A New Member of the Family

A little over a month ago we adopted a new family member named 진짜 (Jinja).  It's Korean for "really" as in "Really?? We got a cat?"  But actually, it was always our favorite word in Korean, we said we would someday name an animal after it, and Jinja just seemed to fit (her Colombian nickname is Jinjita). 

It all began while our friend Kaylyn and my brother Jake were visiting. We visited Pance (the little mountain town outside of Cali) and ate lunch at a little restaurant that specialized in roasted chicken. In typical Colombian style, an adorable, little gray kitten kept pawing at our toes and jumping on our laps while we were eating.  It had to only be about 4 weeks old. The owner of the restaurant said we could take her with us right then and there.  We joked about it but were not serious at all about taking her home.

However, a week later after Kaylyn had left and Jake and I were still traveling, Aaron couldn't stand it anymore---the urge for that little kitten was too strong.  So, Aaron decided to make the trek back up to Pance to find himself a four-legged friend.  When he arrived, the kitten that had charmed us at lunch was no longer there, but 2 of her siblings were.  Aaron had his pick, and after playing and cuddling with both, made his decision. 

We have seriously fallen in love.  Yes, I sound like a mother.  But she really is so much fun to have around and is growing so fast! Aaron has fallen so in love that he even built her a play area out of wood, rope and carpet scraps.  She absolutely loves it! Although, a simple plastic bag suffices most of the time.

Teachers and Students and Spiders...Oh my!

There are a lot of reasons why I love working at the same school as Aaron.  We get to have the same schedule, share coffee together in the morning and lunch together in the afternoon, sneak into each other's rooms during prep just to say hi, and empathize with each other when one of us needs to vent.  However, I gained a whole new appreciation for working at the same school as my husband a little over a week ago.

You see, my classroom is totally open.  This means it is vulnerable to all the elements: wind, rain, chilly air (I feel like I can't say cold because my "cold" is like MAYBE 60 degrees), and creatures.  Most of the time it's simply the teeny ants that decide to march in a perfect line to a crumb on the floor.  However, sometimes it's something bigger...like a spider. 

It was five minutes until my class was going to begin.  I had gone to make some copies and came back to my room to see a large, lanky yet beefy spider scurrying under my students' desks.  I immediately turned around, went straight to the bathroom, and proceeded to do my business thinking that I would simply go back to my room and it would be gone.  Well, upon my return, it had made it's way across the room and was taunting me under my desk.  Now, I love the outdoors and don't mind most insects, but this spider was the biggest one I'd seen in Colombia and one of the biggest I've seen in my life (aside from tarantulas).  I decided to run to my 10th grade colleague to see if he could help me wrangle this thing out of my room.  He came in, took one look, and gingerly backed away.  "Crap!  Students are going to be here soon!" I panicked, knowing that this would cause my students to have an exponential freak out that would certainly stall the beginning of class!  So, I knew Aaron was on prep and decided to sprint over to the science center and ask him to save the day.  Sure enough, my prince charming aka science teacher extraordinaire arrived with garbage can in toe.  You see, in true science teacher form, he wasn't just planning on removing it from my classroom--he was determined to keep it as a pet!  After a few tries, he managed to get the spider in the garbage can and immediately ran down the hall back to his classroom before the spider could get away. 

Aaron's new classroom pet!

The spider's habitat in Aaron's classroom.

 When my class was over, I went to Aaron's room.  He and some students had already found a glass aquarium, created a habitat for the guy, designed a breathable roof, and narrowed it down to three species (all poisonous--one flesh eating--eeek!).  Turns out you can only really tell a spider's species from looking at its reproductive organs under a microscope. 

Ultimately, he wanted to show his students how these types of creatures are common place at our school.  I just hope they aren't common place in MY classroom anymore.

Winter Break Adventures: Part 2 -- Juanchaco, Colombia

Colombia in the raw---this might be the best way to describe the Pacific coast.  Unlike the Caribbean, the Pacific coast is underdeveloped and strewn with rocky cliffs, sea caves, and expansive dark sand beaches.

We began our journey by taking a 2.5 hour bus ride from Cali to Buenaventura.  It's a gorgeous road that meanders through the lush, green mountains that disappear into the Pacific.  We took a short taxi ride from the bus station to the docks and grabbed a boat for our 45 minute ride to Juanchacho.

