Here's the problem with being abroad: everyday I experience so many interesting, strange, funny, noteworthy and philosophical moments, conversations, interactions and observations that when they happen I think "oh I want to tell (insert name here) about this" or "(insert name here) would find this really funny or interesting". Then my day goes on and before I have a chance to tell (insert name here) about that moment too many have built up and its impossible to share them all much less remember them all. But, that is why I have my other Fulbrighters, we share daily texts, emails and stories (often over delicious chocolate and coffee) of interesting anecdotes, frustrations and happenings of our days and we can all entirely appreciate and laugh or commisurate and be supportive.
Many things have happened since my last blog post and more than just everyday events and occurrences I have found that I have let go and eased further into mi vida Colombiana. I came to a realization as I was walking to the gym one morning that I had to give up on trying to recreate the California lifestyle I have lived since returning from Ecuador and accept the many realities of life in Medellín that may or may not be entirely ideal to me. Such as the following a) plans you create for the day can get totally shut down and you feel like your day is a total failure b) no matter how hard I try, avoiding meat and fried foods is almost impossible c) everything, I repeat everything, is 1.5-2 times slower here in Colombian than in the US.. except the speed of taxis and buses and d) official dates, times and bus routes are non-existant (can you believe an academic calendar actually does not exist for U de M?). However, this slowness and relaxed way of going about life (that us American's might mistake as laziness or flakiness) is something I truly admire about South American culture. A friend who has been living in Medellín for a year described to me Parque Belén (a park near my house) as a great place where "in the afternoons you can find old men in their silly hats playing chess or simply watching life go by". This couldn't be a better description of Parque Belén and the Colombian life. I often find myself briskly weaving in and out of people wandering down the street walking at a glacial pace with no hurry to get anywhere while also passing men and women sitting on balconies or outside their shops just observing life. Who knows what they are thinking and pondering, but the point is they are content. There is no where else they'd rather be and even if there is somewhere else they ought to be they are in no rush to get there. I can name a few dear friends who are incredibly good at living this way (often to the chagrin of faster moving others) as this is also a wonderful characteristic of the Mendocino life-style, but for the most part we Americans do not possess this quality.We are always on the go: Starbucks to go, drive-thru restaurants and extreme punctuality. A friend writes about and reflects on this trait in his memoir about biking through the Andes from Ecuador to Venezuela and although it can at times be extremely frustrating it is something that brings back a familiar feeling from Ecuador and something I am sure to ponder and at times hate and admire during the next 10 months. They live sin prisa (without hurry).
I am now in my second week of teaching at La Universidad de Medellín and things are going well. I work 16 (ish) hours a week on campus which is sure to become more as I begin helping Edgar (my University host) edit the book he is writing, create office hours to help students with whatever English concern they may have and potentially start a casual conversation group for students who want more practice speaking English and talking about US/Colombia cultural differences. My role in the classes is exactly what my title, English Teaching Assistant, applies. I go to classes and assist the professors in whatever they need: I can be a helping hand in what they already have planned for the class, I can plan additional lesson plans elaborating what they have been working on or cultural lessons about the US or I can be used to read dialogues and stories introducing the students to what a true American accent sounds like. I have mostly been pleasantly surprised with the excitement and acceptance of the students as well as surprised by the varying levels of English. Within one intermediate course the competency can range from proficient fluency to an inability to create a sentence and instead a string of practically incomprehensible words. This makes for quite a challenge for the instructors. Another difficulty is that many of the instructors are not native speakers, therefore they do not speak entirely correct and have an accent. This teaches the students incorrect pronunciation and furthers the many common mistakes of Spanish speakers when speaking English. This is why Edgar stresses the importance of my attendance to the classes. This also makes me wonder about language acquisition... who is best fit to be a language instructor? A true native speaker or one who has already learned the language?
In other news, last Saturday we went to the Pitbull concert. If you don't know who Pitbull is, don't worry you are among 85% of Colombians who also have never heard of him. Pitbull is from Miami (I think) and sings his songs in Spanglish. The concert was in a huge venue and only a fraction full. We were in the way back (where the cheapest tickets were) surrounded by Americans and Brits and a few gangster Colombians (literally throwing up gang signs the whole concert.. very strange and kind of scary). We got to the concert at 9:30 but didn't make it into the hall until about 10:30/11:00. By the time we got inside we had missed the first opening band. At about midnight the second opening band came on. Here's how this concert worked: one band played a 1-2 hr set then there was a 1.5 hour break in between sets, then another band played their set, then another 1.5 hour break, then FINALLY the headliner (Pitbull) comes on at 2:15 a.m. plays a short but epic set and I was home by 3:45 a.m. Although Pitbull's set was extremely short (under an hour) I quite enjoyed myself as (I'm embarrassed to admit) he performed half my workout playlist and since there was hardly anyone there I had lots of space to dance and it was basically a zumba class with live performers.
And here I am on the verge of another weekend in Medellín, who knows what this weekend has in store for me (other than classes 8-12 on Saturday.. womp womp). We have talked about planning a trip out of the city, however there is always so much going on here in Medellín we can always find something to entertain us here. But we do have 10 more months (actually only 9 now.. crazy!) to do plenty of travelling.
Until next time... love you all....
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