I've touched this place before, somewhere in another time...

Flight number: AV 20
Operated by: Avianca
From: El Dorado - Bogota
To: JFK - New York City
Depart: 28 jun 2007 22:55
Arrive: 29 jun 2007 05:30

It's official. Moving back to the US of A. Flight purchased. Job secured.

Next step: attempting to find an apartment. Not going to lie, that part intimidates me more than a little bit.

For those of you in NYC, from NYC, with connections in NYC ... if any of you are looking for a roommate, have a friend who is looking for a roommate, know of an awesome housing opportunity, can suggest good/not so good neighborhoods, or have any advice to make the search easier ... I would love you forever.

The clouds drifting through the blinds, A half a million thoughts, Are flowing through my mind

Sometimes when you feel as if absolutely everything is going wrong, it's amazing how the little things make such a huge difference. I've been enjoying my time in Bogota since my traineeship ended, but the feeling of putting my life on hold, being in limbo, unsure how long until I know which direction my future will take has been frustrating. Last weekend was rough for another reason, probably one of the worst that I've gone through since I've been in Colombia.

My roommates and the rest of my adopted Bogota fam has helped me stay strong and get through everything more than they could possibly realize. Our Sex in the City marathons, Asian fusion week, long Sunday morning runs when Carrera Septima is closed down for Cyclovia, bienvenidas, despedidas, trainee nights, visits to the MC office to work on the Social Entrepreneurship project, have helped me maintain some sort of normalcy.

I am excited about one last unexpected travel excursion that came up in the past 24 hours. Two Badgers (Jason - start blogging!!) arrived to my favorite Colombian city last night, and two other gringo trainees from Cornell and Denver will be coming in to Medellin next week, all to work as part of the Experience Social Entrepreneurship project. Missy, Bee, Lucas, and I have spent so much time putting this together over the past few months, and it looks like I am going to be able to visit after all. It will be great to meet all of them after the billion emails/msn chats/conference calls, see how the reception process is going, and meet up with some old friends as well. Exactly what I need right now. Change of scenery, change of pace.

Esta es mi cancion de despedida....

Last night's chiva celebrated the upcoming farewell of many in our group who will be saying good-bye to Colombia within the next month. More than just another crazy night out dancing, drinking, singing, and celebrating like most of the chivas that I have been on around Colombia, this one represented some kind of closure, coming full circle to my first chiva night in Colombia at AXLDS last April. It's rare that you are able to return to a country that you first visited for an international conference, let alone to live for a year, and even more unlikely that you will revisit a club that you partied at during a study tour with many of the same people present. Walking into Compostela last night was a strange sense of deja vu, only this time I knew the lyrics to all the songs. Still no news about if and when I am leaving Colombia, but I'm making the most of every moment until that point finally arrives...

Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone...

Tiffany's dad brought us Reese's Peanut Butter Cups from the States. Our entire apartment is on Cloud 9. It's amazing the things that you miss from home...it doesn't take much to make me happy.

2600 meters closer to the stars...

Este fin de semana ha representado todo de lo que quiero de Colombia. Fuimos a Andres Carne de Res viernes, un lugar full chevere afuera de Bogotá en un pueblo que se llama Chia. El ambiente y el grupo con quien fui, además cada tipo de música que puedes imaginar, eran una combinación perfecta. Bailé mapalé y cumbia como una Barranquillera verdadera y rumbeamos hasta las 4 de la mañana con una energía que solo puede encontrar en Colombia.
El padre y el hermano de Tiffany están visitando ahora y aunque no sean mis familiares, es super chevere verlos disfrutando de la vida acá. Es que ambos en Bogotá como en Barranquilla tenemos un grupo de extranjeros bastante grande a todos les aman este país, esta cultura, y más de todo, la gente Colombiana. Nosotros hemos aprendido la realidad de Colombia y sentimos en nuestra casa acá, a veces más que en nuestros países. Pero es una oportunidad full rara que podemos compartir esta vida acá con los familiares o los amigos que no estén en Colombia en una manera más que fotos o historias de email. Entonces, cuando algunos de ellos vengan de los EEUU con ninguna idea de Colombia pero con ojos abiertos y discubran la belleza y la pasión y nos digan que por fin entienden por qué estamos tan flices aquí, no hace sonreír más que todo. Aunque no soy Colombiana, tengo un gran orgullo por este país; por una parte, Colombia será siempre mi país.
Como no sé cuanto tiempo más me quedo, estoy disfrutando Bogotá lo maximo cada día. Anoche fuimos a Lobby, un barsitio chevere que ya conocí hace algunos meses, por la fiesta de MC transition. Bailamos, bailamos toda la noche. Yo voy a extrañar la música y el baile más que todo cuando no esté en Colombia. Lo siento en mi corazón, es una gran parte de quien soy. Tocaron un poquito demasiado vallenato, pero de toda manera, que ahora conozco todas las canciones que toocan, y hay algo que decir por esto…que sé bailar cada genre de música como una costeña, que puedo compartir una risa con JuanK, Patricia, y Lore cuando escuchamos cualquier cancion de una artista Barranquilla. Y por supuesto que todos bailamos uno o dos roll calls en el centro del club; es inevitable cuando salgas con un montón de AIESECos :)
Un mensaje a todos del MC Colombia, sea saliente o entrante: yo he tenido la oportunidad a trabajar mucho con algunos de Uds, otros solo conocí pocas veces, pero todos son gente increíble con una pasión que me inspiraba muchisima. Yo les deso suerte, alegría, y felicidad, lo mejor de la vida en todo lo que hacen.

