the 'th' sound, and it so soooo hard for all of them!
I am going on a hike tomorrow! With a hiking group in Bogotá that I found online. I just really need to get out of the city and get fresh air and do something active. It sounds like it is going to be fun.
I hate the head guy here. He is totally insensitive and annoying and I just really don't like him! He is a pain to deal with because he acts like he thinks he is better than everyone else. I talked to him multiple times about taking days off when my family comes to visit and he never gave me a clear answer. I worked last Saturday (I don't remember if I wrote about it in the last post but we had to take a "Manipulación de Alimentos" class and it was four and a half hours long and all in Spanish, including a test at the end, and I did totally fine! I understood everything that was going on and it felt so good :)) and I am working today. I am sitting in the library computer lab writing this. I haven't talked to him about when I am coming but I am just going to do enough extra hours so that I feel like I deserve days off. It's just dumb because I am just sitting here on the computer doing absolutely nothing. I have been here for two and a half hours and I have only helped some little kid with English (he was 9 and couldn't read so that made it really hard) for 30 minutes and spent the rest of the time doing my own thing on the computer.
In the English class yesterday I recognized that maybe the 71 year old that is AWFUL might not be able to read...whenever we write something on the board it makes his pronunciation worse. It is tough to teach English to people who can't read! My kindergarten English class was basically equally awful on Thursday, but I was a little more prepared. I already knew what they knew at that point, but I still can't figure out how to actually teach a class of 25 little kids, half of who don't actually want to learn. I basically just sang songs to them, four, actually. We probably did "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" about 15 times. Such fun.
Nothing too exciting has happened at all, but I will definitely re-post when it does!
Love,
Anna
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
I Still Hate Kids...
Work has been going alright. I really am so so so so so so so glad that I have co-workers because without them my day would be super dull. I have been learning more German :) because they have started speaking directly to me in German, which is actually nice. I would really hate my project if it weren't for them though. There are there of us working there because it really is a huge project, but the sad fact is that there really isn't much for us to do. All they seem interested in is us giving English classes. I gave my first English class in the library the other day and it actually went a lot better than I thought it would. One of the German girls was helping me, which I was really glad about. She knew all of the things that were tricky in English which I had never realized because I didn't learn it as a second language. That class is open to the public and is offered every Tuesday and Friday. Their ages were as follows: 71, 57, 54, 38, 30, and four 14 year olds. The 14 year olds motivated me a lot more to be a good teacher because I knew that I could really make a difference in their lives if I were to be able to teach them English. The 71 year old is just kinda cute. He is AWFUL at English, but it's really a pleasure to be teaching a class where everyone is there because they geniunely want to learn and are interested. I know at the age of 14 the last thing I was focused on was learning a language, so I love that these kids know that it's important! I also taught my first English class to the Transition kids (age 5 and 6). I walked out of there and decided I was never going back. Ok, that isn't quite an option, but the last thing I want to do is go teach them again tomorrow! It was a disaster. I still hate children. I cannot deal with them! They do not listen (putting 25 kids in a classroom where none of them really care about learning English and expecting them to pay attention is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard). Their teacher seems to think it's ridiculous to be trying to teach them. The only person who really cares about them learning is the preschool director, and she never actually has to deal with them. I am actually teaching the oldest class- one of my co-workers is teaching 3 and 4 year olds!
My favorite part about my project is now the bakery. I really loved working there and learning how to make bread and arepas! Everything is done by hand. The main baker woman loves us, and she lets us bake whatever we want! Considering I discovered that I don't have an oven, it was really nice to make "American" Chocolate Chip Cookies. They actually turned out nothing like I had expected, but they were okay. It was nice to bake something that I wanted because I really miss baking and cooking! I do love Colombian food though so I am not too sad that I can't cook exactly what I want.
I have still managed to avoid culture shock but there are so so many things that I miss about home. I miss driving and being able to get myself around. I miss the outdoors more than anything I think. The air here is so suffocating and I never feel like I can breathe! I miss just being in a quiet, peaceful place. Even when I am alone in my apartment there is so much outside noise and noise from the neighbors. This weekend I am probably going to Giradot (a little town down the mountain from Bogota so it is warm!) and hopefully I can have some alone, quiet time there :).
Little stories:
When I was walking through the comedor (like a soup kitchen for the people who work in the streets selling sweets and other things, but not the homeless), one guy asked me if my eyes were real! I thought that was kind of strange.
