Celebrations!- Farewells and New Beginnings

It seems that there is always a reason to celebrate in Colombia.  Whether it is a birthday, an equivalent to a Colombian Hallmark holiday, or a newly elected class president, I guarantee someone somewhere in the tiny town of Santa Ana is throwing a party.  The people of Santa Ana may not have a lot as far as possessions but they will someone how always manage to secure a seat for you.  As you approach they open their home with “adelante” and play musical chairs with one another until you have a place to sit.  Something about it is very comforting.  I have been to a wide variety of parties in Santa Ana and Cartagena and I have found some common ground among all parties no matter the cause for celebration or place.  At all Colombian parties somebody will always find a place for you to sit.  The parties never start on time and there is always a ton of food.

In my first weeks here I went to a student’s house to celebrate her birthday.  My co-teacher bought her a cake, soda, and some other snacks.  It was interesting to see the different teacher student relationship here in Santa Ana.  I tried to imagine my 7^th grade teacher coming over to my house for my birthday bearing food and singing songs and for some reason I couldn’t picture Mr. Nelson in my house. 

The principal of Barbacoas retired earlier this school year ago.  The administration and professors threw her a going away party.  We grilled out, songs were sung, and parting words said.  That was the first Barbacoas party that I attended.  Since then I have also been to the Dia de la Mujer (Women’s Day) fiesta.  That party followed a similar itinerary but this time the men did all the work preparing food and decorating while the women just enjoyed their day off.  The men even prepared a slideshow with awful individual pictures of each teacher set to music and accompanied with quotes. 

Men’s Day was a few weeks later, a holiday that is not widely celebrated in Colombia but was going to be celebrated at Barbacoas to return the favor.  The women collected money and planned a similar party.  Unfortunately, on Men’s Day one of the teacher’s father died.  The professor lives in Santa Ana (unlike most who live in Cartagena) so the death really affected the entire community in Barbacoas and in the town.  The Men’s Day party was canceled and the money was used to buy better meat for lunch one day in the following week.  On Men’s Day almost all (if not all) of us who worked at Barabacoas went to the teacher’s house.  I did not attend the funeral, which was the next day but I did go to the teacher’s house that night.  The mood was obviously very somber.  The house was filled with people.  Whenever Barbacoas people arrived they were ushered to the backyard (people seemed to be grouped by how they knew the family).  All of us were given chairs of course and we sat down outside sometimes making conversation with each other and other times just sitting in silence.  We said some words to the teacher before heading back home.    

On a Thursday a few months ago class was canceled because of student body president elections.  After the election a bunch of professors went to “the Cove,” a beach within walking distance to celebrate.  A few of the professors cooked up a stew for everyone at one of the nearby houses.  And we celebrated with the students the newly elected class president.

A few weeks ago I accomplished a longtime dream.  I went to a wedding in another country.  I did not crash it (though that is another dream) I was actually invited.  I happened to be in the right place at the right time when I was in Cartagena.  I was hanging out with some of my friends (teachers from Barbacoas) and I went with them to meet their friend and his fiancé.  We went out to eat.  The couple was super sweet.  The guy was from Oregon and the girl from Cartagena.  He spoke limited Spanish and she did not speak much English yet they were getting married in a week.  As we were saying goodbye the soon to be wife invited me to the wedding which was the following weekend.  The wedding was absolutely beautiful.  The ceremony and reception were outside on a part of the old wall in Cartagena overlooking the ocean.  The whole affair was very elegant.  And yes it started late, very late, every party does and even wedding receptions I guess.  After the ceremony the bride and groom took pictures with every table before food was served and so we ended up eating around 10:30 or so in the evening.  

