Setting the pace...

I have always found solitude in running. Not to race, but just for the escape that it brings from the rest of my life. Not running toward, not running away, just running. After 4 years of having the Lakeshore paths only moments away whenever I had a free moment to escape down to the trails around Monona or Mendota, my running routine was put on pause since I moved to Colombia. Between dangerously high temperatures, insane traffic, and broken sidewalks that almost guarenteed a twisted ankle, running outside in Barranquilla was out of the question. Granted, I went to the gym often, but I detest treadmills with a passion, spinning round and round and never really going anywhere. Since I arrived to Bogota last weekend, I have quickly settled into a different daily routine, one that I have instantly grown accustomed to. Yesterday morning, Steve pointed me in the direction of Parque Simon Bolivar, the equivalent of Bogota's Central Park. From the moment my running shoes hit the path, the crisp mountain air filled my lungs, and I turned on my iPod, I felt my muscles spring to life and I was off. Pushing through the altitude difference that made it difficult to catch my breath, I found an energy reawakened inside of me that had been missing for far too long. I may never win the race, but may I never be forced to stop running...

All these places have their moments, with lovers and friends, I still can recall...

I managed to hold back the tears for the past week until this afternoon. As my plane departed from Barranquilla, destination Bogota, I finally opened the goodbye card that the UNINORTE LC had written for me at the wonderful despedida they threw me on Thursday.

A week of goodbyes and emotions finally caught up with me and the tears started to fall. A year in the life of a trainee is worth a lifetime of memories. I cannot thank all of you enough.

Camilo, Pedro, Luchy - I will never forget meeting all of you at AXLDS and the surreal feeling of seeing all of you again when I arrived in Barranquilla last July, realizing that sometimes people come into your life for what you think will be a short moment and stay much longer than you ever could have hoped for. I will keep practicing my football skills. CHECK.

Ferkho - Yo te entiendo. Por fin. Como me dijeron, parece que hablo Costenol PERFECTO ahora.

JuanKi - mi hermanito. Stay out of trouble. Even if your big sister isn't there to keep an eye on you. I will continue to tease you. siempre.

Alex, Bartira, Adele, Elena, Patrycja - for laughing with me through everything that we put up with in the language institute, from horrible computers to crazy morning classes to entrevistas to lunch at el Tunnel, working with you girls was priceless and I love you all.

Juanca - I will miss our chats outside the office. Muchisimas gracias por todo tus consejos y tu amistad.

Mau & Lorena - my OC, it was a pleasure to work with both of you and put together the best trainee weekend in all of Colombia. Thanks for helping to make CARNAVAL one of my most memorable experiences this year.

Aleja & Marta - my two best recruits. I love you girls so much.

Vanessa - don't go hiking in Tayrona without me...you might get lost!

Newbies - I have enjoyed seeing you grow so much in just a few months and am excited to see what comes out of UNINORTE over the course of the next year. From pre-zonalito when you first met the trainees by surprise to the Zonalito weekend in Pto. Colombia, it has been a pleasure to get to know many of you. You all have so much potential and passion.

You have all made this year so memorable and I am so lucky to have met all of you. I arrived 10 months ago is some crazy Caribbean city and thanks to all of you, I am now happy to call Barranquilla "home". AJA UNINORTE!

"I need your most tantalizing and captivating picture of Colombia.
To be used for internet marketing."
-Andrew

Say what?

So ... a picture is worth a thousand words + 9 months of traveling + thousands of pictures = ...one picture?

As I flip through the photo albums, I have no idea where to begin.

Do I choose from Barranquilla's carnaval, representative of the passion of Colombian people, the festival traditions that span the country, the music, and the dancing?

Or maybe a photo from the coffee region, a symbol of the country's economy and culture, and the mountain ranges that traverse a third of the country?

Perhaps the Plaza Bolivar in Bogota, the center of Colombian politics, national pride, and the site of so many historic events?

What about the stunning beaches of Tayrona, the Caribbean national park, so carefully preserved, bordered by lush jungle that is stil home to some of the indigenous communities who trace their roots back deeper into history than most of the Colombian population?

Or the colonial coastal city of Cartagena, declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site?

How do you choose ONE picture to represent an entire country as diverse as Colombia?

"just ask yourself what would single handedly sell people on coming to colombia"

easier said than done...

Are you ready for some....futbol?

Junior v. Nacional

After living in South America for 9 months, I finally have the chance to go to a futbol match this week between Barranquilla and Medellin. I don't think that I have attended a large sports game since I was back in Madison. I have heard that the rivalry between these teams runs pretty deep and that the famous Metropolitano Stadium, where we attended the Shakira concert, can get pretty rowdy. Results and pictures will be posted :)

update:
Junior 2 - Nacional 1

It wasn't Camp Randall Stadium, the fans weren't singing "If you want to be a Badger", we weren't sitting in Section O, but last night's game was still pretty damn priceless.