My co-workers and I all got sick off the food that they give us for free, so we started bringing our own lunches. That is kind of a perk because then we don't have to eat lunch with the girls from Casa Hogar and we can sit in the park and relax, for basically as long as we want :).
On Tuesday, when we 'helped' teach the English class, the English teacher just sat down. He had told us that we would only be helping and that we didn't have to prepare anything, but then he sat down waiting for us to start! It is ridiculous how little English he knows for supposedly being an English teacher.
I was looking into biking to work (about 15 miles each way, with 4 or 5 overpasses) and was very seriously considering buying a bike, but I could tell my host parents were very worried about that idea. My host dad did most of the bike ride there and back with me one day, and this week I have been sick so I haven't biked at all. I also got a little scared when they said that within the last 3 miles or so I have the very high likelyhood of being pushed off my bike and having it stolen... I thought that sounded kinda sketch.
Until next time!
Love,
Anna
My favorite part about my project is now the bakery. I really loved working there and learning how to make bread and arepas! Everything is done by hand. The main baker woman loves us, and she lets us bake whatever we want! Considering I discovered that I don't have an oven, it was really nice to make "American" Chocolate Chip Cookies. They actually turned out nothing like I had expected, but they were okay. It was nice to bake something that I wanted because I really miss baking and cooking! I do love Colombian food though so I am not too sad that I can't cook exactly what I want.
I have still managed to avoid culture shock but there are so so many things that I miss about home. I miss driving and being able to get myself around. I miss the outdoors more than anything I think. The air here is so suffocating and I never feel like I can breathe! I miss just being in a quiet, peaceful place. Even when I am alone in my apartment there is so much outside noise and noise from the neighbors. This weekend I am probably going to Giradot (a little town down the mountain from Bogota so it is warm!) and hopefully I can have some alone, quiet time there :).
Little stories:
When I was walking through the comedor (like a soup kitchen for the people who work in the streets selling sweets and other things, but not the homeless), one guy asked me if my eyes were real! I thought that was kind of strange.
My co-workers and I all got sick off the food that they give us for free, so we started bringing our own lunches. That is kind of a perk because then we don't have to eat lunch with the girls from Casa Hogar and we can sit in the park and relax, for basically as long as we want :).
On Tuesday, when we 'helped' teach the English class, the English teacher just sat down. He had told us that we would only be helping and that we didn't have to prepare anything, but then he sat down waiting for us to start! It is ridiculous how little English he knows for supposedly being an English teacher.
I was looking into biking to work (about 15 miles each way, with 4 or 5 overpasses) and was very seriously considering buying a bike, but I could tell my host parents were very worried about that idea. My host dad did most of the bike ride there and back with me one day, and this week I have been sick so I haven't biked at all. I also got a little scared when they said that within the last 3 miles or so I have the very high likelyhood of being pushed off my bike and having it stolen... I thought that sounded kinda sketch.
Until next time!
Love,
Anna
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Pictures!
My Picasa picture account in which I have posted pictures from here...:
http://picasaweb.google.com/anna.garzon
Hope everyone enjoys them!
Love,
Anna
http://picasaweb.google.com/anna.garzon
Hope everyone enjoys them!
Love,
Anna
First days in project
Well let me start by telling about my Sunday. I unfortunately didn't go to the Iglesia de San Ignacio. We tried to, but it is still closed for some kind of reconstruction or refacing. I found out that my host mom prays to saints about a problem she has with her kidneys, which was kind of interesting because that was the only religious thing I have ever seen either of my host parents do. We went to the Museum of Colonial Art instead of the church, which was more boring than interesting.
My first day of work was yesterday, and it was very interesting! I expected it to be unorganized..and boy was I right! I ended up working with the other two volunteers in the Casa Hogar, the house for the 20+ girls. We went to the library, the girls got on the computer, and then the supervisor left. We were left with no rules or guidelines, and no directions! We just tried not to let the girls do anything we deemed inappropriate, but that proved kind of difficult. One girl opened her web browser to a homepage that said "come es el pene", one girl was watching the exorcist, one girl was looking a powerpoint about "amigas borrachas" and one girl was looking at pictures of trees shaped like penises...there is a lot to help these girls with! I noticed so quickly how attached they get sooo easily, like they were calling the other girls and me their moms and aunts and dads and stuff because a lot of them don't have steady families. We sat down with the project coordinator AFTER the girls all went to school (we work with them in the morning and they go to school at 12) and talked to him about what we want to do. We weren't ready to decide that at all because we hadn't even gotten a chance to experience the rest of the projects, but I already knew that I wouldn't want to work at Casa Hogar every day.
