Contents ---
@ = AIESEC
@er = AIESECer/member
Foundation Santa Marta Without Limits = non-profit organization that hosts the workshops
Laura Vicuña = the all-girls secondary school (6-11 grade)
Leadership School = an elite group of students from Laura Vicuña that participate in the workshops
TM = Team Managment, @ group
ICX = Incoming Exchange, @ group
U = University of Magdalena
Saturday 5/21: I had my first soccer practice. At the U, the sports teams are divided by academic program. For the most part, the teams only compete within the U. I am a defender for the International Business/Economics women's team. The girls are super nice! I managed to hold my own, but I sure was red by the end! I was unable to attend the next game, and the final game was canceled. So, I have yet to actually compete, but we are planning to practice a bunch during the summer. Can't wait! Afterwards, I assisted some friends with an all-English presentation about the Cuban Missile Crisis. Pronunciation of English is very difficult for native Spanish speakers because English is much more harsh, abrasive language, without the soft flow and tones of Spanish. I love the environment here: I am a student of Spanish, and my friends are students of Spanish. No one is embarrassed to ask for help or admit error. We are learning together. That night, I attended the AIESEC graduation ceremony for new members. There sure are a lot of newbies! The LC here consists of around 40-50 members. After the ceremony, I ate with a group at a fast food restaurant named Vomito (vomit). The restaurant is famous for the crazy, large pizzas topped with chicken, pepperoni, ham, sausage, french fries, lettuce, cheese, peppers, several sauces and a ton more! I also tried Salchi Papa, a similar and very popular dish. To end the night, we went to Downtown, I had my first Colombian clubbing experience. We ended up at a club named Mi Sitio (My Hangout). We talked, we danced, we drank. It was a really fun night!
Sunday 5/22: I woke up late, after my night of partying. On Sundays, Angela, the nanny of sorts, does not work at the house. So, the family cleans and cooks. I was in charge of fixing lunch and dinner. A learning experience. For lunch, I cooked tuna, potato soup, rice, and sweetened plantains. I am a pure novice in the kitchen, so I struggled to balance all of the cooking tasks at once with my somewhat understood Spanglish directions. David, the eldest brother, assisted me. I owe him many thanks. In the end, the food tasted pretty decent. However, I burned the bottom side of the plantains. Ayayay! For dinner, I cooked hot dogs (perros calientes). My family's attempt to introduce some U.S. familiarity for me. However, hot dogs are considered plain, flavorless food here in comparison to Colombian cuisine. That night, I went to the movies and watched Pirates of the Caribbean 4 completely in Spanish. I understood the majority of everything, but I missed some of the verbal comedy. Comedy is so difficult to translate in other languages. Some people barely understand humor in their own language! I also met some awesome new people: an AIESEC member who worked in Turkey for a year and a fellow University student who hopes to be a language teacher.
Monday 5/23: We had our weekly morning meeting at the Foundation. We discusses the plans for Saturday's workshop. My job: to work in the office on preparing activities, games, and theme presentations, finding locations for the workshops, and contacting businesses for financial support. I have yet to actually work in the office. Most of my work occurs at home. The plans we established on Monday eventually changed before the date of the workshop. I have learned that nothing remains concrete or certain. As a result, you must communicate frequently and adapt quickly. Improvisation!
Tuesday 5/24: I assisted with basic English classes at the high school. The girls had to dress up as famous characters and describe that person's traits and activities. Some of the characters included Hannah Montana, Miranda Cosgrove, Selena Gomez, Marge Simpsons. I had a lot of fun watching and assisting! Later that day, we had a group meeting about the Saturday workshop to clarify job descriptions and begin developing the workshop activities. That evening, I hung out with Maira, VPTM, and some other cool cats! We walked from the U to other houses. It is interesting to compare the design and size of homes here. However, it is common that students from other cities outside Santa Marta live in Pensiones. The U does not have dorms, so the students essentially rent out a room from someone else's house. I met a girl who lived in South Carolina for a year with her father. I cringed at the thought of a small town in South Carolina as the only impression of the US. I also met a girl who might travel with me to Barranquilla! However, I am still in the process of developing all of my travel plans. That night, Maira had me do an activity about life goals. Essentially, you draw and write your goals for the next five years. Ever since, I've been thinking about my future, my hopes and dreams. Maira also sent me a presentation titled The Microeconomics of Love. It is a practical application of econ in the real world, very sweet and funny in the analysis of dating, lust, and love!
