So this week was about settling in and trying to create a life for myself here in Xela. I was originally supposed to be leaving to go back to Denver March 2nd, in a week, but my time here has passed so rapidly that I want and need to stay longer to improve my Spanish. First task was to acquire funding in order to keep me alive during my extended stay. Amazingly, I had a few very generous supporters. I will likely still need money for other odds and ends if you still have interest in contributing.
http://www.gofundme.com/maqig4
I started back at my old school in Xela and have the wife of the teacher I really liked before. My new teacher, Thelma accompanied me this week in setting up my volunteer placement and looking for an apartment. By Thursday I had finally started at my volunteer work. I am torn about moving out of my homestay though. Claudia and Roberto are amazing hosts! They also have two kids that are quite friendly.
I feel some relief at not having the time constraint of learning Spanish so rapidly. It still feels like it is such a long and difficult process though. I've been very hard on myself this week on not understanding people and feeling like I never will. Also, I'm not completely crazy about Xela. There really are a lot of other foreigners and it is difficult for me to avoid them. I ran into a girl I met one of my first weeks traveling over 2 months ago which was nice but also strange to live in such small circles. And it always seems to be a party with them, every night going out. I can't keep up, not with classes and volunteering...
Also, I am struggling with my sense of loyalty, allegiance, or attachment. It's so strange not to have a connection with my old teacher, Ari. After 45 hours of classes together, just the two of us, I had felt a sort of dedication to him. But now he has other students and no time for me and he feels so distant. Things move so rapidly here. I thought it was strange in grad school where I became so connected to my teachers for 2 years only to have them repeat the process with the next class of students. But this moves even quicker. The teachers here are constantly gaining and losing, people coming and going, you build a connection, then it's gone.
I'm having those same feelings with my one friend, Patrick, that is still here from when I was here before. In the time I was gone, he has formed new friendships and the connection I once had with him seems to have weakened. But in a week, he too will be gone. How will I find some stability for myself in these months to come now that I have decided to settle with connections that are so transient?
Oh, I also started a salsa class which has been quite lovely. Every Monday-Thursday evening though it's quite difficult to fit it in with my volunteer work and having to be back home for the family meal. Another reason why it might be better for me to have an apartment.
Well, folks, that's all. With my extended stay, I don't see myself continuing a daily blog post that will likely bore you anyway. My count-up complete, I think Day 75 is a good place to stop. I hope to transition to writing regularly about my volunteer work on the website for the awesome organization that I found my placement through. Please follow me there instead.
https://www.omprakash.org/volunteer/profile/kirsten-young
Other than that, I will perhaps post on occasion here too but feel that it will be too much to keep up with and a bit boring now that I'm staying in one place for awhile.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Day 71 (Arriving back in Xela)
My plan had been to stay in a hostel near the bus companies in Zona 1 so that I would not have to pay for another taxi in the morning. However, it just so happened that the hostel I selected also had a delicious banana/strawberry pancake breakfast beginning at 8am. Therefore, I had a somewhat leisurely morning before heading out to find a bus to get myself to Xela. However, once I started out I realized that I'd missed the early bus out to Xela which was at 8am and that there wasn't another until 3pm. That wouldn't put me in Xela until after dark and I would still have to arrive at my homestay as well. The other bus company I located didn't even have buses to Xela on Sundays.
Therefore, I decided to make my way out to the outskirts of town to take a chicken bus instead. I asked at the front desk of the hostel to see if it was an actual possibility if the chicken buses ran on Sundays. He was very helpful, showed me the city bus stop I would need to get myself to in order to get myself to the chicken bus terminal, all in Spanish. I packed up my stuff, wrote down the stop I needed to go from and the one I needed to get off at, and was on my way.
Finding the bus stop was a bit more difficult than I anticipated. Once I finally located it, it was closed. I heard someone explaining to someone else that they had to go to another stop that I had already been to. So I hiked back with all my belongings. Then I couldn't get in. It only took coins. I stood around looking lost for a few minutes, then went back across the street to the store fronts to figure out how to get coins. I noticed there a stand where people were just handing over bills and easily getting back coins. I tried it to. So simple, didn't even have to say anything.
Eventually the bus came. I didn't get a seat so was still standing with my giant pack still strapped to my back. The stop I went back to was actually the beginning of a loop. It went through the main part of town through all the stops I'd already walked past, then the bus finally went by the stop that had been closed and we were finally on our way. After awhile a guy got up and offered me his seat, but by the time he walked over to me to ask if I wanted it, some lady already took it.
At some point, I arrived at my stop and was on my way! Hurrah, for successfully navigating public transportation in Guatemala City! Once off the bus, I followed the crowd out of the stop and at the top of some stairs asked for directions. The lady I asked was possibly going to lead me astray but a guy stepped in and told me which way to go. I walked for a ways without finding anything, trying to get up the courage to ask someone else. I decided to go with a male again, but didn't quite understand his explanation of where to go.
The next guy I asked wanted to send me back to Zona 1 on one of the fancy buses even after I explained the scheduling problem. He told me to take the bus to Zona 1, or even better, use one of the white taxis, right over there. Afterward I realized that with all this Spanish only instead of the English from the other countries I just visited my brain is doing a strange thing. It's translating everything to English so then when our conversation was over the words left in my head were English so I thought he'd actually spoken English to me. Nice that my brain can so quickly translate without working too hard at it, but it will be nice when/if it doesn't have to do that extra step. An interesting experience to have to question whether I just conversed with someone in English or Spanish though.
At some point I finally found some chicken buses. However, they were the wrong ones but one of the assistants finally gave me a clear answer where I could find the ones headed to Xela. It was quite a bit more of a walk with my heavy pack though. Perhaps, the first lady I asked had been correct if I'd just listened to her. Once I was getting close to where the other chicken buses were a van pulled over saying they were headed to Xela. I was getting tired of walking so decided to give the minivan a try instead of seeking out a chicken bus.