We ended up talking more today about what we wanted to do, but in the morning this time. They told us to be in the library at 8 (I recommended yesterday that the library coordinator should tell us the rules of the library and computers) and the library director didn't even get there until 8:20! The program director was supposed to come get us at 8:30 to go around all the projects again and talk to the directors of each project in more detail, but he didn't come until 9:10. I keep forgetting we are in Colombia.... We learned the rules though and what to do if the girls were breaking them. When the program director finally came to get us we walked over to the bakery and coordinated with her when we wanted to come work there :). We are going to start on Thursday and work there on Friday as well. When we returned to the library from the bakery we met a woman who seemed like she was the leader of the elderly group that meets weekly and makes chocolates three times per week. She invited us to the group meeting at 12:30 in the afternoon, so we went! It was my favorite thing I had done at the project and I am really looking forward to going every week and making chocolate with them. We went to sit down with the Casa Hogar director after our meeting with the elderly people and she told us what she wanted us to do with the girls. We are going to be teaching hour long English classes twice a week and having a discussion group (about topics like self-confidence, time management, being a good leader, resolving problems, etc.) once a week. The kindergarten director also wants us to teach the young kids English and I think I will be handling that. I am also going to help with an already existing English class in which the teacher doesn't actually speak English!
A few little stories:
Yesterday the girls at the school noticed my tongue piercing when I was talking and asked me to show them. I refused and said that I don't have it because I knew that it wasn't a good influence. Today we showed up and I realized that one of the 10 year olds had her tongue pierced! I was so surprised to see that but one of the other girls realized that ALL of the girls had their tongues pierced..and then realized they were only stickers! They had all put stickers on their tongues to make it look like they had tongue piercings! I immediately took mine out and when I 'noticed' theirs asked what they were. They all said they were like mine but when I stuck out my tongue it wasn't there. They all took them out soon afterwards.
We (the three volunteers) were walking between the two project buildings, about three blocks. This one guy passed us and then turned about every two seconds for about twenty feet. One of the girls finally said "Hola" and he said "dos monas!?" (two blondes?!) and we all laughed and said "Si..." and he was so surprised! He couldn't stop staring at us for almost a whole block.
Also when we were walking between the buildings we passed a group of about eight construction workers. They said "Ellas son de los Estados Unidos" (they are from the United States) and one of the German girls immediately turned around and said "NO." It was funny how she was so against being from the U.S.! As I think I said before, this is the first time I have actually been aware of being an American abroad and actually felt like I am judged on it.
We have been eating in the cafeteria with the rest of the kids in the project. There was a teenage boy today who, when he learned that I was from America asked if I had any American money! He wanted to buy my American money off of me! I thought that was weird because he can't really spend it here.
My first day of work was yesterday, and it was very interesting! I expected it to be unorganized..and boy was I right! I ended up working with the other two volunteers in the Casa Hogar, the house for the 20+ girls. We went to the library, the girls got on the computer, and then the supervisor left. We were left with no rules or guidelines, and no directions! We just tried not to let the girls do anything we deemed inappropriate, but that proved kind of difficult. One girl opened her web browser to a homepage that said "come es el pene", one girl was watching the exorcist, one girl was looking a powerpoint about "amigas borrachas" and one girl was looking at pictures of trees shaped like penises...there is a lot to help these girls with! I noticed so quickly how attached they get sooo easily, like they were calling the other girls and me their moms and aunts and dads and stuff because a lot of them don't have steady families. We sat down with the project coordinator AFTER the girls all went to school (we work with them in the morning and they go to school at 12) and talked to him about what we want to do. We weren't ready to decide that at all because we hadn't even gotten a chance to experience the rest of the projects, but I already knew that I wouldn't want to work at Casa Hogar every day.
We ended up talking more today about what we wanted to do, but in the morning this time. They told us to be in the library at 8 (I recommended yesterday that the library coordinator should tell us the rules of the library and computers) and the library director didn't even get there until 8:20! The program director was supposed to come get us at 8:30 to go around all the projects again and talk to the directors of each project in more detail, but he didn't come until 9:10. I keep forgetting we are in Colombia.... We learned the rules though and what to do if the girls were breaking them. When the program director finally came to get us we walked over to the bakery and coordinated with her when we wanted to come work there :). We are going to start on Thursday and work there on Friday as well. When we returned to the library from the bakery we met a woman who seemed like she was the leader of the elderly group that meets weekly and makes chocolates three times per week. She invited us to the group meeting at 12:30 in the afternoon, so we went! It was my favorite thing I had done at the project and I am really looking forward to going every week and making chocolate with them. We went to sit down with the Casa Hogar director after our meeting with the elderly people and she told us what she wanted us to do with the girls. We are going to be teaching hour long English classes twice a week and having a discussion group (about topics like self-confidence, time management, being a good leader, resolving problems, etc.) once a week. The kindergarten director also wants us to teach the young kids English and I think I will be handling that. I am also going to help with an already existing English class in which the teacher doesn't actually speak English!