I used to sit and watch the pouring rain...

It rained two days ago, for the first time since late October. This was the first weekend in months that it was too overcast and rainy to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon tanning at the pool.

I probably explained the arroyo phenomenon months ago when I first arrived to Barranquilla, home of the craziest rainstorms I have ever experienced, anywhere. The brilliant city planning, or lack thereof, has left the fourth largest city in this country with no sewer or drainage system. It's also below the level of the Magdelena River, which runs alongside the city and eventually empties out into the Caribbean at Puerto Colombia. Hence, when it rains, it not only pours, it also floods. Solution? Many of the major streets were built at a steep slope so that the rainwater is directed downward in the correct direction to empty out the city. The arroyos are the rivers that form in the streets as a result, causing traffic standstills for extended periods of time, as the possibility of being washed away for trying to cross one of the arroyos is not unheard of.

Silly me, I naively assumed earlier this evening that once the rain had finally let up, I was safe to venture outside. wrong. Determined to pick up some ice cream from Crepes & Waffles (anyone who has been to Colombia knows they have the best ice cream in the country) for our girls night in, I hopped on the bus that would drop me off a mere 3 blocks from the restaurant.

Once I got off, I realized that I was trapped on a corner between two arroyos that still had not stopped. I walked almost around the entire block, finally deciding to roll up my jeans and cross the street where the water seemed a little shallower. It never really looks as deep as it is. I stepped off the curb and the water rose half way up my calf. So much for keeping my pants dry.

I made it safely across the street, only to find myself in the same predicament a block farther up. The restaurant was across the street...almost there. This one was much easier...until without realizing it, my flip flop slid off and out of my grasp. Trying not to slip, I ran, half barefoot, down the block, dodging the crazy BQ traffic, looking like a fool who can't catch her sandal. I finally snag the flip flop, but not before my jeans are soaked above the knee.

Chin up, hold onto the last shread of dignity as I walk into C&W, looking like a complete mess, order my ice cream and head back to Melissa's apartment.

All in a day in the life in Colombia...

I'll find my day, maybe, far and away...

I miss Wednesday nights at Brats and Thursday nights at Bros.
A-bars. shisha.
Snowstorms.
Unlimited coffeeshops.
My roommates. Rollerblading.
Late night drives. Late night runs.
The passion that an entire university feels for a football team.
Complaining about walking up Bascom Hill.
My Paris girls and our reunions.
Spending afternoons on the terrace. Babcock ice cream.

I know that when I leave I will miss salsa dancing.
Crazy bus drivers.
Our pool at the Prado. Llamada guys.
Fresh exotic fruit.
Spontaneous excursions all over the country.
Living close enough to a beach to go whenever I want, even if I don't always have time.
Learning phrases in Portuguese, Polish, German, and Patois.
Complaining that it's TOO hot in Barranquilla.

Leaving bits and pieces of my heart all over the world.
Bittersweet. I haven't even left yet. Caught between somewheres.

if all you dreamed were new, imagine the sky high above, in caribbean blue...

Barranquilla, pure and simple, the little things that I have come to take for granted but that capture the essence of this city. Seen through the eyes of JuanK, Barranquillero, through and through, as well as a few other amigos...

...

accidentally came across this link....

read all the way to the bottom :)

ZONALITO 2007

Digo que esta fin de semana fue un full “AIESEC weekend”. Todo la comité, tan newbies como viejos fuimos a Playa Mendoza por el “zonalito”, una conferencia parecido a lo que llamamos ROKS en los EEUU. Para mi el evento tuvo mucho exito y fue super bacano. La energia e entusiasmo de los newbies eran increible – siempre me alegre muchisimo ver la gente nueva aprendiendo sobre la organización y trabajando ya con mucha pasión, realizando las oportunidades.

El primer dia, Ferkho y JuanK, nuestro querido MCVP X, habian preparado una sesión para Bartira, Micaela, y yo como las trainees sobre un tema un poco dificil – todas las cosas malas de Colombia, digamos el “taboo”. Hablamos de la historia de las drogas, las carteles de Medellín y Cali, la vida diaria en Colombia durante el tiempo del poder de Escobar, la Plan Colombia, los aspectos negativos y positivos de la gran ayuda de los EEUU en la conflicta interna, la evolución de violencia politica y las guerrillas, las condicionnes politicas e economicas causaron la subida de los paramilitaries, porque la situción ha mejorando poco a poco, y mucho más. Ellos respondieron a todas nuestras preguntas porque digamos que es facil defender todas las cosas bellas que vemos en nuestra vida aquí contra los estereotipos horribles que mucha gente tenga sobre este país, pero es igualmente importante comprender que todavía es un país donde bastante malo ha pasado y por qué. Muchisimas gracias a ellos por su paciencia y deseo a compartir su conocimiento con nosotros, aunque pudo haber sido muy difícil.

