Sunshine, Flowers, and New Years Eve take 2

I now understand why people call Medellin the city of eternal spring. After months of endless rain, the weather is (finally!) stunning . Blue skies, sunshine, light breeze. I’ve been swimming in the free public pools by my house and going on bike-rides and walks. It’s remarkable how much a beautiful climate can inspire a certain euphoria in human beings!

It’s hard to imagine somewhere else in the world people are getting dumped on by snowstorm after snowstorm. I bet those of you in New England are probably tired of shoveling the driveway and missing work (well, maybe not THAT tired of missing work) but I sure feel nostalgic for glorious snow, cross country skiing, and hanging out by the fire.

On another note, let me brag for a minute. I just came back from the market with a bunch of gorgeous exotic flowers, including heliconias, birds of paradise and pink fruited banana plants... all for a mere US $4. Unbelievable. Taking flowers back home has become a weekly highlight and something I’m going to miss terribly when I leave this tropical part of the world.






I had a little dinner party at my house on Saturday night in honor of Chocó. It was a group of friends who are either from the Chocó region originally or have been there and fallen in love. We listened to ChocQuibTown - a Colombian/Chocoano hip hop band from Quibdo, the department’ capital - and made a big salad, fried red-snapper, patacones, coconut rice, mango salsa, and guacamole with plantain chips. It was delicious!


Later in the night, we all cruised down the street to a belated New Years Eve party. Yes, a bit behind the times it’s true, but on the 31st of December most of us were out of town so we wanted to reenact the celebration together. And who can complain about a second Año Nuevo party! It also seemed somewhat fitting considering the advent of the Chinese Year of the Rabbit (at least it's New Years somewhere). The hosts were Andrea (Colombian), Andres (American) and Claire (French) who have a big apartment with a nice balcony and ample floor space for boogying. The crowd was a fun mix of people from all over the world.
In Colombia there is a tradition of wearing yellow underwear which is somehow representative of fortune and riches for the new year. Folks also eat 12 grapes at midnight symbolic of good luck for each coming month. When the clock struck twelve we popped champagne and honked all sorts of party horns and noisemakers. Then we went into the street to burn a paper bag full of last years sins. We danced the rest of the night. It was such a lively and animated crowd!

In April there is a week of national holiday proceeding Easter called Semana Santa. Most people spend this time with friends or family traveling around the country. My first thought was to go to the Amazon for a week and camp out in the jungle. I found cheap airfare and an eco lodge a 3 hour boatride into the river near the Brazilian border. It has little electricity, a simple open faced cabin overlooking the roaring river, and options for trekking, cayaking and canopying. This time of year is the “floating forest” when seasonal rains raise the Amazon river basin into the forest, fish feed off fruit trees, pink dolphins swim in the bush, and the predominant mode of transport for local Indians is canoe. It would be incredible to experience such an unusual ecosystem. I'm also considering going up the Atlantic/Caribbean coast to meet my friend Kate - a fellow Northampton native also spending the year in Colombia - for a few days of hiking and swimming around Tayrona National Park. Whatever I end up doing, I would love to get out of the city for a bit and spend this break in raw nature.

My Political Studies courses are going well and I really enjoy the company of my fellow students. The classes are small and this semester we have a diverse group including an economist, a Catholic priest, a TV reporter, a Chinese exchange student and a man who was held hostage by the FARC in the early 2000’s. Certainly makes for dynamic discussions. The framework for this certificate program is primarily based on history, theory, and political philosophy. While it’s interesting, my only critique is that there lacks a focus on current events. Very little of the coursework and class discussions are geared towards analyzing the political situation today in Colombia (or the rest of the world). To put things in perspective, we have not talked about Colombia’s relations with Venezuela or Ecuador and not one professor has mentioned the unfolding events in Egypt. One would think this would be the first topic of discussion in a graduate Political Studies program since the repercussions could seriously affect international relations and the global political economy. Nonetheless, I’m finding the theoretical and historical foundation important and useful for my own ability to contextualize what’s going on in this part of the world.