A few little stories:
Yesterday the girls at the school noticed my tongue piercing when I was talking and asked me to show them. I refused and said that I don't have it because I knew that it wasn't a good influence. Today we showed up and I realized that one of the 10 year olds had her tongue pierced! I was so surprised to see that but one of the other girls realized that ALL of the girls had their tongues pierced..and then realized they were only stickers! They had all put stickers on their tongues to make it look like they had tongue piercings! I immediately took mine out and when I 'noticed' theirs asked what they were. They all said they were like mine but when I stuck out my tongue it wasn't there. They all took them out soon afterwards.
We (the three volunteers) were walking between the two project buildings, about three blocks. This one guy passed us and then turned about every two seconds for about twenty feet. One of the girls finally said "Hola" and he said "dos monas!?" (two blondes?!) and we all laughed and said "Si..." and he was so surprised! He couldn't stop staring at us for almost a whole block.
Also when we were walking between the buildings we passed a group of about eight construction workers. They said "Ellas son de los Estados Unidos" (they are from the United States) and one of the German girls immediately turned around and said "NO." It was funny how she was so against being from the U.S.! As I think I said before, this is the first time I have actually been aware of being an American abroad and actually felt like I am judged on it.
We have been eating in the cafeteria with the rest of the kids in the project. There was a teenage boy today who, when he learned that I was from America asked if I had any American money! He wanted to buy my American money off of me! I thought that was weird because he can't really spend it here.
Until next time.
Love,
Anna
Sunday, September 13, 2009
It's the little things that matter
So I didn't do too well on my Spanish test, because we had done the oral portion the day I ditched and I didn't know that we had to...but I was also the only one who didn't cheat on the written part! When I got the test back and saw my score I was a little disappointed but then the guy next to me told me that they would all have that score if they hadn't cheated! Too bad I missed the memo...
I ended up going to Gustavo's for lunch every day this week and loved it! I brought Amy on Friday and I think it went pretty well, despite her limited Spanish abilities.
Friday morning we had a going away party thing at the ICYE office for all of the people who are leaving Bogota. One of my favorite girls is leaving, I am so sad! She is going to work in Medellin though, so hopefully I will be able to go visit her there! That night we went out to the absolute weirdest "Museo Disco" that had multiple transvestites and clowns and weird toys and lights everywhere. I will post pictures on my Facebook and hopefully include the link in the next post. I have been feeling pretty cheap lately so I felt a little miffed at the $5 entry, but it was kind of worth it after the 3 transvestive dancing/singing shows!
I decided to spend the whole weekend with my host family because I had gone to Gustavo's every day for lunch this week. Yesterday we went to Santa Fe mall, which is way North and totally huge. I have kind of gotten over the fact that everyone here thinks malls are so fabulous, and have realized that it's kind of a status symbol to say you have been to every large mall. OK, not quite a status symbol, but everyone always asks what malls I have seen when I meet them! The most AMAZING thing happened at that mall though..wait for it...I FOUND A CHEAP DOWN COMFORTER! We went into a department store and I saw it and told them I really really wanted one! It was super duper cheap and they also got me new sheets and a new pillow. That find really made my whole week! Amy met us at the mall as well. I found a favorite store here: Bershka. I love everything in it! Amy says they have it in London, but I have never seen it in the U.S. :( After getting home from the mall we were supposed to go to Martha's mom's house for her sister's birthday celebration, but there was a protest close to her house so we couldn't go down the streets! Martha told me that there hadn't been a protest in that part of town for a very long time. We still don't know what it was about, but Martha had a feeling that it was the very poor people that are forced to come to Bogota because of the FARC just blocking the streets and throwing dirt at cars. We did a huuuge circle and spent about an hour and a half in the car but finally just came home to the apartment. We stopped at the grocery store right next to our house and Ramiro went in and brought back french bread and handed me a paper bag. I opened it and it was a cookie! I was so touched; I just think it's so cute and thoughtful even if it was the littlest thing! When we got home I talked to them for a long time about Amy's living situation (She doesn't feel very comfortable in her family. I don't think they understand her situation at all and they don't have equal expectations of each other. Her host father told her that with them, she shouldn't use 'tu' she has to use 'usted' and she didn't know if that was to be nice and help her with her Spanish or if he was being a jerk.) and I am so glad that they are understanding and flexible! I think I got really lucky having them as host parents. We ended up going to Martha's Mom's house at around 9:30 pm and didn't get home until midnight. Martha handed me a bag at the end and I looked inside and it was a huge pack of my favorite cookies and a bag of coffee candies that I always eat when I go to her mom's house. She explained that her dad had bought them for me because he knew I liked them! For the second time that day I was so touched by the small things people do! I was super excited to get into bed last night because of my new bedding! It was everything I had hoped for :)
A few side notes:
I have had really good Spanish days for the last few days and it feels good! I have felt like I have started talking faster and using more correct grammar..maybe it is just a feeling though.