Wednesday 5/25: Wednesday morning, I took the bus for the first time solo. Important: the buses here are not conformed with specific stops and starts like the Metro in Houston. Also, the buses are private, worn down vehicles. You wave for the bus to pick you up, and you shout for the bus to drop you off. The bus actually passed my stop without me realizing, so I had to back track the path without getting lost. On my way back home, I did the opposite and stopped the bus too early. Ay caramba! Once again, a learning process. Here, a bus ride costs 1,200 pesos. A short taxi ride costs 4,000 pesos. A moto taxi is the same cost as the bus. At the high school, I worked with a team of @ers to interview, film, and photograph the girls who are members of the Leadership School that participate in the workshops with the Foundation. I tried Colombiano, a distinctly Colombian drink. I believe it is equivalent to cream soda back home. Afterwards, we walked around downtown in search arroz con coco (coconut rice, a Colombian delicacy). However, it is rare to find on week days in downtown. Apparently, it is served most commonly near the beach. So, hopefully I will taste the delicacy soon! We ended up eating a nice little restaurant. The food tasted exactly like the food at home. I was struck by how authentic and traditional my living experience is here at home! Afterwards, I went to the U for a football game, our last game, but it was canceled. We were going to play against the best girls' team at the U. In their last game, the girls beat the other team 12-0. OUCH! That night, I went out with a group to a restaurant named Rico Ricos. We shared a huge, mountainous dish called Picada. It consisted of similar ingredients to the crazy pizza! Super delicious with lots of veggies and meat!!!
Thursday 5/26: In the morning, I met with other @ers about Language courses during the month of June. The other Trainees and I will teach courses, including Portuguese, German, and English (me!). In the span of two weeks, we will undertake intense documentation, organization, and advertisement for the classes. We are aiming for 45 students, 15 for each language. I am excited! I will essentially be working two jobs at once: one with the Foundation and the other with the University Language Center. I returned home for lunch and passed out on the sofa after eating. When I wok up, I had to hurry to another meeting. However, I felt such an intense fatigue, an unwillingness of my body to move. I trudged along to the U, feeling unbalanced and miserable. The problem: I need to stay more hydrates and get better rest. The people here just don't drink much. However, my body is not accustomed to the constant heat and body layer of sweat. Also, every night I dream heavily, and I wake up feeling tired from all of the stimulation. When I arrived at the U, I immediately walked over to the water fountain and drank for a good minute. :D At the meeting, we discussed the upcoming @ meeting (every Saturday afternoon). The TM team is super cool! As always, I learned a lot about the infrastructure of @. That night, I hung out with a fellow @er, and we shared a ton of music and videos. Media is one of the strongest ways to connect with someone else beyond language.
Friday 5/27: Meeeeeetings. I met with Mauricio, the head of the U Language Center. He asked for my help to edit his essays for the Fulbright Scholarship application. Hope he wins! I tried to persuade him to include University of Houston as one of his choices, since he hopes to get an MBA lol Go Coogs! I also helped him translate office titles at the U to English. The goal is to include the name of the office/lab/classroom in both Spanish and English at the entrance. Afterwards, I met with my project team to fortify the details of the workshop. I ate an awesome sweet that is essentially cheese filled with caramel. Sounds odd, but tastes amazing! That night, I went with some friends to drink a few beers and hang out. Chilltastic!
