I have worked on this post all morning on and off and it has turned into quite a long one, one that I do not expect everyone to read or enjoy, but it has provoked many important personal reflexions and thoughts... please bare with me as this as become a beautiful outlet for me to put words to my feelings, experiences, dreams, emotions, desires and longings.....
First, I want to add some pictures from small adventures I have taken around the city......
A few weeks ago Meg, Miles and I used our puente Monday (three day weekend) to make a late afternoon mission up Nutibara to Pueblito Paisa, a historic example of what a classic Antioqueño township looks like. At the top of the hill sits a museum style township, and a small park where families come on the weekends to fly kites with their children. I had gone to lunch with my host people and was literally dying of a food coma. I was so uncomfortably full I could hardly breathe and thought moving around might help.
pueblito paisa.
Kite flying Colombians
Medellín from Nutibara looking North
Despite being in a food coma and hardly able to breathe from the Cazuela I had for lunch, I am able to smile with my new ciudad behind me!
The high rises of El Poblado
los pies descalzos de serena y miles
Colombian children disfrutando the fountains.
Usually during the months I spend at home, I spend my Sunday's hustling and bustling around Queenie's making sure people get their soy lattes, huevos rancheros, water and coffee refills and eggs benedict, the Sunday special. I love Sunday mornings at Queenies, even though at times I want to kill myself as Anne and I run around like chickens with our heads cut off as I too am recovering from the night before. Sundays in Claremont consisted of sleeping in as long as possible, a leisurely breakfast and then facing the reality of the weekend's homework I had put off. Sundays spent doing nothing leave me with an unsettled feeling, part of me truly enjoying the my ability to do nothing, while feeling extremely lazy, lame and inadequate and at times wishing I was somewhere else... today, I've wished I was at home having gluten-free pancakes with my parents celebrating their anniversary........or at Queenie's making some well earned tips and sharing my morning and the local news with some of the most wonderful people I know.........or at Dana Grey watching my two best friends dominate in a women's soccer tournament............ or lastly, waking up to 100 degree sunshine beating in through the sliding glass doors in my Marshall Court bedroom, then retreating to the swimming pool to bronze my skin and "do some reading". I'd never thought I'd miss my Pitzer life, but I really do, especially my life last year. Although it was dramatic, sad in ways and consisted of some of my less fine moments, it was quite a year of change and growth, just what I needed after the crazy adventure Ecuador was and the status it left my body. Many aspects of that life combined with many more aspects of my Elk life are what I yearn for now, but unrealistic possibilities for life in Medellín. Sometimes its hard to believe that life is forever in the past. Some of these aspects I miss are not totally an impossible reality here in Medellín and beginning Thursday when I move to a new part of the city have a more independent life and living with young friends I hope to add these things some of them as simple as cooking myself breakfast and having friends to wake up to.
Today, part of me feels kind of lame considering my weekend hardly consisted of alcohol, discos and reggaeton but I am aware that this is just social pressures and have also impressed myself with being ok with a mellow night that involves good company, crispetas and a romantic comedy that left Meg and I crippled with laughter. Not sure how Miles felt about it, but sometimes good comic relief is just what one needs. Unfortunately, the night ended with a reminder and a scare of the reality of Medellín. Don't worry nothing happened but Meg and I, well Meg much more than I, were taught a lesson and reminded of the Colombian reality.
After the movie, it was raining, we were tired, the mall was closed and we just wanted to get home. We have been told countless times to never hail taxi's on the street, especially at night and to always call them and write down the placa numbers of your friend's taxis so if something were to happen you'd be able to find them. I was warned this same things in Quito, but quickly got lazy and always hailed taxis on the street, late at night and nothing ever happened to me (luckily!). I have already begun to get lazy with my safety precautions here as most people are warm, welcoming and overly kind making me feel quite safe. However, this is Colombia and its better safe than sorry because who knows what sorry really entails. Last night, Miles got in a taxi, Meg hailed a second one and was in the process of hailing a third when i suggested we just share it. We got in, the driver was a little strange but we were together and it seemed ok. He took us through some back roads to get to my house first, but I had a general idea of where we were and I wasn't worried. As I got out of the car there was a flash of lightning and a large clap of thunder, I screamed as I scurried in through the two gates. I told Meg to text me when she got home, our usual method. I got home, got ready for bed and it had been a half hour and I hadn't heard from Meg. Then she called, "Serena, I had to call you and not text you to tell you about that taxi ride. It was so intense!" "Oh my god Meg, what happened?" My heart was pounding for her. "Nothing bad, but as we drove away the taxi driver rolled up all the windows took me the back way home and told me he had to teach me a lesson about Medellín." Meg thought this was it, this was how it was going to happen and she was worried that she only had a few pesos to give him. However, luckily this was not what happened. Instead the man just wanted to tell her that we had put ourselves in danger tonight in the way we hailed the taxi, didn't write down the placa and the fact that we are beautiful American girls. The lesson was certainly one of fear, but a realistic reminder that by being stupid and not extra cautious we are putting no one else at risk but ourselves. As I listened to Meg's story I knew everything the driver said was true, but it bummed me out to remember this reality and the fact that calling and waiting for taxi's as a safety measure just makes being out after dark that much more of a big deal and a big effort.
