New Surroundings
It’s hard to believe that Bogotá has been my new home now for 2 months this week!
It was kind of a process finding an apartment here…after negotiating my way out of a one-year minimum contract and the need for 2 local cosigners (psssh, yeah right!), I finally landed on a beautiful, furnished apartment in a great neighborhood. I learned that Bogotá is divided up into estratos, or zones, from 1 – 6, 1 being the poorest and 6 being the wealthiest. While this system says a lot about class division in Colombia (that’s another story), it was really helpful criteria to know when looking for a good neighborhood. I live in estrato 5 and really wouldn’t have gone below a 5 since I’m living alone! I was astonished at the difference between a 4 and 5! I’m very happy with the apartment and feel I got so lucky. There is a wonderful grocery store down the street, plenty of beautiful, safe parks nearby and I’m also just a couple blocks from Zona Rosa and Zona T, which house most of Bogotá’s night scene and fabulous shopping.  |
| Park right next to my apartment |
It seems that no update would be complete without some sort of commentary on the climate and weather - helps to really paint that picture or something. Well, to be honest, the climate is perhaps the one thing I would change about living here…it’s kind of cold for this California girl! It probably averages about 63 degrees and rains at least a little bit each day. Some days more than others. But the sun also usually comes out at least a little bit each day and again, some days more than others. Plus, there is quite a pollution and traffic problem here too so it just makes things grayer. I’m almost positive (and actually this observation is backed by research) that Sundays here in Bogotá are the sunniest days of the week and here’s why: every Sunday, Bogotá (and many cities in Colombia) close off major freeways to traffic from 7 am to 2 pm for bikers, walkers and runners. They call it the Ciclovia and it’s seriously awesome. Every Sunday that I’ve been in town, I’ve gone for a long run on the Ciclovia (which runs right next to my apartment) in the good company of hundreds of active Colombians.
So far, I’ve taken two weeks of Spanish classes at a school called Nueva Lengua and it’s been a fantastic experience. Classes are from 9 – 12 every day and many afternoons, they offer “cultural activities”; my favorite of these activities, of course, are the dance classes with Oscar every Thursday. :) The students are literally from all over the world; my class consists of a German guy, a Korean guy, a French, guy, a Swiss guy and me! It’s a really diverse group of people and they are all a blast to hang out with.
My Spanish is progressing somewhat steadily, but I can get so impatient when it comes to learning new things! I’m like, “Vamos, brain! Learn faster!” I have never had to rely so heavily on Spanish in my life. It really is essential here. The tour books will say that many young people speak English here and that many areas in the North are full of gringos. I have not found these statements to be true at all! I came across one woman at the gym yesterday who spoke English well. I asked her, “How’s the stretching class?” in Spanish and she replied in English. I was so surprised that I asked her where she was from and she said, “Colombia.” Haha. Pardon my assumptions. As far as gringos go, I don’t really see them except at my Spanish school (and when I look in the mirror), and certainly not on a daily basis. I did, however learn about “Gringo Tuesdays” hosted weekly at a club in Zona T. Don’t get me wrong; I am NOT disappointed in the slightest about the scarcity of English or gringos. Quite the opposite actually- the point of traveling to a new country as far as I’m concerned is to speak new languages, meet unfamiliar people and to embrace and grow from that feeling of being “displaced.” That said, I've already frequented "Gringo Tuesday" with my friend Natalia. :)
Love your blog! Keep writing, and it's great to hear what you are up to!
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