Semana Santa aka Week of Exploring
Thus far…
My host family took me out on Saturday night. We went to a hip beer/restaurant called the Bogota Beer Company which specializes in artesinal beers. Classic American songs were playing in the background, making it very difficult to concentrate solely on the Spanish conversations. Oddly the basketball game with the Trailblazers against Houston was also playing….it was strange because most Colombians don’t speak nor understand English but it seems that Americanization was prevalent even in the small town of Tunja. I was mistaken as being the Colombian and not the foreigner...
Today (Monday) I begin teaching. I have been tasked to teach in the evenings Monday’s-Wednesday’s and on Thursday and Saturday, I teach in the mornings. Thursday is the only day that I will be going to the different location in the centro. The students range from different levels to different ages. This week I am teaching the older and higher level group. They take the lesson very seriously and it is clear that they want to learn; asking questions and taking notes consistently. The 2-hour class goes by very fast because a lot of the time is spent on actually practicing the lesson versus teaching it. Today I taught subjunctives in English and prepositions. It's unfortunate and understandably frustrating that there is simply no better response to some questions except "That's just how it is in English". I remember being in Spanish class and confused as the professor told me the same thing. Nonetheless, they are really improving. A lot of them are taking English courses because it is required for their studies or because they hope that it will provide them with better job opportunities.
My first week of teaching went by soo fast! We had a teacher's meeting on Friday morning which was more of a goodbye/welcome to the volunteers who just arrived and whom were leaving. Next Monday, after Holy Week, there will be another girl from the United States. The meeting was all in Spanish (in an attempt for us to practice and learn) then we had a delicious breakfast of hot chocolate, bread, fruits, and tamales. The meeting went through lunch and we all went for beers afterward. The people at this Institute are such an array of personalities and experiences. Each one of them is so kind, offering suggestions and their place to stay if we intend to travel to their cities. I am so thankful to be where I am right now.
My host family took a trip to Paipa which is where Edison’s sister, Sandra (who is in my English classes) works. In Paipa, we went pedaling on a boat, enjoying the relaxing view and company. Just after the rain began to pour, we went to a historical monument called Pantano de Vargas. This important historical site was where the battle took place with 14 tired horsemen led by the Venezuelan leader Simon Bolivar against the Spaniards. With his motivation and efforts, they won the battle, claiming Independence to the Granada. A man dressed as one of the horsemen spoke extensively about the history (in very fast Spanish) while it rained. Afterward, we visited another city called Duitama but it was in the evening and we only went there to go to a sauna. The sauna was the perfect end to the day. There were three different sauna options ranging by the extent of the heat.
The next morning, I attended mass as part of the cultural experience of celebrating Semana Santa. The church was overcrowded with Colombians trying to get inside. I stood in the back, half-listening to the service and half observing the people. It was an interesting site to see. So many devoted Catholics rejoicing in the name of God. Afterward, we went to a food truck area but there were not many places open so instead, we ended up driving all the way to Sogomosa. The drive was so beautiful. I was surrounded by green mountains as we drove all the way up to Playa Blanca (Lago de Tota). 3 hours later and a car full of hungry people, we made it to the beach. Playa Blanca is the second largest lake in South America, stretching endlessly for miles.
Due to Semana Santa, the prices of everything was doubled and there twice as many people. On Monday, Hugh (another teacher from the Institute from England) and I went to San Gil. San Gil is considered the capital of adventures and extreme sports. It’s about a 4-and-a-half-hour bus ride to San Gil and we checked into our Hostel called La Mansion, located near the main park. We signed up to do Canyoning the next morning and spent most of the evening in the Parque Gallineral. This park is a huge tourist attraction with well-maintained services. Two swimming pools, a turtle sanctuary, an amphitheater, and many bridges later, we had walked through the entire park. Signs of rain was approaching so we made a quick decision to run back to our hostel before it poured.
