Alex Boone: Colombia

Me with my host family

The day after my final exam I left Nashville with Grant Green and Mr. Spiegl and, after a day of traveling, we arrived at the Bogota airport. We met up with a representative of Claustro Moderno, the school I would be going to on exchange, and I met my new family for the next three weeks.I quickly found out they were very nice and quick to help me when I had trouble understanding as we drove through the huge city of Bogota. I still remember being blown away by how different the city was compared to Nashville.

The next day we stuck together the whole day as family which was typical on Sundays there. Fighting off the traffic caused by voters looking to elect a new president we went out for lunch at a nearby restaurant where I got my first taste of Colombian food. The food was clearly different but nevertheless incredibly good. The first difference was that breakfast and lunch tended to be much heavier than dinner. A plate would commonly consist of meat or chicken with rice or platanos. I tried many new things including arrepas, empanadas, almojabanas, and platanos as well as dishes typical of bogota like a potato soup and a tomale. Sweets and snacks were also very common in between meals. Juices were also typical during meals and most were freshly squeezed. Occasionally we ate American food at places like the burger joint called El Corral or Crepes and Waffles for dessert at the mall.

Claustro's campus

On the second day we woke up early and quickly got ready in time to catch the bus. After a ten minute ride we arrived at Claustro Moderno. Although it was much smaller in terms of its student body and the size of the campus, I was taken away by the beauty of the campus. It was adjacent to a mountainous forest which separated the nice private school from a sprawling favela. On our first day of school we summited the mountain on a tiring hike due to the altitude, but the hike was worth the breaktaking view of nearly the entire city.

Beyond the difference in scenery on the campus, the school days were also different than MBA. Claustro had about 30 students per grade and went from kindergarten through 11th grade because they finish school at 11th grade like we finish in 12th in the United States. The school was coed and each class would include the entire grade. They also used a two week block schedule which would rotate through their 10 classes. Along with those there were also special classes and electives one could choose every few days such as advanced math, theatre, music, or mi tema (a period where you choose a topic you want to study and learn more about). The classes were about 50 minutes each and the day started and ended at about the same time as a typical day at MBA, but there were other schedule differences such as the late lunch, an occasional double period of one class, a two hour assembly, and long periods of free time each day. Because it was the end of the year, there were also several special events going on every few days at school including a 11th vs. 10th grade soccer game, a student vs. faculty basketball game, and a dance recital.

The view of the city from Montseratte

Beyond school I got to experience many aspects of life in Bogota with Daniel, my host, during excursions we took throughout the city and accompanying him throughout his daily life. One of the most memorable places we went to was Monserrate, a mountain in the center of Bogota that towers over the city. We took a cable car up to a platform where we climbed up a steep walkway with statues telling the story of jesus carrying the cross to his crucifixion. At the top was a church and vantage points where one could see the entire city of Bogota and the mountains that surround the city on nearly all sides.

On weekends and the days we didn’t have school we would do things that were not much different than life in the United States. We went to the park, hung out at friends’ houses, and went to several of the enormous malls where we went bowling and saw movies. One of my favorite places however was the sports complex called Cafam where the entire upper school visited to play sports and games all day.

Besides learning much about the culture of Colombia, I also had the opportunity to learn and practice my Spanish like never before. Being put into a situation where Spanish was my only method of communicating with the people around me drastically helped my ability to understand and speak to others. I also picked up a plethora of new vocabulary and phrases each day that was necessary in daily life.

It was hard to say goodbye as my time in Bogota came to an end. From the first day to moments before our flight boarded as we were watching the entire airport cheer after Colombia won their first world cup match, I had a blast. I’ll never forget the memories and friends I made and hope I can return one day to make more. It was an incredible experience that didn’t just improve my language ability but opened my eyes to an entirely new and exciting culture. I would like to thank the Wilson family for making my life-changing trip possible through their generosity. I would also like to thank Mr. Paolicchi, Mr. Kamm, and Mr. Gaither for all the time they spent coordinating the trip.