Feliz Cumpleanos, Colombia!

In honor of escaping from the clutches of brutal Spanish conquistadors two hundred years ago, Colombia celebrated the bicentennial of its independence on Tues. It was quite a spectacle. During the day I went to an all day long concert which featured Colombian rock and salsa bands. At night there were fireworks over el Rio Medellin followed by lots of dancing and partying all around the city. Proceeding the show, the streets of Medellin were full of swerving motorcyclists, crowded buses, honking taxis and stuffed cars with people sticking their heads and limbs out of the windows waving flags and singing along to various songs. With everyone trying to make their way to the riverbanks, Gloria (the woman Im renting a room from) and I decided to avoid the masses and climb to the top of a tall building near downtown where we could watch the lights in peace from a distance. The sun was setting and as we waited for the fireworks to begin the sky around us transformed from a light blue to a mysterious purple, blotched with luminous white clouds and silhouettes of dark mountain peaks. What began as a casual conversation between me and Gloria turned into a deep, philosophical exchange about love and life and peace. It was a really special night to say the least. I seem to have forgotten my photo uploader at home (doh!) but as soon as I find a way to upload pics, Ill post some.

There is a wonderful social and cultural center downtown called the Centro Colombo Americano which was founded by the late Paul Bardwell, a beloved man who was born and raised in - believe it or not - Hatfield, MA, right up the road from Northampton. The center works a lot with poorer communities in and around Medellin and offers scholarships to Afro-Colombian and indigenous students from all over the country. I met a bunch of the students at a free English conversation club last week and they’re all super cool. On Wednesday I played basketball with one of the guys who was obviously way better then me but after getting my butt kicked pretty severely he had the decency to let me win a short game of one on one.

Theres so much I want to share about the short time I've spent here in Medellin, but above everything I feel compulsed to express my gratitude for being granted this opportunity. Despite the small mishaps that are bound to confront a foreigner in a new country (like struggling to open a bank account, messing up conversions in a different currency, getting on the wrong bus home, etc ) there isn’t a day where I don’t wake up feeling totally blessed to be here. I am So Lucky. I can’t believe that I have this year to take classes in Spanish, explore a new country, taste new foods, meet new people. Whenever I feel lonely or frustrated or homesick - which surely I do at times - I try to just take it easy and trust the process. Time is such a bizarre and impossible concept to grasp. Its unbelievable how fast the minutes, days, weeks fly by and before I know it a year will have passed. Life is short.... and at the risk of sounding new agey... why not try to squeeze the most out of everyday? There's a lot to learn even (especially/) from difficult times. On that note, and in honor of Colombia's independence, growth, celebration and peace, I want to discipline myself this year to focus on the positive elements of each day - and I challenge everyone reading this blog to do the same!

First week in Medellin

I arrived safe and sound last Tuesday to the beautiful city of Medellin! Nestled in the Aburra Valley, Medellin is the capital of the state of Antioquia and is said to be one of the most beautiful cities in South America. If you can imagine taking an ice-cream scoop out of the Andes, and building a city in the gap, that's a bit what Medellin looks like. The towering mountains surround la ciudad and their lofty peaks stick out above gray, misty rainclouds. It's pretty majestic here, despite the fact that there has been a constant drizzle since I arrived. Some people tell me the rain is typical of the winter season, others blame global warming. Either way, I was surprised to find the temperature so cool and am starting to think I packed more for Cali or Cartagena where its super hot and sunny. The sun rises around 6 am and sets around 6:00 pm - which, as many of you know, is the type of natural rhythm that suites me best!
The people from this region of Colombia are known as paisas and are renowned for being hospitable, generous, gregarious (and of course - perhaps most famously - for having very beautiful women). The family I'm renting a room from is really wonderful. Its a single mother with two daughters, 23 and 26, both of whom are in the process of becoming doctors. They have a simple apartment in a very central part of town and about a 10 minute walk from EAFIT University where I'll be studying. Included in my rent, aside from nice company and good spanish practice, is breakfast, dinner, laundry and free internet access. Not bad. Gloria, la dona de la casa, is a very sweet and motherly women who speaks no english and is an amazing cook... I can already feel my pants fitting tighter after 3 days. A common side dish here which is SO GOOD is chicharrones... basically greesy fried pig chunks- not unlike bacon, except thicker, fatter, juicier and... well tastier. That combined with avocados, fried plantains, sugary coffee, postres...shoot. At this rate it wont be long till I start rockin' only stretchy, baggy clothes. Tonight I was going to hit the town with some people I met at school, but ended out staying home to chat with Gloria and her daughters. We talked for hours about Medellin and how it has transformed from the days of violence and kidnapping to a very safe and stable city. From what I understand, when this city was Pablo Escobars stomping ground it was a total mess... people couldn't leave their homes without fear of getting killed. By the way, a great movie to see about Colombia/Medellin/narco soccer/Pablo Escobar, etc... is "The Two Escobars" a documentary made by two brothers from Northampton actually. Really incredible. It is going to air in Medellin for the first time on Sunday which will be interesting.
Last Thursday I went to my first Rotary lunch. My host sponsor, Tamila, is a fascinating woman who is going out of her way to make me feel welcome here. Originally from Azerbaijan, she came to Medellin after marrying a Colombian man 20 years ago and taught physics at a public university here for many years. She is clearly very well connected in the city and runs in the most upper crust circles. The Rotary here, and in Latin America in general from what I understand, is a very elite club. This definitely came through during lunch yesterday. The club that is sponsoring me here is comprised of predominantly very wealthy, fair-skinned, older, and male members. The class divide in Colombia is so strong and its fascinating to have access to such a powerful slice of society. I know the Rotary will be a great resource for me throughout this year and I feel indebted to them for providing me with this incredible opportunity. At the same time, with such a built in network and with so many people already reaching out to me, I know i'll have to be conscious of creating a diverse experience with a community of people around me who I can really relate to.
I had to give a short and scary speech in front of everyone explaining how I got the ambassadorial scholarship, why I decided to come to Colombia, etc. Luckily everyone was super friendly and sweet though and already several people have invited me to their fincas (country homes). One young Rotarian man offered to take me around town tomorrow via public transport in order to give me a sense of the bus system, metro, etc.
Alas, its almost midnight and I'm ready to collapse. Might be hard cause there's loud Karaoke music and the sounds of drunken laughter from the streets below floating through my window.

Tomorrow night I'm on a mission to find a good salsa bar.