In the end the minivan was the same price with less stops because it could only fit around 20 people on it. For some reason I like this experience and that of chicken buses better, of being squeezed in on top of other people, than the "luxury" buses of the other countries I've just come from. I think in the end I was kind of glad that I missed out on taking one of the fancy buses that morning and saved myself money in the process.
It was interesting passing places where I made transfers on this same journey when I was last in Guatemala. Nice to have some familiarity with returning to a place that you have already been. "Oh, I remember waiting on that corner, and that one too!" And arriving at the bus terminal in Xela, remembering the first time I'd arrived there a couple months ago, having to be told that I'd arrived and to get off the bus. But this time, seeing and knowing exactly where I was.
I'd decided that if it was after 3pm, I would take a taxi, before I would try and get a minibus. I looked at my phone, 3pm on the dot. Minibus it is then, I guess. However, even though things were familiar I still had some difficulty locating the stops for the minibuses, but when I finally got on one I ended up being dropped off nearly right in front of my school, how convenient!
Ilse, the secretary/housekeeper greeted me at the door and called my homestay. My house mom, Claudia, came and walked me to their house. She showed me to my room and fed me lunch. Later that evening, I went back to the school and hung out with my friend, Patrick, who was still there at the school from before I left and staying in the connected hostel. We were joined by another girl who was meeting someone for a movie and invited us along. In the end, I didn't get home until 11pm and got in trouble from my house mom for arriving too late and not telling her I was leaving. Oops.
Therefore, I decided to make my way out to the outskirts of town to take a chicken bus instead. I asked at the front desk of the hostel to see if it was an actual possibility if the chicken buses ran on Sundays. He was very helpful, showed me the city bus stop I would need to get myself to in order to get myself to the chicken bus terminal, all in Spanish. I packed up my stuff, wrote down the stop I needed to go from and the one I needed to get off at, and was on my way.
Finding the bus stop was a bit more difficult than I anticipated. Once I finally located it, it was closed. I heard someone explaining to someone else that they had to go to another stop that I had already been to. So I hiked back with all my belongings. Then I couldn't get in. It only took coins. I stood around looking lost for a few minutes, then went back across the street to the store fronts to figure out how to get coins. I noticed there a stand where people were just handing over bills and easily getting back coins. I tried it to. So simple, didn't even have to say anything.
Eventually the bus came. I didn't get a seat so was still standing with my giant pack still strapped to my back. The stop I went back to was actually the beginning of a loop. It went through the main part of town through all the stops I'd already walked past, then the bus finally went by the stop that had been closed and we were finally on our way. After awhile a guy got up and offered me his seat, but by the time he walked over to me to ask if I wanted it, some lady already took it.
At some point, I arrived at my stop and was on my way! Hurrah, for successfully navigating public transportation in Guatemala City! Once off the bus, I followed the crowd out of the stop and at the top of some stairs asked for directions. The lady I asked was possibly going to lead me astray but a guy stepped in and told me which way to go. I walked for a ways without finding anything, trying to get up the courage to ask someone else. I decided to go with a male again, but didn't quite understand his explanation of where to go.
The next guy I asked wanted to send me back to Zona 1 on one of the fancy buses even after I explained the scheduling problem. He told me to take the bus to Zona 1, or even better, use one of the white taxis, right over there. Afterward I realized that with all this Spanish only instead of the English from the other countries I just visited my brain is doing a strange thing. It's translating everything to English so then when our conversation was over the words left in my head were English so I thought he'd actually spoken English to me. Nice that my brain can so quickly translate without working too hard at it, but it will be nice when/if it doesn't have to do that extra step. An interesting experience to have to question whether I just conversed with someone in English or Spanish though.
At some point I finally found some chicken buses. However, they were the wrong ones but one of the assistants finally gave me a clear answer where I could find the ones headed to Xela. It was quite a bit more of a walk with my heavy pack though. Perhaps, the first lady I asked had been correct if I'd just listened to her. Once I was getting close to where the other chicken buses were a van pulled over saying they were headed to Xela. I was getting tired of walking so decided to give the minivan a try instead of seeking out a chicken bus.
In the end the minivan was the same price with less stops because it could only fit around 20 people on it. For some reason I like this experience and that of chicken buses better, of being squeezed in on top of other people, than the "luxury" buses of the other countries I've just come from. I think in the end I was kind of glad that I missed out on taking one of the fancy buses that morning and saved myself money in the process.
It was interesting passing places where I made transfers on this same journey when I was last in Guatemala. Nice to have some familiarity with returning to a place that you have already been. "Oh, I remember waiting on that corner, and that one too!" And arriving at the bus terminal in Xela, remembering the first time I'd arrived there a couple months ago, having to be told that I'd arrived and to get off the bus. But this time, seeing and knowing exactly where I was.
I'd decided that if it was after 3pm, I would take a taxi, before I would try and get a minibus. I looked at my phone, 3pm on the dot. Minibus it is then, I guess. However, even though things were familiar I still had some difficulty locating the stops for the minibuses, but when I finally got on one I ended up being dropped off nearly right in front of my school, how convenient!
Ilse, the secretary/housekeeper greeted me at the door and called my homestay. My house mom, Claudia, came and walked me to their house. She showed me to my room and fed me lunch. Later that evening, I went back to the school and hung out with my friend, Patrick, who was still there at the school from before I left and staying in the connected hostel. We were joined by another girl who was meeting someone for a movie and invited us along. In the end, I didn't get home until 11pm and got in trouble from my house mom for arriving too late and not telling her I was leaving. Oops.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Day 70 (Travel Day Bogota to Guatemala City)
I was able to have a somewhat leisurely morning as my flight wasn't until 12:00. I exchanged money with Julia, giving her my Colombian Pesos for some American Dollars. Tried to leave myself enough for the taxi to the airport and some food. Didn't see a taxi out front but then some guy with a car said he worked for the hostel and said he would take me there. Sometimes I think I might be too trusting. However, he was quite friendly and we talked about a few things all in Spanish. Perhaps he sensed my apprehension as he gave me his card associated with the hostel. All turned out fine.