Entrance to Yubarta's Hospedaje

One of our friends suggested to stay at Yubarta's Hospedaje Rural.  It's in Juanchaco and run by Cesar, an enthusiastic and gracious guide.  With a beaming smile, he greeted us at the boat in Juanchaco and led us to his place, about a 15 minute walk from the dock.  We stayed in quaint cabins with a nice bed, fans, full bathroom, and even screens on the windows (something you never see in Colombia!).  The place has a nice common area with hammocks and places to sit and enjoy the breeze.  It's also very close to a beautiful view of the Pacific.  After a fantastic lunch of fresh fish, veggies, and juice, we were off on our first adventure.

Cesar speaks very little English and we speak some Spanish so communication wasn't perfect, but enough to get to know how much he loves this place.  He led us about an hour down the coast, through residential areas and down through the jungle, to La Barra.  This was one of the largest beaches I've ever seen!  We spent quite some time swimming, exploring the cliff's rock layers, and watching the tiny camouflaged crabs scurry around.  It was unlike any beach I had ever been to.  Eventually we came across a little indigenous fishing village on the beach.  Here, Cesar surprised us with beers and we sat back and enjoyed the view.

La Barra Beach

Can you spot the crab?

Kids will be kids.

The local fishing village on La Barra.

Beers with a view.

Local kids playing "captain of the boat" in the village.

Amable, our guide, paddling away.

Soon, as the tide began rising, Cesar hurried us along to our next activity.  A local fisherman took us in his canoe for a ride through the mangroves.  Now, as you know, Aaron, Kaylyn, and I have done quite a bit of canoeing in our lives and have never really been scared of being in a canoe.  This trip changed that---very quickly.  We all piled into the canoe and as we pushed off Amable, our local guide, continued to stand in the back while Cesar awkwardly stood in the front to paddle.  STOOD!  Yes, the first rule of being in a canoe is to NEVER STAND!  Our boat was rocking more than a salsa dancer's hips!  Thankfully, as we got going, all of us figured out how to balance a bit more and deal with the sudden jerks (and the possibility that we very well might go in the water).  I was channeling my inner zen and trying to meditate on the sounds of the parrots and toucans.  After a rocky start (literally), it turned out to be a pretty neat experience. We stopped at a freshwater pool in the middle of the jungle which had a natural water slide feeding into it.  Our trip didn't end until dark, so we got to see the forest come alive at dusk! A true cacophony of sound!

Little did I know...

Aaron had to get a picture of the paddle shape--it will be his next paddle project.

Refreshing freshwater pool and water slide.

This area of Colombia is considered one of the rainiest places in the world.  Thankfully, we had perfect weather on our first day.  But, when we were supposed to get up at 5:00am to go sea kayaking on day 2, the rain and wind screamed "buenas dias".  Cesar wasn't worried and encouraged us to keep our plans.  Hesitantly, we walked in our drenched raincoats to the beach.  Along the way, Cesar disappeared a few times and it wasn't until later that we discovered he was waking up our guides.  :/  Long story short, it didn't stop raining and we were kayaking in some crazy waves, but the water was warm and Cesar's optimism was contagious.

To kayak or not to kayak...

We spent the rest of the day napping and checking out Ladrilleros beach.  Surrounded by cliffs and a sea cave, it's a clean, beautiful beach that was perfect for swimming.  We ended the day with a Afro-Colombian music (my favorite!), a fantastic fresh seafood meal (Maria is a fantastic cook!), and cards. 

Aaron's favorite place during our time in Juanchaco.

Typcial house in Juanchaco.

Perhaps the most disturbing part of the trip was experiencing first hand what I had just taught my students weeks before.  We talked about plastic in the ocean and how our oceans are just becoming a cesspool with 46, 000 pieces of plastic per square mile of ocean.  Juanchaco's beach was littered with plastic bottles and garbage that washed ashore.  La Barra and Ladrilleros were cleaner, but there was still some evidence of this harsh reality.  Our plastic addiction is disgusting and this realization has really motivated Aaron and I to be more conscious of our plastic consumption.

Just a small glimpse of our plastic addiction.

Sea cave yoga on Juanchaco beach.

As we were leaving, locals were playing soccer at low tide on Juanchaco beach.

All in all, I would definitely recommend going to Juanchaco if you want to see a different side of Colombia.  The people were beautiful---incredibly kind, friendly, and ecstatic to share their piece of the world with us.  We definitely want to go back when the whales come in August. 

