Sidewalks

The sidewalks in most Latin American cities that I’ve visited are different from those that I would find at home. Cali is no exception. Sidewalks are often uneven, with unmatched slabs of concreted. The unaware pedestrian must pay attention, or they might find themselves falling down hole or crashing into a piece of metal protruding from the ground. While in some ways these sidewalks might be a hazard, they are also more exciting. Going for a run on them is in some ways like navigating through an obstacle course.

I think in some ways these sidewalks demonstrate the difference between the US and Latin America. Where in the US sidewalks are almost always flat and uniform, the sidewalks in Latin America are unique. The US sidewalks are carefully planned out and built according to code, while those in Cali seem to be thrown together and made to work with what was available. While they may seem unorganized, they are full of character.

Cali, as many Latin American cities, has grown immensely over the last 50 years. This growth has outstripped the authorities’ ability to regulate it. Many Colombians from other regions of the country came to Cali to escape armed conflict and economic struggle, in order to build a better life. While the city in some ways seems hectic, once you scratch beneath the surface you find a city full of life with citizen its inhabitants eager to show off what their city has to offer. Walking around Cali, one thing you notice is the city’s diversity. Different groups all contribute their own backgrounds to the cultural melting pot that is Cali. Also, the city is full of music and dance. Caleños (those from Cali) claim their city to be the world capital of salsa. Many salsa clubs are found throughout the city. I was able to go to one last week for a live concert. I was impressed but also a little intimidated by the dancing prowess of some of the people there. I built up the courage and got out on the floor for a few songs but it’s obvious that I’m no where close to the dancing ability of the caleños.

Through the gang project that I have been interning with, it is obvious that much like the sidewalks, they also take a multifaceted approach to interrupting to the cycle of gang violence. Interventions such as theater, dance, sports, and art among other things are used as intervention tools. When meeting with the groups, some where eager to show off the projects that they had been working on. It was definitely nice to see the flexibility that is awarded to interventionists as they try to connect with the youth.

While I have been spending most of my time in Cali, I was able to sneak away for a weekend to a town called Salento. This town is located in the coffee-growing region of Colombia. It is beautifully situated in the Andes mountains. We only spent two days in Salento but were able to go horse back riding to a nearby waterfall. The next day, we hiked for six hours through the rainforest in the nearby Valle de Corcora, which included crossing many precarious Indiana Jones-esc bridges. We ended the hike by walking through the surreal forest of wax palm trees, which apparently are the national tree of Colombia. They were the tallest palm trees I had ever seen and grow at a high altitude that is not common for palms. As my friend pointed out, they appeared to be something out of a Dr. Seus book. We concluded our trip with some delicious coffee from the region.

Now, I am heading back to California for 10 days for my brother, Eric’s, wedding ceremony. Afterwards, I will be back in Colombia for a month! A short amount of time to get the research done which I intend to! Stay tuned for more!!!

Oiga, Mire, Vea (Cali, Colombia)

As promised, I ended my last blog post about the time I spent as a Language and Cultural Assistant with the premonition that there were still some adventures left to come. I’m happy to announce that this premonition has seemed to come true.

A lot has changed since I last wrote on this blog. First off, I am not longer in La Mancha and now call San Diego, California home, where I’m working on a dual master’s degree Public Health and Latin American Studies. I am also no longer a man…I’m now THE MAN! Ok, well perhaps not.

Even though I am no longer living in the wind-swept plains of La Mancha, I have maintained that sense of curiosity and adventure that was nurtured by my experience in Spain. This drive has continued to influence my decisions ever since. Since coming back from Spain, I spent a couple year working with gang and foster youth in San José. I have snuck back to Spain for a couple short visits, spent a week in Cali, Colombia, and was lucky to have the opportunity to spend four weeks in Oaxaca last summer, and another week in Managua, Nicaragua.

Now that you’ve been caught up, that brings us to the present. I am now, as of this past Monday spending two months in Colombia. I was fortunate to be provided the Mundt Scholarship, which funds international experiences related to peace and security. Through this scholarship, I am now spending two months with the public health organization, CiSalva, in Cali, Colombia as a research intern, where I will be supporting a study that aims to intervene with gang-involved youth in the city and divert them from this lifestyle. With my time here, I hope to get hands on experience in international public health work, while at the same time develop a potential thesis project.