Had some difficulty finding where I needed to check-in but security was a breeze. The Colombian Pesos didn't turn out to be enough and I didn't have enough to pay for the meal I ordered. I took some items off and still had plenty to eat, just nothing to drink.
Feels very strange to be in an airport again after so much travel on buses. Very different worlds. Here only the highest classes take planes because flights are outrageously expensive (hence why I used miles to book my flight) and therefore the airport was quite empty even on a Saturday. Even services are better on South American airlines than airlines in the States, getting meals on both short flights in addition to the option of free alcohol. So much different than sitting on a bus for hours at a time starving to death with no options for any food.
Layover in Panama City. So strange. Was I really just here a week ago? Why did I even go to Colombia? Feeling like I'm returning with my tail between my legs. With all my overland travel have I really been to international airports in every single country I've visited?
Trying to validate my experiences, my decisions thus far. Seeing the Kuna Islands was truly an amazing once in a lifetime experience. I met a few amazing people. Even though I didn't get to stay long in any of them, I saw 3 pretty cool cities in Colombia. Maybe someday, when my Spanish is better, I will return....
Second time arriving at the Guatemala City airport. Finally some familiarity. Feeling like an old hand at getting through customs and declarations. Not bombarded with people trying to give me a ride or take me to their hotel at departure. Found a taxi and negotiated a price to get me to my hostel I'd booked the night before. Feels good to be back in the world of only Spanish being spoken with the taxi driver, at my hostel reception, maybe I can finally get back to really learning the language....
Had some difficulty finding where I needed to check-in but security was a breeze. The Colombian Pesos didn't turn out to be enough and I didn't have enough to pay for the meal I ordered. I took some items off and still had plenty to eat, just nothing to drink.
Feels very strange to be in an airport again after so much travel on buses. Very different worlds. Here only the highest classes take planes because flights are outrageously expensive (hence why I used miles to book my flight) and therefore the airport was quite empty even on a Saturday. Even services are better on South American airlines than airlines in the States, getting meals on both short flights in addition to the option of free alcohol. So much different than sitting on a bus for hours at a time starving to death with no options for any food.
Layover in Panama City. So strange. Was I really just here a week ago? Why did I even go to Colombia? Feeling like I'm returning with my tail between my legs. With all my overland travel have I really been to international airports in every single country I've visited?
Trying to validate my experiences, my decisions thus far. Seeing the Kuna Islands was truly an amazing once in a lifetime experience. I met a few amazing people. Even though I didn't get to stay long in any of them, I saw 3 pretty cool cities in Colombia. Maybe someday, when my Spanish is better, I will return....
Second time arriving at the Guatemala City airport. Finally some familiarity. Feeling like an old hand at getting through customs and declarations. Not bombarded with people trying to give me a ride or take me to their hotel at departure. Found a taxi and negotiated a price to get me to my hostel I'd booked the night before. Feels good to be back in the world of only Spanish being spoken with the taxi driver, at my hostel reception, maybe I can finally get back to really learning the language....
Friday, February 13, 2015
Day 69 (Bike Tour in Bogota)
This may be my best use of a day other than Spanish language courses during my whole trip thus far. I knew I would only have one day here in Bogota so I knew I needed to make the most of it. I hear they have fantastic museums here but since I had no guidebook for Colombia I didn't know which ones and where they are. I decided to look on TripAdvisor and saw that one of the most highly recommended activities was a bike tour of the city. Just my luck, after my bike ride in Panama City I knew it would be right up my alley (I hadn't realized how much I'd missed my bike, Justin you better be taking good care of it!)
The ride started at 10:30 and the location of the tour company was just right up the street from where I was staying. After an authentic Colombian breakfast, I was on my way!
The ride was great and the best part was the very quirky guide. He was a journalist from California who had been living down in South America for many many years. At one point he asked where I was from and when I said Colorado he said he had friends in Boulder, of course you do, where else in Colorado would there be people as quirky as you? Really was the best way to get to see a city and nice to be on a tour instead of wandering aimlessly on my own like I usually do. I really have had it with walking everywhere. Maybe I need to invest in a bike when I return to Guatemala.
In the evening Julia and I met up with Mags, one of my good friends from the San Blas Tour. We chatted the evening away. So lovely to have a night with female friends. Feels weird to be leaving tomorrow and be on my own again. Strange feeling to not have any roots, decisions made effecting no one but myself.
The ride started at 10:30 and the location of the tour company was just right up the street from where I was staying. After an authentic Colombian breakfast, I was on my way!
The ride was great and the best part was the very quirky guide. He was a journalist from California who had been living down in South America for many many years. At one point he asked where I was from and when I said Colorado he said he had friends in Boulder, of course you do, where else in Colorado would there be people as quirky as you? Really was the best way to get to see a city and nice to be on a tour instead of wandering aimlessly on my own like I usually do. I really have had it with walking everywhere. Maybe I need to invest in a bike when I return to Guatemala.
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| We got to try a bunch of these fruits. I think I finally got enough of my vitamins for the week! |
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| One of these things doesn't belong. The vendor's daughter is sitting in the produce! |
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| Finally at a market where I can take pics. Relatively uncrowded plus I'm in a group of tourists so we all stand out like sore thumbs. |
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| National Sport of Colombia! |
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| Bogota has tons of political graffiti! We saw a bunch along the way. |
In the evening Julia and I met up with Mags, one of my good friends from the San Blas Tour. We chatted the evening away. So lovely to have a night with female friends. Feels weird to be leaving tomorrow and be on my own again. Strange feeling to not have any roots, decisions made effecting no one but myself.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Day 68 (Travel Day Medellin to Bogota)
I started my day off by getting my flight booked from Bogota back to Guatemala using my frequent flier miles. Then asked Julia about joining her on her journey to Bogota. She said she wasn't leaving right away so I had time to take a shower and slowly get myself ready.
