Graham Ragsdale Colombia 2018

Arrival

After a delayed flight in the Dallas Airport, we arrived in Colombia around midnight to a group of excited Colombians that had been waiting for our arrival for over an hour. Upon arrival, we split up into our separate host families and left to experience our first taste of Colombia.

Typical Days

My host family was one of the main reasons why my experience was so amazing. My family consisted of my two host parents, Julieta, a 16-year-old attendee of Claustro Moderno, and their two cats. Every morning, my host Dad would wake me up at 5:45, cook me a traditional Colombian breakfast usually consisting of arepas, eggs, and hot chocolate, and we would be on the bus by 6:30. Julieta and her parents lived about thirty minutes from school, but with Colombian traffic, it took almost an hour and a half each day. When we reached school, my day would consist of going to classes such as Biology, Physics, and their English class, participating in their service projects, and playing sports with the Colombians. Every day after lunch, we would play basketball before going to our next class. The regular school day was one of my favorite parts of my experience due to the hospitality and kindness that every Colombian displayed towards us. 

My wonderful host family at the airport

The view from my host family's apartment

Colegio Claustro Moderno 

Attending Claustro was a daily highlight throughout my trip. The students, even the younger ones, at the school were very eager to learn more about us and would approach us to ask us questions about the United States. We would spend our days taking classes in Spanish, helping certain classes with service projects, or eating snacks with other students. Colombians love to play basketball and had a full size, outdoor basketball court where we would every day with other students.

The lake on the campus of Claustro Moderno

Day Excursions 

During my trip, I was lucky enough to experience multiple excursions to famous Colombian places. One of these was la Catedral de Sal which is about an hour outside of Bogota. Claustro Moderno provided a bus for us and we arrived at the Catedral in no time at all. At the Catedral, we took a walking of the stations of the cross leading up to the Cathedral at the bottom of the mine. The view from the top of the Cathedral was breathtaking and one that I will never forget. Also during my experience, my host sister, Julieta, turned 16. For her birthday, we traveled to La Villa de Leyva for the weekend. This excursion was very special due to my studying the importance of La Villa de Leyva in my Spanish Class and being able to experience and see what I studied months ago in class. Our last excursion was to multiple tourist attractions such as El Museo de Oro and la corral- a very nice and popular Colombian burger restaurant.

La Catedral de Sal 

The streets of Villa de Leyva

Thanks                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

My Trip to Colombia was one of a lifetime. The friends that I met while on the Wilson Language Travel Grant are still some of my best friends and I talk to them almost every day. I would like to thank my host family for providing a safe and welcoming home throughout the three weeks, Claustro Moderno for a great learning environment, Ms. Hackney for accompanying us while on the trip, and Señor Paolicchi and the Wilson family for providing the trip of a lifetime.