Cabildo

  In the month of November, Cartageneros celebrate their independence from Spain, which took place November 11, 1811.  Not only is there partying involved, but some traditional dances are performed as well.  Five years ago, COJOWA started to reenact the celebrations at school by having every other grade level perform a dance.
  You know what that means!  That's right: the teachers are invited to participate in a dance.  Never one to pass up the opportunity to delve into a culture or to make a complete fool out of myself, I nervously signed up, telling everyone within earshot that I have no rhythm.  Unfortunately, that didn't phase them in the least.
  For the last two months, we spent several Wednesdays after school practicing for two hours (instead of getting professional development or free time).  Halfway through, Sandro, the coordinator of it all, would come in with juice boxes and some tasty, fattening snack, i.e. cheesy bread.  Thankfully, they hired a professional choreographer to help us learn the dances, and you could just tell that she would so much rather be teaching the lithe Colombian kids than the mostly North-American-two-left-footed staff.
  Luckily, we pulled the dances together.  The first one, the Bullerengue, is a traditional dance that has a whole lot of symbolization.  Our choreographer put heavy, bright makeup on all the girls and helped us put our hair up in a wrap.  While watching the video, I am the fourth person in the left line at first.  Otherwise I'm on the very right in the second row.  If it wasn't for Jen standing in front of me for both dances, I don't know what I would've done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsDMHjdtNCQ&feature=youtu.be

  The second dance, the Ras Tas Tas, was a wee bit more provocative.  After running outside and taking off the flaw-covering white dresses, we quickly started this popular tune.  My students were right to the side of me, so I could hear their cheers and see their delighted faces (knowing they would have something to tease me about for the rest of the year).  After the dance, several of them came up and showed me homemade videos of the dances.  Uggghhhhhh......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH8JeHhmJII

  Although I had that awkward, get-me-out-of-here smile plastered to my face the entire time, I quite enjoyed the camaraderie my fellow dancers and I had and am definitely planning on doing it again next year.  Plus, it's all for the kids, right?

Southwest Colombia: Transportation

  One of the issues of visiting the off-beaten sites in Colombia is the lack of really timely transportation and good roads.  Although we saw a ton of places and had a great time, we spent hours upon hours in all modes of transportation.  

  A popular and faster way of getting from one place to the next was by collectivo.  This is a ten-passenger van that leaves only when it has all its passengers, which could mean a wait of an hour or more.  We learned not to trust the men who told us the collectivo would be leaving in 15 minutes.  Uh huh, more like 45.  

  On both buses and collectivos, more often than not, they gave us the preferential treatment and allowed us to sit in the front with the driver.  Although carsickness wasn't as big of a problem, there was often less leg room in the front (especially when you have to squeeze your legs together so the driver can shift), and occasionally, you'd get that annoying driver who would try having a conversation while driving on pothole-filled dirt roads in the middle of a rainy night and insist on slowing down the van to look over as you try to respond to his mumbled Spanish.  No worries, dude: I don't mind you hitting my thigh every time you start talking to me, and yes, I love the fact that you're driving five miles per hour and making this four-hour bus ride turn into seven.  No biggie.  Let's just say my normally cheerful disposition turned murderous that night.  

  All the streets are two-laned and some just one, which makes huge semis passing each other a magic trick.  Seeing as how we were driving through the Andes the whole time, we were constantly on the sides of sheer cliffs, just waiting to plummet down to our deaths by one wrong move by the driver.  Construction was going on everywhere.  Each ride took one to two hours longer than predicted to get to our destination because every 500 meters or so we had to stop and wait for the construction lady to tell us to pass.  One time, we waited forty-five minutes at a stop due to an accident further up the road.  

  This waiting led to some major dehydration, as we didn't know exacly when we'd be stopping next, and the constant presence of switchbacks meant there was no privacy to use the restroom.  A benefit to all this bumpy road travel was an increase in leg muscles due to tensing our muscles so as not to fall off the seats and excellent abs from all the bouncing.  

