Think of Me at 11:11 Tomorrow, 1/1/11

The time before I leave is now measured in hours, not days. Somehow most of the clothes, books, toiletries, electronics, and whatever else I deemed worthy enough to come with me has found a place into one of my bags. The large black suitcase sits open still, but at last weighing was at 45 pounds, so not likely much else will go in. My old reliable backpacking bag is filled to the brim and my lazy muscles are glad I don’t have to hike through the jungle with it.

Instead, I’ll be driven to the airport, and only have to lug the bags as far as the American Airlines ticket counter. My flight schedule is one which will be great for keeping the blood moving in my legs, though less good for any sleeping. Three hours from SeaTac to Dallas (leaving at 11:40pm so if we're lucky, boarding at 11:11...), then another three to Miami, where I’ll recheck in my bags on Avanica Airlines and hang out in the airport for a couple of hours. Hopefully sleeping, probably reading my Spanish dictionary and people watching. Then a group meeting with the other 36 volunteer teachers at 1pm and finally off to Bogotá at 4:00 - a (you guessed it) three hour flight.

I’ll be spending around three weeks in Botogá with the whole group for orientation. We’ll receive teacher training, cultural lectures, Spanish lessons, have visits to the Embassy (security briefings…), and hopefully a little time to explore Bogotá. I will be staying at a retreat outside the city and may not have access to the internet, so I will try and update when I can.

Until then, no news from Colombia is good news.

The "Why" and the "U"

Before I become an English teacher, I had to have my own spelling lesson in learning the difference between an “o” and a “u.”

I’ve known I will be going to Colombia for almost six months now, and the process that began, as these opportunities tend to, with forms, paperwork, resumes, recommendations, transcripts, questionnaires, visas, and long checklists of things to do before I leave, is finally coming to a close. And since I’ve known I was going, when I told people I was going to go live and teach in Colombia for a year, this difference between this “o” or “u” became important in more than a grammatical sense.

There is some understandable confusion between the myriad of different place I could be referring to when I say “kə-‘ləm-bē-ə.” Saying this combination of sounds (phonemes to be technical) doesn’t really narrow anything down, to be honest. Am I going to attend Columbia University (or for that matter the lesser-known Columbia College)? Moving to Columbia, South Carolina or the District of Columbia? Studying the Columbia River or the Columbia Dam? Maybe I am starting a career with Columbia Records or moving only 25 minutes north to British Columbia. Heck, there is even a Columbia Hills on Mars. Any of these seemed to be what popped into peoples’ heads when they first heard the locale (okay, except maybe the Mars one). So it’s not surprising there is initial confusion. Seriously, look how many ‘Columbias’ there are, according to Wikipedia.

However, Colombia, on the other hand, is actually much more specific (especially if I pronounce it kə-‘lōm-bē-ə, getting into my newly-acquired linguistic mood). Besides the country (and a town named Colombia in Colombia which could get even more confusing), the only things it can refer to is a town in Cuba, a town in Mexico or yes, the country that is home to 45.5 million people. But now hopefully when most of my communication will consist of the written word, confusion should be no more!

Well even if the orthography mix-up is over, there is usually a lot of confusion all centering around the question of “why are you going to Colu/ombia?” An unspoken asterisk usually is included with something like, “is that safe?” added in.

Because what do we all think of when we think of Colombia? First, probably drugs and guerilla warfare, followed closely by coffee. If you really thought about it, we might get to jungle, beaches, beauty contests, and Shakira. All of which, as I understand it, are very a part of Colombia for the good or bad. But I have learned that my narrow examples or stereotypes of a country or region are never even close to the whole picture. Anyone who has traveled to a new place and done something besides the top 10 tourist sites knows that.

But in all seriousness, why go to Colombia for a year to teach English?

It was last April and my last semester in college was rapidly coming to a close. I had more than enjoyed the traveling and study abroad opportunities I had while in college, so with a shiny BA in “Global Studies” in hand, heading outside the borders of the United States again was a attractive thought.

After sifting through hundreds of internet sites that promised me one person can save the world as soon as they pay $10,000 to volunteer, I finally focused on WorldTeach. I liked they didn’t place teachers in more developed countries and communities where I would be paid a large salary even though I am not a certified teacher. I liked that they focus on cooperation with the communities and in-country partners (instead of the mentality of some U.S. Americans moving into a ‘backwards’ community and making everything better0. I liked that WorldTeach was based out of Harvard, which definitely gives them a little extra credibility. And I liked that they had a diverse array of programs in a variety of places. So I unwittingly was getting my heart set on teaching somewhere with WorldTeach.

Colombia was not the first link I clicked on. WorldTeach has a couple of programs in Pacific Island countries which definitely had an appeal, and also have placements in Rwanda and Namibia which I found very attractive. But then a couple of people mentioned the fact that I already spoke some Spanish so why wasn’t I looking at Spanish-speaking countries? So I started looking at their programs in Costa Rica and Ecuador. And then one day, since I was going through every program, I thought, “what the heck, why not look at Colombia too?”

What was originally dismissed because it seemed like too crazy of an idea soon turned into a serious thought and then my first choice. Colombian NGO and public school partnerships were emphasized as was team-teaching with Colombian teachers. I could have the opportunity to actually become bilingual. It was inexpensive. And Colombia seemed specifically ready to benefit from native English speakers in classrooms. Though violence and the drug trade are down, English education can give students expanded job opportunities especially because Colombia is attracting more and more tourists - which will hopefully grow infrastructure and raise the level of wealth in marginalized communities.

I hope this blog can be a tiny window into another place and culture, a place where the United States is already so heavily invested, a place that only gets in the news when there is a kidnapping, a place I will be learning about right along with you. My hope for the blog is that it will inform you about what I’m up to, about things I see and experience, and if we’re all lucky, it might even occasionally be insightful and entertaining.

So when you ask “why Colombia” (probably mentally spelling it Columbia), my answer is that it is just another place: a place that has its problems and its highlights, a place like any place that could be better, a place to meet and talk with real people living real lives, a place to teach and to learn and a new place to call home.

Now to go off to pack, listen to Shakira, and check that I didn’t accidentally book my plane ticket to Columbia (wherever that is). That would be a harsh way to learn to spell correctly, especially if I am supposed to be the teacher. Though, as we know, whether I am the teacher or the student will switch back and forth as I adapt to a new culture, country and a new profession. I just hope I don’t switch those “o’s” and “u’s” while I’m at it.

NOTE: If you want to learn more about WorldTeach, WorldTeach Colombia, or Colombia, you might find the links on the left interesting and helpful. Of course if you don’t find them helpful, there are plenty of good resources out there for you explore on your own! (Clear and Present Danger and Romancing the Stone don’t count though, sorry.)