In Cali for the 1st time, March 2017

So once again, I have packed my bags, said my goodbyes, and headed a new place with a new set of challenges. I have only been here a few days and am at the point where I begin to wonder why I keep uprooting myself and throwing myself into these new, unique, and at times challenging situations. This also happened in Chile, as it did in Spain and Oaxaca. And while they had their challenges, each proved to be an experience that led to personal growth in many ways.

Only after two days, I have had the chance meet with some of the youth that are participated in the study, and even go to one of the communities for a meeting. Having these experiences has helped me remember that this is where I belong and that I am working through challenges that I am passionate about addressing. Although my role here is still unclear, I know that I will be doing work that I can be excited about.

This short post is hopefully the first of many that documents the challenges and triumph of this current experience in Colomiba. The Man in La Mancha (though no longer in the land of Don Quixote) is at it again. Another experience, another adventure and another opportunity to grow!

La Vuelta

Almost two years ago a twenty-something year old kid from California,boarded a plane to Madrid with little idea about what he was getting himself into.  Two years later he finds himself on another plane traveling halfway across the word, back to where he came from.   He is no longer the same kid that headed off to Spain two years ago with two suitcases and an appetite for adventure.  What has happened between these two flights has been an incredible and unforgettable experience.

It has been two years packed with many adventures and new experiences.  Many of these adventures you have already read about on this blog but since the last entry there have also been quite a few new ones.  Some of these new adventures include:  returning to London to meet up with some old (well they’re really quite young) friends from college, reuniting with a friend from elementary school from Madrid while making some new ones, frequent trips back to Cuenca, returning to the “hometown,” Tobarra, and celebrating Semana Santa with drum slung over the shoulder, escaping Spain and spending a relaxing and interesting weekend in Morocco as well as many small adventures around the Sierra de Segura with good friends in Siles.

Now that this two-year stint has ended, this kid from California is sitting on this Boeing 737 listening to Los Delinquentes and reflecting; trying to make sense of what this experience has meant to him.  Over the two years, he has learned many things.  For one thing, his Spanish has improved immensely.  More than just his Spanish, he has learned how to make paella, how to play the drums until 7 am in the morning as well as the basic and most important steps of Flamenco.  Moreover, he has learned how to fight of hunger when lunch time is at 3 in the afternoon, how to improve a difficult day by sitting down an having a caña or tercio with friends and even how to make oneself feel at home and happy in a small town in the middle of the mountains.

If you see him around California, you might realize that he has changed.  He can no longer say that his is from California because he is now actually from Tobarra.  This small town in the province of Albacete decided to adopt this lost kid from a far-away country.  They took him in gave him food and even gave him clothing in the form of a purple tunic that is worn during the drumming celebrations of Semana Santa.  Although the Californian or I mean the Tobarreño says that he has from Tobarra, he knows there are at least two other places that he can call home.  In both, Siles and Cuenca, he has been equally cared for and treated as if he was a family member.  He really has been spoiled by the kindness and generosity of the people in all of these places.

This brings us to the most beautiful part of this Tobarreño’s journey, the people.  Over a short period of time, he has met many wonderful people in many different places.  These people have taken him in and shared with him their culture, their customs, their language (including the millions of sayings that are impossible to understand) and their warmth.  Together they have shared laughs, discussions, experiences and even a few tears.  It is because of these people that this Tobarreño has had such a marvelous experience.  And now, he has to hold back some tears so he doesn’t make a fool of himself and cry on the plane.

The past two years have been an amazing experience for this kid from California/Tobarra.  Although he might be far away geographically from the great people he met, he will always hold them and experiences he shared with them close to heart.  And you never know…he might even be back in the near future!

These two years have had a lasting impact on my life.  I’ve written in third person because it’s hard to put into words what these past two years have meant to me and how they have helped me develop as a person.  I hope it doesn’t come off as cheesy. 

Although this seems like it’s the end of an adventure, it is not.  It is only the beginning of the next one…Stay tuned!