Ramiro is so funny when he is talking to me because whenever he says a word he knows in English he will say it first in Spanish and then in English, even though I know all of the words in Spanish because they are basic, like viejo (old).
Today we are going to the Iglesia de San Ignacio, finally. I am really excited!
Love, Anna
I ended up going to Gustavo's for lunch every day this week and loved it! I brought Amy on Friday and I think it went pretty well, despite her limited Spanish abilities.
Friday morning we had a going away party thing at the ICYE office for all of the people who are leaving Bogota. One of my favorite girls is leaving, I am so sad! She is going to work in Medellin though, so hopefully I will be able to go visit her there! That night we went out to the absolute weirdest "Museo Disco" that had multiple transvestites and clowns and weird toys and lights everywhere. I will post pictures on my Facebook and hopefully include the link in the next post. I have been feeling pretty cheap lately so I felt a little miffed at the $5 entry, but it was kind of worth it after the 3 transvestive dancing/singing shows!
I decided to spend the whole weekend with my host family because I had gone to Gustavo's every day for lunch this week. Yesterday we went to Santa Fe mall, which is way North and totally huge. I have kind of gotten over the fact that everyone here thinks malls are so fabulous, and have realized that it's kind of a status symbol to say you have been to every large mall. OK, not quite a status symbol, but everyone always asks what malls I have seen when I meet them! The most AMAZING thing happened at that mall though..wait for it...I FOUND A CHEAP DOWN COMFORTER! We went into a department store and I saw it and told them I really really wanted one! It was super duper cheap and they also got me new sheets and a new pillow. That find really made my whole week! Amy met us at the mall as well. I found a favorite store here: Bershka. I love everything in it! Amy says they have it in London, but I have never seen it in the U.S. :( After getting home from the mall we were supposed to go to Martha's mom's house for her sister's birthday celebration, but there was a protest close to her house so we couldn't go down the streets! Martha told me that there hadn't been a protest in that part of town for a very long time. We still don't know what it was about, but Martha had a feeling that it was the very poor people that are forced to come to Bogota because of the FARC just blocking the streets and throwing dirt at cars. We did a huuuge circle and spent about an hour and a half in the car but finally just came home to the apartment. We stopped at the grocery store right next to our house and Ramiro went in and brought back french bread and handed me a paper bag. I opened it and it was a cookie! I was so touched; I just think it's so cute and thoughtful even if it was the littlest thing! When we got home I talked to them for a long time about Amy's living situation (She doesn't feel very comfortable in her family. I don't think they understand her situation at all and they don't have equal expectations of each other. Her host father told her that with them, she shouldn't use 'tu' she has to use 'usted' and she didn't know if that was to be nice and help her with her Spanish or if he was being a jerk.) and I am so glad that they are understanding and flexible! I think I got really lucky having them as host parents. We ended up going to Martha's Mom's house at around 9:30 pm and didn't get home until midnight. Martha handed me a bag at the end and I looked inside and it was a huge pack of my favorite cookies and a bag of coffee candies that I always eat when I go to her mom's house. She explained that her dad had bought them for me because he knew I liked them! For the second time that day I was so touched by the small things people do! I was super excited to get into bed last night because of my new bedding! It was everything I had hoped for :)
A few side notes:
I have had really good Spanish days for the last few days and it feels good! I have felt like I have started talking faster and using more correct grammar..maybe it is just a feeling though.
Ramiro is so funny when he is talking to me because whenever he says a word he knows in English he will say it first in Spanish and then in English, even though I know all of the words in Spanish because they are basic, like viejo (old).
