School, salsa, sleep, school, salsa, sleep….

Day one: On Monday, after much convincing by Sam, another new teacher at Colegio Bolivar, I found myself in a third floor salsa studio overlooking La Quinta, one of the main streets in Cali. The whole room was completely occupied by people of all ages, Caleños, Europeans, and us, the Gringos. Warm ups began. As my body warmed up, my mind also came to ease with the fact that I am really doing this, and I want to be doing it. We began with the basic step and quickly eased into more steps. Then the warm up ended… the gringos were grouped off into the beginner group. We danced individually following the salsa instructor, who, might I add, is pretty good looking! The more my feet fell into the steps, the more I realized that I really may be able to do this! And I wasn’t even the worse one! We completed our hour and a half of salsa and then moved into a quick Paso Doble lesson. I’m thinking I am going to be ready for So You Think You Can Dance soon! Then we regrouped to do a last minute salsa circle, and before I know it I am salsing with the instructor… now I know I am in this for the complete class package.

Day two: With much enthusiasm from our instructor the night before, we find ourselves in class the next day. This day I learn that when a women dances salsa she must be high up on her toes the whole time. We also got to try our hand at the Bachata. Two straight hours of dancing… this may be the best exercise I have ever done, and it sure beats the gym. My toes and calves survive the whole two hours. I end up purchasing the dancing shoes. This is getting serious….

Day three: Happy Hour at Penelope’s Martini’s instead of dancing.

Day four: Back to the lessons. I think the instructor missed us… We fell right back into the old steps and learned some new ones. We were told that if we keep dancing as we are we will be moved up to the next level. Who knew that I could salsa?! After the salsa lesson we were introduced to the Cuban Son. We needed to partner up, and I had no partner, so the instructor came to dance with me. Until they noticed that the special ed boy had no partner. Just my luck…

Back to School

I feel fortunate to have this great opportunity to work at Colegio Bolivar. When I accepted the job I knew that I was getting into something great, but little did I know that my expectations would be surpassed more than I ever. The director and staff have done an incredible job to welcome us and get us settled into life in Colombia. The wining and dining in Miami probably helped to butter us up a bit! Even when we arrived they went above and beyond to make sure that we are comfortable and getting settled. We even ended the week with lunch and a juice workshop at the director’s house. Juice workshop? What could you possibly learn there? Well, Colombia is blessed with many different kinds of fruit, and they still take the time to make fresh juice every day. No bottled, fake juice with added colors and preservatives. Fresh from the fruit to your glass daily. They sure were delicious!

The Elementary P.E. court and playground


The cafeteria, where the food is EXCELLENT!

The basketball courts and the pool

The first time I stepped on to the campus all I could think was “how will I ever be able to leave this place?” The care and maintenance that you see around campus just shows how much they really care about education, the students, and the faculty. It is what every school community should strive to be. The many buildings are surrounded by lush green plants and trees, and far off in the distance you can see the Andes hovering around us. During our tour, we began with “El nido” where they begin education from birth, and we moved on through the preprimary. Just by walking through the buildings you could get a sense of the educational philosophy, and how it is highly valued from the beginning of life. Then we got to the best part… my classroom! As I stepped foot into the classroom, I could hear and see my students spread all around the classroom working. There is more space and storage than I could ever imagine. There is even a bathroom and sink in the classroom… no more bathroom breaks! The best part about the classroom is how the back wall above the counter is completely opened to the outside. I’m sure the fresh air will help stir their imaginations (mine included).

I can see that the staff who has been working at Colegio Bolivar is genuinely happy to be there and take pride in the school. It is very refreshing and makes me believe that the expectations I have set for the school based on the first impressions will be lived up to…

Bienvenido a Cali

A little over a week ago I began my Colombian Adventure. The adventure began with a short trip to Miami to get acquainted with the other new teachers, the director and his family, and Olga, the director’s wonderful assistant. In Miami we were wined and dined at Pf Changs and an amazing Tapas dinner and flamenco show. After a few nights of fun and a short time on the beach, we headed off to Cali.

We made it!!!

The week after arrival to Cali was filled with activities to get us settled into our new lives. We went apartment hunting, spent a nice morning at the government office, got a tour of the school, did lots of shopping to prepare our apartments, and luckily spent a few nights in the Jacuzzi at the Radisson. During that week of being carted around on one of the school’s buses, the city really impressed me. It reminded me of Mexico, but nicer. You all know how I love Mexico! The city is really clean, well developed, and the people are friendly. It is in the Valle of Cauca, so we even have some breathtaking Andes Mountain scenery.

On Friday evening, we finally moved into our apartments. I moved into an apartment in the neighborhood San Fernando Viejo with another new teacher, Mike. We picked an old apartment with lots of character that I fell in love with the minute I walked in. The front door to the apartment opens to a large curved staircase that leads you to an open living room and kitchen area. The back of the kitchen is open air with beautiful rod iron that lets in natural light and an amazing breeze. In the apartment we have three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a maid’s room with yet another bathroom. So we have plenty of room for visitors! And too much space to decorate, worse yet clean (we may have to get a maid for that. Life is rough in Cali!). My master bedroom is AMAZING! I have never had a space of my own like it. My closet/ bathroom area is bigger than my bedroom growing up. I also have a balcony area that looks onto the street. The evening San Fernando breeze that blows through my balcony on a warm Cali day is just delicioso!
Probably the best thing about our apartment is the neighborhood. It reminds me of Chicago’s smaller neighborhoods that are city like but still laid back and inviting. We are right off the “Parque de perros”. It is a little park area surrounded by restaurants, bars, and shops. The neighborhood has been dubbed the “newest hot spot” in town by Lonely Planet. Let me tell you, the beautiful street view balcony I have in my bedroom really made me understand how happening the area is during my first night of sleep. But I can’t complain because the apartment is incredible. The building is actually named Palace, which is quite fitting. Probably the only Palace I will ever live in!

My bedroom, closet and bathroom, blacony and view from the baclcony.

Pictures of San Fernando Viejo (my neighborhood) and the school campus coming soon!