The Beauty of Technology

At the beginning of the 2013 school year, one of my counterparts approached me and brought up the fact that there are not enough opportunities for the students to speak english inside the classrooms.  After this chat we decided that we would go about solving this problem by starting an English conversation club for 7th and 8th grade students.  So technically the club is open to hundreds of students, but since it takes place after school, only the very motivated students show up.  

One of the first activities we undertook was starting a pen-pal relationship with the middle school Spanish classes at the Lowell School in D.C.-- thanks mom!  Now after four months of trying to set up a Skype conversation, last week we finally succeeded.  Sadly this this initial Skype session took a lot longer to set up than I could have ever anticipated.  This prolonged back and forth between the Spanish teacher in D.C. and myself is 100% due to my daily schedule, or lack there of.  The truth is that after more than a year in site I still never really know when school is going to be canceled because of holidays, teachers having a cita medica, the water going out, or if there is a funeral in town.  Although never knowing may appear to be a bit stressful, the silver lining is you never get bored of the daily routine!  

After telling my students that the Skype convo was going to start at 7:45am, they started arriving at 8:20 for the 8:30 meeting, smart right?.  That gave us a little time to have a few laughs and  practice our pronunciation once more.  One we got the call my students students were all smilies.  First the 8th graders spoke (in English) about La Boquilla then the 7th graders asked their questions.  This was followed by the Lowell students asking their own questions (in Spanish).  One of their questions was about dance and my students didn’t only want to talk about salsa and champeta, but they wanted to demonstrate.  So I threw on some Joe Arroyo and all my students started dancing salsa liked seasoned pros, but I guess that is what I should have expected when walking and dancing coincide in regards to developmental milestones in La Boquilla.  On the other hand, when my students asked to see some American dancing, the Lowell students were painfully shy and all refused.  We ended the session with an awkward goodbye when a handful of Boquillera middle school girls confessed their love  for a tall blonde 7th grader named Robert.  At least they were saying “I love you Robert” and “Where is Robert” in English.  I have not seen a face that red since I forgot to put sunscreen on at the Beach last year.  Next Skype session my students will teach the D.C. middle schoolers how to salsa (in English).    

Team Photo

Los Playeros

After five failed attempts by teammates I had to take over the camera.  So this is the squad minus myself.  We now sit at 10-3 and are looking sharper than ever with our NEW uniforms!

Seeing a Part of La Boquilla For the First Time

When I talk about La Boquilla, I often speak about the beach.  I consider myself one of the luckiest PC volunteers in the world because I literally live a stones throw from the shore--granted the person throwing the stone has some baseball experience.  However, after 15 Months in, the small peri-urban paradise, La Boquilla (18 in Colombia) I have not once mentioned the lagoon.  That is partially due to the fact that I really have never explored the religiously named body of water, La cienaga de la virgen.  The majority of the contaminated body of water  lay parallel to the beach, but there is a small portion where the salt and fresh water meet.  Now that you have let the fact that I have been in Colombia for 18 months soak in.....Let’s get back to the lagoon.  A PC friend of mine approached me one day and asked, “have you ever been to the lagoon?”  I responded, “no.”  Well thats the end of that story and now you all know that there is a lagoon in La Boquilla. 

ESTOY MAMANDO GALLO!  Which means I am only kidding here in Colombia.  I know some of you are just dying for the direct translation so I won't let you down. Estoy mamado gallo literally means, I am sucking rooster (or c**k).  Definitly a gem of a phrase here on the coast.  

At around 10:00am, three friends and I embarked in a wooden canoe along with a guy that held a large stick to help navigate the vessel.  The man with the stick, a friend of a friend, stood in the back pushing us through the mangrove tunnels and around various birds.  Now I have never been to Venice before, but I imagine it is exactly like the Boquilla mangrove tour!  

It is getting REALLY hot here so enjoy a few minutes in the air conditioning and send me your coldest  vibes!  Also pictures of the softball team are coming soon.         

I took over for a minute

Mangrove tunnel

We caught a local in the act of fishing

12 Men 1 Cup: The Story my Season Thus Far

Now don’t be crude, I am simply talking about how Los Playeros, the softball team I am playing for this year, drinks water during our games.  Our coach brings a pail, a cup, and three large sandwich bags full of ice.  He then finds a house by the field and asked the family if he can fill the pail with water.  So to start each game we have 12 men using one cup to hydrate themselves for the seven HOT innings, hence the title 12 Men 1 Cup.  I however, can’t partake in this hydration bonding because I was instructed by the Peace Corps doctor to only drink filtered water, so I have to bring my own.    

