Me gusta Colombia

I've been here 11 days, and having very good time! I've only been in Medellin and Bogota, both places for conference. Medellin is a tropical area, and therefore very green; lovely linear park in La Provenza, the neighbourhood I stayed in.

I got there Oct 1, and my workshop was Oct 6, so I had days to acclimatize and poke around. First day I slept mostly, as my flights took 24 hours to get there (what happens when you book on points). Also, I felt overwhelmed at the idea of trying to order food / buy sunscreen / go on metro. La Provenza is upper middle class / wealthy neighbourhood, with many shops and bars and cafes. It's also safe to walk around as tourist, day or night; other parts of the city are day-visiting only.

I saw the big sights while there: the Museo Antioquia (historic and contemporary art), and the modern art museum. I also spent a day at Parque Arvi, above the city, in a neighbourhood above Santo Domingo, which used to be the poorest / most dangerous barrio in the city. But post-Pablo-Escobar, the city started to try and invest in poor barrios to shift the safety pendulum. They have built six or seven library parks, with huge beautiful buildings, and built better transit that is free for residents. So I want to Arvi, which takes a cable car above Santo Domingo, so you can see over all the shanty homes built up the hill.

Parque Arvi is very lush, with little markets and retaurants all along the roads, and long paths to walk. The earth is very red there, which made me think of Oklahoma. I ate empanadas and fresh fruit (they are big on strawberries and gooseberries here), and walked a few km before I turned back. Tons of families there (it was a Sunday) hanging out, chatting, etc.

I definitely read as a tourist here (blonde hair) but a few times people have just asked me questions in Spanish before I say, Lo siento. But I can get a lot of the gist of what people are saying by body language (I had a similar experience in Eastern Europe), and I am learning new words all the time. My most triumphant moment was figuring out where to get ipad restored after it crashed, and how to get there, and then explaining my problem and getting help. Showing the screen was helpful, of course, but it still felt like a victory. I feel for people who are just learning English in Canada.)

Now in bogota! Conference was all this week, and I learned some neat things. I had. The poster session, which is awkward because your poster is up, and you stand there hoping people will talk to you about it, but try not to put them on the spot. So someone might be reading the poster, and I try not to stare at them while still looking open to talking if they have questions. It feels like intellectual speed dating. At first, no talks, but after a bit people asked questions, and I would ask them about their research work, which made them talk more. And so it felt okay.

Today going to the Museo del Oro, and to a little cool neighbourhood called La Candelaria, with cafes and bars. Rained like crazy yesterday, and my sneakers got soaked -- street was like a creek! Today looks to be drier.

(Having issues posting pictures from iPad. Will figure out and do later tonight. But if you are on Instagram, you can see some: asivak.)



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