Montgomery Owen: Colombia

My trip to Bogotá, Colombia was truly a life-changing and eye-opening experience that I will always remember. Being able to be completely immersed in a foreign country really helped expand my knowledge of different cultures as well as my Spanish speaking ability. I am extremely grateful for this experience, the memories, and the people I met.

My host sister and mother at lunch

After spring exams finished, Andy Zhu, D’On Coofer, Warner Lamar, Mr. Calico, and I traveled to Bogotá, Colombia for three weeks for an exchange with Colegio Claustro Moderno. We arrived late that night, but we were all greeted by our host families and their friends which provided a very warm welcome for us all. That night we ate at a popular restaurant named Crepes & Waffles with all of the students and hosts and their families. We then returned to my family’s apartment to sleep after a busy day.

The next day my family gave me a great look around the city as they informed me with interesting information. We then went to a restaurant named La Plaza de Andrés where I got to taste my first authentic Colombian food. I ate beef with a form of potatoes as well as a delicious lulada for my drink, a tart fruit juice.

A picture of Colegio Claustro Moderno

I was prepared to face many differences in the everyday life due to being in a foreign country and living within a different culture, but I was I was surprised about how different the everyday life was. First of all, nearly everyone lives in apartments. The city is massive and seems to go on forever. Also, the students took vans called “rutas” that picked up and dropped off the students every day before and after school. The school, Colegio Claustro Moderno, was incredibly natural, being built on the side of a small mountain. It is very beautiful, consisting of a trout filled stream as well as a waterfall engulfed in red flowers. They had a block schedule and had nearly 2 hours of free periods every day, providing time to converse or play soccer or work on science fair projects. Another difference was the work loads. Each night, on average, they would have only an hour of homework. The teacher-student relationship was extremely close for the most part. The students referred to their teachers by their first names. The grades are much smaller too, having around 60 students, broken up into two different class groups.

A view of the ongoing city from a restaurant

On the trip we were lucky enough to visit a couple famous tourist attractions. During the second week, all of the MBA students and I toured an ancient salt mine that had a Catholic church at the end. The next week we visited a place called Monserrate, a Catholic church on the highest mountain in Bogotá. We had to take a cable car to reach the top and once there, we witnessed a gorgeous view of the city from over 10,000 feet high. Another interesting place I visited with my family was a small pueblo in Boyocá named Boyacense. It consisted of all the traditional houses of each pueblito in the Department of Boyacá. Every street had the traditional houses of the certain pueblo.

My family and I in Boyacense

After the second week of the trip, the school had a long weekend. My family took me to a vacation home in Paipa. On the way there, we traveled through numerous pueblos of Boyacá. I was able to see more than the large city of Bogotá, and my knowledge of Colombia grew as I saw farmlands and meadows. Upon arrival at the vacation home, my family and I were able to do awesome activities such as riding horses and kayaking. On the trip to Paipa, I was able to grow closer to my host family and really use my Spanish skills to communicate with them.

My family and I on a horseback ride overlooking a beautiful view.

My host sister, brother, and I supporting the Colombian soccer team as we walk through Paipa.

My host family and their family members at a goodbye dinner for me at a restaurant named El Tambor.

It was difficult to say goodbye to all the wonderful people I met as my trip came to an end. Not only did my Spanish improve tremendously, but so many fond memories were made on this once in a lifetime experience. I cannot express my appreciation to the Wilson family enough, for their generosity was the main reason this trip became possible. I would also like to thank Señor Kamm for teaching me Spanish this past year, and really preparing me for real-life situations such as being immersed in a foreign country. Also, I want to thank Señor Paolicchi for all the coordination and logistics of the trip.