No problems getting ourselves to the bus station and didn't have to wait to long before we were able to catch a bus headed to Bogota. Very long bus ride through the very unpopulated land between Medellin and Bogota. We didn't arrive until 9pm or so. However, once we had a taxi it was difficult to get through town because of traffic. We easily found a hostel with beds available. Very nice having a traveling companion even if we don't talk much.
No problems getting ourselves to the bus station and didn't have to wait to long before we were able to catch a bus headed to Bogota. Very long bus ride through the very unpopulated land between Medellin and Bogota. We didn't arrive until 9pm or so. However, once we had a taxi it was difficult to get through town because of traffic. We easily found a hostel with beds available. Very nice having a traveling companion even if we don't talk much.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Day 67 (Day in Medellin)
My main task of the day: find a language school! 4 weekdays I've been out of class now, I've got to get back to learning Spanish.
I emailed a couple different places the night before and decided to just show up at one to try and join a class. Somehow I couldn't find the building. Later they emailed me back to say that I couldn't join a class and that private lessons were nearly $20 an hour!
Instead I found a coffee place to have some breakfast and use the internet in what seemed pretty much like the restaurant district of Medellin. Hurrah, for my relaxing Starbucks-like experience in Colombia's equivalent franchise. Also, Medellin has the perfect eternal spring-like climate with tons of parks and greenery so it was a quite lovely coffee experience.
With my internet connection I loaded a map to the other school attached to a hostel and set off on my way.
I had some difficulty finding it but eventually made my way. The girl at the front desk said that the guy who taught the classes was on vacation. She gave me the card for another teacher and allowed me to use their internet to send her a message.
After that I walked. On my way, I found yet another beautiful park with some great views.
Then walked further heading toward the metro. At some point I came across a giant superstore called Exito. It was fantastic! It seemed as though it was probably owned by Walmart or Target. Such an organized and relaxed shopping experience, it's the little things which you grow accustomed to and miss when you're away from them so long. I looked at socks for quite awhile, reveling in the ability to just look without some market stall vender pestering me to buy or argue a price!
In the end, I didn't buy anything but decided I could come back at the end of my excursion. I headed further, over the bridge above the road to get to the metro.
With no guide book, I really had no idea where I was going. I ended up just getting off when some other tourists got off and slyly followed them until it appeared that they were a bit lost themselves.
Though this downtown area of town was significantly different than the relaxing restaurant district I had just come from, it was still had a relatively calm vibe. I just walked and explored for a bit.
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| Maybe my favorite thing about Medellin, the light posts! So creative and awesome! |
Eventually I found a place to have lunch where I was even able to study Spanish for a bit. I then found myself back at the train and headed back stopping at Exito for some socks and other odds and ends on my walk back.
I then rested for a bit and had my book club call. I finally heard back from the Spanish teacher too who would only be able to teach me, at most, 2 hrs per day but guaranteed me that with her style of teaching, I would learn quickly. Somehow, I wasn't convinced and decided I really just needed to get myself back to Guatemala for my Spanish classes.
Also, Julia had returned and told me she was leaving for Bogota the next day. This is the city I would need to fly from if I were to use my frequent flier miles to get myself back to Guatemala. So in my sleepless night I decided I had to book a flight back for Saturday in order to get back for classes on Monday which meant I should just leave with Julia to Bogota tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Day 66 (Travel Day to Medellin)
Woke up at 6am needing to catch the 7am ferry to Turbo. I had planned on getting to the dock at 6:30 but didn't arrive till 10 minutes to 7. It wasn't a problem at all, I doubt the boat even showed up until after 7:30. A little more than half of the group on the tour was also leaving on the ferry that morning. Getting situated and on the boat was a madhouse. They wanted to charge us for the weight of our bags so we had to hang it on their scale device and hand over the money.
I'd had my giant backpack packed away in a plastic garbage bag and wrapped up with tape. So I decided to just rip a hole in the top. After it was weighed it was whisked away to be put on the boat. I chased after the guy because I'd wanted to tape the top back up but he misunderstood and started ripping the bag open. Ugh!
In the middle of this, they wanted me back behind a line and they started calling people up to get on the boat (we had to purchase tickets the day before and they'd written our names down). Since I'd bought my ticket late in the day the day prior I was one of the last ones called. Luckily, I'd been one to already have my bag weighed so I was able to go straight to the boat. Even still, it was already packed totally full! Not anything I'd define as a ferry in my world, more of just a motor boat stuffed with 50 people or so. Somehow they managed to find a seat for me, and then we also squeezed another person into my row as well.
At first it was a relatively nice boat ride and I wasn't getting wet at all. But then it seemed to go on forever. Finally we arrived at the dock in Turbo and were bombarded with men asking where we were going. After getting all the plastic off my bags and getting them situated I was the last one left on the dock. I was thinking "Oh, great, here we go, back on my own again, now I've got to figure out how to get a bus to Medellin in this madhouse!" Luckily, the girl next to me, Julia, had known I was going to the same place and waited for me with another guy up higher on the dock, I just hadn't seen them.
Of the giant group, there were just 3 of us headed to Medellin, the rest of everyone else was going to try and get themselves to Barranquilla for carnival later that month. The Spanish of the Belgium guy we were with was quite good and he ignored the hoard of locals following us and "trying to help" and asked a police officer where to catch a bus to Medellin. In the end, one of them stuck around and rather than showing us where the ticket office was, managed to rip us off by telling as the tickets were 60 Colombian Pesos when in reality they were only 50, and he took off with the other 10!
The bus ride was quite long and over windy dirt mountain roads for part of it. From the looks of the countryside, Colombia appears poorer than Guatemala. It is vast and large with very few inhabitants. However, I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived in Medellin, a beautiful large metropolis full of energy and life. We took a taxi from the modern bus station and were easily able to find a hostel with dorm beds for the 3 of us.
