February 18th

Alternate Titles: A Check In, A Normal Blog Post? 

I don’t have a specific prompt today. There is nothing I particularly want to write about. I’ve decided to tell you about my day, my week, and my life lately. 

My day:

Barranquilla is a city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, about 6 hours north of Monteria. I am here for Carnaval! Barranquilla’s carnival is the world’s second largest, after Rio, and it was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO in 2003. So, obviously, I took the long bus ride up to participate in the tradition. 

Per local recommendations, we showed up at 9:00 am and secured a good spot to watch the parade from. I just got home and washed all the cornstarch and beer out of my hair; it’s 6:00 pm. My friends are napping to sober up before we head  to one of the city’s main streets for a night of dancing.

My week: 

My best friend, Kendall, came to Colombia to celebrate my birthday with me. It was the first time a friend visited me in Colombia, and also the first time I didn’t have a birthday party! Instead, we spent my birthday at a flower farm outside of Medellin – it was magical.

I taught adults for the first time this week! During the month of February, I am assisting in an English class for professors. So, I made a room of working-adult educators learn Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes (including the dance). To my surprise, both parties thoroughly enjoyed the experience. 

I am actually getting somewhere in my dance classes. Champeta is still hard, and I still can’t move my butt like a Colombian, but I've got a few moves down! I also discovered that I am my dance teacher’s favorite student. 

There are mangos growing everywhere in Monteria! They grow in bunches and hang from thin branches. It’s not how I imagined mangos would grow. My camera roll is full of tree photos; I hope to document the same trees as the fruit ripens. 

My life lately:

I haven’t relied on anyone's advice for over three months now. I like it. I’ve never backed myself up so much. 

I’ve caught myself calling Monteria home. It’s not that I am in love with Monteria; it’s still too hot and too small. But, I am in love with my life here. I love my dance classes and my crossfit coach and that I can order the world’s best juice at any hour of the night. Life is good. 

I am concerned that moving to Colombia by myself turned me into an introvert… I crave “alone time.” I have chosen an hour of journaling over an hour of socializing a few times now… This is shocking.