Winter Break Adventures: Part 1 -- Hiking Up Pico Pance

The end of the school year was full of grading, grading and more grading, planning trips with friends and family, and celebrating the holidays---hence the lack of updating this thing!  Here's part 1 of our winter break filled with so much joy I don't think I ever stopped smiling.

End of Semester 1!
The end of first semester was full of celebrations.  Colombians LOVE Christmas and it was evident from the strobe light like lights blinking from balconies all around the city, the never-ending salsa music outside our windows until the wee hours of the morning, and the generosity of everyone.  Aaron and I were given gifts from students and the school held a Christmas party with over 200 staff members which ended in salsa dancing and a mariachi band!

Pico Pance
After finals were over, Aaron and I were ecstatic to have our dearest friend Kaylyn come and visit. We had big plans to explore all parts of Colombia and began with a hike up to the highest peak you can see from Cali--Pico Pance.  The hike should be done in at least 2 days, but our crew wanted to try to make it in one day from a base camp about 1.5 hour hike from Pueblo Pance (a small town 30 minutes outside of Cali).  Cali is at about 1,000 meters (3, 340 feet) and Pico Pance, the peak, is 4,105 meters (13, 468 feet).  The first day, we took a bus up to Pueblo Pance and hiked 1.5 hours up to Amor y Paz (Love and Peace), a little camping spot up in Farrallones National Park.

Our way up to Amor y Paz included a fun river crossing!

Our base camp for the hike.

Looking towards Pueblo Pance from Amor y Paz.

The plan was to head to bed early, wake up at 4:00am and start the 6-8 hour hike to the top.  Sasha, an American woman who lives in Pance and does guiding, coordinated the trip for us and her friends, Alejandro and Douglas, were our guides up the mountain.  In Sasha's words, "I've done the hike once but won't be doing it again ANY time soon."  It was going to be difficult, I knew that, but I don't think I knew exactly what to expect. 

We woke up at 3:30am and scarfed down a breakfast of coffee, eggs, arepa and cheese.  At 4:00am, with only our headlamps to guide us, we started up hill only to stop 5 minutes later to circle up and stretch. Our guide, Alejandro, explained how important it was to warm-up. :) 

Our sunrise view of the summit.

Dan, Aaron, Juan David, Juan Pablo, Kaylyn and I began the hike.  It seemed the darkness was to our advantage because although the trail was straight up hill, I couldn't see beyond my light beam, so I lived in the dream that it would soon level out.  The hum of the insects was fantastically meditative while the parrots' shrieks seemed to bring me back to my screaming hamstrings.  This false optimism kept me going pretty well for the first 2 hours.  Then, once daylight crept through the canopy making me turn off my headlamp, it seemed everything changed.  Actually, I'm not sure if it was the daylight or the fact that we were climbing vertically up roots and rocks with no breaks in sight.  At this point, we had to make a decision.  Dan, Aaron and Juan David were moving fast while Kaylyn, JP and I were sticking together.  Therefore, we split into 2 groups.  The first would make a strong push for the summit where they had to get before 1p.m. while the rest of us would keep pushing at a more moderate pace.

The trail was developed, but there were many points where we wished we had a machete to cut down the overgrowth.  After a fairly suave (soft) first hour, it was basically straight up for most of the way.  Trekking poles were not too helpful as we were literally climbing up roots and rocks.  Honestly, this made the hike really fun and interesting!  It wasn't just a switchback trail.  However, it also made it incredibly exhausting and coming down wasn't as speedy as it can be on other trails.  In fact, it seemed like we went slower going down at times to make sure our footing was secure. 

After 8 hours of straight hiking, Kaylyn, J.P. and I were still 2 hours from the summit, so we had reached our own summit for the day.  The views certainly made the pain worth it.  We were above the clouds and could even see Nevada del Huila, a snow-capped volcano, on the other side of the valley.  The other group ended up making it, and we all reunited around 6:30pm at Amor y Paz for a MUCH needed dinner!

One of those beautiful pain numbing views on our way to the top. 

Perhaps the best part of the hike was our K-9 companions!

Sasha is a fantastic host and had a feast waiting for us: quinoa soup, chicken, rice, salad, and plantains.  We swapped stories over fresh lemonade (with a little rum for our aching bones) and slept like the many gigantic logs we had aggravatingly climbed over hours before. 