I'd had my giant backpack packed away in a plastic garbage bag and wrapped up with tape. So I decided to just rip a hole in the top. After it was weighed it was whisked away to be put on the boat. I chased after the guy because I'd wanted to tape the top back up but he misunderstood and started ripping the bag open. Ugh!
In the middle of this, they wanted me back behind a line and they started calling people up to get on the boat (we had to purchase tickets the day before and they'd written our names down). Since I'd bought my ticket late in the day the day prior I was one of the last ones called. Luckily, I'd been one to already have my bag weighed so I was able to go straight to the boat. Even still, it was already packed totally full! Not anything I'd define as a ferry in my world, more of just a motor boat stuffed with 50 people or so. Somehow they managed to find a seat for me, and then we also squeezed another person into my row as well.
At first it was a relatively nice boat ride and I wasn't getting wet at all. But then it seemed to go on forever. Finally we arrived at the dock in Turbo and were bombarded with men asking where we were going. After getting all the plastic off my bags and getting them situated I was the last one left on the dock. I was thinking "Oh, great, here we go, back on my own again, now I've got to figure out how to get a bus to Medellin in this madhouse!" Luckily, the girl next to me, Julia, had known I was going to the same place and waited for me with another guy up higher on the dock, I just hadn't seen them.
Of the giant group, there were just 3 of us headed to Medellin, the rest of everyone else was going to try and get themselves to Barranquilla for carnival later that month. The Spanish of the Belgium guy we were with was quite good and he ignored the hoard of locals following us and "trying to help" and asked a police officer where to catch a bus to Medellin. In the end, one of them stuck around and rather than showing us where the ticket office was, managed to rip us off by telling as the tickets were 60 Colombian Pesos when in reality they were only 50, and he took off with the other 10!
The bus ride was quite long and over windy dirt mountain roads for part of it. From the looks of the countryside, Colombia appears poorer than Guatemala. It is vast and large with very few inhabitants. However, I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived in Medellin, a beautiful large metropolis full of energy and life. We took a taxi from the modern bus station and were easily able to find a hostel with dorm beds for the 3 of us.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Day 62, 63, 64, & 65 (San Blas Adventure Tour)
Wow! What can I even say to describe the adventure I have just had? Four days on a boat, 3 nights sleeping in hammocks on small islands inhabited by the Kuna people, going to the bathroom in the ocean! Let's just say it was a once in a lifetime experience, something that I will never do again!
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Day 61 (Last Day in Panama City)
At some point I woke up and realized I wasn't going to make it in time to my next scheduled interview at 8:30 that morning. And that I guess I didn't want to do the other job I had been offered in Panama City either. So my main task for the day was to attend the preparation meeting for my big boat trip to Colombia at 11am at a nearby hostel.
I checked-in with the front desk because they had told me when I'd initially checked-in the week prior that I would have to change beds on my last night. But somehow they hadn't managed to book me at all, but said that they would put a mattress on the floor for me in an upstairs room, at the same price of course. I also asked about a place to get an authentic Panamanian breakfast. He recommended the CocaCola Cafe once again and I decided to give it another chance. It was again quite awful, but at least it was cheap. Also, before going to eat I dropped my laundry off at a launderia.
Back at the hostel, my mattress still wasn't laid down and I had to ask several times before the task was accomplished. I also managed to message the school to tell them I would not be accepting the teaching position and that I would not be showing up to the interview the next day.
In the meeting, not much more was said to us other than what was in the written info that was provided. However, it did make me rather nervous for the water damage that might occur to my things in the transport. There were a lot more people there than I expected to be on the trip. I didn't really talk to anybody though I did feel an attraction/interest in the older gentleman who was quite upset that no information was provided in Spanish, only in English. Perhaps, he would provide me with my only opportunity to practice Spanish on my trip.
As for the rest of my day, I had several things on my list of things I still wanted to do before leaving Panama City (mostly two different museums that I could go see). However, I just couldn't get myself motivated and felt quite overwhelmed with still needing to prepare for a 4 day adventure in the Caribbean.
In the end, I made my way back to the exchange place where I got some Colombian Pesos. Then went to the grocery store to get water, alcohol, ibuprofen, toiletries and tons of different kinds of plastic bags to protect all my electronics and bags. I spent quite a bit of time looking for different things and by the time I got to looking for tape the store was closing and the escalator to where the heavy duty tape was located had already been shut off.
Back at the hostel I decided to do at least one of the things that was still on my list of things to do and went to a nearby rooftop bar. I'd originally wanted to see the sunset from there but, of course the sun had already gone down. It was an enjoyable view anyway though.
Leave it to me to wait until the last night to actually develop connections. I'd invited 2 girls from the hostel over to my table which had a better view. They were both Peace Corps volunteers. We had a nice conversation and picked each others brains about our experiences. One of them was interested in becoming a social worker or therapist and was also interested in yoga. Her eyes lit up when I told her there was such thing as a Yoga Therapist.
Back at the hostel I still had a whole lot of packing and wrapping in plastic to do. However, I got caught up in yet another conversation. The guy whose bed was next to me was a Chinese guy who was trying to establish himself in Panama. Low and behold as we conversed longer, he is actually Panamanian, and yet didn't really know much Spanish. He was born here in Panama to his Chinese parents who decided to send him back to school in China for his entire childhood! Now as a young adult he is back here in Panama, where he is a resident and has a passport, while his parents are now retired back in China!
In any case, it was quite interesting for me to pick his brain as well and learn a bit more about Chinese migration. It is interesting to me that most all the early Chinese immigrants came from the Guangdong Province. But how did they choose where to go and why? This guy said that those that left his village in China all came to Panama. And boy, are they here in abundance. So many Chinese shops and successful Chinese businessman in Panama City! And somehow in someway I feel some kind of connection to them. I'm sure it's not mutual. Can they even tell that I'm half Chinese when I walk into their stores? I just fit right into the melting pot that is Panama City, other than not knowing Spanish that is....
