Two months in Colombia

¡Hola a todos!

And it's already been two months here in Colombia. Unbelievable how fast time passes! It was a very eventful two months, with lots of great experiences and impressions. It was also a very sporty two months, but more on that later.

Let's go back nine weeks: On my first weekend here in Colombia I went on a trip with my third host family and the German exchange student. We went to a park together called Parque del café in Quindío. There I enjoyed my first empanada and discovered the beauty of Colombia. Because the park is full of coffee plantations and pure nature. I also sipped my first Colombian coffee there, simply delicious. Me encanta el café colombiano.

Shortly after this trip came my first day of school, at the “Salesianos de don bosco” school. And hey presto, from then on I'll be wearing a skirt and black(!) knee socks every day. School uniform, not the fanciest here in Colombia but still doable. Even though I can definitely imagine something more comfortable in 30°C than black knee socks with black sneakers and a black knee skirt. Nevertheless, the school here is definitely very different. Everyone is talking at once and on their cell phones. Not to forget that school starts here at 6:20 a.m. (-1:30 p.m.). ¡Muy temprano! A little too early for my taste but okay, what can you do? Otherwise everyone is very nice and takes great pleasure in teaching me about Colombian culture.

My first fiesta here didn't take long to come. The daughter of one of my host mother's good friends finished her architecture studies and of course that was celebrated. There was a lot of dancing and my dancing skills were put to the test for the first time. My conclusion, there is still something to be desired. But I've been taking a salsa course for four weeks now and hope that it will give me a little more skill. But we'll see in eight months how things have developed and whether I've gained a little more sense of rhythm. But one thing I can definitely say is that dancing is incredibly fun ;))

Two weeks after my arrival, we exchange students went back to the airport and traveled to Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, for Rotary's intro camp. All the exchange students gathered there and we were all able to get to know each other, which was really great. People from all over the world, mostly incredibly tall Germans and French. And a few more from other countries. We had a lot of lectures and also salsa lessons, they probably expected that we wouldn't be able to dance. Pins for our blazers were also replaced and mine now weighs 1kg more and jingles so beautifully. There was also a very interesting snack; Fruits, yogurt and grated cheese. A bit too wild a combination for my taste but okay. Cheese belongs everywhere here in Colombia, be it in coffee, hot chocolate or yoghurt. They are very reluctant to give up their beloved cheese.

Three days later I went home again and I didn't have to go to school for the next two days to recover from the incredibly stressful weekend. These must be the privileges of an exchange student.

A few weeks later, my host mother said goodbye to go on vacation with her son. But that didn't matter to me because I was well looked after. I lived with the Danish exchange student for a week and it was definitely entertaining. We also had a lot to do this week because we were somehow persuaded to take part in a dance competition in which our school took part. Yes, you heard right, I took part in a DANCE COMPETITION. I never expected that and my comfort zone is a few light years behind me at this point. In addition, as I said, my talent for dancing leaves something to be desired. But after many hours of practice and some concerns about my whole life, the presentation wasn't that bad, even if I suddenly stopped dancing in the middle of the dance because the person in front of me also stopped dancing. But like I said, it wasn't that bad. (And no, there is no video of the dance that I would like to share with you. My ego is a bit too big for that.)

I've also been playing tennis diligently for about a month. Maybe even a little too busy. To be precise, I play tennis 4 hours a week and was originally supposed to play 6 hours a week, but that was a bit too much for me. And now you're probably wondering why she plays so much if it's too much for her. But here's the thing, it wasn't my decision to play so much. My host mother arranged this for me. I think they want me to come back to Switzerland as Roger Federer in female form. So if you're ever wondering what I'm doing right now, when I'm not at school I'm most likely running after balls on the tennis court :)) Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy it , I just didn't expect it.

An absolute highlight since I've been here has been collecting coffee beans in Seville. It was another trip with my third host family and the other two exchange students. We went to pick coffee beans in the coffee plantations in Seville in the traditional way with a poncho and sombrero. They also explained to us how the red and yellow coffee beans are made, the coffee we enjoy every day for breakfast (Colombians even 4-6 times a day). After collecting coffee beans, we went to a viewing platform. From there you could see over the whole valley and it was incredibly beautiful!

Since I unfortunately have to leave again because tennis is calling, I have a little fun fact. In Colombia the word seat belt is a foreign word. Often you don't have the opportunity to buckle up and if you do, they are offended because they think you are afraid to drive with them. I then often try to explain to them that the seat belt is actually used by us and isn't just there because it can be used (even though I'm always happy to be wearing a seat belt because they often drive here like the fast and the furious ). Oh and you often travel here in a car for five or ten people. If you're wondering how it works, I honestly can't explain it, but somehow it always works, even if the trunk has to remain open every now and then. And it is also common here for four or five people to be on a motorcycle.

That was it again.

Kind regards from chimba Colombia ;))