Friday night was another story, and even though I was home and in my pajamas by 11:30 it was probably my best night in Colombia so far. Jessy Kronenberg (my dear friend, ex-housemate and favorite roadtrip buddy, Daniela's sister) has lived in Medellín a year now and is practically Paisa. She's got the city figured out and she's got a wonderful community and "family" here in Medellín. She has been quite kind and welcoming to me and her Paisa World. Last Friday we met in Envigado (the Brooklyn of Medellín) and spent an hour and a half sitting and "watching life pass by" in Parque Envigado as thunder roared around us. We then headed up the road to her "abuela" Magola's house for tea and dinner. Magola lives in a 100 year old house that is beautifully quaint and classically Colombian. Open to the elements, with an indoor flower garden, slanted stone floors, antique furniture, an outdoor herb garden, two old stoves and a paila for making helado de paila and arequipe outside. She is a wonderful woman who welcomed me a large, blue-eyed gringa into her home without a second of hesitation. This Friday we made a repeat trip to Envigado. I went with Jessy to her English class with three young Colombian boys who are eager and motivated to learn English. We sat and talked about college as two of the boys are graduating in November and looking forward to University life! Afterwards we made our way back to the Park and up to a sweet little old fashioned Tavern near Magola's house where every Friday evening Jessy's "tios" meet to sit outside in the pleasant Medellín climate and drink Aguardiente or Vino. The three men, Alirio, Raul and Jairo welcomed me to the table in as much kindness as Magola had the weekend before. They ordered Jessy and I have half bottle of Vino Chileno to split and then another and then another. In typical Paisa tradition our drinks were accompanied by carrots, mangoes, chips, cheese puffs, popcorn and other small snacks "pa'picar" (this might be one of my favorite parts about going out for drinks here in Antioquia). We talked about everything under the sun with these men and it truly felt like a family outing. Alirio is a business man who has done quite well in life, but uses his wealth to give back to the Colombian people. As is usual, people continuously came by trying to sell lottery tickets and random knickknacks. Most people just wave them away, but Alivio bought something from every one of them even though he clearly did not need them. Some items purchased were: a jesus on the cross wall hanging, a complete needle pack with needles for every kind of sewing necessary, many pirated DVDs, and two lottery tickets. His kindness overwhelmed me. The tavern was decorated with old instruments and portraits of an antique style. The only music playing was played on records leaving us with a soundtrack of music from the 1950s-1970s. As we sat outside with a warm breeze blowing in our faces occasionally an old car would drive by and I couldn't help but feel as if I was sitting in Medellín in 1970. Sure, I was probably safer than I would have been back then, but it was truly a magical night. Two older women dressed up in fancy silk shirts and lots of makeup came in and Raul leaned in and explained to me that these women come in to the Tavern every friday without their husbands, they get super dressed up and come in to share a media botella de aguaardiente. I loved this anecdote and couldn't take my eyes off the women for the rest of the evening, loving the simplicity of their lives. As the night began to come to a close (for Jessy and I, the other men remained) they called us a taxi, a man "de confianza", who they called personally and he took us home. I got home happily buzzed feeling content with a night that included more than juvenile debauchery in Parque Lleras.
La Taverna en Envigado
Jessy y yo con los tios Alirio y Jairo
Truly enjoying the evening
just two girls and some vino.
Jessy explained something very interesting to me about the different estrata's of the city. I am living in an estrata 3/4 of 5 or 6. These estratas are divided by socioeconomic class and in each estrata you live there is a base energy and water rate that all residents must pay. For example, people living in El Poblado (Estrata 6) bay a high base rate and subsidize those living in Barrio Santo Domingo (where we were headed Saturday) who pay close to nothing. In a country and city as divided as Medellín and Colombia this seems like a great set up. We got to the library and settled into the auditorium excited to watch this movie which describes and shows the beautiful rural life of the Colombian Andes while telling a real story of the violence and narco-trafficking experienced here. But, in classic Latin-American style technical difficulties did not allow us to watch the film, so I'm left eager to see this film at another time. So instead, we wandered around this barrio, got some ice cream and stared out over the city as many children and families wandered and played in the park behind us. We then headed back down the Metrocable over an unbelievable roar of children's voices. I was impressed by the sheer number of children living and playing in this barrio, but it makes sense, poorer people have more children and despite living with little money, opportunities and in makeshift brick houses built in the mountainside, these children still have a smile on their faces and are living and enjoying life to the fullest.
Well it appears to be another lazy Sunday on Calle 13 here in Medellín. Sometimes I frustrate myself at my ability to truly "waste time", but then I remind myself that's just the American in me talking and really I'm just doing what the Romans do. Luz Mary has been wandering around the apartment making phone calls, listening to Christian Hymns, reading and relaxing. While Jairo has, for a change, been gone all day "at work", meaning, playing saxophone at a birthday party or some other event outside the city. A lesson I will have learned by the end of this year is to be content and comfortable in the way my days go, to be able to let go of the regret and wishes that I was elsewhere doing other things. Today seems as if it will be a day to ponder life.... if only I had a forest cabin, a puff of a medicinal herb and a dear friend to do it with.
No comments:
Post a Comment