Bueno, además de todo el trabajo duro, esta fin de semana fue super chistosa. El sitio era tan hermoso, con una playa mejor que tenemos en Puerto Colombia, super limpia, tranquila, y grande. Bailamos mucho como en todos los eventos AIESECos, hicimos las presentacionnes culturales de los EEUU, Bolivia, y Brasil, jugamos un poco de futbol americano, y reímos mucho.

Pues, lección de la fin de semana: no dé papaya.

Batalla de Flores y Gran Parada de Tradicion

Weekend of a lifetime....and the people who made it all worth it

...

CARNAVAL DE BARRANQUILLA Part 3

A culture, a tradition, a source of pride, a way of life.

Barranquilla's Carnaval is considered to be the largest festival in the country, one of the largest in the world, a mixture of the Afro-Caribbean-Latino culture rolled into one 2-month long celebration.

During Carnaval, the racial and cultural diversity of Barranquilla becomes blurred. People no longer view each other in shades of black and white, but rather in every color of the rainbow.

This is a scene dominated by makeup artists, fashion designers, and beauticians, who are faced with the challenge of designing the most vibrant, elaborate, and all-around over the top costumes, headpieces, hairstyles, and makeup patterns.

Everyone is white and everyone is black, everyone is beautiful, everyone is Barranquillero.

Whether 2 years old or 92 years old, there is no excuse not to be dancing. The spirit of Carnaval means quite simply that there is no excuse to be left out.

Poverty does not matter, nor does crime, nor sadness, nor any other harsh side of reality. Carnaval is meant to be felt, to be lived, to be embraced.

La Reina, the Monocucos, the Marimondas, the Negrita, the Torito, Joselito.
The cumbias, porros, mapalés, gaitas, chandés, puyas, fandangos y fantásticos merecumbés.
The Batalla de Flores, the Gran Parada de Tradicion, the Parada de Fantasia.
The Festival de Cerveza, the Festival de Orchestras.

Each character, each creation, each dance, each comparsa, each parade, each concert, has its place. Each reflects something strictly African, specifically Spanish, exclusively Caribbean, exceptionally COLOMBIAN.

CARNAVAL DE BARRANQUILLA Part 2

The trainee weekend idea was sparked 3 weeks after I arrived in Colombia when I made my first of several trips to Medellín for the Feria de las Flores. More than the parades, the parties, or the Antioquian city that I have since come to know and love, the diversity of our crowd in Medellín made the weekend one-of-a-kind.

Shortly before Christmas, I brought up the idea of hosting our own trainee weekend to Camilo and Lucia. After subsequent trainee weekends in Medellín, Cali, and Manizales over Winter Break during which several people had expressed interest in coming to visit BQuilla, I returned to the coast determined to reunite with everyone one month later.

Per the freak-out nature of a few of my previous entries, the planning of the event was nerve-wracking and exciting all rolled into one. From the early planning stages, it was evident that Mauricio, Loren, and I had a ton of work ahead of us. If we were going to do this, I wanted to go all out. I became frustrated at times with conflicting work styles imbedded with cultural differences more than I have ever come across in my job. Yet somehow through the mixture of communication and miscommunication, reservations and cancellations, emails and text messages, Spanish and English, ins-and-outs of event planning, every detail of the event fell into place at the very last minute, as you always will happen. From the minute that the trainees, LC and MC members started to arrive from around Colombia, I knew that I was in for the best weekend ever.

USA, India, Russia, France, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, England, Mexico, Bolivia, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Brazil, Israel, Canada, Germany, and Colombia.

I was reunited with some of my closest friends here, people with whom I have shared adventures all over Colombia, who have inspired me and who have been some of the most amazing and passionate people I have met since I arrived last July. I met so many new friends, both @ trainees and other random nomads that had met up with the others along the way. I have each and every one of them to thank for making the experience what it was.

I could not have imagined spending Carnaval with anyone other than you guys .... muchisimas gracias :)

CARNAVAL DE BARRANQUILLA Part 1

As the last few trainees and I watched the concert last night in Barrio Abajo, sporting our sombreros bolteados, sipping on Aguilas, too exhausted to even move our feet, let alone dance, the Barranquilla Carnaval 2007 came to a close. We slowly made our way home, saying goodnight and goodbye to each other and to one of the best experiences many of us have had during the past year in Colombia.

