Colombia Exchange Trip: Colegio Claustro Moderno

       From the 15th of June to the 4th of August, Ryan Owen and I embarked on an incredible journey to Bogota, Colombia. The first impression of the city was astonishing. I got into the car of my host family, the Escobars, and we headed to the family's apartment on the other side of the city. I was overwhelmed by the enormity of Bogota and everything that was going on around me. I thought downtown Nashville was busy on a Saturday night, but this city blew it out of the water any day of the week. It was like New York City only with mountains surrounding the entire city and less high rises. My family made me feel welcome the second I got home by feeding me dinner and watching the Finals for Colombia's soccer national league. Bogota's team, called Santa Fe, won, and my host brother, Camilo, and his father took me to the central park to celebrate the team's victory. The streets and park were filled with thousands of people waiting for the team to arrive. Unfortunately, we had to leave because it got late and the players had not arrived yet, but on the way back to our car, we saw the team bus being flocked by people with the players standing on top basking in the victory. The craziness of the first day of the trip really set the stage for the next 3 weeks of my journey.

Central Park after Santa Fe win

        The next day was our first day at our new school, Colegio Claustro Moderno, which is a beautiful school built on the side of a mountain with a rich school history that dates back 45 years. The first view of the school was from the inside of the van which took my host brother and I to and from school each day. I saw the amazing waterfall with the bridge running over it for the first time. I knew that this trip was going to be unforgettable. The first few days took some getting used to because the curriculum was so different. It was the beginning of the second semester and 2 weeks from the Olympics. The entire school, including Ryan and I, were going to participate in the Olympic ceremony prepared by the students and teachers in front of the parents at the end of our trip. Practices for the ceremony were incorporated into the daily schedules which cut into class time, but that seemed to be okay to the students, so it was okay to us. A typical day started with arriving to school and meeting in a room specifically for Ryan, Sr. Paolicchi, and me and discussing what we had done/ learned the day before, next Ryan and I went to a class, then usually another class, then we had break where we could buy food and drinks such as empenadas and Quatro, next we had another class, then after that was practice for the Olympics or athletics, next was lunch, then maybe another class or class meeting, then the day was over. Classes varied from day to day, and sometimes there were small group meetings or enrichment classes. I enjoyed this varying schedule greatly because it broke up the monotony of the school day.

Waterfall and Bridge at Claustro Moderno

Farm I visited for a weekend

       For me, the students and people at Claustro and Bogota were the best part of the whole experience. Everyone was friendly and made us Gringos feel like we had lived there all our lives. We made friends with the students in the "senior" class and "junior" class, which is the class our host brothers were in. Everyone seemed to like us and always let us joined their soccer, basketball, or volleyball games. The students helped us with our Spanish if we made a mistake and also helped us understand what the teacher was teaching. On the weekends, my host brother would take me to restaurants serving Colombian dishes, to movies with friends, or just out to a friend's family barbeque. One weekend, we even went to his friend's farm to ride ATVs and herd cattle. The people of this incredible country were what made Colombia so special. Their acceptance of us Americans as one of their own made us feel comfortable in everything we did.




     

Museo de Oro

   Some of the best times in Colombia were the field trips Ryan, Sr. Paolicchi, and I got to take during school to places such as El Catedral de Sal, Cerro de Monserrate, Museo de Oro, and Museo Botero. Each was very unique in that one could never find attractions such as these in any other place in the world. For example, El Catedral de Sal is an underground cathedral in a salt mine. It was spectacular because of its size and attention to detail. Cerro de Monserrate is one of the tallest points in Bogota and at the top is a cathedral. The view from the top was phenomenal. The entire city could be seen. The two museums were of the famous gold discovered by the natives who used to live in the region and of the Colombian painter, Fernando Botero, who is famous for his paintings of fat people and objects. It was attractions such as these that really stuck in my mind, and that I know I will never forget.

View from Monserrate

Catedral de Sal

   
      This trip changed my life forever. The people, the city, the attractions, and the friendships formed from this incredible trip will stick with me for the rest of my life. I have to thank the Warner family for funding this exchange and creating such a rich exchange program. I also need to thank Mr. Gioia and the school for giving me the opportunity to visit such a beautiful place. Another thanks to the Escobar family for hosting me and making me feel at home with the family. This is one of those unforgettable experiences that will stick with me for the rest of my life.