Wow, I have not blogged in forever it seems. Well a great deal has occurred in my life in the past two weeks. I am quite comfortable in my life here now in
Colombia.
Good friends, ever so slightly improving job, better control of the language, and amazing weekend travel opportunities. It's too bad it will all come to an end in about two working weeks. The rug will be pulled right out from under me in no time and I don't think I’m prepared.
The tentative plan is to go to the Coast for a week or two, catch the pre-festivals for the Barranquilla carnival, chill out in Tayrona National Park, and see the enchanting colonial city of Cartagena before heading off to Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia to discover the rest of the continent.
On another note, last weekend I was in Manizales for an AIESEC event. Foreigners from 15 countries gathered for a global village sponsored by the mayor’s office, in honor of the feria. Sarah and I decided to get a bit more creative this time around and rather than coming with the traditional cheese in a can and plastic-like twizzlers, we made wings.
Unfortunately these wings turned out to be mostly butter due to the inability of Colombian people to handle any level of spice, but wings were made nonetheless. Oreos, peanut butter, and imported apples were also amongst the items consumed that day. Luckily we were the second to last stall, so everyone was tired and full by the time they showed up to our stand. This made for minimal chit chat that always seems to turn sour about 15% of the time in my global village experience.
Other notes of the weekend were chiva rides, seeing the Torros (bullfight), and riding to Manizales on the worst "bus" (was more van-like) in Colombia. I swear I almost murdered someone's grandmother that night because this lady kept pushing me with her purse while I was trying to sleep.
More Cool Stuff:
At the beginning of my traineeship I was more than concerned about the state of AIESEC US coming off a difficult IC. I was eager to see who would step up and take a leadership role to push the organization forward. I was scarcely expecting 2-5 people to lead as has happened in the past. Judging by what I have heard and by WSC photos, everyone stepped up to the challenge. I am very proud to be in AIESEC US, mostly for what people cannot perceive from the outside, and I am so proud to be affiliated with everyone who worked so hard this semester to really put ideas into action. The stage is set and there are a few wrinkles to be figured out before it's time to spin the ole fly-wheel. The coolest part is that I don't feel needed, both locally and nationally. I honestly think that should be the goal of any leader in AIESEC. To think long term and to find people who will do the job better than you could ever do or imagine.
I can't wait to hear about what happens next semester, when I get back, most likely ;).
To everyone, happy New Year and good luck with next semester in all areas.
