Viajando manana.....

Attempting to blog while I am in the States leaves me grasping unsuccessfully for inspiration. Good thing that I am jet-setting tomorrow. 2 weeks in Turkey, here I come.

Culture, rather than cocaine, attracts media attention...

Some of the most positive news coverage about Colombia that I've seen, the NYT provides an excellent coverage of this Colombian city that I fell in love with this past year. After countless discussions revolving around how much influence media have on the perception that "outsiders" have of a country, I get goosebumps when I stumble across positive news that is being spread about Colombia. It's a small step, but a step in the right direction nonetheless.

But Medellín’s transformation may be most apparent at night. During the cocaine days, those who ventured onto the city’s lifeless, grid-like streets after hours encountered a Wild West showdown of trigger-happy capos. Now, cafes and bars spill onto the sidewalks, lending a festive and carefree vibe to the balmy evenings. Sprawling nightclubs draw thousands with thumping Latin music that keeps the young crowd dancing until dawn.

On a recent Thursday night at the popular Mango’s (Carrera 42 No. 67A-151; 57-4-277-6123), a ranch-style disco with cowboy memorabilia and waiters dressed to match, an eagerly anticipated three-day weekend was about to turn into a four-day party. A cluster of young clubgoers ordered rum-and-coke cocktails as the rhythms of reggaetón and vallenato shook the foggy dance floor.

It was 3 a.m. but you couldn’t tell by the crowd’s infectious energy. They were clearly in it for the long haul, as if making up for lost time.

Vamos pa' TURQUIA!

One adventure leads to the next. I'm back in NYC for about a week...7 days, just long enough to recover from an intense national conference in Chicago, move to a new apartment, and pack my bags for another conference...INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS 2007 in Istanbul.

The stories that I have heard from friends who were at IC in Poland, India, or Serbia over the past few years amaze me. There's no point in trying to imagine what I am in for; I am certain that I won't have any idea until I actually arrive and am surrounded by the AIESECers from over 100 countries around me.

The high of traveling is about to kick in yet again, where the East meets West, where civilizations, cultures, and continents converge.

QUACK

Apparently in this teeny-tiny closet sized apartment that I am currently subletting, running the AC and the microwave at the same time is too much to handle. I blew a fuse and spent my Friday evening playing phone tag with my roommate who is down in DC for the weekend and trying to track down the super so that I didn't have to pack in the dark because I had no idea where the fuse box was in the unit. QUACK.

As the early 6:45 am flight looms closer, the never-ending idea of what is HOME rolls around in my head once again. After about 9 months away from my beloved Madtown, I cannot wait to spend the afternoon chilling with some of my best friends in the world on the Terrace. Sunday in the WB will be a different story, but hopefully I can make it through that without any major hiccups. Monday morning, off to Chicago for my FIRST US AIESEC national conference.

Recommendation: The Devil Came on Horseback. Very well-made, moving independent film about the genocide in Darfur.