Wilson Vaughan: Colombia

Here is a view of Bogotá from the top of a mountain
where a church called Monserrate was located.

My first reaction when I heard that I had been selected to travel to Bogotá, Colombia on exchange was that of excitement and a little fear. Colombia’s reputation in the past 20 years has not been very high, but I learned quickly that this was not the case. After a short flight from Atlanta, our group of students, (Jack Duke, Drew Benson, Fred Harwell, and myself) known as the “fearsome foursome,” were on our way to Colombia. We were greeted off the plane by a group of familiar faces. Pablo Gaitán, my host brother, and Camilo Escobar were waiting for us with their families. I felt more comfortable on this trip because I met both Pablo and Camilo when they visited MBA on their own exchange last fall. All four of us were quickly taken by our families and taken to the homes we would be staying for the next two weeks. My first impression of Colombia was its immense size and its vast amount of apartments. I was introduced to Pablo’s family, which consisted of his Mother, Father, and younger brother who was on exchange in Canada at the time.

The Central Plaza Bolivar in the heart of Bogotá.

A beautiful waterfall that ran through the middle of the school's campus.

                Our first day of school was very exciting. The little kids around the school were very intrigued by us and our group quickly adopted the name “One Direction,” from the popular British boyband. The students and teachers were both very nice at the school we attended, Colegio Claustro Moderno. They were very engaging with us in the classrooms and especially on the basketball court, which we played on every day. The campus was beautiful. It was placed on the side of a mountain with a natural waterfall and original buildings. The pond on campus was stocked with trout and we got to fish after school. The Medellín family, which owned the school, lived on the campus in several beautiful houses. We had the privilege of staying on campus in the guest cabana for the final week of our trip.

A trout I caught in the pond on campus.

A gorgeous view of the pond from our cabana balcony.

             


 My favorite class at school was called tutorial. It usually involved a fun activity such as playing charades or cooking with a group of students in your grade. It was much different than the normal MBA class. One day we got to make our create our own pizzas with dough, sauce, and cheese. It was very fun because we got to bond with the Claustro students and enjoy some good food. While we were staying in Bogota, the Colombian national soccer team was playing in World Cup Qualifying matches. One day after school, all of the students came together in the auditorium and we watched Colombia play Peru. Luckily, Colombia won 2-0 and we got to celebrate with all of the students. This was a memorable experience for me because I got to see their national pride first hand.

Making pizzas during our tutorial class!

One of the best meals I had while on exchange.
Grilled chicken with  a  side of  plantain and avocado.

Being in a foreign country, our group of exchange students were bold enough to try some food recommended to us by our friend Pablo. The most interesting thing we tried was morsilla, a sausage filled with pigs blood, rice, onions, and other spices. My favorite food in Colombia was the traditional arepa, a flower tortilla usually topped with cheese. This food was great because it was sold at almost every street corner.

A closed bull fighting arena we visited
while biking around the city of Bogotá.

I met a lot of great people on this trip and I have developed friendships with a handful of Colombians that I still keep in contact with. My Spanish improved tremendously on this trip because of the students who helped us with Spanish in exchange for helping them with their English. I think that this trip has prepared me well for my Spanish AP class this year and I am excited to show off my speaking skills. I would like to thank the Wilson Family for giving me the opportunity to go on this trip because it was undoubtedly life changing. I would also like to thank Mr. Gaither and Señor Paolicchi for helping organize this awesome exchange.

Fred Harwell and I with our awesome host brother, Pablo.