Colombia is not what you think

Last August I decided to travel to Colombia for my December holiday; taking an old student up on her offer to see Colombia. Since I am a teacher, my break allowed me to enjoy 23 days in the country. When I told my friends about my coming vacation plans they thought I was insane.

"WTF!? You're going to get kidnapped!"

"There is going to be so much blow, don't do too much." (I do not do that anyway)

"You are crazy it is soooo dangerous!"

All were some of the comments they made. However, these were no unnecessary and rather stereotypical based on the unfortunate portrayal of Colombia in the media (in the U.S.). 

Walking through El Dorado Aeropuerto I was shocked at how its architecture was beautifully modern and its overall cleanliness. Maybe it is that I am so used to New York's JFK and LaGuardia airports, but Colombia was already making a great first impression. 

Ajiaco

The first thing I tasted was ajiaco (a delicious soup that is actually considered to be one of the best soups in the word by a Lonely Planet coffee table book given to me by a friend). Later that first night I tried Aguardiente. In one day I already felt the warmth of the people, the hospitality, the positive vibe of the country.

 

Throughout this trip I visited Bogota, Zipaquiera, Sogamoso (as well as two smaller towns, Corales and Nbsoa), Leticia (Tatabanga, Brazil; Santa Rosa, Peru; Lake Zacumba, Peru; Islandia, Peru; Benjamin Constant, Brazil; Puerto Narino, Colombia), Cartagena and Barranquilla (pardon misspellings). 

During my vacation time in December (and early January) was how different Colombia was from New York. Yes, it did have nice restaurants, malls, internet and good public transportation among other things. However, what was the glaring difference was that in Colombia when you meet someone you are met with warmth, while in New York you are often met with a bit of coldness and then it turns to warmth. Please don't misunderstand and think New Yorkers are not warm, that isn't true, they are friendly; but this can be fake in the beginning and after getting to know people the true warmth comes out. Furthermore, it was amazing to me that Colombia was a rather small country in comparison to the U.S. but had such diversity: cosmopolitan cities, mountains, rainforest, desert, beaches, archeological sites etc. 

Colombia intrigued me. I had always wanted to learn Spanish, I did not speak more than 5 words of Spanish prior to my visit and maybe spoke 20 words before my move. Being a teacher of English as a second language I know that the best way to learn a language is to be immersed in a place that speaks the language. In turn I decided to move to Colombia, I knew I already liked it. 

I must say that Colombia (at least the part I have experienced) is not the place my friends thought it was. It is beautiful, charming, friendly and progressive. Please disregard previous notions of Colombia, it is not what you think, I encourage visiting and seeing it for yourself. 

Moving has been difficult, but in life, it is the challenges a person faces that helps makes them stronger.