Heading East

It was holiday season again in Europe.  I had a nice two week vacation and the inkling for more adventure.  After things finished up here in Siles, I hopped on a plane and headed to Germany.  I was to spend Christmas with my cousin Emily and her family, as I did last year.  We were able to add another member to the festivities this year too...my brother Eric.

I spent four days with Emily and company in Ulm, Germany.  One of the highlights of Ulm was seeing the Christmas market in the city.  In Germany and other parts of Northern Europe, Christmas markets are very popular.  During Christmas time wooden stalls that sell food and various trinkets are set up in the main square.  These stalls are decorated with Christmas lights and other decorations.  A popular Christmas market drink is Gluhwein, or mulled wine.  Emily's husband, Andi, did not want to disappoint us so he ordered us Feuerzangenbowle, which is mulled wine on steroids.  Basically, Feuerzangenbowle is regular mulled wine with a rum soaked sugar loaf that rests on a special prong above the glass.  This sugar loaf is then lit on fire letting the rum and sugar melt into the wine.  It was quite tasty and also quite potent.  Other highlights from Ulm included:  celebrating Christmas with Emily's kids Louis and Madeleine, having dinner with Andi's family on Christmas Eve and trying to keep up with Andi while having our nightly Bavarian beers.

One of the days that we were in Ulm, Eric and I skipped to Munich to visit Eric's girlfriend Franzi.  We started off the day by meeting up with Franzi's sister and having some weisswurst, or white sausage, which is a traditional Bavarian.  In fact, Eric and I were informed that you are not allowed to eat weisswurst after 12 pm.  On this particular day however, I think we broke this rule.  After filling up on some breakfast we toured around Munich.  We visited a few Christmas markets including Pink Christmas, which was the Christmas market in Munich's equivalent of the Castro district in San Francisco.  We ended the day by having a delicious meal in the restaurant that is run by Franzi's father.  

The day after Christmas Eric and I headed off to Nuremberg, where we were met by my friend from Cuenca, Martina.  After a yummy dinner and a quick tour of Nuremberg, we headed back to Martina's town.  The next day, we got a nice tour of the town from Martina and had breakfast with a few of her friends.  Over the span of three days, we stayed busy the whole time.  One of our adventures included visiting a few cool castles and towns near Martina's town.  On the last day in Germany Martina toured us around Nuremberg, which is an absolutely beautiful city.  The city, like most European cities, had an old medieval center that was very pretty.  Nuremberg may very well be my favorite city that I've seen in Germany.  At the end of the day, Eric and I hopped on a bus and said goodbye to Germany.  We were on our way to Prague!

The first bit of excitement that Eric and I had upon arriving Prague was finding our hotel.  I had found and booked a cheap hotel on the internet and although it was a little bit outside the city, it did not appear to be too far outside the city on Google maps.  I was also a little nervous because I had received a message from the hotel a day early saying that there was no receptionist and that keys would be picked up from the security guards.  After wandering the train station, we found the train we needed that would get us to the hotel.  Upon exiting the train, it had appeared we had been dumped in the middle of an industrial wasteland.  There were a few houses but plenty of factories and stockyards.  After walking for ten minutes we found our hotel nestled up against what appeared to be some sort of factory.  Later, we guessed that it was some sort of milk processing plant.  True to the message I had received there was no receptionist and the front door of the hotel was locked.  We walked over to the adjoining factory and knocked on the door of the factory security guard.  He didn't speak a word of English, so we communicated through hand gestures.  Sure enough he had the keys to our hotel room and he handed them over to us.  On the inside, the hotel was a lot nicer than on the outside.  Despite its terrible location, the hotel turned out to be ok.  It was clean, the beds were comfortable and with the train we could get to the city center in 10 minutes.

We spent the next two days in Prague.  The majority of the time we spent doing touristy stuff.  We checked out the famous Charles Bridge and the astronomical clock in the main square.  Prague was a beautiful city.  Probably one of my favorite things about Prague was the food.  It was both delicious and cheap.  Eric and I were able to eat full meals and have a beer for less than $10.  One day we found a hockey bar, which was basically a shrine to the local team and the famous Czech winger Jaromír Jágr.  Another night we ate at the restaurant behind our hotel.  When we entered we were greeted by a wall of cigarette smoke and old Czech men looking at us curiously.  They didn't speak any English but luckily the menu was written on the wall, so Eric pointed randomly to two things on the menu.  Surprisingly the food was delicious and once again cheap.  I had some sort of ham in a mystery sauce and some potato pancakes on the side, which was quite yummy.  Our last night in Prague was New Years Eve.  After wandering the city a little bit, we found a cool little bar.  We lucked out because the atmosphere was awesome and the drinks were cheap.  We made new friends from the Czech Republic, Russia and Portugal.  Once midnight neared we headed to the river, which was just across the street.  At midnight, people started shooting off fireworks in all directions.  It appeared there was no official firework show, but everyone just shoot off the fireworks they had bought.