            Colombians love to take pictures, especially at parties, and with every single person at the party.  My birthday was earlier this month and I had the fortune of having a super Colombian party; it was great.  I went to my friend’s house in Cartagena and they decorated the place, bought a cake, and invited a bunch of their family and friends (most of whom I had met before).  My friends are very musical so they sang while playing guitar and bongo drums.  Then everyone said some sweet words to me and I took pictures with everyone before we dug into the cake.  I actually got to celebrate my birthday multiple times this year.  Since my birthday landed on a Friday my students in all my classes that day sang to me and my 6^th grade class threw me a party.  They decorated the room and bought a bunch of snacks and soda it was so cute.  Then I went to Cartagena for the weekend.  I had the Colombian party.  In the morning I went to the mud volcano with my American friends.  Later we went to dinner, had the best chocolate cake in all of Colombia, and went out dancing.

            I have been fortunate enough to go to a ton of parties in my few short months here which is why this blog is super long.  I could continue with more birthday celebrations and such but I think everyone gets the idea of parties in Colombia.  Like I said there is always a place for you to sit, there is food for you to eat, and it always starts and goes later than you anticipated.  Colombians love to celebrate whatever they can and I am so grateful that I have been invited to celebrate with them.

The last day of school for the Principal- students throw her a going away party during a morning assembly

At the Cove (the local beach) celebrating the new class president

My 6th graders celebrating my birthday

My 7th graders celebrating my birthday

Cooking up a storm at the local beach- celebrating the new class presiden

At the Cove (the local beach) celebrating the new class president

Students performing during voting day

Celebrating my birthday at me friends' house in Cartagena

An apple a day keeps the doctor away (maybe). . .

A lot of people have been asking me about the stomach of steel contest so I wanted to give a quick update about that.  I am still in it (wohoo!).  Though there have been several close calls there are only two people who are knocked out which means 6 contenders are still going for the gold.  My head-to-head competition (my roommate) is still in it as well.  It doesn’t affect our friendship (too much anyway).  In all seriousness we never actually want one of us off the bracket but it has changed the way we communicate to one another about our health.  For example someone might be like “How’s Bryanna doing” and the response is “Oh well she’s off the bracket.”  Or someone will ask “How are you feeling” without actually answering they will respond “I’m still in it!”

Underneath the bracket is a chart with various illnesses.  This does not count towards the stomach of steel contest but is just to keep track of how our health may take a dive in Santa Ana.  I have been all over the chart lately (Luckily we live with some medics who work at the clinic here so they help us out too).  First off I seem to be a permanent member of the Mickey Mouse Club (swollen hands and/or swollen feet).  Earlier this year I had a weird skin rash on my hand.  I’m just getting over an infected toe.  And last week I took a moto to the clinic in Santa Ana because I was having chest pains and blurry vision.  To top it all off, almost immediately after getting back from the clinic a wasp bit me on my chest and finger and my finger puffed up to twice its size.  I am happy to say I am now healthy as ever.  I am still not exactly sure how to categorize all those health issues and put them into tally form.  Fortunately the one category on the chart that I have stayed away from so far is the “Brink of insanity” column.  I feel very grateful to be here.  I live and work with truly incredible people.  If there is one thing people can say about Santa Ana is it has heart; the people are puro corazon, all heart.  Though there are some classes where that is more apparent than others, at the end of the day I just have to sit back, count my blessings, and appreciate that I am still in the Stomach of Steel contest (and parasite free!).

Hometown Pride

I recently discovered that “Voy a Chicago” or “I’m going to Chicago” basically means “I’m going to take a dump.”  My friends and I have been having a lot of fun with this.  The conversation usually goes something like this:
“I’m going to Chicago”

“Ok, tell my family I say hi”

“I will.  I love Chicago it is my favorite city in the U.S. I always feel better after I go there”

“Yeah, the worst part is when there is traffic in Chicago.”

            It seems Chicago is known for Michael Jordan (or the Bulls in general), wind, and now poop.  I’m not going to lie; I am a little hesitant to tell people where I am from.

