I cannot believe that 4 months have gone by since I returned to Minnesota from Cartagena. It simultaneously feels like a an incredibly long time and a relatively short time. Cartagena is very dear to me, and always will, but while I search for ways to return, I am living my life in Minnesota. And what a winter to be in Minnesota! I don't even know how many inches of snow we have received so far!
I am in the mood to make a list, but since it would be too hard to make a list of what I miss about Colombia, I present to you:
5 Things I Don't Miss About Cartagena
1. The Heat/The Rain
The temperature in Cartagena is hot, hotter, or extremely hot. Combined with humitity, it is, at times, unbearable. This might be too much info, but the worst is sitting on a bus and just feeling the sweat trickle down your back all the way down your butt crack. And there is nothing you can do about it.
As of late, Cartagena has been hit hard with rains. It rained a lot while I was there but nothing like now. In fact, all of Colombia has been receiving a lot of rain and many people are in horrible situations. Here is a picture of the streets of Cartagena from when I was there:
And a pic my friend sent me at the beginning of December:
The thing is, even with the rain and the heat, Cartagena's spirit shines through, people band together, and through too much rain or too much shine, life marches on. I love that spirit.
2. Aguardiente
This was the choice alcohol of the people of the coast. I thought it was pretty gross. Luckily you drink it in small shots passed around large groups of people, so one can get by without drinking much of it. Still, I am glad to be away from its anise flavor.
3. The Tourists
Cartagena is a city on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, therefore many cruise ships stop by dropping off loads of tourists who flood the streets which in turn become flooded by people selling things. It is obnoxious if you are not participating in the touring or the profiting. Also, Juan Valdez (my favorite coffee shop) fills up and my nook gets stolen by randos and the bathroom gets overused (Juan Valdez has the best bathroom in all of Cartangea). I know I could be included in the category labeled "tourists" so I can't complain too much, but at least I made an effort to speak Spanish, learn the public transportation, and become friends with the costeños.
4. The Schedule
Some people complain about how "Latinos are always late" or how ridiculously laid back many people in Latin America are about time and schedules. I rather enjoyed it, but one thing that did irk me at times was how it can be played either way. For example: my students often arrived to class about half an hour late (to an hour long class) and that was just understood as normal. But if I arrived late, I could be assured that I would have no students. You see, if they arrived late, no problem! But if they arrived on time and there was no teacher there, that was just permission to head on home. I always had to come early to ensure I didn't let any kid slip out because my bus decided to drive at walking speed (or my moto-taxi decided to stop for a mango, see blog-post "El Mango").
5. The Lack of Snow
So this is kind of redundant... but I don't know what else to say! I do love snow and I have been very lucky this year to not only have a ton of snow here in Minnesota, but I am also coaching Nordic skiing at a local high school (and I love it!)
But I miss my students, our crazy classes, the beautiful streets, the beach and the ocean, playing Ultimate Frisbee with friends, hanging out in the hotel, riding the buses and colectivos and moto-taxis, the salsa and champeta and vallenato music, the fruit juices, the fried foods, the friendly people, the wonderful sound of a costeño accent, Juan Valdez, dancing late nights and eating street foods...
...and my friends. You all made this experience so special for me. I keep you all very close to me in my heart. Thank you.