Canyoning was a dream come true for me! I have always wanted to partake in this “extreme sport” and doing in the canyons of Colombia seemed like the perfect situation. There were only 3 of us, 4 including the tour guide. We jumped and repelled throughout the beautiful nature. I paid a total of 90,000 Colombian pesos which equaled to about $30 US dollars. Occasionally, Adrian would tell us the name of a tree or bug- he had been doing it for 10 years. After returning from Canyoning, Marc met up with Hugh and I to visit a swimming hole called Pescaderita. Marc is a Swiss German from Zurich who is traveling on his own in Colombia because he is in between jobs. He started in Nicaragua with his surfboard and made his way to San Gil. We made the mistake of going to the main bus terminal instead of the terminalito. Then we walked for 40 minutes and finally found the area of swimming. There were over 5 different natural pools to choose from. It reminded me of swimming holes in Oregon in the Summer time. For fear of missing the last bus, we headed back to San Gil. That evening, the hostel was hosting a Tejo night with the other hostel chain, Sam’s VIP. Roughly 15 people joined the traditional Colombian game of throwing a rock into a mud pit of potential explosions. Our team was the first to receive 21 points and win. The other game (of which I can't remember the name of) was much more difficult and required more strategy. The goal was to throw the marble-like ball and to hit the pins on the other side. I don’t think I was actually ever able to succeed in hitting a pin down.
At 7 am, we (Hugh, Marc, Luis, and I) embarked to Barichara, considered one of the most beautiful colonial towns in Colombia. While there, we ventured on the Camino Real path which leads from Barichara to a small pueblo called Guane. The path takes a little over an hour, but we stopped along the way at a small house that was selling frescos. The beginning of the hike was covered in fog, but once it lifted, we realized that tall green mountains surrounded us. Consequently, the sun was also much stronger as well. On the way back to Barichara, we met two Colombian girls who were visiting from Bogota. We spent the day with them, drinking beer and sharing traveling stories. They had excellent English and were both able to speak 4 different languages. I made plans to meet up with them in Bogota only to run into them again at the bus terminal heading back to Tunja the next day. That evening we played an "intense" match of Ping Pong with other guests in the hostel then headed out to enjoy our last night in San Gil. A group of young musicians was in the main park, improvising music and we joined them. Luis (a Colombian from our hostel) brought his violin with him and joined the group at the park. Ah what a site, sound, and experience! Oh did I mention that I tried ants? Not just any ants those, these are rather large, salty, and crunchy.
I tried tamal- a typical plate of Colombia. It is a combination of rice and meat cooked in plantain leaves. It was so delicious! I have given up on trying to be vegetarian while abroad...There are too many traditional plates that I want to try that I feel are important for learning about the culture and it has become impossible to maintain the meatless diet (sometimes a choice between eating or nearly starving for the day)
My host family took me out on Saturday night. We went to a hip beer/restaurant called the Bogota Beer Company which specializes in artesinal beers. Classic American songs were playing in the background, making it very difficult to concentrate solely on the Spanish conversations. Oddly the basketball game with the Trailblazers against Houston was also playing….it was strange because most Colombians don’t speak nor understand English but it seems that Americanization was prevalent even in the small town of Tunja. I was mistaken as being the Colombian and not the foreigner...
Today (Monday) I begin teaching. I have been tasked to teach in the evenings Monday’s-Wednesday’s and on Thursday and Saturday, I teach in the mornings. Thursday is the only day that I will be going to the different location in the centro. The students range from different levels to different ages. This week I am teaching the older and higher level group. They take the lesson very seriously and it is clear that they want to learn; asking questions and taking notes consistently. The 2-hour class goes by very fast because a lot of the time is spent on actually practicing the lesson versus teaching it. Today I taught subjunctives in English and prepositions. It's unfortunate and understandably frustrating that there is simply no better response to some questions except "That's just how it is in English". I remember being in Spanish class and confused as the professor told me the same thing. Nonetheless, they are really improving. A lot of them are taking English courses because it is required for their studies or because they hope that it will provide them with better job opportunities.
My first week of teaching went by soo fast! We had a teacher's meeting on Friday morning which was more of a goodbye/welcome to the volunteers who just arrived and whom were leaving. Next Monday, after Holy Week, there will be another girl from the United States. The meeting was all in Spanish (in an attempt for us to practice and learn) then we had a delicious breakfast of hot chocolate, bread, fruits, and tamales. The meeting went through lunch and we all went for beers afterward. The people at this Institute are such an array of personalities and experiences. Each one of them is so kind, offering suggestions and their place to stay if we intend to travel to their cities. I am so thankful to be where I am right now.
