When I first signed up for 6 weeks of school in Barranquilla, I thought I knew and was prepared for everything. Well- I was delightfully wrong! When I first signed up for six weeks of school in Barranquilla, I thought I was completely prepared. I am a Spanish as well as an Addiction and Recovery, so I speak the language and thought I could respond well to any situation. Well- I was delightfully wrong. Right before takeoff, I grabbed one last meal at my favorite restaurant, Chick-fil-A, and hugged my parents goodbye. I flew from my hometown in Huntsville, Alabama, to Dallas Fort Worth, where I had to spend the night, which I was not mentally prepared for. I didn’t try to sleep and the lights in the airport were so incredibly bright. If anyone asked me for advice regarding airfare and airports, I would recommend bringing a sleep mask. When I arrived and finished going through customs, the university who partners with The University of Alabama, UniNorte, took us to our host families. The first thing I did was unpack. My goal was to under pack, and under pack I did! I brought about 2 weeks worth of clothes, sunscreen, bug spray, a water bottle, shampoo, conditioners, other hygiene products, and my school supplies. However, all the clothes I brought were athleisure, which is super popular at The University of Alabama right now. When I got to Colombia, I was pleasantly surprised at how nice everyone dressed! Later on after meeting some friends in Colombia, we all went to the mall and they told me that many people overdress here. I was so thankful for their help with shopping!
The first week in Colombia was very hard for me. I was very homesick. I missed my parents, my black lab named Spike, all my friends and my boyfriend. However I immersed myself in school and my classes and learning more about the history of Colombia as well as the culture, and that helped immensely. I am taking 3 classes, Latin American Culture, Latin American Literature post 1900’s, and Indigenous Languages of Colombia. My favorite class has been Indigenous Languages, because it is more linguistic based and I have not taken many linguistic related courses previously. All teachers are incredibly passionate about what they do and the wellbeing of their students, which helps a lot. We went to a museum related to the history indigenous cultures of the Caribbean, as well as to monuments related to the culture in Barranquilla including a giant Shakira statue and a park dedicated to the history of their soccer team, Junior. The homesickness persisted into the second week, but I was beginning to make friends and socializing more. That weekend, we went to Santa Marta which is absolutely beautiful. It is close to the Sierra Nevada’s, so there are many mountains on the beach. I went snorkeling and saw a ton of beautiful fish. I have my open water dive certification, so the snorkeling instructor and I talked a lot about our various dive adventures and how the dive culture is different where we live. The third week was a normal school week, but we taught a high school English class which was incredibly fun.
I am a very picky eater and I was very nervous about trying Colombian food. The first Colombian food I tried was from a little cafe within the mall. I got a “latte frio con vainilla” (Iced vanilla latte) and an “empanada con espinaca y queso” (empanada with spinach and queso). I was nervous to try it, since I am not a huge fan of spinach, but it was absolutely marvelous! It tasted similar to basil, in my opinion. I cannot wait to learn how to make empanadas, arepas, and Colombian coffee at home. I have bought several bags as well as a type of espresso maker that they use here- a moka pot, to make coffee at home. The coffee here is like nothing I have ever experienced. It is rich and smooth. It tastes wonderful hot, iced, with flavor, and black.
I cannot wait to share how the following weeks are!
Stay tuned,
Liz
