March 10-17, 2019
Day 1: Today was a good
travel day, with nice weather
and flights. Jerry, Val, and I
drove up and found offsite
parking in CLT complete
with shuttle to the airport.
Several of us talked over a
small snack and mojitos in
Miami. We landed late in
Bogota and I immediately
noticed the altitude made it
harder to breathe. We were
at roughly 8.4k feet above
sea level; much higher than I
have ever been, outside of
an airplane. Our group had
a little trouble staying
together through the airport
but we made it.
Day 2: Our morning was
spent walking the old city of
bogota. Hard not to fall in
love with Colombia when
hearing its history from a
native. Our local guide,
Adriana has such passion for
the country and the city. We
Walked from “the river” up
into graffiti covered hills
then down into the old city.
Botero museo was
interesting. The Sun came
out and burned my bald
head. Searching for ATMs
was annoying . Jerry, Laura,
and I ate tamales at puenta
falsa like Bourdain. It was
Very homey; thick, savory,
not very spicy. UniAndes
has a beautiful campus.
They are Starting a
geography program. Hard
not to commit on the spot to
partnering with them, but I
know thereʼs a level of work
and commitment there that
might not be ready yet on
my end. I am new to all of
this. Bus ride home made
me car sick. Dinner at
Andres DC was... a lot.
Loud, bright, many senses
engaged. I felt sick. I was
named table king with
Valeria as queen. I usually
hate that stuff but obliged
and it was actually pretty
fun. The ridiculous of it all
made for good team
building. Itʼs odd feeling so
far away from home when
you feel just a little sick. The
city is very cosmopolitan.
Saw much more poverty,
homelessness today than
yesterday. All in all, a great
experience- you should go
to Bogota!
Day 3: I didnʼt make it on the
bus this morning. Persistent
nausea. Read online and
talked to a friend who visited
a while back and I think itʼs
altitude sickness. I Went to
a coffee shop for coffee
(diuretic) and toast (carbs)
and then a comic book
store. The coffee and toast
and water made me feel a bit
better. The comic book
store was a bust; everything
was in English! I feel good
enough to get up and
around but definitely not
great.
By late afternoon I was
feeling better. Rest and
water were helpful. I felt like
I let the team down by not
being with them but was
also crazy bored here at the
hotel. I wanted to rest so I
didnʼt explore much but did
notice tree-lined European
style boulevards, a colonial
relic no doubt, while walking
around. I also worked on my
Spanish on my app and
through one on one
interactions with
shopkeepers. People get
sick on this trip so I need to
stay behind. Itʼs important to
have protocols in place. Itʼs
also good for individuals to
experience the place on
their own, as much as it is
safe to do so.
By the evening I was feeling
much better! Went out to
eat with Jerry, Valeria,
Candace, and Laura. We
had the wine made at the
winery in Chile Jerry would
have taken us too. There
was a conversation about
being black in a city that,
while diverse, still leaves
that population as a smaller
minority than even in US.
Our own group is fairly
diverse, certainly with a
larger black population.
Being in a foreign country,
being a non-speaker, in all
the ways one can be a
minority, it can be very
tough. Being white in
America comes with many
privileges. Traveling opens
your eyes to the experiences
of others, not just abroad,
but even at home.
Day 4: This was a very early
morning bus ride to the
airport. Flew to Medellín. I
missed my wife and two
daughters very much.
I thought I was feeling better
but the bus ride made me
nauseated.
The plane ride left me in a
much better place, in many
senses. The pressurized
cabin, the lower elevation of
Medellín.
Train ride, cable car,
escalators... we did it all
today. And we saw poverty
on a scale I had not yet
witnessed. It was interesting
to see a city invest in such
poor areas with means of
transportation and tourist
draws- giving infrastructure,
on some scale, to their
poorest rather than
continuing to ignore them.
And these areas had a
beauty to them. We had
mango pops in salted lime
juice and looked at graffiti
and watched street
performers under a blue sky
with a nice breeze. And still
it felt wrong. Like we were
slum tourists. I have many
questions about wealth,
privilege, mobility... the
ethics of tourism. Today
was truly life-changing in a
way that will likely take time
to fully realize. Dinner with
friends for now, and
conversations with
colleagues. Hopefully I will
turn my privileges into good
for others.
Day 5:
(Notes: Pablo and Botero
Calle vs Carrera = EW/NS,
opposite in bogota and
Medellin)
We discussed the history of
violence today from both left
and right wings as well as
criminals and politicians. It
put the areas we saw
yesterday into more
perspective. This place felt
so simple, so 2 dimensional,
but is so complex.
Botero sculptures and art
are growing on me. I had
delicious coffee from the
region. The paisa plate with
so much meat and carbs
made me sick in the heat
and hurry, but the flavors
were so good- truly unique!
The coconut limonade was
delicious. The campus tour
was brief but interesting:
lots of left wing movements
as evidenced in graffiti,
some of which was anti
American involvement in
South America. There was
an art exhibit with guitars
each made to reflect an
emotion with a piece of
music to accompany each...
and the artist was there
performing them on piano!
Santiʼs music
recommendations: Petite
fellas, DJ Quantic.
Day 6: Iʼm typing reflections
on the flight to Cartagena
where it is supposed to be
sunny and hot! I feel much
better than I have all trip but
I am not confident that I
wonʼt experience some kind
of relapse. No more
university visits ahead.
Medellin was such a
challenging, pleasant,
wonderful, growth
experiences. My
stereotypes were
challenged, and my
thoughts on violence/peace,
community/isolation,
tourism/invasion... so many
contradictions put into
deeper perspective. Santi
was a great tour guide and
felt like a friend, and seemed
to be a friend to everyone he
met. The food was good,
the people were kind, my
thoughts were spiraling. I
hope to return to this city
someday. I had not
considered some kind of
trip/course for preservice
teachers to learn history,
geography, economics, and
education in the field. I feel
like I simultaneously have a
better understanding and
more questions now than at
the start of the trip. Much
like getting my masters
degree! Teachers should
have that experience, too.
To increase understanding,
to be humbled by their lack
thereof, and to spark a
hunger for more. I am
hungry for more. Although
maybe Iʼll take it easy on the
food until I feel completely
better. Itʼs hard not to
indulge while youʼre here; to
soak it all in. Itʼs a lot. Itʼs
wonderful. Iʼm tired and
inspired. Travel challenges
all, and I hope that my
broader horizons can be carried to my friends,
family, colleagues, future students, etc.
Iʼm grateful for this opportunity.