Today officially marks one month of me living in
Barranquilla. In some ways it feels like it has been 6 years, while other times
only a few days. I’m finally getting to my new life on the coast—so much so
that I can’t really think of “new things” to write about. I’m at a point where
things have begun to be so normal that I forget how different it really is. I
thought that it might be interesting to include my day to day schedule for
anyone who is reading this. It’ll give you a glimpse into what my life has been
like here; I’ll also be able to look back after PST and reminisce on my first
hectic and exhausting months in Colombia.
My Typical Weekday Schedule
5:30 am – get out of bed and hop into the (always cold)
shower
·
Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a
morning person but I’m forced to be one here
6:00 am – after dressing turn on the wifi (which works like
a light switch) to catch up on all of my social networking while eating
breakfast
6:45 am—head out of my apartment and walk around the corner to
meet my friends to take the bus to class
·
Buses in Barranquilla rival those in Kigali.
Here the buses are school bus sized (and organized) with a turnstile at the
front, and seats on either side. The buses are probably supposed to fit 50ish
people sitting, but it always ends up
being jam packed with people sitting and standing. Every time the bus stops and
I think it’s impossible for more people to get on….they do. I don’t know how
people manage to find space but it’s not a big deal to squish yourself in and
ride for the whole trip pressed up against someone else. It’s also pretty
common to see one or two people standing on the first step into the bus holding
on tightly as the bus speeds through the narrow streets. To get a bus here you
just flag one down that is going on the route you need to be on. The bus picks
up and drops off passengers anywhere along the route, and (other than the
transmetro bus line) doesn’t work like home with specific drop off/pick up
stops. To get off the bus you have to push your way to the back and press a
button on the side of the bus that alerts the driver to stop. The door usually
opens as the bus as still moving so you have to wait until it stops before hopping
off. If the door doesn’t open you have to yell “la puerta! La puerta!” until
the driver hears you and stops. While the bus situation has taken some time to
get used to, I appreciate the 1600 peso fee which is less than 1 USD.
8:00-12:00 pm – intensive Spanish class
·
During our first few days in Barranquilla we had
a language test to see what level of Spanish we all had. From that we were all
placed in classes ranging from beginner/novice to superior. I was surprised to
find out that our group has a lot of native speakers, and Spanish teachers. I
haven’t actually used my Spanish since high school so I wasn’t too surprised to
be placed in the beginner class (though my pride was a bit bruised lol).
Spanish class is a lot of fun and is focused mainly on communication (as
opposed to grammar). So we spend a lot of time talking and playing games to
help improve our language. I can feel myself becoming more comfortable with the
language. I understand about 60% of what people say to me, but it can be
difficult to respond back to them.
12:00-1:00 pm—Lunch
·
Lunch usually consists of the same mixture of
meat, rice, beans, and “salad”. Like others, the meat has been a little harsh
on my stomach, so I switched to vegetarian meals a week ago. The newness of the
food here has work off, and I’m beginning to have some hardcore cravings. Some
are for foods from back home: namely pepperoni pizza, burritos, and Chinese food.
While others are for food available here that I do not have constant access to:
fresh fruits and vegetables, mozzarella cheese, crunchy peanut butter, and
greek yogurt. I would give anything for a fruit salad and salads that consist
of more than lettuce, and tomatoes! The one thing that I do love is the juice.
Our lunch juice comes in small tied off plastic baggies. It is made of actual
fruit which changes every day. So far I have had, guava, papaya (which I hate),
pineapple, passion fruit, orange, and a whole host of fruits that only seem to exist
in this part of the world. The juice is jam packed with sugar but I could definitely
drink it every day.
1:00-5:00 pm- technical training
·
This is the part of the day where we are given
information related to our future work, or other aspects of our life in
Colombia. We have had sessions on classroom management, teaching English as a
native English speaker, mental and emotional health, resiliency, and a whole
host of others. These sessions can be a bit overwhelming because I have no
formal teaching experience, and it seems like I’m the only one who isn’t/hasn’t
been a teacher. I’m also pretty exhausted and antsy by that time so it can be
hard to sit still.
5:00 pm – bus back home
·
This usually takes 45 mins to an hour depending
on the traffic and how many stops need to be made. A lot of fellow PCTs take
the same bus back as I do which is always nice. I’m comfortable on the buses
now so I have no issues pushing my way to the back, and timing the exact moment
the bus shoots past my apartment.
6:45 pm-8:00 pm—shower, catch up on social networks, read on
my kindle, watch Netflix
8:00 ish- 9:00 pm—dinner
9:00-10:00 continue to feed my internet addiction before
passing out
5:30 am—wake up and do it all over again!!!!
My life now is pretty much scheduled and I can’t wait for
the day when I have more control over my life. I’m at the point where I’m
beginning to have more ups and downs but I’m still glad I came here, and look
forward to the next two years in Colombia.
