Alex Wang Colombia 2019

The Arrival

Visiting a Latin American country was the experience of a lifetime for me, and while waiting for our flight to Bogota, Colombia, I was filled with excitement and anticipation. We arrived at Bogota around midnight and were greeted by our wonderful host families all eagerly waiting for us behind the glass wall. Once we finished our grueling customs experience, Ben and I went our separate ways and set off with our host families. Lucky enough for me, their house was on the school’s campus because Martin’s, my host, mother was the headmaster. Once we arrived at Martin’s house, it was well past one in the morning. I greeted Martin’s mother, Silvia Medellin, and his sister, Susana. Soon after we went to bed. I was excited to start my first day in Colombia and could hardly sleep that night. 

Claustro Moderno

During my stay in Colombia, I did not need to get up very early unlike the others. Every

morning I would get up around 7:15 because there was no need for me to catch a bus. Silvia and their nanny cooked breakfast which consisted of arepas, eggs, fruits, and cereal. Martin and I walked down to the school after breakfast and began our day. The students at Claustro Moderno, and Colombians in general, were very extroverted and were extremely nice. As soon as I stepped foot into my first class, I was swarmed by a mob of classmates wanting to greet me. The classes in Claustro Moderno were essentially the same as MBA, as they had Chemistry, Math, English, Spanish, Literature, but one class they did have that we do not is Philosophy. In Philosophy we learned about Greek philosophers and read about Greek gods and goddesses. After about three class periods, we had a break. The break was about 15 minutes and I played basketball about every single break. At Claustro Moderno, it seemed that basketball was more popular than soccer which amazed me. The basketball court would be crowded on most days and would be utter chaos. I met a lot of friends playing basketball and won’t ever forget those intense games with crowds of little kids cheering us on. Followed by the break we had about three more classes and then lunch. After lunch was two more classes and then we all headed home. We had no homework while at Claustro Moderno but we did participate in a science fair. Ben and I prepared a 5 minute presentation about sustainability in MBA. At the science fair we learned about many other projects that the other students had been working on such as the dangers of the internet, or how to water plants while being away from home. The science fair was a nice experience because it allowed us to see the innovation of the students at Claustro.

Science Fair

Campus of Claustro Moderno

Excursions

We had multiple excursions during my stay in Colombia. During our first excursion, we travelled to Chicaque National Park. We hiked miles upon miles, but the views we saw were definitely worth it. In Chicaque there were llamas just chilling outside of some campgrounds and seemed unfazed by the tents and people surrounding them. On another excursion Ben’s host family invited me to go to Boyaca where we rode four wheelers and visited the Villa de Leyva. On the four wheelers we were able to ride around Boyaca and see it’s beautiful landscape and also drive through large puddles of mud. After we had tired ourselves out from riding four wheelers, we went to the Villa de Leyva. The Villa de Leyva was breathtaking. The buildings made it seem like we were in the 16th century with their old architecture, and we even saw a traditional cumbia dance. Later on we went to the Catedral de Sal with Martin, Ben and some other classmates. The Catedral de Sal is a cave rich in salt and was dug into a mountain.In the Catedral de Sal we saw the many stages that lead up to Jesus’s crucifixion. 

View from the edge of a ledge in Chicaque

Driving a four wheeler

Weekends

During the weekends, Martin’s friends and I went to the mall, went bowling, played cards, video games, or sports. They all loved to play card games, and often we found ourselves playing the card game ERS for hours. We often went to el Corral, a "Colombian" fast food burger restaurant which is loved by many. Martin's friends often joked around saying that el Corral was the most American restaurant they have been to. El Corral seemed to be everywhere. If we said that we were going to get something typical of Colombia, we would somehow end up in el Corral. A typical weekend in with friends Colombia was very similar to what my weekends are like here in Tennessee. One event that was very exciting is when we were invited to go the a Mercedes Benz car show. There were extremely antique cars and more modern ones. I had no idea that so many people would participate in a show like this. Silvia told me that since most Colombian citizens cannot have large houses due to the lack of space in Colombia, they buy extravagant cars that tell people that they have money. Martin's uncle gave us some money to buy food and we all bought tons of obleas con arequipe which is now one of my favorite desserts.

Mercedes Benz car show

Mall with friends

The Trip of a Lifetime

I had a blast visiting Bogota, Colombia. All the places I visited, the friends I met, the food I had, and the overall experience was something I will never forget. The people in Colombia are unlike anybody else in the world. I am still in touch with many of my friends from Colombia, and we often communicate about how life is in Claustro now that I am gone, or how life is at MBA. One of my good friends that I made in Colombia is actually coming to MBA for his exchange, and I am eagerly awaiting his arrival. Thank you Claustro Moderno being so kind and welcoming, thank you Silvia, Martin, and Susana for looking after me, providing a home for me to stay in, and all the jokes and tricks we played on each other. Thank you Mrs. Victoria for helping us adjust to life in Bogota, and finally thank you Sr. Paolicchi and the Wilson family for giving me the opportunity to travel to Bogota. I had never thought of ever going to Colombia in my lifetime, but after having gone on this exchange, I am eager to see if I can go to Colombia again later in life.