Now those avid blog readers of mine--I am talking about you Cali, Gio, Sarah, and Sue--you may notice that I am on a different team this year.  Well after last years up and down season with Los Caribes (way too hostile an environment for a small town softball league), I decided to hit the free agency marked.  I quickly became firmado with Los Playeros and so far so good!  I knew I was going to have to earn my spot on this team as there are definitely a few teammates who could have played collage baseball--Boquilla is well known for its athletes and especially its peloteros, ball players.  So I started the season on the bench (my college position), but was soon given an opportunity to play 1st base (my high school position).  So recently I have been platooning 1st base with a 40 something year old mustachioed Afro-Colombian whose kids sit in the dugout at every game.  However, while he is playing, I am usually the designated hitter.  It turns out that I may actually prefer DHing because I get to escape the unforgiving sun for the majority of the game.

Although the ‘stadium’ had lights installed in 2010, Boquilla can’t pay the electricity bill for every game to be after sunset, so there is only one game a week under the lights.  That means that so far this season all seven of our games have started between 9am and 2pm.  I have found the only way to survive the constant low-mid 90 degree heat accompanied with the 85% humidity, in baseball pants, is to think about jumping into the ocean the second the game ends.  It does however make me feel a bit better knowing I am not the only one complaining about the heat.  Many of my teammates often complain about the unforgiving Boquilla climate as well.  For the majority of them, it doesn’t help that they wear long sleeve shirts to accompany their baseball pants.  I was curious as to why they would torture themselves by wearing mock UnderArmour shirts, so I asked a few of them.  They simply responded by saying they didn’t want to get any darker.  I thought this was very interesting because when the typical gringo goes to a hot climate they want to get a tan, but all the Boquilleros on my team despise the idea of getting a tan.      

So about a quarter of the way through the season We sit with a 5-2 record and have another game this weekend.  I will take a team photo during our next game and be sure to post it in my next blog.

My Peace Corps Country is Better at Soccer than Yours

Starting 11

FIFA currently has Colombia ranked 6th in its world rankings.  The next highest Peace Corps country, Ecuador, is ranked 11th.  So what I am trying to say it is a great time to be a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia.  The entire country is buzzing and it is beautiful to see all socioeconomic levels come together to support La selección,  La tricolor, Los cafeteros, or whatever else the newspapers are calling the Colombian National fútbol team.  Historically, Colombia has a very rich soccer history, but they haven’t made the World Cup since 1994 and back then the Colombian game was very different.  During this era, Colombian soccer was riddled with drug money hence the name narco-fútbol.  If you haven’t seen the ESPN 30 for 30 The Two Escobars then stop reading this blog now and go find a way to watch it!  You will learn all about Colombian fútbol in the heights of the Escobar era.  

The World Cup qualification games take place in the Colombia’s largest stadium, El Metropolitano, which happens to be in Barranquilla, a short two hour bus ride from my site in La Boquilla.  So I felt like it was my duty as both a fútbol fan and a fan of all things crowded, loud, and sweaty that I attend at least one World Cup qualification game.  That game was Friday March 22nd against Bolivia and it was more crowded, louder, and sweater than anything I could have imagined. 

I met up with a PC friend at my host family from trainings house, where I stay when I am in Barranquilla, and after the entire family heard we needed directions to the stadium, they did something very common here on the coast.  My brother started by giving us the name of one bus, then my host mother chimed in with two more possible routs, she then called my host uncle who had two more potential routes.  So instead of giving us the name of the easiest bus route, we left the house thoroughly confused and still without a clue of how to get to the stadium.  So I ended up asking a taxi driver his opinion and by some sort of miracle he told my friend and I ONE easy route.  So sorry host family for not listening to your suggestions, but I am horrible with directions and interpreting three people yelling bus routs in a foreign language is not yet my forte.

We boarded the bus and got dropped off right outside the stadium.  Three hours before the game even started, the stadium grounds were rumbling with noise and there was an endless sea of yellow--Colombia’s soccer uniforms.  After finding our seats--two hours before game time-- the sun was shining bright and I already began to smell a bit ripe (nothing any deodorant could do on this day).  The game finally started and after 90 minutes of nonstop chanting and horn blowing Colombia had won 5-0.  

My face red from the sun, we left the stadium in the massive yellow exodus to the public transportation.  What a great game and I really can’t compare it to any sporting event I have been to in the States.  But what I do know is that this will not be my last World Cup Qualifier game I go to in Barranquilla. 