In any case, we ended up finally ending our conversation and I managed to pack up my things for my trip. But I hardly slept a wink, so nervous for my adventure ahead...
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Day 60 (Interview)
Today was my last day of class with Luis at the Antiguo Casco Spanish School. It was a good class with the structure finally geared toward me.
Afterward a took a taxi to my interview. My guidebook had said that taxi drivers in Panama City will refuse to take you some places based on their whim. That's what happened with the first. He just walked away from me when I told him where I wanted to go. The next had me get in the car and kept on driving before actually figuring out where we were going. He agreed to take me and asked me how much I would pay when I asked him the price. I offered $5 and he easily accepted which makes me think I still overpaid.
When arranging the interview, the director had said that any taxi driver would know where the school was and that the security guard would be expecting me. Neither of these things were true. But eventually my taxi driver got me to the right place. Also, he and I had a fairly decent conversation, all in Spanish.
Eventually everything was settled at the front desk and after waiting a bit was called in for the interview. My only other experience with an "international school" had been an interview at the Frankfurt International School about 10 years ago. I think I still somehow expected this high quality education with strict guidelines for qualifications of who they hire.
I think this was about the opposite. I suppose primarily because Frankfurt International School is geared to kids of expats while the school I interviewed at today is geared to Panamanian families seeking a bilingual education. Also, I'm sure that the public education system is dramatically different in both places which probably carries over to private schools as well.
So here I am with the director, a transplant of Philadelphia. He greets me by asking if we'd already met, says I look familiar. Then scans through my resume. Somewhere on it he sees that I'm CPR qualified and asks if I can teach a refresher for his employees. Inside my head I'm saying "no, um, I'm not qualified for that!" But tell him, sure. But really, why wouldn't they just get a local nurse into an inservice, someone that really is qualified?
Then he tells me that they are considering me for teacher for one of the 4th/5th grade classrooms. Umm, this is news to me, your email said a position in Student Services which I researched to be the counseling department. When the lady from HR comes in she continues to say I'd be great for the position with my Early Childhood License. But in my head, of course, umm, I'm only licensed through 3rd grade, I don't know the first thing about teaching bilingual 4th & 5th grades.
Somehow, I agree with the director to come in on Friday with my documents (licenses, degrees, and reference letters) for a second interview (thinking in my head once again that I likely won't be there due to my scheduled departure that morning). Then I go with the HR lady to discuss salary.
She basically begs me to take the position and wants to know that moment if I will but agrees for me to let her know by Friday. They won't help me with legal papers but kind of said that others leave every few months for 72 hours at a time. The pay is only $1000 a week for 40 hr work weeks. That's half as much as I was earning as a nanny in California and that was in addition to them covering my room and board. They also offer to let me tutor for an hour after school for an extra $15-40 a day depending on how many students I have. But we all know that teachers work much more than a regular 40 hour work week with grading and lesson planning. So if my purpose is staying longer to learn Spanish, when would I actually have the time to study it? Basically on that income all I would have time for is to struggle to survive much like many others in this busy city.
These are the conclusions I came to during my book club meeting that evening. But at the end of my interview, I was very much confused about my options.
After I completed the interview my first tasks were: to find a bathroom, get lunch, and access the internet to complete tasks for the interview. I found a great salad place but the bathroom was out of order and there was no internet. I completed at least one task.
I walked around longer looking for a cafe to use the bathroom and internet. In the end, I found myself in yet another McDonalds where I used the bathroom and the internet without even being a customer. I sent some emails out that were necessary for obtaining documents if I were to decide to take the job.
Afterward I attempted to find the place to change some dollars for Colombian Pesos to prepare for my upcoming trip should I continue with leaving rather than staying for a job. I couldn't find the exact one that was recommended but found another. I stood outside for a bit trying to decide if I would be leaving or not. In the end, I didn't get any and just headed back.
That evening I went on the school scheduled activity of a bike ride. It turned out to be just me and the director, no other students. However, it was quite lovely to be out on a bike rather than walking all over the place. He showed me some of the things surrounding the Casco Viejo area.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Day 59 (Fish Market & Ancon Hill)
I'm back to crying in class again :-(. This week there are only 2 of us in my group class. Anichi (sp?) is a young kid (19) from Brazil who is supposedly at my same level. However, same level for someone who speaks Portuguese is a lot different than someone who speaks English. Which means that there is a lot that goes on during class that just goes right over my head. There are also bits and pieces in my grammar that I still have yet to have throughly explained to me since I switch schools so regularly.
After class I headed to the fish market for lunch. I ate in the restaurant above the market which surprisingly didn't reek of fish and ocean. The fish I ordered was tasty but way overpriced. Afterward, I attempted to find the old Chinatown, but really all that's left is the gate.
I then headed to Central Avenue to try and find some dress clothes for the interview I had the next day. I went into one store and tried on some brand names from the states with the tags cut out. Nothing was quite right. I was also on the hunt for ice cream since, as expensive as it was, my fish wasn't exactly filling.
In the end I didn't end up finding the right location for either but headed over to the bottom of the hill where there was supposedly a great view at the top of. I'd gotten directions from the director of the school earlier in the day. However, they weren't the best and I'd walked back and forth amoung two streets several times in the hot sun and humidity trying to find my way.
This led to my lapse in judgement in accepting an offer from some guy who wanted to give me a ride. In the end, it was fine. He was only able to drive me a few blocks before entering a guarded community where he couldn't drive in but I could walk up. After him bugging me about me being beautiful (muy lindo) and wanting a way to contact me, I got out and was on my way.
Once I finally found the trail, there were many locals jogging up it as well. Here are some of the views from the top.
With as much work as I went through to get there, I'm not sure it was worth it. As soon as I got back down, I went straight into a McDonalds for my ice cream then quickly found some pants for my interview before rushing back to my hostel for my book club Skype meeting.
