A-Broad in Education: The Americana Morenaza en Colombia~ Spring in Medellin

Max and I arrived in Medellin around 11pm. She booked our Airbnb apartment this time and had briefly mentioned that there were a few things that made her skeptical about the booking. The man had only recently posted a private room for rent and Max and I were to be the first to stay with him. There were no reviews to vouch for his credibility as a Lister, however Airbnb does have secure bookings. If something happened, both parties would have been covered. Max assured me that there was something special about this guy and the apartment that made her go through with the booking...both of us were nervous though!

Juan was scheduled to pick us up from the airport upon our arrival. We got off of the plane and headed to the pick up area but we didn't see anyone holding our names; he was a bit late. After waiting for about five minutes, an older, gray haired, timid man approached us... Maxine? I instantly started praying... Lord please don't let this be a crazy man and please don't allow him to do crazy things to us... Lord please cover us while we are here in Medellin... I was praying while thinking...what has Max gotten us into? The both of us looked at each other and hesitantly started walking toward the car. Max whispered to me... "should I get in the front seat"... HECK YEAH... cause I knew I wasn't! When I got in the back seat, I noticed that there was a hammer in the seat pocket... I instantly thought....if he tries anything, I'm gonna WHACK him! We told him how hungry we were so he insisted on taking us to a local joint that had authentic Colombian food. We instantly agreed.

Juan's English was not so great...but neither was me and Max's Spanish. The beginning was very timid for all of us but as we sat and laughed at each other's horrible second language...we eventually loosened up. We ordered our food and even though I only had a veggie wrap...the food was GREAT! Because I stopped eating pork and beef, I looked on the menu for something that wasn't too heavy and that was also meatless... Max went right for the opposite. After Juan explained to her what she was eating, she almost choked on her pig meat and rice soaked in pig's blood! Juan finished what she didn't eat though, after he ruined her appetite...I guess she had a true Colombian cuisine! After we ate, we headed to the apartment. We were warming up to each other after dinner, however we were still skeptical about the apartment. I was still silently praying...

When we arrived to the apartment... we... were... amazed... It was absolutely beautiful. There was a balcony with a hammock...the master bedroom had a breath taking view of the city...the bathroom had a vaporizing steam room...the kitchen was modern and stainless steel everything...the set up was perfect...or at least perfect enough for two beautiful ladies traveling in Colombia.

Our view from the bedroom

night view from the balcony

Because I had been living out of my carry on luggage for ten days, the first thing I wanted to do was wash my clothes. Juan showed me to his "all in one" washer and dryer combo and I was a happy camper. Once I had my clothes in the washer, I was super excited about getting in that steam room. He showed me how to add eucalyptus to the vaporizer and I sat in there for about thirty minutes. I could only imagine the future of coming home after a long day of work and simply sitting in tranquility. It was lovely. Juan made sure we didn't need anything and we all headed to bed.

Juan's orange tree

Many of you that know me personally know that I love to sleep... especially on vacation. I am not a "wake up when the rooster crows" kind of traveler... I sleep in! The next morning I remember waking up to two things...1. The sun was shining beautifully into the room and when I opened my eyes I could see the panoramic view of the city in such a way that I had thank God for my existence and 2. Maxine and Juan in the kitchen cracking up laughing while Max embarked in her first Spanish lesson. She came in the room...of course disturbing me...asking me, in Spanish, if I wanted a cup of coffee...in order to keep up with Max, I NEEDED a cup of coffee! I hugged Juan good morning and sat around observing the rest of their lesson while I sipped on some fresh brewed tinto.

After we dressed, we were ready to hit the Medellin streets. Juan lived in such a prime location that we literally had to walk around the corner to find all of the restaurants and places that we were looking for. We found a sushi spot called Basilica and sat down for lunch. Max ordered her margarita and I ordered the same. Max and I sat around talking about life for hours. It's amazing to travel with great people because the dialogue never ends. While we were talking, I noticed that the waiter was giving me some extra special attention...of course he was flirting...I mean who wouldn't flirt with a morenaza!! Knowing me... I entertained it and before we left, he left me with a nice friendly kiss on my cheek! Mwah!

Max and I went back to Juan's and decided to get dressed for a night out in the town. Max was looking for a place with great salsa music. Sadly, all we found was a place called Babylon with lots of drunk college kids and adults that forgot their manners at home... Fail!

We had already decided to go and see the top of the mountain the next day. It was quite an adventure because in order to get there, we had to take the train to the metro car, the metro cars to another set of metro cars, and then take that to the top. The view was incredible. The most interesting part was looking down on the slum houses below.

The community underneath was full of man made homes with no doors or windows and it was miles long. When we got into the car to take us up to the mountain, Max and I thought we would be riding by ourselves. A guy named Wilson ended up joining us in the car and he rode to the top of the mountain with us. As soon as we got in the car, we approached the end and took off like a roller coaster. As we screamed, Wilson agreed with our frightened response and began to laugh. Wilson was from Bogota, however he worked in Medellin; he was our Colombian Morenazo! This was another encounter when our Spanglish saved the day!

Wilson was amazing... the three of us walked around together for a while and then stopped to have lunch. We ordered a small container of Aguardiente, which is a Colombian liquor and of course I had a beer. The liquor actually tasted like a black jelly bean...which is the worst flavor of the bunch. Max and Wilson enjoyed it, but I didn't. That was definitely a man's drink. We sat around talking and laughing and enjoying our evening together. I was able to get a few Spanish lessons in that time! We talked about life, school, English words, and Spanish words... Wilson was truly a sweetheart and we will remember him forever!

After we left the mountain, we headed back to Juan's house to get dressed for the night. Juan was out with his friends already and sent an invite for us to join him. We met him at a place called The Social and sat with him and his friends. They were as cool as he was. We drank and laughed all night. We ended up going to what looked like a big mall after that.There were many night clubs inside and we went to one called Rio Sur that had a live band. When they started to play salsa music, Juan and I danced the night away. He taught me some real Colombian moves! We didn't leave that place until about 3am and we had to be at the airport by 5am.

When we got back to the house, Juan and I turned up the music and kept the party going. I started cooking breakfast and Juan kept dancing and singing while Max laid asleep on the couch.

After a while, we ate our breakfast and Juan called us a taxi to go. He pleaded that we stay but we had to go to the airport so that we wouldn't miss our flight to Cartagena. Even after we left his house, we continued to talk about our experience with him.

Although Medellin started off a little scary, Max was completely right about that "something" that made her go through with the booking. Juan is definitely a man that Max and I will remember and remain in contact with forever. He welcomed us in his home and treated us as family. He is a wonderful person and has already spoken into existence that my next contract will be teaching at the American School in Medellin. We laughed and partied and truly enjoyed his company. Rest assured knowing that if we ever go back to Medellin, we definitely have a place to stay.