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...

Ghost town...

Spending Semana Santa (Holy Week/week preceding Easter) in Bogota has been a very interesting experience. We had expected that museums and other tourist attractions would have limited hours and that we may not be able to visit as many places as we would during other times of the year, but what we had not expected was how EMPTY the city has become. I have never walked around a huge cosmopolitan capital city and wondered where all of its 9 million inhabitants had disappeared to.

Yesterday, as it was Good Friday the Zona Rosa (one of the usually busiest neighborhoods in Bogota, where many of the best bars, restaurants, and shopping malls are located) was SILENT. When we headed down to the Candelaria however, we were shocked to see the streets and sidewalks packed with people. I dare say that the crowds rivaled those of State Street in Madison during Halloween. The Candelaria is the historic and cultural center of the city, home to government buildings, museums, and of course, dozens of churches and cathedrals. People were pouring in and out of the churches attending mass, street vendors were suddenly selling prayer cards and roseries, processions were led through the streets and more.

Having been raised in a Catholic family (and yes, 9 years of Catholic grade school), I understand many of the traditions and much of the history that is associated with Holy Week. However, having been raised in the States with such a diversity of religious beliefs, it is fascinating to witness these types of religious celebrations in a country that is overwhelmingly dominated by a single religion, and to see how much it filters into the daily lives on an entire nation. The Catholic Church has played a significant role throughout the history of Latin America. I do not wish to argue whether or not this has been a positive or negative role, as I believe that religion is a very sensitive and personal topic, but rather just to comment on how visibly and deeply engrained into the culture that this has become.

Raindrops keep falling on my head....

We survived our adventure into the jungle, which was one of the most unique trips that I have ever taken. We really did swim with pink dolphins in the Amazon, fished for pirahnas, watched the fastest moving sloth you could possibly imagine as our guide climbed up into the tree after it, and held caymens (type of alligator). Our rubber boots were a laughable attempt to "stay dry" on our hikes through the rainforest when we ended up crossing water that inched higher and higher, to our thighs, above our waists, and finally deep enough that we needed to swim across. Blair, Julia, Melissa and I had the lodge to ourselves for 5 days and we enjoyed every minute of it.


Melissa and I arrived back to Bogota yesterday evening for the second half of our nice long spring break. As much as we loved the rainforest, it was nice to return to civilization...away from all of the misquitos...wash our nasty jungle laundry and enjoy some fine dining in the Zona Rosa. Bogota remains my jumping off point, I have been here several times, and despite a few unlucky incidents that several of us have had here, this city becomes more and more appealing each time that I return.


I realized earlier today that yesterday was exactly one year from the date that I had first returned home to Madison from Colombia. So many memories come back as I recall the first time that I arrived to Bogota last year and like others, I feel a pang of jealousy thinking about others who were able to go to AXLDS this year, hopefully having an equally life-changing experience. My life has changed so much since my first encounter with Colombia last year. I smile as I wander through the city and remember my initial discovery of different spots in the capital city, each time that I have returned since then, and the wonderful people who I have spent time with here.

My time in Colombia is winding down quickly. What comes next remains to be determined, my future still seems to be one large question mark. For now, all that I can do is cherish mi vida colombiana, for I know that it will be one more memory all too quickly....

Suddenly before my eyes, hues of indigo arise...

My duffel bag is sufficiently overpacked with books for the 18 hour trek to and from Bogota. My iPod is charged and I have scored some dramamine to knock me out on the overnight bus ride halfway across the country. Plans have been made to crash with a trainee in the cosmopolitan capital for a few hours before our flight takes off Saturday morning to the Amazon. I managed to find my vaccine card in the mess of my closet that confirmed that yes, I will be good to go play in the jungle and will not contract yellow fever. I even talked my VP finance into giving me an advance on my salary with the argument that there is no ATM access where I will be going. SPRING BREAK = t-7 hours. PSYCHED.

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.