The next morning, Eric and I were packing up again.  This time we were preparing to head off to Krakow, Poland.  In Krakow, we were to be staying with a friend of Eric who he had met in Stockholm.  Krakow was somewhat similar to Prague but a lot smaller and a bit colder.  It was definitely a university town because the streets were filled with college students.  Eric and I spent the two days in Krakow doing tourist things.  We checked out an underground history museum, the cathedral and a castle that was in Krakow.  The second day we visited the Oscar Schlinder's factory, which was made famous by the movie Schindler's List.  Inside the factory was a fascinating museum about the Nazi occupation of Krakow.  In Krakow, we had a similar culinary experience to the one we had in the restaurant next to our hotel in Prague.  Eric's friend, Marta, directed to a type of restaurant in Poland called a Mlecnzy Bar.  These restaurants were famous in communist Poland because they were subsidized by the government and the working class population could get a hearty meal for a cheap price.  These restaurants were so popular that they outlasted communism in Poland.   Twice Eric and I went to a Mlecnzy Bar to eat.  We had a similar experience to the one in Prague because we had to point and use hand gestures to order our food.  As advertised we got huge meals of typical Polish food for a very reasonable price, probably about $3.  During the evenings Marta took out to some cool bars in Krakow.  Since Krakow is full of college students, there is no shortage of bars.

After a couple days in Krakow I was finally heading back to Spain, but my adventure hadn't finished quite yet.  Before heading back to Siles, I stopped by my home away from home, my pueblo, Tobarra, for a couple days.  In Tobarra I celebrated Three Kings Day, which is the 6th of January with my roommate from Cuenca, Salva, and his fun-loving group of friends.  I really enjoy every time I visit them because they have really taken me in as one of there own.  On the evening of the 6th, Salva and his friends had organized a big dinner for everyone at the winery in town.  We had a wonderful evening full a good Spanish wine and too much Spanish food and then afterwards we hit the town...the town of Tobarra.  After an exciting but exhausting two weeks my Christmas adventure had come to an end.  I returned to Siles sleep deprived and a little sick but it was well worth it!!!!

I hope everybody had a wonderful Holiday Season and I wish everyone a joyous and peaceful New Year.

Happy New Year!!! 

Passing through Andulucía

It has been quite a while since my last blog entry, so there is quite a lot to get you all caught up on.  Since the last time I wrote, I have been adjusting myself to living in rural Spain.  When I've had time to get away, I've been making trips around Spain.  Frequent trips were made to Cuenca.  I always enjoy going back to visit my friends from last year.  It has been tough not getting to see as often as I did last year.  Luckily, once I get back to Cuenca we are able to pick up right where we left off last year.  I've also made trips to various places around Andulucía.  One weekend I traveled with the other Americans who are living here in Siles to Granada.  It was nice being in a city, like Granada, after being in the mountains for so long.  On Saturday, we spent the majority of the day visiting the Alhambra.  The Alhambra is probably one of the most spectacular things I've seen in Spain.  It was a Moorish palace and fortress, which was the last thing to fall to the Christians during the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula.  The palace was spectacular.  It was incredible to see the color and the detail in the designs that covered the palace walls.  Every time you turned the corner, you would see something as spectacular as the last.  Above is a picture of one of the many ponds and courtyards in the Alhambra.

