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!