Southwest Colombia: Tierradentro

  My favorite part of southwest Colombia was Tierradentro, an extremely small town with absolutely nothing to do but hike.  We actually stayed in San Andres de Pisimbala, a town right up the hill.  This was the first place we had hot water, and my razor just about broke while trying to get through the jungle on my legs.  Plus, the bandeja paisas we had been eating (remember: rice, meat or fish, beans, salad, plantain) for breakfast, lunch and dinner were losing some appeal, and the lady at the one restaurant in town was an amazing cook and used the freshest ingredients to make the best food we had on our trip.  For example, we saw the owner carrying the squash to the restaurant where a couple hours later we ate squash soup.  It doesn't get much fresher than that. 

  Tierradentro is known for its elaborate underground tombs built sometime between the 7th and 9th centuries AD.  This is only a conjecture, but archaeologists have uncovered about 100 tombs, and from the looks of things, there are quite a few more to be discovered.  

  After a quick breakfast, we started the 14 kilometer (almost 9 miles) hike around 8:30.  This dog bounded down from the restaurant balcony and accompanied us almost the whole way before being chased off by the tomb police towards the end.  Here, he is soaking in a puddle of water, exhausted after chasing after every known dog and cow in the region.  

There were a few obstacles to cross, but nothing too serious or nerve racking.












The majority of the first half of the trail was covered in knee-deep mud and droppings from the animals that crossed the way.  Thankfully, I was wearing my water-proof hiking boots, but Elizabeth was not so lucky in her breathable sneakers.







                                     
  The tombs were of all different shapes and sizes and mostly had extremely steep and narrrow steps to get down them.  Some of the chambers had red, yellow and white paintings, and the really intricate ones also had large figures carved into the columns and walls.  Obviously, I am not an archaelogist because after seeing five to ten tombs, I felt like I had seen them all.  Of course, I'm not one to shy away from a great quads workout, and I didn't want to miss anything new, so I went down just about all of them.

  Like the rest of our trip, the scenery was fantastic.  The hike took us up to the highest point, made a steep decline to the museums at the very bottom, then climbed back up to more sites.  Even though Tierradentro is not the most accessible place, I would return to this place just for the awesome hike.  

  Down by the museums, we ran into two college guys we had met the night before, and they joined us on the rest of the hike.  Afterward, we ordered some coconut wine at the restaurant and continued to practice Spanish.  Unfortunately, the night ended rather weirdly as Daniel (the one on the left) believed they might have a chance with us.  Ummmm....no.  Alas, only really young or older (as proved the next night in a bar) guys hit on us.  If one of them was a rich drug lord, fine; I would have no qualms with the age.  But, no, these people are just students or hardworking farmers.  Don't worry, Dad: my sights are still high.  

Southwest Colombia: Laguna de La Cocha

  Laguna de La Cocha is a popular weekend destination for those looking to just get away.  Beside a large lake is a cute town with lush mountains in the backdrop.  The main activity here is to take a boat tour around the lake, stopping at a little island in the middle to view the chapel and take a scenic walk through to the other side.  

  Although I saw scuba divers getting ready, there was not a soul on the lake except for a few boats carrying tourists (all Colombian).  This would have been a perfect place to water ski, but I am obviously the only one with this mindset.

  For an extra couple of bucks, our boat driver offered to take us to see the trout farm and ducks.  The male ducks have these bright blue beaks to attract the ladies but continued to turn their heads away every time I held up my camera.  Luckily, this one had nowhere to go.  

When it gets dark, about six o'clock, everything begins shutting down.  Thankfully, we were still able to try two very delicious treats: strawberries and cream and hervidos.  A lady actually spent ten minutes whipping up homemade cream to make us this delicious dessert.  

  Hervido is the perfect drink for a cold evening, not only to warm you up, but to prepare yourself for the freezing shower that awaits.  It combines heated fruit juice (in this case, blackberry) with aguardiente (strong liquor popular here).  Ring the rim with sugar and a lime, and wa la, you have an hervido!  

  At six o'clock the following morning, we heard someone on the loudspeaker for a few minutes.  While breakfasting, we saw just about the whole town, men and women, tearing apart the road and moving the hexagonal bricks to who knows where.  It was neat to see because everyone was working together and getting the job done.  

Southwest Colombia: Las Lajas

  This past week, Elizabeth and I toured around Southwest Colombia.  I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to visit the interior of Colombia again.  Not only was everything at least half the price as Cartagena, but I was able to practice, and understand, more Spanish in this past week than my four months in Cartagena.  The next few posts will be about some of the highlights of my trip.