Saturday 5/28: MY FIRST WORKSHOP. AND MY BROTHER'S BIRTHDAY! Our workshop themes: Emotional Intelligence - Fear & Love for Your City. Duvan presented on Fear: What is fear? What do we fear? How do we react when we are afraid? How do fears change and develop over time? How do we overcome our fears? Afterwards, we worked with the girls in groups to create skits about 5 different types of fears and how to overcome the fear. The skits were creative and funny! Next, I attempted to present on City Pride and Contribution, but I had to improvise. However, the girls helped me when I stumbled with words and thoughts. Such a nice, loving group. To end the day, we played tag and Red Rover. I had a fun time! Also learned a lot about hot to prepare and present the workshops in the future. I returned home and decided to examine my current finances. I realized that someone had jipped me of significant change, and I also managed to lose a $20 bill at some point... or someone stole it. I was very frustrated with myself. Very frustrated. I thought that my money was disappearing far too quickly. As a result, I have managed to lose/spend $100 in two weeks. And I have a three month stay here in Santa Marta. I decided to guard my money far more carefully, and ALWAYS count my change. After my frustration, I went to the @ meeting located on the campus of a nearby, private U, named U Sergio Arboleda. It is far smaller than UniMag. The meeting lasted a good 4 hours! I attended an inspiring, short session about Motivation, played some fun games, and heard two fellow LCPs (Local Committee Presidents) speak about their experiences. As a tradition, @ers grab empanadas at a nearby restaurant after meetings at U SA. I ate a delicious empanada with chicken, cheese and rice. I also tried two new sauces: suero (milk and cheese) and sweet pineapple. SO DELICIOUS! Later that night, I went with a group to an international club called La Puerta (the door) inn downtown. The music was amazing! From all around the world, including a Spanish-flare remix of a Lil' Wayne. Very amusing. Colombians are amazing dancers! Some of the best, if not THE best, dancers I have ever seen first hand. So much rhythm, so much speed and strength and passion. I was so impressed! I need some major practice lol
Sunday 5/29: Woke up late and spent most of the day catching up with mail and documents on the computer. I took care of some business back home for UH. I enjoy tasks that connect me again with Houston, my home-base. I also Skyped with my family for a good while. Miss them! That night, I attended an ICX meeting. Once again, I learned about the infrastructure of an established @ LC. I really hope to return home and apply all of my new knowledge to assist our Houston LC. There will be two more Trainees arriving this summer. I believe both are from Brazil. One will work at a local museum, and the other will be my partner with the Foundation. Can't wait to meet her! In Colombia, exchanges to and from Brazil are SUPER popular. The majority of Trainees come from Brazil and and the majority of students travel to Brazil. One major factor: Brazil is HUGE and consists of very active and well-established @ LCs. I also had some more wicked dreams last night about natural disasters, death, and fleeing the country. Feels like I am never fully rested in the mornings.
Vocabulary Time!
El Pedo - Fart
Deshidratado - Dehydrated
Cocotazo - a knuckle hit on the head
Rocar - to Snore
Engordar - to fatten (my Colombian family is trying to engordar me!)
Siesta - Nap
*MUSICA*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4MuIYgs0EI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Q5Ye0WntU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_tvxY4ozbQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o6Mg32ot4I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To1nk4urGAs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkZhFoxYfFw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV7DOBFj-KI
Cassie
Sunday 5/22: I woke up late, after my night of partying. On Sundays, Angela, the nanny of sorts, does not work at the house. So, the family cleans and cooks. I was in charge of fixing lunch and dinner. A learning experience. For lunch, I cooked tuna, potato soup, rice, and sweetened plantains. I am a pure novice in the kitchen, so I struggled to balance all of the cooking tasks at once with my somewhat understood Spanglish directions. David, the eldest brother, assisted me. I owe him many thanks. In the end, the food tasted pretty decent. However, I burned the bottom side of the plantains. Ayayay! For dinner, I cooked hot dogs (perros calientes). My family's attempt to introduce some U.S. familiarity for me. However, hot dogs are considered plain, flavorless food here in comparison to Colombian cuisine. That night, I went to the movies and watched Pirates of the Caribbean 4 completely in Spanish. I understood the majority of everything, but I missed some of the verbal comedy. Comedy is so difficult to translate in other languages. Some people barely understand humor in their own language! I also met some awesome new people: an AIESEC member who worked in Turkey for a year and a fellow University student who hopes to be a language teacher.
