Welcome to paradise!!!

By Edwige

Last Monday I was thinking: mmmmhhh I had a great weekend!!! A long, great chilling-drinking session on Friday night at David's, a great dinner and family at Enrique's place on Saturday and Sundays by the pool!!! Pretty great I can say... But what came next...mind-blowing!!!

We have planned this trip for so long, and I might say this was what kept us going :) And here it was: after a super stressed week in school and celebration of Saint Patrick's Day (me as leading role :D) on Friday...I jump on Julio's moto and rush to the main station for tickets. A bit of negotiation, a ticket sold in front of the office (just one for 5 persons), an unknown company....but nothing can take way the urge!!!

Shopping, fast luggage and shower, no sleep, a taxi in the middle of the night down to the southern station. 4 hours and a nap later we arrive in Santa Marta. Crowded market place, tiendas everywhere but still not much take away food... We hop on the first bus to Tayrona and after one hour...here we are in a dusty parking place, taking a sweet coffee "without sugar" and a "dedito con queso".

After another hour of negotiation for the entrance ticket (35.000 COP for foreigners) we are alone with in the jungle. We enjoy the walk, colored insects, flowers and lizards to get to the Caribbean Sea. I was already feeling like in a postcard, so I am still poor in epithets.

There were three days of walking through coconut forests, huge rocks, blue sea and hammocks. In fact, I don't remember exactly the dream cause I looked on the mirror when I woke up....:)






By Edwige

Everything was really like in a dream, just the sun burns are waking me up now and today's Adelante triunfante norteno!!! All those colored birds, huge butterflies, the blue sea, white sand, colorful hammocks and laid-back people and the loud music of jungle...hmmm...

Adelante triunfante norteno!!!

On Tuesday I enjoyed my first community meeting in which both students and teachers gather in the yard doing the following:
1. prayer
2. Colombian anthem and flag raising
3. Anthem of Valledupar and flag raising
4. Anthem of the college and flag raising - you can listen to it here http://gimnorte.edu.co/himno.htm
5. Flowers for Women's Day
6. Los mariachi para las senoras (I was asking myself why not vallenato?! Didn't find an answer yet, but might be because they consider mariachi something very extravagant :))
Everything was for me very strange and I think pointless. To have this meeting with the flags and anthems each Tuesday is a bit too much for me to handle...pero, asi es la vida!!! But the strangest thing was their "heil!" sign that they do while raising the flag - it's kind of heil but with a more complex position of the fingers.
Find more here :D http://gimnorte.edu.co/video.htm
The day continued with a moto ride to "Las Galerias": a loooot of people, tiendas and fruit juices everywhere and crazy traffic on my way home, but life from the back sit of a moto taxi is great.

News from el almuerzo:
- bananas (platano) everywhere: in the soup, as chips or cooked in some sauce;
- yuka basically sucks...didn't find a satisfying formula yet.
- tomate del arbol juice: DELICIOUS!!! DECILIOUS!!!

Weather forecast: FUCK the wind man!!!
It's awful!!! The wind is blowing strongly 24/7 bringing all the sand in my room, papers, nose, throat, eyes etc... Plus, every night it feels like the world has come to an end with all those sounds...

PS. Hope you'll like the anthem :))

Me llaman calle...

By Dasa
No, no, I haven't met Manu Chao yet...but going out in the streets feels good.

After an exhausting week in school, registration in DAS (it's something like people evidence or something), finally weekend... So yesterday night we went out with the couchsurfers and it was great. We've talked a lot about lot of things, we laughed, drank beers and have an awesome time.

And like all good things...we ended up in the alternative bar again. It felt good, I almost can say I was out with my group of friends :) And in this occasion I found out some new tips to discover the area. And few minutes ago the land lord told us that he can take us to some pueblito close by where is colder and nicer...So, really looking forward!

New things that I've tryed:
- tutti frutti - fruits madness, all the fruits in one glass, really really good :)
- jugo de mango - good but not that awesome
- kalentao de la finca - humongous portion in Kokoriko (a restaurant in the shopping mall nearby) for 12.000 pesos; pretty delicious but to many things on only one plate: rice, 2 types of potatoes, chicken, arepa, egg...a bit too much :)


by Dasa



Greta and me in the alternative bar (also by Dasa)

News

So, I was thinking the you might like an update :) Everything is going according the plan: still 35 degrees, still nasty kids in school, same lesson plans :) But this place is getting better because of the people!!! :)

Today there was my day in the radio. So in the big break there were Suie Paparude, Shukar Collective, Taraful din Clejani, Phoenix, Les Elephants Bizairre, Aeroport, G. Enescu in the background for the interview and it triumphantly ended with Edward Maya which of course it was the most successful. It was really great!!! At least the foreign teachers appreciated it and the intercultural exchange goes perfect!

Today apparently it was the cultural day, cause getting back home, we had some short unscheduled salsa lesson on the balcony and then short films honoring women in the Alianza Francesa. So a pretty good day for science :)

And about the children, some of them might already hate me, but that's good :D Muhahahaha! (I wouldn't say this in a normal disciplined school, but here....this is the way thinks work :D)

In meanwhile...oh joy!!! Here's the weekend! :)

PS. There was here also a celebration of 1st of March (no spring, don't even dream about it) - the day of the accountants!!! :-S