Quien lo vive, es quien lo goza.

Until you live it, you really cannot understand it. Any expectations that I had for Carnaval based on the stories of others, any idea that I had formed about the festival based on the energy that I had experienced during the pre-carnavals, paled in comparison to the real deal. I am still in awe of it all. I have considered Barranquilla for home for quite awhile. I love my lifestyle here, I love the people, and I love how much they love to be Barranquilleros. But until a foreigner has seen the Carnaval for themselves, they have not really seen Barranquilla.

Mi historia de la carnaval va a necesitar muchas blog entries...

a parade through the precarnaval extravaganzas...

...

You take it on faith, take it to the heart...

Curled up in my not-so-comfy office chair, wishing that I had a nice tall latte to power me through the day but settling for a tinto. Arrive to work by 7 am but not planning to have much time for work today. AIESEC has once again taken over my life. frustrated, worried, anxious, excited, confused, nervous, stressed, DETERMINED....I have about every emotion possible running through me right now. My mind has been racing all week. I have to believe that, despite everything that makes me want to think that I am in way over my head, I am going to be able to pull this off. I refuse to give myself any other option. Running on PASSION...Pushing forward....and I'm off....

And that road keeps on calling me...

This is BIG.

26 registered for the TRAINEE WEEKEND starting Friday.

5 more trainees pending travel and work arrangements.

4 AIESEC'ers from Venezuela who want to join us.

12 more hours left for even more people to register.

4 days of CARNAVAL celebrations.

Is it bad that I am looking forward to going to the spa to recuperate after all of this OC work is over more than the actual event itself?

deep breath.

What it is...

DANCED in a parade danced as a MONACUCO, attacked everyone in sight with espuma, left speechless at the surreal feeling of being caught up in the heart of the carnaval. PARTIED in Santo Tomas amidst thousands, showed Gopi the beauty of the chuzo, passed around the 'guardo, attempted to avoid the macaena and water balloons. SMOKED the shisha in the courtyard of my apartment, chilled at the frutera with Arthur, Jean, and Gopi at 4am. SWAM in mud, got stranded in the middle of nowhere. COOKED an American style breakfast, an Indian style dinner. Fell asleep in the hammock watching FRIENDS, surrounded by amazing friends, knowing that the next two weeks are going to continue to be the ride of a lifetime.

I always take the long way home...

I returned to my apartment yesterday evening to find three wonderful visitors, a delicious Indian meal being prepared in my kitchen, and the HoboHookah sitting in the center of my dining room table. I made a few phone calls, found a place that would deliver some double apple shisha and coals to my front door, and spent the rest of the evening amidst the cappuchino and manzana scented smoke, the laughter and conversation of great friends. Question to a certain few nomads out there...Has the Hobo ever been smoked from a hammock before? If not, it has now, and I must say, the setting was ideal.

10 days and counting....

Pre-Carnavals have been well underway for several weeks. I doubt that anyone in this city has been able to avoid at least one espuma (foam) or macaena (cornstarch) attack. Even more impossible to ignore is the sense of excitement that has been building across the city, from Puerto Colombia down to Soledad. If you are in Colombia right now, Barranquilla is THE place to be.

Planning a Trainee Reception Weekend during the 2nd largest Carnaval in the world has been quite a task thusfar, especially considering the other two OC members keep reminding me that I can't even imagine what I am getting myself into until the official festival is underway in about a week and a half from now.

Loren and Mauricio have been taking care of the in's and out's of scheduling the weekend to correspond to the best parades, events, and parties in town. Coordinating registration and logistics has been perfect for me, since I already know most of the trainees who will be coming and have been convincing them to visit since our last rendez-vous in Medellin/Cali/Manizales. My first visitor(s??) is arriving this afternoon, and more should be on their way soon.

I am definitely high on the excitement of planning another big event once again....it's been awhile. After several failed attempts of people telling us that all reservations had been booked weeks ago, we finally managed to come across a chiva to kick off the trainee weekend. AIESEC'ers don't generally like to hear that things are impossible. Next step, finding places for all of our guests to crash. Flashback to Halloween in Madtown 2005.

This Carnaval buzz is definitely not conducive to lesson planning...

Life gets a little messy...

... Precarnavals rock my world.

The Nomadpad of BQuilla...

My roommate and I have decided that we should open our own hostel. Since the first of the year, there has not been a single night where we have not had at least one visitor (...usually more like 4 or 5) crashing at our place. The extra beds, couches, and hammocks have proven quite usful and I love always having dinner guests. We are *booked* through the end of February, but always have space for one more. Any one else destined for one of the best CARNAVALS in the world this year?