Since I wrote this Colombia lost a heart breaker to Venezuela 1-0, but they are still strong contenders to qualify for the 2014 World Cup!

Sea of Yellow 2 hours before the start 

5-0 win!

 

My Kinda Day

The library after the female teachers put up all the decorations

Every March 19th in Colombia is MEN’S DAY!  This is a day where us gentleMEN get recognized for our contribution to society.  Now honestly I did not remember this day from last year or realize it was yesterday (I wrote this a while back) until around 4:15 when a teacher asked me if I wanted to attend a celebration that the female teachers were going to throw for the male teachers at the high school.  Now as I teach elementary school I felt quite special and said “Claro que si” to the invite.  But like I was saying before, I had not celebrated this day last year :(  and thus did not no what to expect-- A set of dominos for everyone?  A few cases (canastas) of light beer? Strippers? 

As we were all beckoned into the classroom my heart started racing and my mouth salivating as I smelled something meat grilling and strippers...only kidding about the strippers.  But the lovely female teachers really had started an indoor barbecue complete with balloons taped to the ceiling, white tablecloths on the tables, and Ben 10(a popular kids cartoon)  PARTY HATS!  After the initial shock of this incredibly nice gesture we were seated and then served juice.  I know you are asking yourself now, “But what about the prayers.”  Well just hold on one hot minute as I get to that part.

Before I could even lift the juice glass to my lips to taste the sugary goodness, we were all told to close our eyes.  Then one teacher praying led to another and unlike the juice, the prayers were flowing at this point.  After the high praise from the female teachers, they began to serve the fruits of their labor, the beef chuzos (shish kabobs).  After finishing the AMAZING meat sticks, it was getting a bit late so some of the teachers began to head back home.  I soon followed, but the magic of Men’s Day doesn’t stop there.  On my walk back home I witnessed three things that really made this day unforgettable. 

1. There was a group of teens listening to the catchy rap song, Teach me How to Douggie while dancing the dance---Only the best parts of American culture make it to Colombia!
2. Four of my neighbors were playing with the dreidels I had given them for Hanukkah.
3. My host mom was running a comb through a bald man’s head

I can’t imagine a better way to end Men’s Day.  I just wish us male teachers had done something as nice for the female teachers for Women's Day, March 9th. 

Me and my Ben 10 party hat

The Cartagena Film Festival Comes to Town

Last year during the annual Cartagena Film Festival I really did not feel like I knew the public transportation or the city that well and did not even attempt to go into town to see a movie, but this year was a different story.  After a bit more than a year at site I am still horrible with directions, but at least I know how to get to all of the places that matter in Cartagena.  And by that I mean anywhere with wifi or AC within a 10 mile radius.  So I was not going to let the Film Festival come and go again without seeing a single movie.

Some friends came up on Friday and throughout the week I saw three movies costing a grand total of 0 pesos.  Thats right, the Cartagena Film Festival is absolutely free!  And as a wise Peace Corps Response volunteer once told me, “If it’s free, it’s for me and give me three.”  So trying to live by that unofficial PC slogan, I saw as many movies as I could.  One of the movies I caught was a late night movie, under the starts, officially starting at 8:00 (really started at 8:45ish), called Football Rebels.  This was by far my favorite of the three.  It documented how soccer can have a huge effect of the peace process of countries that are at war.  It followed the lives of some really well know soccer players, including Didier Drogba.  And after the movie all of the soccer players from the movie came out, minus Drogba who is currently playing somewhere in Turkey, and answered some questions.  The most recognized player was French striker and ex Manchester United Player, Eric ‘King Eric‘ Cantona.  

However, the surprise of the festival was when I was coming back from doing some errands one night and saw a few things that looked a bit out of the Boquilla norm.  First off, there was a huge long hall truck parked in the middle on one of the roads.  There were also a bunch of people carrying plastic chairs (usually they stay put) and lastly, an overall lack of blaring champeta music.  So I walked over to take a closer look at what was going on.  Turns out that the Cartagena Film Festival took the show on the road and came to La Boquilla.  The previously mentioned truck had a huge projector attached horizontally so the storing compartment became the screen.  I curiously took a seat beside some students and we watched a high school student made movies about Afro-Colombian pride and the importance of preserving the Afro-Colombian culture.  Now I don’t recall the movie’s names, but it was great to see that the organizers of the festival recognized the importance of this topic and came to an Afro-Colombian community to show the locally produced movie FOR FREE!