Beginning in Bogota

flew into Bogota on July 12 for orientation with some of the other new WorldTeach volunteers.  The compound we were staying at was in a small town, Cota, right outside of Bogota. The property was beautiful. Everything was so green, there were so many colorful flowers, and the property was huge. The only set back was the weather.  It was so cold and rainy all of the time and, of course, the house did not have any way to help cut through the cold.  That aside, Bogota was a very large and beautiful place. The one day I had to travel around by myself it took an hour and a half to get through a fraction of the city.  The city has a population of around 8 million people!

Every day we were going through workshops on how to be an effective teacher and worked on our Spanish with the various WorldTeach coordinators and teachers.  At night we would go to the tienda across the street and listen to music on the iphone shaped jukebox over an Aguila or Club Colombia and maybe a few sips of Aguardiente (a black licorice tasting alcohol sold in either a juice box carton or bottle). Although we were pretty scheduled during the day, we were able to sneak in some free time to explore as well.

One of my favorite experiences in Bogota was watching the World Cup Final. It was unfortunate for me to not be in Colombia while they were still in the running, but being able to experience Colombia’s hatred of Argentina and the victory of Germany over an Aguila with a few of the other WorldTeach volunteers was exciting and an experience I will never forget.

Another highlight of Bogota was going on a hike to Lake Guatavita. It is a sacred lake that is the basis for the legend of El Dorado.  In the ancient ceremonies of the Muisca, the new leader would be dusted in gold, and as a sacrifice to the god that lived underwater, jewels and gold were thrown into the lake. Aside from the fascinating legend of the lake, the hike itself was beautiful. The view of the Andes Mountains was incredible and the lake itself was set in a crater. 

Bogota was a beautiful, place that I hope I can go back to again someday soon.  One week of time was not enough to see all the city had to offer.