In a New York Minute: February 2007

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.

need to vent....

I'm getting really frustrated with the same old shit, people not following through on what they say they will do, maKing empty promises, making EXCUSES, having to pick up the pieces myself and take charge simply because no one else will. Katy and I have had this discussion before...how do you lead when you feel as if the only way to make sure that everything gets accomplished is to do it yourself? Now I am on the flip side where the leader is the one who doesn't have his eye on the big picture and I am afraid that once I am finally able to step in, it's already too late. arghhh. I may have adapted to most aspects of this culture, but the concept of time (or lack thereof) down here drives me crazy.

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.

Don't fade away 'til the morning light...

I may no longer be a college kid, but working for a university means that it is often easy to pretend otherwise. Keeping with tradition of the past four years, spring break is destined to be an adventure. After NYC, Italy/Spain, Florida, and Jamaica/Melgar, what could possibly be next?

LAS AMAZONAS

We are off to Leticia, a small town by Colombian standards (population comparable to the good old WB) that spills across the Colombian/Brazilian/Peruvian border as our jumping off spot for a week in the jungle!

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...