Monday 5/23: We had our weekly morning meeting at the Foundation. We discusses the plans for Saturday's workshop. My job: to work in the office on preparing activities, games, and theme presentations, finding locations for the workshops, and contacting businesses for financial support. I have yet to actually work in the office. Most of my work occurs at home. The plans we established on Monday eventually changed before the date of the workshop. I have learned that nothing remains concrete or certain. As a result, you must communicate frequently and adapt quickly. Improvisation!
Tuesday 5/24: I assisted with basic English classes at the high school. The girls had to dress up as famous characters and describe that person's traits and activities. Some of the characters included Hannah Montana, Miranda Cosgrove, Selena Gomez, Marge Simpsons. I had a lot of fun watching and assisting! Later that day, we had a group meeting about the Saturday workshop to clarify job descriptions and begin developing the workshop activities. That evening, I hung out with Maira, VPTM, and some other cool cats! We walked from the U to other houses. It is interesting to compare the design and size of homes here. However, it is common that students from other cities outside Santa Marta live in Pensiones. The U does not have dorms, so the students essentially rent out a room from someone else's house. I met a girl who lived in South Carolina for a year with her father. I cringed at the thought of a small town in South Carolina as the only impression of the US. I also met a girl who might travel with me to Barranquilla! However, I am still in the process of developing all of my travel plans. That night, Maira had me do an activity about life goals. Essentially, you draw and write your goals for the next five years. Ever since, I've been thinking about my future, my hopes and dreams. Maira also sent me a presentation titled The Microeconomics of Love. It is a practical application of econ in the real world, very sweet and funny in the analysis of dating, lust, and love!
Wednesday 5/25: Wednesday morning, I took the bus for the first time solo. Important: the buses here are not conformed with specific stops and starts like the Metro in Houston. Also, the buses are private, worn down vehicles. You wave for the bus to pick you up, and you shout for the bus to drop you off. The bus actually passed my stop without me realizing, so I had to back track the path without getting lost. On my way back home, I did the opposite and stopped the bus too early. Ay caramba! Once again, a learning process. Here, a bus ride costs 1,200 pesos. A short taxi ride costs 4,000 pesos. A moto taxi is the same cost as the bus. At the high school, I worked with a team of @ers to interview, film, and photograph the girls who are members of the Leadership School that participate in the workshops with the Foundation. I tried Colombiano, a distinctly Colombian drink. I believe it is equivalent to cream soda back home. Afterwards, we walked around downtown in search arroz con coco (coconut rice, a Colombian delicacy). However, it is rare to find on week days in downtown. Apparently, it is served most commonly near the beach. So, hopefully I will taste the delicacy soon! We ended up eating a nice little restaurant. The food tasted exactly like the food at home. I was struck by how authentic and traditional my living experience is here at home! Afterwards, I went to the U for a football game, our last game, but it was canceled. We were going to play against the best girls' team at the U. In their last game, the girls beat the other team 12-0. OUCH! That night, I went out with a group to a restaurant named Rico Ricos. We shared a huge, mountainous dish called Picada. It consisted of similar ingredients to the crazy pizza! Super delicious with lots of veggies and meat!!!
Thursday 5/26: In the morning, I met with other @ers about Language courses during the month of June. The other Trainees and I will teach courses, including Portuguese, German, and English (me!). In the span of two weeks, we will undertake intense documentation, organization, and advertisement for the classes. We are aiming for 45 students, 15 for each language. I am excited! I will essentially be working two jobs at once: one with the Foundation and the other with the University Language Center. I returned home for lunch and passed out on the sofa after eating. When I wok up, I had to hurry to another meeting. However, I felt such an intense fatigue, an unwillingness of my body to move. I trudged along to the U, feeling unbalanced and miserable. The problem: I need to stay more hydrates and get better rest. The people here just don't drink much. However, my body is not accustomed to the constant heat and body layer of sweat. Also, every night I dream heavily, and I wake up feeling tired from all of the stimulation. When I arrived at the U, I immediately walked over to the water fountain and drank for a good minute. :D At the meeting, we discussed the upcoming @ meeting (every Saturday afternoon). The TM team is super cool! As always, I learned a lot about the infrastructure of @. That night, I hung out with a fellow @er, and we shared a ton of music and videos. Media is one of the strongest ways to connect with someone else beyond language.