Today we are going to the Iglesia de San Ignacio, finally. I am really excited!
Love, Anna
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Getting a life
I had a good time on Sunday at the 'flea' market. It was more of a market with brand new things aimed at foreigners. We saw tons of English-speaking people though, which was a little bit refreshing considering you NEVER find anyone who speaks English here! I also found chocolate covered strawberries, which was amazing. We spent a few hours looking at all of the stands and then went to the mall in Usaquen. There are malls EVERYWHERE in Bogota, and people really like going to them. They are nice and clean, but really aren't anything special- I don't really understand the obsession. After the markets we went to my host-mom's mother's house for a few hours and then came home and my host-dad's mom came over. I ended up going to bed really late and was wiped out when I woke up on Monday morning!
Monday I had class in the morning and finally got to go rock climbing in the afternoon! It was an inside bouldering gym but there were no routes, which made it a little boring. I am not as creative as some of my climbing friends so I don't really enjoy making up my own routes as working ones that are already up. It was a good workout though, and afterwards I went to check out another climbing gym that is about 14 blocks from the bouldering gym. The other place had some lead routes and some top rope routes, but I don't have anyone to belay me :(. I will figure something out though. I ended up walking about 50 blocks that day :). After I climbed I went to meet a Colombian friend in Zona Rosa, the nicer part of Bogota. The shops are amazing there but we mostly window shopped. We also got THE BEST cake that I have ever had. I started heading home at around 6:30 and realized that was the worst possible time because of rush hour! I ended up going to my friend Amy's house for an hour or two to avoid trying to get on a TransMilenio during that time because it really is a complete madhouse.
This morning I woke up and decided to ditch my Spanish class. I was super tired from walking so much yesterday and thought that sleeping in would be better for me- I am so glad I did! I went to Gustavo's again for lunch and had delicious pasta, meat and tomatoes! I have loved every lunch I have had there because of the food and because of the family. It is so nice to have that extra support here! I hopefully will bring Amy for lunch soon and they all said they would love to meet her. Pilates was okay today. I really don't like the instructor that we had though. Becuase of my knee problem there are certain exercises that I can't and shouldn't do because the hurt my knees, one of them being bridging (Mom, you are the only one who get's that probably!). I told him that I couldn't because of my knees, and Claudia explained the same thing in better Spanish, and he kind of just laughed and said that bridging isn't hard on your knees and that I should do it. That really pissed me off because I have had this knee thing for four years and have been doing Pilates for a year and it's my body so I know what I can and can't do! Plus he has a swastika tatooed on his hand which makes me hate him as well. Besides that my day was really great. Since I made some Colombian friends and I have established a kind of friend group I feel like I am creating my own life here and I love that!
I should be studying for my Spanish test tomorrow though, so that's all for now!
Love,
Anna
Monday I had class in the morning and finally got to go rock climbing in the afternoon! It was an inside bouldering gym but there were no routes, which made it a little boring. I am not as creative as some of my climbing friends so I don't really enjoy making up my own routes as working ones that are already up. It was a good workout though, and afterwards I went to check out another climbing gym that is about 14 blocks from the bouldering gym. The other place had some lead routes and some top rope routes, but I don't have anyone to belay me :(. I will figure something out though. I ended up walking about 50 blocks that day :). After I climbed I went to meet a Colombian friend in Zona Rosa, the nicer part of Bogota. The shops are amazing there but we mostly window shopped. We also got THE BEST cake that I have ever had. I started heading home at around 6:30 and realized that was the worst possible time because of rush hour! I ended up going to my friend Amy's house for an hour or two to avoid trying to get on a TransMilenio during that time because it really is a complete madhouse.
This morning I woke up and decided to ditch my Spanish class. I was super tired from walking so much yesterday and thought that sleeping in would be better for me- I am so glad I did! I went to Gustavo's again for lunch and had delicious pasta, meat and tomatoes! I have loved every lunch I have had there because of the food and because of the family. It is so nice to have that extra support here! I hopefully will bring Amy for lunch soon and they all said they would love to meet her. Pilates was okay today. I really don't like the instructor that we had though. Becuase of my knee problem there are certain exercises that I can't and shouldn't do because the hurt my knees, one of them being bridging (Mom, you are the only one who get's that probably!). I told him that I couldn't because of my knees, and Claudia explained the same thing in better Spanish, and he kind of just laughed and said that bridging isn't hard on your knees and that I should do it. That really pissed me off because I have had this knee thing for four years and have been doing Pilates for a year and it's my body so I know what I can and can't do! Plus he has a swastika tatooed on his hand which makes me hate him as well. Besides that my day was really great. Since I made some Colombian friends and I have established a kind of friend group I feel like I am creating my own life here and I love that!
