Mi Viaje a Colombia

My exchange trip to Colombia was one of indescribable value and learning. Having studied Spanish for two years, I had never fully grasped the use of the language, but, being forced into a solely Spanish-speaking country, I had to learn quickly. The experiences I had and friends I made are certainly life-long and sentimentally important.

The first day was certainly disorienting and jarring. Quickly shuffled out of the bustling airport, I was whisked away to Pablo's apartment by Pablo, his brother, and his mother. I was immediately relieved to find out that they all spoke English, and therefore I would, at least, be able to communicate with the family. Our first day, July 15th, was the day of a huge fútbol game between Sante Fe and Deportivo Pasto, and so there were huge celebration rallies.

Denny's first-day excitement!

The first day at Colegio Claustro Moderno, I was understandably intimidated. Hardly able to converse, classes seemed like they were going to be a challenge. However, classes were small and Denney and I had the exact same schedule, so we performed adequately. In fact, MBA's rigorous curriculum had over-prepared us for this school, and we actually performed better on the tests than the other students. On the Chemistry (partner) test, Denney and I only missed a single problem, and on a math test, (also partnered), we got a perfect school. As far as academics goes, school was a breeze.

Hanging out with friends

In fact, many days, we didn't attend every class. We had plenty of time to sit on the hill and hang out with friends. We passed most of our time that way, sitting and talking with friends. The only true work we had to do consisted of a presentation to Etapa 4 (Grades 10 & 11, which is our 11 & 12) about our lives in Nashville. The presentation, in Spanish, described life in Nashville. Once again, the largest barrier was speaking Spanish.

Our Presentation

Bogota had a lot of activities to offer. We visited the "Catedral de Sal", an abandoned salt mine where religious scenes were carved to depict a story. That trip, showed the importance of resilience of faith. On a separate occasion, we visited the Museo de Oro, a collection of gold artifacts ranging from discontinued coins to Mayan Relics, and El Museo de Botero, an art gallery featuring the Colombian painter Fernando Botero. These excursions showed me more about the spirit of Bogota, and the people therein.

Señor Paolicchi's palpable excitement at the Museo de Botero

For me, the most important and outstanding part of the trip was the people. Nowhere else have I found such a genial and brilliant group of helpful, genuine, and kind citizens. Ranging from the students to the faculty, from my host family to the kids Pablo and I played basketball with, every person exhibited genuine magnanimity, and I am truly grateful for such a unique opportunity. I stand my my earlier inclination in that I regretted having to leave, and still wish to return. The trip was a life-altering experience; in one regard, I have many new friends with whom I keep in touch, in a whole other area, I have begun to realize that ultimately, cultural differences matter little. Whether you have money or not, whether you have travelled abroad, experienced the world, whether you go to a tough school or an easy one, whatever your personal problems may be, certain outstanding qualities, like hospitality, transcend all cultural and language barriers. I hope we showed the same accommodation to the Pablo and Camilo while they stayed here.

Pablo and Esteban

I just want to give a heart-felt thank you to those who enabled this trip. Especially Mrs. Warner, Mr. Gioia, Jorge Alejandro, and the Gaitán family, I thank you all for an amazing trip.