This was a busy week! Sunday evening, several volunteers and
I went to a party at a volunteer’s host family’s house. We had a lovely time
dancing and eating and mostly just visiting. Monday was el Día de la Velas (Feast of the Immaculate Conception) and the
celebration at church was beautiful! Everyone arrived early in the morning to
light candles around the statue of Mary as the Sun rose. While older people
prayed the Rosary, the children (many of them still in pajamas) and a few
adults tended the candles. A few older women passed out tinto and buñuelos and
then we prayed the Rosary again and had Mass. I was excited to find that I’m
starting to feel like I belong here.
Wednesday, a few volunteers, including one visiting from
Barranquilla, and I went to Minca. We hiked with the volunteer there to Pozo
Azul and enjoyed swimming around in the refreshingly freezing water. We were in
a pool past the first one, which was neat, since there was no one else there
and we were able to jump off rocks into the water and hop back out of the cold
and just generally have fun without worrying about running into someone. When
we got back to Minca, we ate at the Lazy Cat and then later hiked up the stairs
to Casa Loma, where the guys stayed. I stayed with the Minca volunteer and enjoyed
spending time with all of them in the evening.
Thursday, we all came down from Minca and went to Playa
Grande, past Taganga. The walk around the mountain to get to the beach was
beautiful and I was found fish in the water near the shore! There was one in
particular with fins that looked like wings and had bright blue stripes on them
and I followed him/her around for a bit before we all headed back to Santa
Marta.
- Both the priests at my church smile whenever they give me
Communion and that never ceases to brighten my day. To smile is to speak a
universal language, so smile – you never know who’s day you’ll brighten with a
universal greeting.
- Buñuelos are
sort of like Colombian donuts and they’re delicious, especially when they’re
homemade. Buñuelos are basically
fried sweet dough with cheese – I was a little bummed about the cheese, but
fried sweet dough is good!
- Tinto is (real)
coffee with sugar and is served in a cup about the size of a shot glass because
it’s that strong! Coffee with milk and sugar is café con leche and is usually made with instant coffee (and is
served in a regular sized coffee/tea cup). If you want coffee without sugar,
you’ll need to ask – almost everyone here drinks it with sugar.
- Elderly people are awesome. I went to lunch with my host
mom and one of her friends and her friend was so sweet and gentle and kept
telling the same stories over and over and being with her for a bit just made
my day.
- The Lazy Cat restaurant in Minca is amazing! They have
delicious food (including for vegetarians) and the owners are really nice. Unfortunately,
most Colombians don’t eat there, so if you want to separate yourself from the
tourists, it may not be the best place to go, but if you just want good food,
WiFi, and English, it’s perfect.
- Casa Loma is a hostel with a gorgeous view about a
bazillion stairs up from Minca! Walking up all the stairs is a challenge, but
again, the view, the food, and a nice hammock to sleep in make the walk up
worthwhile.
- Megadarra: Cooked lentils and rice with cumin and allspice
or cinnamon, topped with caramelized onions.
- Having a host family is cool. So are the days when they’re
not home. Whenever I have a rare day home alone, I get a crazy amount of stuff
done. I clean and work and cook and do laundry and turn up my music and just
play. Enjoy your alone time because it’s not all that common in this culture,
which is a beautiful thing in itself, but also allows you to better appreciate
your “me” time.
