Colombia, Country of Colour & Charisma
The following contribution is from Miranda Howell from New Zealand who studied Spanish in Medellin in November & December 2013.
Experiencing Colombian Food
After three years of living in the Middle East the appeal of experiencing a Latin American culture, was like a magnet to metal. Just the thought of vibrant music and dance, socialising with people who have a zest for life and the opportunity to learn Spanish was enough to book a spontaneous airline ticket and set off on another adventure. This isn’t the usual me, I’ve chosen to take my first adventurous steps in travelling the world a little later in life than most and I’m now totally addicted.
The ‘Let’s go to Latin America’ decision was easy. However, which country to choose for my first visit was a bigger challenge. COLOMBIA! You say, WHY COLOMBIA? Haven’t I heard about the dangers, the history, the drugs, the poverty, the prostitution….? The list went on. Haven’t you done your research? Don’t you know that Colombia is supposed to have one of the best dialects of Spanish in the world? As for the dangers, we’re not living in the 80’s anymore. Medellin is a very respectable city in the most fabulous setting with the best climate imaginable. I’m not a person to take risks and was glad the luxurious shared accommodation recommended by Study Spanish COLOMBIA proved to be great not only from a social perspective but also happened to be located in an easily accessible & completely safe part of town. I had the confidence to walk alone to local haunts, even at night.
There was another personal reason for choosing Colombia and Medellin in particular. My husband had spent three months here and came home with great recommendations for the country, the city, his choice of accommodation and the language training. I didn’t need further research to believe that Medellin is a great place to visit.
The Famous Medellin Christmas Lights
Enjoying Christmas in Medellin
Colombia is a traveler’s haven and Medellin certainly proved to be an excellent town to stay. Surrounded by the beautiful, tall Andes on all sides, and situated in the tropics, it enjoys the equatorial climate with the coolness of altitude. Perfect. Yes it rains and you need at least one, if not two umbrellas when that tropical storm descends for an hour or so most days, but the lush jungle vegetation combined with mountain air brings a freshness.
Medellin has different options for different personalities and age groups. For me, I wanted to focus on the learning Spanish and enjoyed my intensive Spanish lessons in a personal setting. The teachers are all so friendly and helpful and even socialised with us outside of class. My efforts at Spanish speaking with the locals were rewarded with lots of encouragement and smiles. Even my neighbour on a long bus journey, took only minutes before showing me her family photos and chatting away happily.
In Colombia, the locals live for the moment which means they are always ready for a spontaneous social event, even if their time-keeping leaves a bit to be desired. They welcome foreigners with open arms. It was amazing how friends and relatives of friends who were Colombian rushed to provide contact details, and at least meet for coffee. During my four weeks here, I was invited into three different homes, ate in endless quaint cafes, and enjoyed the salsa. I loved the Latin music and the spectacular dance show demonstrating the exotic colourful costumes and lively, intricate dancing. I also made the most of social events through Internations and Couchsurfing, two organisations which build relationships between locals and foreigners.
So what’s stopping you? Experience Colombia and see a magnificent part of the continent that is still untainted by excessive tourism.
Miranda Howell (New Zealand)
The following contribution is from Miranda Howell from New Zealand who studied Spanish in Medellin in November & December 2013.
Experiencing Colombian Food
After three years of living in the Middle East the appeal of experiencing a Latin American culture, was like a magnet to metal. Just the thought of vibrant music and dance, socialising with people who have a zest for life and the opportunity to learn Spanish was enough to book a spontaneous airline ticket and set off on another adventure. This isn’t the usual me, I’ve chosen to take my first adventurous steps in travelling the world a little later in life than most and I’m now totally addicted.
The ‘Let’s go to Latin America’ decision was easy. However, which country to choose for my first visit was a bigger challenge. COLOMBIA! You say, WHY COLOMBIA? Haven’t I heard about the dangers, the history, the drugs, the poverty, the prostitution….? The list went on. Haven’t you done your research? Don’t you know that Colombia is supposed to have one of the best dialects of Spanish in the world? As for the dangers, we’re not living in the 80’s anymore. Medellin is a very respectable city in the most fabulous setting with the best climate imaginable. I’m not a person to take risks and was glad the luxurious shared accommodation recommended by Study Spanish COLOMBIA proved to be great not only from a social perspective but also happened to be located in an easily accessible & completely safe part of town. I had the confidence to walk alone to local haunts, even at night.
There was another personal reason for choosing Colombia and Medellin in particular. My husband had spent three months here and came home with great recommendations for the country, the city, his choice of accommodation and the language training. I didn’t need further research to believe that Medellin is a great place to visit.
The Famous Medellin Christmas Lights
Enjoying Christmas in Medellin
Colombia is a traveler’s haven and Medellin certainly proved to be an excellent town to stay. Surrounded by the beautiful, tall Andes on all sides, and situated in the tropics, it enjoys the equatorial climate with the coolness of altitude. Perfect. Yes it rains and you need at least one, if not two umbrellas when that tropical storm descends for an hour or so most days, but the lush jungle vegetation combined with mountain air brings a freshness.
Medellin has different options for different personalities and age groups. For me, I wanted to focus on the learning Spanish and enjoyed my intensive Spanish lessons in a personal setting. The teachers are all so friendly and helpful and even socialised with us outside of class. My efforts at Spanish speaking with the locals were rewarded with lots of encouragement and smiles. Even my neighbour on a long bus journey, took only minutes before showing me her family photos and chatting away happily.
In Colombia, the locals live for the moment which means they are always ready for a spontaneous social event, even if their time-keeping leaves a bit to be desired. They welcome foreigners with open arms. It was amazing how friends and relatives of friends who were Colombian rushed to provide contact details, and at least meet for coffee. During my four weeks here, I was invited into three different homes, ate in endless quaint cafes, and enjoyed the salsa. I loved the Latin music and the spectacular dance show demonstrating the exotic colourful costumes and lively, intricate dancing. I also made the most of social events through Internations and Couchsurfing, two organisations which build relationships between locals and foreigners.
So what’s stopping you? Experience Colombia and see a magnificent part of the continent that is still untainted by excessive tourism.
Miranda Howell (New Zealand)