  Our first stop was Las Lajas, an extremely small town just a few miles from the Ecuadorian border.  We stayed in Casa Pastoral, a large, communal "hotel" that is run by nuns and looks like an old convent.  It costs us just six bucks apiece for a night of sleeping on mattresses that were probably used by nuns five hundred years ago.  Since the elevation was quite high, it was chilly at night, and the icy shower really helped to rejuvenate the body.
  Seeing as the town closed down by eight at night, we had a hard time even finding something to eat.  Luckily, we were able to grab some hot soup and bandeja paisa (rice, meat, plantain, small salad) before watching the Saturday entertainment of kids' soccer games.

  The main draw of Las Lajas is the Santuario, a neo-Gothic church that was built in the 1900s to commemorate the Virgin Mary appearing here.  Each weekend, there are hundreds of pilgrims coming to pay their respects, hear mass and go to confession.  

  The scenery surrounding this church is absolutely stunning.  There is a bridge spanning between two mountainsides with a river flowing at the bottom and greenery everywhere.  Below the church is a chapel where priests are constantly hearing confessions, and under that is a museum that shows old church relics and how the indigenous people used to live.  

The Amazing Roach

How would you like to look up at this every time you entered the bathroom?  For the last month, a section of the molding around the bathroom ceiling has been torn down.  A man was supposed to fix it, but alas, it obviously hasn't happened yet.  

When I first saw this lovely roach, I was afraid my house was infested.  I have since learned that this guy is dead because in four weeks, he has yet to move even a little leg hair.  As you can see, the leg hairs are still intact, which got me wondering, How long does it take a sewer roach to decompose?  

Although I did not find my answer, I did find these fascinating facts about cockroaches:

http://listverse.com/2009/03/30/10-fascinating-talking-points-about-cockroaches/

And, if you want to be even more impressed, I recommend reading the Gregor the Overlander series; I'll never look at a cockroach the same again. 

Holy toledo, Batman!

  This morning, I climbed into bed around 2:30, exhausted after a day of teaching and going out for Halloween.  I don't know what made me open my eyes almost an hour later, but suddenly, there was this small rat scampering across MY pillow directly towards my face.  

  I am always impressed with the human body because it has never failed me during all our Polar Bear Club dives, and it sure didn't fail me now.  Quicker than you can say, "Boo!", my body was flung out bed and standing in the entryway, heart thumping like crazy.  

  Do you know what's worse than knowing a rat is in your room?  No?  It's not being able to SEE the rat in your room.  Although I had quickly turned on the lights, my glasses were way over on the ledge by the pillow, and, in case some of you are unaware of the magnitude of the situation, I am literally blind without corrective lenses. Ughhhhhh......  Why, oh why, is there no such thing as a Summoning Charm? With tentative steps, I hurried to plop on my glasses and book it out of my room again.  

  Right then, I saw the offending creature on the floor pathetically flapping around.  It wasn't a disgusting rat but a poor bat, confused on how to get out of my house.  Deciding I needed a picture before doing a capture and release, I grabbed my camera from the dining room.  In the ten seconds it took me, the bat somehow made it back under the bed.  This could be a problem.  

  Before continuing, you may wonder how the bat originally got in. 

Exhibit A

(master bathroom window: always open as it lets in a cool breeze at night)

Exhibit B

(patio door: always open to give Bella a chance to hang out on the balcony)

  After trying to stir the bat out from under the bed with a broom (there is no way I was going to put my head under there in the dark), I decided to give up and crawl back into bed, crossing my fingers that I wouldn't have something running across my face throughout the night.  [Since teaching about these amazing creatures years ago for Zoology Club, I have known that most bats (besides the ones with rabies) aren't dangerous and are extremely helpful to the environment; therefore, I wasn't too worried.]  For a better escape route, I switched sides of the bed and tossed around fitfully until dawn, hearing the scratching of the bat on the underbelly of my bed.  With the light of morning, I finally felt sure the bat would wait until this evening to venture outside again and slept much better.  

  And what was Bella, my faithful companion, doing this whole time?