A few weekends later I traveled again with my US compatriots from Siles, but this time we went to visit Sevilla (Seville).  Sevilla, just like Granada, was quite picturesque.  It was even more so because they had just hung the Christmas lights all around the city.  The first thing we checked out the was cathedral of Sevilla.  One interesting thing about the Cathedral is the remains of Christopher Columbus are allegedly buried there.  There is a debate whether the remains that are buried there actually belong to the famous navigator.  Another interesting aspect of the cathedral was the bell tower, which was actually part of the old mosque that was on the site during the Moorish rule of Spain.  This was evident in the many designs on the sides of the bell tower.  We were able to climb to the very top and get a nice view of Sevilla.  Other highlights of the trip were seeing flamenco at a bar in the Santa Cruz neighborhood, seeing Roman ruins outside the city and just cruising through the streets of Sevilla and taking in the sights.

Life in the Sierra

Well I have realized after the past year that I am not a very good blogger.  My plan to write an entry every couple weeks has failed miserably.  The last time I wrote was just after I arrived in Siles.  At that point, I knew very little about the town and all I could give were my first impressions.  It's amazing to think that I've already been here for more than a month and a half.  Time has really passed quickly since I've been here.  It really does seem like I just arrived but I guess that is a good sign.  After spending a month and a half in Siles, I've found that there are some real advantages and disadvantages but before I get into the pros and cons let me give you a little more information about Siles, the in which I'm now living.  As I wrote previously, Siles is a small town that is located in the mountain range, Sierra de Segura which is in the Jaén province.  The town was surrounded by forests and it was originally an important site for the lumber industry.  Wood from the surrounding forests was used to build the ships that would sail from Spain to the Spanish colonies.  I found this to be an interesting connection to my home State of California.  With the decline of the lumber industry Siles has shrank significantly in size.  One look outside the window of my apartment will tell you the industry that is important to Siles today, olives.  Olive tree orchards stretch as far as the eye can see.  There have to be millions of Olive trees in the mountain ranges surrounding Siles.  In Spain like in Italy olives are extremely important because olive oil is used to cook almost everything here.  People around here like to boast that the best olive oil in the world come from Jaén.  They also claim that most of the "Italian" olive oil that is shipped to the US and other countries is grown and produced in Spain.  They say that the olive oil is then bought by Italian companies and marketed as Italian olive oil.  As a result of being where the alleged best olives in the world come from, I have eaten more olives after a month and a half in Siles than I have in the prior 25 years.

                                        View from my apartment of mountains and olive trees

So let's start with the advantages of living in a small town in Spain in the middle of the mountains.  The first advantage is the commute.  Last year, I had to travel in between Cuenca and Motilla del Palancar every day I had to work which ended up being 2 hours of commuting.  In Siles, I can get to my school in ten minutes on foot.  My commute time has majorly decreased.  Another advantage of Siles in living being in the middle of a National Forest.  Siles is not only surrounded by olive trees but also surrounded by pines trees and nature.  There are hundreds of trails to go hiking on and many beautiful small towns in the area that are nestled up in the mountains.  This past Saturday, I participated in a popular activity here in the Sierra, collecting wild mushrooms.  During the fall in Siles it seems that almost everybody heads out to the forest to look for wild mushrooms.  They grow in abundance here and many mushrooms are edible, although I would never go without a local because there are mushrooms here that are poisonous.  Saturday afternoon I came home with a half bucket full of mushrooms and later cooked them all.  I'm still standing so I must have picked the right ones!  My experience with the people from Siles, Sileños, has been quite similar to my experience in Cuenca.  People here have been so warm and welcoming to me just as they were in Siles.  Even if I meet someone for the first time, they usually offer to help with any problems or issues that might come up.  Similarly to Cuenca, people seem not only willing but excited about sharing their hometown and customs with a foreigner.  I think this has become my favorite part of Spain.  They've done a good job of spoiling me.

Although living in my new town has been a mostly positive experience there are some drawbacks.  One of these is being removed from all my wonderful friends that I made in both Cuenca and Motilla del Palancar.  Last year was an exceptional year for me and I established some great relationships with friends and colleagues at the school.  At times it has been hard being away from this support system that I had last year, but I'm already starting to make one of my own in Siles and I already have some great relationships with some of the people here.  Another disadvantage of Siles is the town is out in the middle of nowhere.  Although the area is beautiful, it is not very well connected with the rest of Spain.  If you don't have a car it's a little difficult to travel.  There is no train station and bus service to and from the town is rather limited.  I have been catching a lot of rides with my colleagues at the school since many of them travel on the weekend.  I've been able to find rides to many places in the area, which has made my life a lot easier.  I've even been able to catch rides to Motilla del Palancar.