My host family took a trip to Paipa which is where Edison’s sister, Sandra (who is in my English classes) works. In Paipa, we went pedaling on a boat, enjoying the relaxing view and company. Just after the rain began to pour, we went to a historical monument called Pantano de Vargas. This important historical site was where the battle took place with 14 tired horsemen led by the Venezuelan leader Simon Bolivar against the Spaniards. With his motivation and efforts, they won the battle, claiming Independence to the Granada. A man dressed as one of the horsemen spoke extensively about the history (in very fast Spanish) while it rained. Afterward, we visited another city called Duitama but it was in the evening and we only went there to go to a sauna. The sauna was the perfect end to the day. There were three different sauna options ranging by the extent of the heat.
The next morning, I attended mass as part of the cultural experience of celebrating Semana Santa. The church was overcrowded with Colombians trying to get inside. I stood in the back, half-listening to the service and half observing the people. It was an interesting site to see. So many devoted Catholics rejoicing in the name of God. Afterward, we went to a food truck area but there were not many places open so instead, we ended up driving all the way to Sogomosa. The drive was so beautiful. I was surrounded by green mountains as we drove all the way up to Playa Blanca (Lago de Tota). 3 hours later and a car full of hungry people, we made it to the beach. Playa Blanca is the second largest lake in South America, stretching endlessly for miles. 
Due to Semana Santa, the prices of everything was doubled and there twice as many people. On Monday, Hugh (another teacher from the Institute from England) and I went to San Gil. San Gil is considered the capital of adventures and extreme sports. It’s about a 4-and-a-half-hour bus ride to San Gil and we checked into our Hostel called La Mansion, located near the main park. We signed up to do Canyoning the next morning and spent most of the evening in the Parque Gallineral. This park is a huge tourist attraction with well-maintained services. Two swimming pools, a turtle sanctuary, an amphitheater, and many bridges later, we had walked through the entire park. Signs of rain was approaching so we made a quick decision to run back to our hostel before it poured. 
Canyoning was a dream come true for me! I have always wanted to partake in this “extreme sport” and doing in the canyons of Colombia seemed like the perfect situation. There were only 3 of us, 4 including the tour guide. We jumped and repelled throughout the beautiful nature. I paid a total of 90,000 Colombian pesos which equaled to about $30 US dollars. Occasionally, Adrian would tell us the name of a tree or bug- he had been doing it for 10 years. After returning from Canyoning, Marc met up with Hugh and I to visit a swimming hole called Pescaderita. Marc is a Swiss German from Zurich who is traveling on his own in Colombia because he is in between jobs. He started in Nicaragua with his surfboard and made his way to San Gil. We made the mistake of going to the main bus terminal instead of the terminalito. Then we walked for 40 minutes and finally found the area of swimming. There were over 5 different natural pools to choose from. It reminded me of swimming holes in Oregon in the Summer time. For fear of missing the last bus, we headed back to San Gil. That evening, the hostel was hosting a Tejo night with the other hostel chain, Sam’s VIP. Roughly 15 people joined the traditional Colombian game of throwing a rock into a mud pit of potential explosions. Our team was the first to receive 21 points and win. The other game (of which I can't remember the name of) was much more difficult and required more strategy. The goal was to throw the marble-like ball and to hit the pins on the other side. I don’t think I was actually ever able to succeed in hitting a pin down.
At 7 am, we (Hugh, Marc, Luis, and I) embarked to Barichara, considered one of the most beautiful colonial towns in Colombia. While there, we ventured on the Camino Real path which leads from Barichara to a small pueblo called Guane. The path takes a little over an hour, but we stopped along the way at a small house that was selling frescos. The beginning of the hike was covered in fog, but once it lifted, we realized that tall green mountains surrounded us. Consequently, the sun was also much stronger as well. On the way back to Barichara, we met two Colombian girls who were visiting from Bogota. We spent the day with them, drinking beer and sharing traveling stories. They had excellent English and were both able to speak 4 different languages. I made plans to meet up with them in Bogota only to run into them again at the bus terminal heading back to Tunja the next day. That evening we played an "intense" match of Ping Pong with other guests in the hostel then headed out to enjoy our last night in San Gil. A group of young musicians was in the main park, improvising music and we joined them. Luis (a Colombian from our hostel) brought his violin with him and joined the group at the park. Ah what a site, sound, and experience! Oh did I mention that I tried ants? Not just any ants those, these are rather large, salty, and crunchy.
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