I should be studying for my Spanish test tomorrow though, so that's all for now!
Love,
Anna
Saturday, September 5, 2009
So much going on!
Sorry that I haven't posted anything recently, I was very very busy this week, which was actually really nice. Tuesday morning I was free so I went for a run and did yoga. It was my first run here in Bogotá and I really felt the altitude! That was once that I was glad I had to do run/walk intervals (because of my knees), usually I am embarassed to be doing them. That afternoon I had Spanish class and then came home for a nice dinner with my family! Dinnertime is the best time that I spend with my host parents because we just sit down and talk for usually about an hour. We just talk about our days and about what there is to do here and I always ask them any questions I have about plans or whatever I need. The dinner table is one place where we all have time to just sit down and chat so I really look forward to it every day!
On Wednesday I went to visit my project in the morning with the Project Coordinator from ICYE, Franziska and Miriam, the two girls who are working in my project with me. I really really liked my project and all of the people that I met there! My project is absolutely huge- there is a library, a girls home (about 25 girls ages 5-13 live there Monday through Friday), a kindergarten/preschool, a bakery, a chocolate making place, a music room, a used clothing store and a place to help mentally challenged people. The guy who seemed to be in charge was super nice and seemed like he was really excited for us to be there. There has been a lot of talk about needing to prove yourself within your project in order for them to let you do work, but it seemed like everyone that we talked to was ready for us to start taking charge right away, which is really great. They said that the first week we will be allowed to work in all of the areas of the project as we please and then at the end of the week decide on a more concrete schedule. We can choose whatever we want to do and mix up all of the things if we want. I definitely want to do at least a day per week in the kindergarten and half a day per week in the bakery! Besides that I am just looking forward to being able to get to know each thing better in the first week that I am working. Wednesday night I went for dinner with Andres Amaya (Juan David's cousin on his mom's side) and his friend. It was cool to meet someone who lives here and knows where he is going and where the fun places to go are!
Thursday morning I woke up and went for another run before Spanish class. That night almost our whole Spanish class went out to a bar with our Spanish teacher, which was pretty fun. There was live music which was really good! I took my first taxi alone and it was totally fine! I kept up a conversation in Spanish with the driver for the whole ride and got his number at the end to call him whenever I am in the Zona Rosa/Parque 93 district at night and need a ride home. It will be nice to know I have someone reliable to take me home from that area of town!
I woke up early for Pilates the next morning. I had a really good time at Pilates! It kicked my butt again. We went to a different studio this time and it was very peaceful and the instructor was really good. He had a swastika tattooed on his hand though, which makes me not want to take Pilates from him. I have seen about 10 people with swastikas tattooed on themselves, and a friend told me that to them, it means they hate black people. I think that is ridiculous and ignorant and it makes me sad that so many people do that! Afterwards I went to Gustavo's house for lunch and had potatoes with tomatoes and onions (I forget the exact name), meatballs and rice, yum! I love all of the food here. I got home about 3 and relaxed until we went out at night. Amy (yay she is back from England! It was so nice to see her. I definitely get along best with her and have the best time with her and she feels the same about me so it's really nice to feel like I have a best friend here.), Andres, a bunch of his friends (30 people) and I went to a restaurant/club outside of Bogotá (in Chia, about 30 minutes North). It was the best time I have had going out here! That place was recommended in my Lonely Planet and on multiple websites online, and it was super fun. We didn't actually sit down and eat there, but I saw tons of food being delivered to tables and it all looked totally amazing! I definitely want to go back and make a night out of eating dinner there and then dancing, even though it is pretty expensive. We got back into Bogotá around 4 am and Amy and I slept at Andres's house.
This morning his parents made us arepas con queso for breakfast, definitely my favorite! I went straight to Gustavo's for lunch (some kind of fish, rice and platanos, which are really starting to grow on me! I didn't like them at first but now I actually look forward to eating them.) and then got home around 3:30. I went to meet Amy and the people from the first Spanish class at Crepes and Waffles (my favorite place!) for an earlyish dinner and then came straight home afterwards and got to sit down with my host parents and talk to them while they ate dinner.