The Entertainment At Barbacoas

In Santa Ana there are two schools, a public school and a charter school, Barbacoas.  The charter school is supported by a foundation so students only pay a nominal annual fee (the equivalent of 4 USD).  I work at the charter school.  It is beautiful.   Each classroom has two walls equipped with chalkboards and two open spaces where walls should be.  The classrooms are not joined together but they are maybe fifteen to twenty feet from one another.  This is great but also presents some unique challenges.  I tend to tape up posters and signs on the chalkboard for various lessons and on the occasion that there is wind they just get knocked back down.  Each classroom has at least one broom because they floors accumulate dirt, twigs, and such.  I think at any hour of the school day there is a student sweeping in a classroom.  I will be in the middle of a lesson and one or two students in my class will be sweeping away.  I don’t even want to think about what life will be like in the rainy season with open classrooms and dirt roads.  The rainy season doesn’t start until September or October so I have some time to buy rain boots and mentally prepare myself.  Also the placements of the classroom understandably lead to quite a few distractions.  If another classroom is singing a song all the surrounding classes hear it as well.  Moreover, students are always yelling at one another at different classrooms.

One of my favorite parts of my school is the natural environment surrounding it, but at the same time it is the biggest distraction for students and teachers alike.  In the past two weeks I have seen about as many animals in my school as I have seen in a national park.  There are always dogs, chickens, and roosters within the school grounds.  We have named most the dogs and consider them our unofficial pets.  Recently there was a cow about seven feet from my class chomping down on some plants.  All the students yelled “Teacher, una vaca.  Como se dice vaca en English?”  I respond with cow and they all start yelling, “Cow!”  In another class I looked outside for a second and I saw an iguana carrying a frog by the corner of its mouth.  It proceeded to drag the frog into a bush and then the bush just started shaking back and forth.  As I entered my sixth grade class a giant crab was chilling outside.  One of the students shooed it into the classroom with a broom.  Another student was trying to catch it and kept stepping on it.  I was in the background trying to tell them to leave it alone and put it back outside which they finally did.  Later during that class I glanced outside and there was another class gathered around a tree looking a snake. 

My friend, Shannon, teaches Kindergarten through second grade here and a frog entered her classroom.  We always give her a hard time about frogs because there are always frogs in her bedroom; they seem to follow her.  So this frog was in her class and a little boy picked it up to throw it outside but he waited to long and threw it up instead and the poor frog hit the ceiling.  It sure does make the school day interesting; that is for sure.

Colombian Face Muscles

When I was in Argentina I realized that Argentines talk a lot with their hands.  Many of their gestures are reminiscent of Italians.  Colombians talk with their hands but above all else they talk with their face.  I have found myself doing it as well and my friends have caught me doing it with even realizing. My friends and I have described this as “Colombian face muscles,” one develops them quickly here.  The most common is when Colombians scrunch their nose.  This means that they do not understand. Often instead of pointing with their hands, Colombians point with their mouth.  In actuality, it is very comical to ask where the bathroom is and to see someone purse their lips and push them to one side, almost like a controlled twitch.  I finally got used to the hand motion for “come here,” which is palm face down, instead of palm face up like in the U.S.  This was easier for me to remember because it is the same in Argentina.  However, in Colombia they also convey, “come here” with their head.  They do a quick thrust of their head downward towards their neck.  Between all the head bobs and nose scrunching sometimes it feels like we just walked into an I Dream of Jeannie set.

You Know You Are In Santa Ana When. . .

Our favorite fried breakfast: Deditos!

My friends and I have been complying this list.  It continues to grow but here it is so far. I hope it conveys the uniqueness of Santa Ana.  

WHEN... You're upset when your shower is slightly warm (from the heated pipes).

WHEN... You're pumped about wearing power ranger helmets to the beach.

WHEN... You're excited to spot a frog in the bathroom.

WHEN... You are getting eaten alive by bugs while attempting to use the internet.

WHEN... fighting the ants in the kitchen is a typical after dinner routine.

WHEN... everything you eat is fried or with a side of starch and more starch.