Both of my friends, however, had forgotten about the change in dates. I was a bit disappointed as this evening was also the day the Panama City Ballet was doing a free performance in the park. I'd quickly tried to see if I could get there to see the end. But in the end decided that I just can't do everything.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Day 58 (More on Panama City)
So generally things were better for me this week than last. For starters, I am in a more comfortable hostel. Secondly, I got my classes moved to the morning, so I had my whole afternoon and evening to do with as I pleased.
Monday afternoon, I tried to find the Metroplitan National Park. I got myself to the bus terminal near my house and rode it past the park because it didn't really look like a good place to get off. I stayed on the bus for awhile till it looked like I was in a central sort of transfer spot. I walked around a bit, got myself orientated in a McDonalds and headed back on the metro, laughing on my way about how unsuccessful I was.
Once back I headed out to what was supposed to be a "school activity." It was supposed to be a brewery tour. I asked the server at the bar about it, she said it would be the next day, but then spoke to her manager who came over and gave me a "tour." I say that in quotes, but it was actually quite interesting, he didn't really show me around but I did learn a whole lot about the chemical processes of brewing beer.
In the end, I spent over 3 hours talking to the manager who is a transplant from New Mexico and has been down in Latin America for the past 13 years or so. Just this last week, he married a Colombian woman who he had been with for 3 years or so. Now for the first time (he is around my farher's age) he is considering the possibility of having kids. Life can certainly take interesting twists and turns...
He basically talked my ear off. He asked some questions of me but didn't really listen long enough to really hear the answer. Makes me wonder that even after being down here so long and being fluent in the language it might still get a little lonely every once in awhile. In the end, he gave me his card and told me not to hesitate to call him if I ever needed something. Very sweet...
Having spent the evening in yet another American run establishment, it makes me wonder about the American influence down here in Panama City even after we've given over control of the canal already 15 years ago. I'm realizing that down here in Panama City especially the Casco Viejo area, the places I've felt drawn to are all successful American owned and run business. And so it seems that the place to live out the American dream for US citizens is actually Panama City.
The cafe I most often frequent, this brewrey, my Spanish language school, and my new hostel all businesses started by US citizens. But what makes them so successful?
In comparing my hostel this week to the one last week, the biggest difference is ambience, cleanliness, and attention to little details. The little touch of having patterned and colored sheets at the American run hostel as opposed to the questionably cleaned white sheets at the Panamanian run hostel...
The American run cafe offers me a reliable and relatively quiet retreat from the regular busy hustle and bustle of the city. Even this brewery has a more comfortable and welcoming ambience than other bars in the same area. Even McDonalds, another American run business or rather corporation, is a reliable and comfortable retreat. More than any other city I've been to thus far, i regret to admit that I fall back on it as a place to regather. But I am not alone, it is always filled to the brim with Panamanians using it for the same purpose.
When I'd first arrived in Central America I'd appreciated the simplicity especially in regards to kitchens. They didn't need the best appliances or granite countertops.... But now I am recognizing the importance of creating ambience in making things more comfortable for people. And this sells. It's one of the reasons Whole Foods is so successful, they create a warm and inviting shopping experience.
So why haven't the Panamanians caught onto this? Is it funding, education, or something else? Do Americans have a more engrained entrepreneurial spirit?
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Day 56 & 57 (Weekend as a Tourist in Panama City)
First task of the day, get out of this crazy hostel! I was significantly delayed due to getting side tracked by an overly friendly Venezuelan that I mentioned in my last post. Therefore I had to simply take my bags with me as my original plan had been to get out to the Panama Canal and back before check-out at 1pm.
I went over to my new hostel which already felt so much more relaxed and comfortable and left my luggage in their luggage closet, also incredibly packed like the one at my old hostel.
I asked about transport to the Miraflores Locks. There was a shuttle round trip for $8 but it didn't leave till later and there would be a time constraint. Though the harder way, I decided to try and navigate public transit on my own.
I took a new route to the nearest metro stop. On my way, I passed a building for the crazy meat and produce market. I entered the smaller produce market first and then stepped foot in the crowded meat market. Rows and rows of tables full of unrefrigerated meat arranged by the animal they came from. It was foul and discussing and quite and interesting experience. Needless to say, I quickly got out of there and made it the rest of the way to the metro.
Once in the metro I took it to the end of the line, the main Albrook bus station. This is a very busy and hectic place with tons of people coming and going. The last time I had been here was the night I arrived on the overnight bus from Costa Rica. I decided to grab some lunch at the food court while trying to orient myself to where I needed to catch a bus to the canal.
After awhile I somehow managed to find a bus that would go by the locks where I could walk to get the rest of the way. This was similar to the chicken buses of Guatemala but here they are called Diablo Rojos (red devils). There were other tourists there too so I knew I was in the right place. However, I was only able to get standing room as I was one of the last people on the bus. The two people in front of me were also tourists, and they were arguing the whole ride. Another couple at the end of my day were also having a bit of a feud. In these moments I was very relived to be traveling alone, though it can also be very difficult as well in it's own right.
In any case, the Panama Canal was fantastic, well worth my trip out there and I ended up staying much longer than I would have been able to if I had taken a shuttle. I watched their little promotional video twice, first in English then in Spanish. I walked through their museum and I watched the boats pass through the locks. A truly amazing feat, a giant man-made lake, three amazing locks to raise and lower gianormous boats to and from sea-level.... So much history and experience, they are even still using the same gates to the locks that they first opened with in 1914!
I left the locks right before 5, closing time. I started to walk but then saw that there was also one of the city buses that was arriving and was able to catch that back to Albrook. There I went to the giant mall and walked around for a bit. This mall was no different than the many malls in the states though and I decided to just get myself back to my new hostel.
Sunday morning was frustrating! I'm sick of Casco Viejo. Everything is so dang expensive! There is no in between. There are the have and the have nots, no middle class, at least not in Casco Viejo. It is largely catered to the rich tourists. All I wanted was a quiet cafe, somewhere to grab a coffee, my breakfast, and write my blog. Sure I could get breakfast at a whole in the wall, but then there's no wifi or pleasantness to sit and write my blog. Just stinky streets and traffic buzzing by and humidity!!! But no Starbucks or cheap little cafes, oh how spoiled I've gotten....