Tomorrow we are going to Usaquén to go to a flea market that Lonely Planet suggests, which should be really cool! I am also planning to go for another run tomorrow. I am hoping that I get used to the altitude soon so that it isn't such a chore to run every time, because I actually do enjoy running when I feel like I am actually taking oxygen into my lungs. I am having a really good time here and am especially glad that Amy is back :). I can't wait for my dad and everyone to visit though! I hope that I get to know the city better and can talk to them fully in Spanish by then (sorry Jen!). I still have my good and bad Spanish days. Today was a bad one, but some days I feel like I am improving a lot!
Love,
Anna
On Wednesday I went to visit my project in the morning with the Project Coordinator from ICYE, Franziska and Miriam, the two girls who are working in my project with me. I really really liked my project and all of the people that I met there! My project is absolutely huge- there is a library, a girls home (about 25 girls ages 5-13 live there Monday through Friday), a kindergarten/preschool, a bakery, a chocolate making place, a music room, a used clothing store and a place to help mentally challenged people. The guy who seemed to be in charge was super nice and seemed like he was really excited for us to be there. There has been a lot of talk about needing to prove yourself within your project in order for them to let you do work, but it seemed like everyone that we talked to was ready for us to start taking charge right away, which is really great. They said that the first week we will be allowed to work in all of the areas of the project as we please and then at the end of the week decide on a more concrete schedule. We can choose whatever we want to do and mix up all of the things if we want. I definitely want to do at least a day per week in the kindergarten and half a day per week in the bakery! Besides that I am just looking forward to being able to get to know each thing better in the first week that I am working. Wednesday night I went for dinner with Andres Amaya (Juan David's cousin on his mom's side) and his friend. It was cool to meet someone who lives here and knows where he is going and where the fun places to go are!
Thursday morning I woke up and went for another run before Spanish class. That night almost our whole Spanish class went out to a bar with our Spanish teacher, which was pretty fun. There was live music which was really good! I took my first taxi alone and it was totally fine! I kept up a conversation in Spanish with the driver for the whole ride and got his number at the end to call him whenever I am in the Zona Rosa/Parque 93 district at night and need a ride home. It will be nice to know I have someone reliable to take me home from that area of town!
I woke up early for Pilates the next morning. I had a really good time at Pilates! It kicked my butt again. We went to a different studio this time and it was very peaceful and the instructor was really good. He had a swastika tattooed on his hand though, which makes me not want to take Pilates from him. I have seen about 10 people with swastikas tattooed on themselves, and a friend told me that to them, it means they hate black people. I think that is ridiculous and ignorant and it makes me sad that so many people do that! Afterwards I went to Gustavo's house for lunch and had potatoes with tomatoes and onions (I forget the exact name), meatballs and rice, yum! I love all of the food here. I got home about 3 and relaxed until we went out at night. Amy (yay she is back from England! It was so nice to see her. I definitely get along best with her and have the best time with her and she feels the same about me so it's really nice to feel like I have a best friend here.), Andres, a bunch of his friends (30 people) and I went to a restaurant/club outside of Bogotá (in Chia, about 30 minutes North). It was the best time I have had going out here! That place was recommended in my Lonely Planet and on multiple websites online, and it was super fun. We didn't actually sit down and eat there, but I saw tons of food being delivered to tables and it all looked totally amazing! I definitely want to go back and make a night out of eating dinner there and then dancing, even though it is pretty expensive. We got back into Bogotá around 4 am and Amy and I slept at Andres's house.
This morning his parents made us arepas con queso for breakfast, definitely my favorite! I went straight to Gustavo's for lunch (some kind of fish, rice and platanos, which are really starting to grow on me! I didn't like them at first but now I actually look forward to eating them.) and then got home around 3:30. I went to meet Amy and the people from the first Spanish class at Crepes and Waffles (my favorite place!) for an earlyish dinner and then came straight home afterwards and got to sit down with my host parents and talk to them while they ate dinner.
Tomorrow we are going to Usaquén to go to a flea market that Lonely Planet suggests, which should be really cool! I am also planning to go for another run tomorrow. I am hoping that I get used to the altitude soon so that it isn't such a chore to run every time, because I actually do enjoy running when I feel like I am actually taking oxygen into my lungs. I am having a really good time here and am especially glad that Amy is back :). I can't wait for my dad and everyone to visit though! I hope that I get to know the city better and can talk to them fully in Spanish by then (sorry Jen!). I still have my good and bad Spanish days. Today was a bad one, but some days I feel like I am improving a lot!
Love,
Anna
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)