1. Our flight from Miami to Barranquilla was delayed for at least three hours, but it passed so quickly as the 30 of us got to know each other while sprawled out in the aisles of the Avianca waiting area. It's also odd to think I'm only a 3 hour flight from America.
2. Spending a week with Brian in sweltering New Orleans was a breeze compared to living in this humidity. We complain a lot about the heat, but so do Colombians so I will probably continue this behavior. Though siestas aren't part of a daily schedule, if at all possible I will nap- always with the fan on full power. Thank goodness for fans. Best invention ever, after the harnessing of electric power required to make it work.
3. Host family here is wonderful, there are 5-12 people at a time staying in the house, which keeps it lively! I spend most of my time with Luz, my 11 year-old host sister, and Yelitza, who is my host mother. Luz and I often chair dance during meals, as there is almost always salsa, cumbia, or reggeaton playing on the stereo.
4. No joke, I heard Bryan Adams' Everything I do in Spanish, and my host mother singing along. It's like how they remake bad pop songs in the country genre, it happens too in Spanish language pop. But I swear it was Bryan Adams' awful whiny voice singing.
5. My worst day here was when my fantasy football team lost to Brian. I was inconsolable.
6. Best day here? Everyday is great, especially at 5:00 when training ends. It takes me an hour to get home, I go running, I eat and talk with the family, then I sleep. Nothing super exciting.
8. No, I do have a favorite moment. Seeing my fellow trainees almost get shit on by an iguana perched in a tree 20 feet above. That was something special.
9. They call bird poop 'torpedos' here. It's brilliant.
10. My mother (Deanna) was so happy to learn that I always have chaperons while running. My host family is quite vigilant, and someone, or everyone, always accompanies me to the park where I run. So I feel a bit like a child, but meh. There are a lot of Colombians who exercise regularly, which was much unlike Chile, and Michigan.
11. Food here is a change, I do miss Spinach salads. And cold chocolate milk. However, there is a lebanese population here and I plan on eating lots of hummus.
12. I have a budget of like, 5.50 a day right now, most of which is spent on transportation, so hummus eating will be put off until I become a 'volunteer' (November) and make the big peace corps volunteer money.
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| After spraying myself with juice |
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| Oh this juice is so delicious... |
14. I haven't talked much about teaching or my work here, mostly because we are still in training. I'm starting a project working with kids and business owners next week. So maybe updates later. But let's be honest, I probably won't post for another month.
15. And one more to make the list end at 15... oh! Don't be ignorant. 'Colombia' is not spelled with a 'u'. Sure, I screwed that up until I learned that I would be living in Colombia. Then I learned. Also, just to dispel any misconceptions- I am in South America, not Canada. British Colombia is an entirely different place.
16. Nope had o add anoer. his is me using m lapop o wrie. he 't' and 'y' buons don' work because of humidi damage. Luckil , I have he ipad, which I used o wrie he firs par of his pos . I will need a new compuer in 2 ears for sure.
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| Small group on a tour of el centro de Barranquilla |
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