Would you light my candle?

If you believe that there are 12 days of Christmas or 4 days of Carnaval, you are wrong. Perhaps that is harsh, but it’s the truth. Both of those celebrations started two days ago with Las Velitas.

I returned from Bogotá about a week ago and since I have been back, I had heard mentions of Las Velitas everywhere I went. Colombia is traditionally a very religious country, so it made sense that we had off of work on Friday for the Catholic holiday of the Immaculate Conception. Knowing Colombia culture, it also made sense that religious holiday or not, this was just one more chance to rumbiar y disfrutar de la vida. I got butterflies in my stomach as I was walking home from the gym Thursday evening and crossed the courtyard in front of the church next to our apartment complex. From blocks away I had heard the carnaval drums and flutes. As I got closer, I saw the crowds of people already gathered, singing and dancing, watching the performers, energy running through all of them. From the view out our 8th story apartment, Alex, Sarah, and I enjoyed the view of the dozens of dancers, dressed in extravagant, brightly colored costumes, dancing to Shakira…yes, just like the dancers in the music video. Carnaval had started. Later on, salsa, samba, and cumbia versions of Christmas carols began and entertained us as we were getting ready to go out. There may not be snow, but Christmas time is also here.

We partied long into the night, dancing at Rico Melao until we could barely stand, and then dancing some more. It is impossible to sit still for more than a moment without getting caught up in the music. Around 4am, people started to leave the bars and we drove over to Compadres for some greasy (delicious) empanadas. The most traditional aspect of the Las Velitas festival is that after you have partied all night, you light candles at sunrise. In true Barranquilla fashion, just about anything can be bought on the street, so as we drove out of town, we pulled over to a corner and bought a dozen lanterns and several boxes of sparklers from one of the street vendors. Alex and I were starting to get sleepy and dozed off in the car a few times as Ricardo drove us out of Barranquilla. It was almost 5am, but we would make it in time.

Just passed Puerto Colombia, we arrived to our destination: the beach. We drove right up onto the sand and with the sound of the waves crashing behind us, we lined the candles up on the beach, placed the lanterns over them, and lit the sparklers, just as if it were the 4th of July. We danced on the beach to the music streaming from the speakers in the trunk of the car and stood at the edge of the water, in awe of everything around us. The icy cold water splashed my legs, sent shivers up my spine and goosebumps down my skin, but in Barranquilla, we never complain when it’s cold because it is something that happens so rarely. I watched the ocean for what seemed like hours. Colombia is full of mystery that demands no explanation and beauty that is far beyond words.

The sun eventually came up, though it was too foggy to have really seen the sunrise over the mountains. Behind us, and down the beach as far as I could see, were huts with thatched roofs. People started to emerge, simultaneously eating breakfast and raking the sand smooth. A few nodded and said Buenos días to us, the strange combination of two Colombian guys and two gringo girls now kicking around sand, splashing in the water, and laughing as the guys tried in vain to teach us capoeira.

I was home by 8am and spent most of the day asleep in my hammock. With each day that I spend in Colombia, I am more and more convinced that it is possible to laugh more, to love more, to dance more, and to live more here in a day that some people do in an entire lifetime…

Home, home, where I wanted to go...

I use the word "home" very interchangably. While back in the States, within the same conversation, I would say that I was "going home to hang out with my roommates", referring to my old apartment where I crashed for a couple nights, followed shortly by "when I get back home" meaning Colombia.

Coming back home to Barranquilla was welcomed just as much as going back home to Madison. I couldn't stop smiling when I landed at OHare a couple weeks ago, and I felt exactly the same way when I arrived to Bogota late Thursday night. I love Bogota more and more each time that I visit and was happy to be able to spend a few days there chilling and going out before I headed back to the coast.

I had missed drinking wine with my roommates in my hammock and fresh juice any time, day or night. I missed speaking broken Spanish and all the seemingly insignificant oddities that I have come to know and love about B'Quilla. I missed the coast, seeing palm trees out my office window, being able to wear skirts and sandals everyday, and going to the pool to tan after work. More than anything else, I missed the music and I missed the dancing.

Everyone knows everyone in this city and everyone's business, and while that may be annoying at times, it was welcoming to have the porteros (doormen) at our apartment, the cleaning ladies who work at the university who always chat with Alex and I, and the owner of the Dulcerna (the bakery that we have become regulars at for their free wireless and delicious milkshakes) all ask where I had been because they hadn't seen me in a few weeks.

Welcome back. Welcome home.