After walking in circles and going in an back out of the expensive ones after discovering their prices I finally managed to find a place. Their internet wasn't working, but hey, at least I got to type on my computer in some air conditioning and eat some food!
In the afternoon I went with a friend in his car to see some more sites (I met him over the internet, which I know wasn't smart, but he offered and it seemed easier than trying to navigate public transit once again). We drove across the Bridge of the Americas and looked onto the canal from the overlook. We also drove to a beach on the other side of the canal. Then out to the Amador Causeway. Last but not least we went to the Canal Zone where he showed me the high school and middle school that the American students attended when our military occupied that area. All in all, I'm very grateful to have gotten to spend time with a local. In all my other locations I have been more integrated through homestays or talking to teachers. It was interesting hearing his perspective on our American over-involvement in their country.
Additionally, I was reminded more of the have and the have nots that I spoke of at the beginning of the day. This gentleman that I spent the day with was definitely one of the haves. He had spent 3 months in Boston, a year and a half in Spain, and had also travelled several other places. Such a different lifestyle he leads than those of the people I see on the streets of say Central Avenue. Just the aspect of having a car makes life so much easier here as evidenced by me seeing so much more in one day (I think if I were to do either Costa Rica or Panama again it would be smart to just rent a car). But also more difficult because with the have and the have nots there is also a lot of money laundering and blackmail going on. On our way out of Casco Viejo may friend may or may not have broken the law and was asked by the officer to pull over. The officer basically asked him for money to not write him a ticket (even my guidebook had mentioned something about this, saying that you should just pay the officer and get on with it).
Then on our way back we parked since we were going to grab a beer. Everyone was trying to get my friend to pay them to watch his car on a public street "or something might happen to it" implying that they would bash the window in or something. He had also told me about a bigger scale of this and why it has taken so long for them to finish the canal expansion. Some of the workers had been refusing to continue unless the were paid much above and beyond what they should be making.
Once in the metro I took it to the end of the line, the main Albrook bus station. This is a very busy and hectic place with tons of people coming and going. The last time I had been here was the night I arrived on the overnight bus from Costa Rica. I decided to grab some lunch at the food court while trying to orient myself to where I needed to catch a bus to the canal.
After awhile I somehow managed to find a bus that would go by the locks where I could walk to get the rest of the way. This was similar to the chicken buses of Guatemala but here they are called Diablo Rojos (red devils). There were other tourists there too so I knew I was in the right place. However, I was only able to get standing room as I was one of the last people on the bus. The two people in front of me were also tourists, and they were arguing the whole ride. Another couple at the end of my day were also having a bit of a feud. In these moments I was very relived to be traveling alone, though it can also be very difficult as well in it's own right.
In any case, the Panama Canal was fantastic, well worth my trip out there and I ended up staying much longer than I would have been able to if I had taken a shuttle. I watched their little promotional video twice, first in English then in Spanish. I walked through their museum and I watched the boats pass through the locks. A truly amazing feat, a giant man-made lake, three amazing locks to raise and lower gianormous boats to and from sea-level.... So much history and experience, they are even still using the same gates to the locks that they first opened with in 1914!
I left the locks right before 5, closing time. I started to walk but then saw that there was also one of the city buses that was arriving and was able to catch that back to Albrook. There I went to the giant mall and walked around for a bit. This mall was no different than the many malls in the states though and I decided to just get myself back to my new hostel.
Sunday morning was frustrating! I'm sick of Casco Viejo. Everything is so dang expensive! There is no in between. There are the have and the have nots, no middle class, at least not in Casco Viejo. It is largely catered to the rich tourists. All I wanted was a quiet cafe, somewhere to grab a coffee, my breakfast, and write my blog. Sure I could get breakfast at a whole in the wall, but then there's no wifi or pleasantness to sit and write my blog. Just stinky streets and traffic buzzing by and humidity!!! But no Starbucks or cheap little cafes, oh how spoiled I've gotten....
After walking in circles and going in an back out of the expensive ones after discovering their prices I finally managed to find a place. Their internet wasn't working, but hey, at least I got to type on my computer in some air conditioning and eat some food!
In the afternoon I went with a friend in his car to see some more sites (I met him over the internet, which I know wasn't smart, but he offered and it seemed easier than trying to navigate public transit once again). We drove across the Bridge of the Americas and looked onto the canal from the overlook. We also drove to a beach on the other side of the canal. Then out to the Amador Causeway. Last but not least we went to the Canal Zone where he showed me the high school and middle school that the American students attended when our military occupied that area. All in all, I'm very grateful to have gotten to spend time with a local. In all my other locations I have been more integrated through homestays or talking to teachers. It was interesting hearing his perspective on our American over-involvement in their country.
Additionally, I was reminded more of the have and the have nots that I spoke of at the beginning of the day. This gentleman that I spent the day with was definitely one of the haves. He had spent 3 months in Boston, a year and a half in Spain, and had also travelled several other places. Such a different lifestyle he leads than those of the people I see on the streets of say Central Avenue. Just the aspect of having a car makes life so much easier here as evidenced by me seeing so much more in one day (I think if I were to do either Costa Rica or Panama again it would be smart to just rent a car). But also more difficult because with the have and the have nots there is also a lot of money laundering and blackmail going on. On our way out of Casco Viejo may friend may or may not have broken the law and was asked by the officer to pull over. The officer basically asked him for money to not write him a ticket (even my guidebook had mentioned something about this, saying that you should just pay the officer and get on with it).
Then on our way back we parked since we were going to grab a beer. Everyone was trying to get my friend to pay them to watch his car on a public street "or something might happen to it" implying that they would bash the window in or something. He had also told me about a bigger scale of this and why it has taken so long for them to finish the canal expansion. Some of the workers had been refusing to continue unless the were paid much above and beyond what they should be making.
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