WHEN... you name the random animal that decides to follow you (Scruff, Stick, Jafarra, etc.)

WHEN... deodorant, bug spray, and sunscreen replace perfume and make-up.

WHEN...you are ALWAYS rocking a headband/hat.

WHEN... getting out means getting pan con arequipe (dulce de leche).

WHEN... you know what NOPIKEX is.

WHEN... bamboo is the background to every Skype session.

WHEN... you don't pass anyone without saying Buenas or Adiiiiioooos.

WHEN... it's normal to see three children under the age of 14 on one moto.

WHEN... juice in a bag is a delicacy.

WHEN... you fear running into a cow, donkey, or pig while riding on a moto taxi.

WHEN...a thin flat sheet is too much for covers on your bed.

WHEN... you can power a car with your fat Flintstone feet.... (they swell because of the humidity).  Also known as the Mickey Mouse Club around here.

WHEN...you are ready to knock people out for a seat by a fan in a staff meeting/the lib/the cafeteria.

WHEN... you half expect your roommate to be carried away by ants in the night.

WHEN... you take 3 showers a day and you're still not clean.

WHEN...you ride in the back of a truck and get dressed in the gas station parking lot to meet the attractive lady mayor of Cartagena.

WHEN...you've had fried breakfast three days in a row and are still hungry for "second breakfast" in the cafeteria.

WHEN... you can play a pretty sick game of connect-the-dots on your calves thanks to the bug bites.

Note: We also plan to create a Baru-opoly.  It will go something like this "Your moto ran into a donkey go back 3 spaces" or "You stole a pig and made jamon go directly to jail do not pass Go do not collect 400,000 Colombian pesos."

Getting Acclimated With Our Surroundings

Colombia seems to be the land of contrasts.  The reputation, the geography, and the distribution of wealth all speak to this notion.  For starters Colombians have two very contradictory reputations.   When a lot of people abroad hear Colombia they immediately think of “the good old days” when drug lords and violence ruled the country.   The last president ruled with an iron fist and cleaned the country up significantly.  While some still fear robberies and kidnappings, Colombia is now considered safe to travel.  Colombians are also known for being some for the nicest people in the world.  The ones I have met so far are incredibly kind.  For example, I sat down on a bus next to a teenage girl who was playing with a beaded bracelet.  I asked her if she made it and she nodded and then put it on my wrist.  When it was my stop I went to give it back to her but she wanted me to keep it.  The bracelet is made up of three strands: yellow, red, and blue, the Colombian flag colors all twisted together.  

The people of Santa Ana are extremely welcoming as well.  It is so interesting walking around the town.  My friend Alyssa put it well when she said, “I feel like I’m in a parade because I wave to everyone.”  We really do greet everyone whether or not we know them.  Everyone on the coast says “Buenas” or even “Adios” to greet someone (they use Adios if they do not want to stay and chat).  Often people know who we are even though we do not know them.  Word spread fast in this town and they have known for a while that a new crew of teachers was coming.

A few days ago we went to Playa Blanca for the first time.  It is the biggest tourist destination in the area and one of the best beaches in all of Colombia (maybe even South America).  It is only takes 20 minutes by moto down dirt, unpaved roads, to arrive at the clear ocean and stunning views.  It is such a different world from where we live.  There are tourists roaming around and all-inclusive resorts are a stone throw away.  The good news is the beach is public so anyone can come, but the only people we see there who are from Santa Ana are the workers.  They all try selling things on the beach, offer massages, or work in a restaurant.  We actually took a workers bus home when we went on Wednesday.  A bunch of us were trying to figure out what to do for dinner.  At the dorms we are provided with basic groceries for breakfast and dinner (lunch is provided at the school) but last week a lot of our food did not come in so everyday was a chore to figure out what to eat.  As we were discussing our dismal options a man came on the bus with a cooler full of shrimp.  He was heading back to Santa Ana and had to get rid of the rest of them so we bought the shrimp off of him and made shrimp pasta for dinner.