Friday 5/27: Meeeeeetings. I met with Mauricio, the head of the U Language Center. He asked for my help to edit his essays for the Fulbright Scholarship application. Hope he wins! I tried to persuade him to include University of Houston as one of his choices, since he hopes to get an MBA lol Go Coogs! I also helped him translate office titles at the U to English. The goal is to include the name of the office/lab/classroom in both Spanish and English at the entrance. Afterwards, I met with my project team to fortify the details of the workshop. I ate an awesome sweet that is essentially cheese filled with caramel. Sounds odd, but tastes amazing! That night, I went with some friends to drink a few beers and hang out. Chilltastic!
Saturday 5/28: MY FIRST WORKSHOP. AND MY BROTHER'S BIRTHDAY! Our workshop themes: Emotional Intelligence - Fear & Love for Your City. Duvan presented on Fear: What is fear? What do we fear? How do we react when we are afraid? How do fears change and develop over time? How do we overcome our fears? Afterwards, we worked with the girls in groups to create skits about 5 different types of fears and how to overcome the fear. The skits were creative and funny! Next, I attempted to present on City Pride and Contribution, but I had to improvise. However, the girls helped me when I stumbled with words and thoughts. Such a nice, loving group. To end the day, we played tag and Red Rover. I had a fun time! Also learned a lot about hot to prepare and present the workshops in the future. I returned home and decided to examine my current finances. I realized that someone had jipped me of significant change, and I also managed to lose a $20 bill at some point... or someone stole it. I was very frustrated with myself. Very frustrated. I thought that my money was disappearing far too quickly. As a result, I have managed to lose/spend $100 in two weeks. And I have a three month stay here in Santa Marta. I decided to guard my money far more carefully, and ALWAYS count my change. After my frustration, I went to the @ meeting located on the campus of a nearby, private U, named U Sergio Arboleda. It is far smaller than UniMag. The meeting lasted a good 4 hours! I attended an inspiring, short session about Motivation, played some fun games, and heard two fellow LCPs (Local Committee Presidents) speak about their experiences. As a tradition, @ers grab empanadas at a nearby restaurant after meetings at U SA. I ate a delicious empanada with chicken, cheese and rice. I also tried two new sauces: suero (milk and cheese) and sweet pineapple. SO DELICIOUS! Later that night, I went with a group to an international club called La Puerta (the door) inn downtown. The music was amazing! From all around the world, including a Spanish-flare remix of a Lil' Wayne. Very amusing. Colombians are amazing dancers! Some of the best, if not THE best, dancers I have ever seen first hand. So much rhythm, so much speed and strength and passion. I was so impressed! I need some major practice lol
Sunday 5/29: Woke up late and spent most of the day catching up with mail and documents on the computer. I took care of some business back home for UH. I enjoy tasks that connect me again with Houston, my home-base. I also Skyped with my family for a good while. Miss them! That night, I attended an ICX meeting. Once again, I learned about the infrastructure of an established @ LC. I really hope to return home and apply all of my new knowledge to assist our Houston LC. There will be two more Trainees arriving this summer. I believe both are from Brazil. One will work at a local museum, and the other will be my partner with the Foundation. Can't wait to meet her! In Colombia, exchanges to and from Brazil are SUPER popular. The majority of Trainees come from Brazil and and the majority of students travel to Brazil. One major factor: Brazil is HUGE and consists of very active and well-established @ LCs. I also had some more wicked dreams last night about natural disasters, death, and fleeing the country. Feels like I am never fully rested in the mornings.
Vocabulary Time!
El Pedo - Fart
Deshidratado - Dehydrated
Cocotazo - a knuckle hit on the head
Rocar - to Snore
Engordar - to fatten (my Colombian family is trying to engordar me!)
Siesta - Nap
*MUSICA*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4MuIYgs0EI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Q5Ye0WntU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_tvxY4ozbQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o6Mg32ot4I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To1nk4urGAs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkZhFoxYfFw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV7DOBFj-KI
Cassie