This week was my second and final week in Envigado at Spanish school. It's been really great to feel settled and at home somewhere, and I'm sad that I'll be packing up my bags to move on on Sunday.
I decided to take private lessons this week instead of a group class- progress is definitely an up and down journey! There were some days when I felt like I was understanding everything and moving quickly (indirect object: no problem) and others when I was feeling frustrated with my abilities (talking to vendors in the local market: literally no idea what they were telling me). My private lessons this week were with Manu, the sweetest little thing you've ever met, and I got into a good groove with Nicolas, the coach I met with to practice in the mornings. I'm going to miss them both, and will definitely need to force myself to practice and study if I want to keep improving.
Tuesday we celebrated Manu's birthday in the school (she's the one holding the mug)
Having been here two weeks, part of me wishes that I had allocated more time to being in the school. It took me the first week to figure out the pace of life here and get into a rhythm. It feels like, now that I'm finally settled in, it's time to move on. But since my trip is not 100% planned out, I always have the option to return!
In addition to classes and coaching, I had a couple of other memorable experiences this week. I went on a trip with the school to an area of Medellín called Manrique. It used to be really dangerous due to the drug gangs, but is now a shining example of how the government has turned things around through public works projects, called UVAs. I may not be getting the description 100% correct, but UVAs are public areas for neighborhood folks to hang out and enjoy, like this one:
A public walkway and fountain in Manrique
Manrique is way up the hill, so I also got to enjoy some great views....and put my SF legs to the test on some steep roads (only downhill, luckily :)
Walking through the 'hood.
I also enjoyed an amazing dinner at El Cielo, a restaurant in El Poblado. We enjoyed 13 beautiful courses with wine, for about $90 USD per person (seems like a pretty good price compared to SF standards!) Some of the courses were interpretations of traditional Colombian foods, and each was an experience!
Pork with butterflies made of I don't know what
Vapor to create the feeling of a traditional Colombian morning (because everyone smokes I guess?)
On my last day in Medellín, I was going to do some sightseeing on the metrocable, but the guys from school were heading out to an "Action Sport" bar so I decided to go with them. First, we met at the school, because one of the guys, Giuseppe, lives there....and unfortunately we locked him out without his keys or wallet. So naturally, they asked the neighbors for a couple of brooms, poles, and tape, and fashioned a tool to press the button inside the school that unlocks the gate.
The hombres, making their gate-unlocking tool. I did not help at all, but photographed the whole thing.
After getting Giuseppe's belongings, we headed out for a relaxing afternoon up in the hills, enjoying some sun, salads, and views (and NOT enjoying a bunch of bug bites) at Mahalo Action Sport Cafe
Not a bad way to spend my last day in Medellín!
Now I'm in Cartagena, a totally different Colombia from Medellín...stay tuned for more on what I get up to here on the Caribbean coast.