Most weekends I've been traveling around the area.  One long weekend some of my friends from Cuenca came to visit me here in Siles.  We spent the weekend exploring the area, which included going to the town of Ubeda, which is a town about the size of Cuenca filled with old Renaissance style buildings.  Other weekends I made trips to Jaen, Cuenca and Zaragoza.

This Thursday is Thanksgiving!  As I discuss with my students the tradition of Thanksgiving and how the whole premise of the holiday is to give thanks, I realize this is something that I don't do enough on my own.  I'm truly lucky to have such wonderful friends and family in many parts all over the globe.   I have been able to have incredible experiences in many places whether it has been California, Ohio, Chile, Spain or somewhere else.  It has been the people that I have met and shared these experiences with that have made these experiences truly amazing.  So thank you to everyone!  I'm truly blessed that you have been a part of my adventures and look forward to the many adventures to come!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!
 

The Man (formerly) in La Mancha

Well it's hard to believe it but I'm back at it again.  After being back in California for almost three months then making a wedding trip out to Washington DC and a short jaunt to New York City, I'm back in Spain.  In some ways it feels like I never left Spain.  Upon arriving in Spain, I traveled directly to my old home Cuenca.  In Cuenca, I was able to pick up right where I left off with my friends.  It was very easy to get comfortable being in Spain again.  Coinciding with my arrival in Spain was the Catholic celebration of San Mateo or Saint Matthew.  San Mateo happens to be the Patron Saint of Cuenca.  If you have read any of my previous entrees then you might expect a such a celebration might entail...a big fiesta!  San Mateo is a four day celebration where pretty much the whole city of Cuenca and many outsiders head up the hill to the historic old town to celebrate.  The Plaza Mayor, the main plaza in old town, was completely packed with people by night fall (see picture below).  At about midnight each night some musical group would start playing a set and the music wouldn't stop until about four in the morning.  Another important aspect was the vaquilla.  This is a tradition that is somewhat similar to the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona.  One part of Old Town including the Plaza Mayor was fenced off.  For a couple hours at a time, a cow would pass through this area.  It was not quite as intense the Running of the Bulls because there was only one cow and it had to ropes tied to its horns which were held by two big men.  The men did not have complete control over the cow but they definitely could slow it down.  The first time I went up to Old Town, I almost got myself in trouble when I unknowingly walked into the area where the cow was.  I soon figured things out when a large pack of people started running down the towards me yelling "Viene la vaca."  I did not wait around to see the animal and got out of there quick! 

Although I'm going to be doing the same program this year that I did last year, there are many things that are different this year.  After having a one of the best times of my life living in Cuenca last year, I decided that it would be a good idea to return since I had an option to spend a second year in the Auxiliares de Conversación program.  This plan was upended soon by the massive cuts that have been made to education this year in Spain, especially in Castilla La Mancha.  The government of the Autonomous Community decided to discard the Auxiliares program as a way to cut costs.  Luckily, not all regions had decided to completely toss-out the program and Andulucía quickly accepted me to their program.  Instead of Cuenca, I'm now living and working in Siles, Jaén.  Siles is a very small town of about 2500 inhabitants located in the beautiful Sierra de Segura mountain range and right next to the Cazorla National Park.  I was initially disappointed with not getting the opportunity to return to Cuenca this year.  It was hard knowing that I would not again be living with all the friends I had made in Cuenca.  These friends, along with my work colleagues had become my big Spanish family and took great care of me.  I am slowly warming up to the idea of living in Siles.  I have been in the town for only two days but I'm already starting to like the town.  It is extremely picturesque and completely surrounded by mountains and nature.  I have only met a few Sileños but they've all been kind and welcoming. I'm coming to realize that my placement in Siles is just another way for me to get the most out of this unique opportunity that has been given to me.  It be will just the newest chapter in this grand adventure that I have been living.  I'll continue to keep you all informed along the way!  I send you happiness and good thoughts to wherever you might be reading this from!

Buenas noches

                                           The San Mateo celebration in Cuenca, Spain