Making light of the banalities of life!

I’m back in Medellín and about to start my last semester of my Master's program. Making the transition between such different worlds is never easy, in fact I struggle with transitions in general, but this time it seemed particularly difficult to say goodbye to the comforts of home. It was just so wonderful to spend the holidays breathing fresh, winter air and surrounded by the warmth of friends and family. Now, as often happens after spending time away, I feel like I’m seeing Medellín with fresh eyes. I find myself particularly aware of cultural differences that will become customary as time passes or until the next change of context. Thankfully i have amazing people in my life here who help make these moments of homesickness short lived. I thought I’d use this moment to reflect on some of my favorite things about living in Colombia (taking the quality and charm of the people as a given):

Lunch menus (“el plato del día”).

This combo offered in all restaurants, comes with a surprisingly substantial amount of food, including an appetizer soup, fresh juice, and sometimes desert... all for the whopping equivalent of 3 or 4 dollars. In fact, lunch culture in general I love. It does make more sense to eat your heaviest meal in the middle of the day when your body has hours to use and burn the energy, rather than at night right before collapsing into a horizontal position of immobility. El almuerzo is considered the most important meal in Colombia, which explains why most businesses shut down for 2 hours at noon so folks can enjoy a solid and relaxing lunch, often in the company of friends or co-workers. If you’re lucky enough to have comfortable chairs in your work space, there might even be time for a short siesta before getting back to the grind.

The ease of riding buses.

Unlike in the United States where catching a bus requires waiting at a bus stop, here it simply calls for a quick wave of the hand. Most buses will pull over and pick up pedestrians at any given place on the street.

$3 manicures.

Ohhh, guilty pleasures. One of my favorite cultural nuances that I’ve adopted is indulging in frequent visits to the peluqueria. I wish I could pretend getting my nails scrubbed and polished all while watching juicy Colombian soap-operas didn’t give me as much joy as it does. Occasionally I’ll splurge the extra 5 bucks on a pedicure too.

The prevalence of good music.

Sure, we’re all probably familiar with spanish kitsch songs (Ricky Martin, “The Best Thing About Me Is You” comes to mind), but generally the mix of Salsa, Vallenato, and Cumbia is an awesome back drop to almost all settings. Ill even take raunchy Reggaeton songs, esp if it’s Friday night.

The climate.

I am a New England girl at heart, and while I love a good cross country ski and playing in the snow, there’s no denying the splendor of year-round 70 degree weather and sunshine.

The size of coffee cups.

You know that moment in the afternoon, around 4 o’clock, when you need a little pick-me-up but aren’t ready to take on a full cup of coffee or the intensity of a double-espresso? Or perhaps your more familiar with the immediate post-lunch itus that brings on a similar sense of lid dropping drowse. Well, Colombian coffee (watery though it may be) is served in small portions - about 1/2 the size of a standard US small cup, which is really perfect for having several throughout the day and the ideal amount for a late afternoon boost of energy without signing up for a night of insomnia.

Exotic flowers.

One thing i'll miss dearly when I leave Medellín is the accessibility to beautiful, cheap, abundant, and fresh flowers. They are sold in markets, on street corners, at red lights and are so lovely in and around the house. These specimens of nature are so sacred here that Medellín even pays homage to them in an annual "Feria de las Flores" festival. Flower Power!

Fruit juices.

In my opinion, traditional Colombian cuisine does not take enough advantage of the abundance of fresh vegetables that grow effortlessly here, but it sure throws down when it comes to fruit, especially fresh-squeezed juices.

No-shame mouth gear.

Let’s be honest, braces are never really fun, but they especially stop being cute after the 8th grade. It’s unusual to see adults in the US with braces; most people after 20 would probably rather opt for a crooked smile than for a grill full of colorful wires and rubber bands. This is probably due to feelings of bashfulness (cultural immaturity?). In Colombia, on the contrary, full blown professionals of all ages (i’ve noticed them on restaurant owners, professors, bank-tellers, even news anchors) seem to have no problem rocking a mouth full of metal.

Coming from a culture where customer service, timeliness, efficiency, and commitment are rigidly valued, at times I can get easily irritated with the pace of life in Colombia, where things naturally take a bit longer, are a little less organized, and often are accompanied by what feels like excessive bureaucracy. These feelings of frustration tend to be particularly heightened after visiting the US. But then I remember (or am reminded) to just breathe deeply and not try to compare the two counties or place value judgements on either one. There are so many incredible things about Colombia that make up for little annoyances, and indeed many of them we United-States-eans could undoubtedly learn from (i.e. humility, not taking things too seriously, and general politeness, especially towards neighbors and strangers). There is much I miss about “home” - a vague and somewhat non-existent concept indeed - but mostly it’s the people. (Well, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and good Indian food rank high up there as well). On days like today when I feel a bit nostalgic, it helps to recognize all that I have here and the beauty of getting to experience a different way of life.