In the words of Aaron, "That was the most difficult single day hike I've ever done in my life." Despite the incredible elevation gain, and the steep/ruggedness of the trail, we both would like to do it again but camp half way up.  We didn't see one other person or group while hiking which makes this hike that much more enticing.   Oh, and seeing the sunrise from the summit would be unbelievable.

Summit Teams: USA and Colombia!

Thanksgiving on the Caribbean

Jungle, mountains, and beaches...OH MY!!!

Tayrona National Park in Northern Colombia is what dreams are made of.

We were lucky enough to spend our Thanksgiving break at the Caribbean.  First, in Santa Marta to celebrate Thanksgiving with good friends.  We cooked, swam, relaxed in the sunshine, and took turns huddled up next to the internet router in order to Skype our families!  It was a relaxing start to our vacation.  

We rented an apartment in Rodadero from Airbnb and enjoyed this sunset.

Then, we spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Tayrona National Park. It was easy to find transportation there because if you are a gringo (foreigner), every Colombian assumes you'll be heading to Tayrona and offers you bus rides there every 5 seconds!  The hour bus ride is beautiful and highlights the diversity of Colombia: beach, countryside, mountains, and jungle.   We arrived at the park entrance and watched an informational video about the park and how to keep it pristine (Tayrona's version of the video you watch before entering the Boundary Waters).  The park fee is $35,000 COP for foreigners and $13,000 COP for Colombian residents (which we are! :)  Then, it was another short bus ride to the beginning of the trail.  By this time, we were feeling the humidity.  It wasn't even that hot, but the humidity blanketed you in sweat.  We began our hour hike to Arrecifes beach where we were to stay.  You could get a horse to carry your gear, but we decided to carry our backpacks as the hike was not too bad.

Some of the trail is boardwalk through the jungle.

So many rocks to climb!  

Our first peek at the ocean!

Finally on the beach!

We all were staying at Yuluka (Aviatur) on Arrecifes. When we arrived, our friends were staying in a cabana while Aaron and I were camping.  Our friends were greeted with a fresh fruit drink after our sweaty hike while Aaron and I were greeted with the task of setting up our tent. :)  But it was worth it!!  We were both excited to be in a tent again.  After setting up camp, we headed to El Cabo which is the most popular beach.  It's about a 40 minute hike from Arrecifes along the coast and into the jungle.  That's the best part of Tayrona--in order to get to the next slice of Caribbean heaven, you hike through beautiful jungle!

The group on El Cabo!

Aaron with his ladies.

The next 2 days involved hiking, laying on the beach, dodging falling coconuts, swimming and climbing rocks.  Arrecifes is non-swimmable due to crazy currents and riptides, so we spent most of our time exploring the beaches along the way to El Cabo.  Oh, and we also spent time eating as much ceviche and fresh fruit juice as possible.  Food is a bit pricey in the park.  We brought snacks which was smart, but the restaurant where we stayed was definitely the nicest around, and we found it was worth paying the little extra for really good food.

This rock at La Piscina beach was just begging to be climbed and jumped off of!

One of the beaches along the way from Arrecifes to El Cabo.

Ultimately, it was the most beautiful beach destination we've been (well, aside from the beaches of Thailand...).  Although it's a plane ride away from Cali, I know we will be coming back soon!

More Than Just Academics...

Our teacher softball team for binationals!

Something we've been learning lately is that Colegio Bolivar takes education seriously yet realizes education is more than academics.  In light of that, we've had class time cut and replaced with assemblies, tournaments, halloween festivities and field trips.  First, our school hosted a Binationals Sports Weekend.  We invited teacher teams from all over Colombia to come compete in soccer, volleyball, basketball and softball.  Aaron and I played on the softball team.  We played four friendly games over a weekend and ended up 2-2.  It was a fun way to spend a long weekend.

In Korea, Aaron and I always looked forward to Sports Day--somewhat like "field" day that we had in elementary school where students spend an entire day competing against each other in different sports.  Colegio Bolivar has a Sports Day twice a year for elementary, middle and high school students.  The students compete in track, ultimate frisbee, soccer, basketball, softball and volleyball for an entire day.  They also get points for spirit, teamwork and sportsmanship.  It's a lot of fun for all involved.

Callie's 10th graders on Sports Day!

Aaron's 8th grade house on Sports Day!

Aaron's house won Sports Day for middle school!

Finally, this past week Aaron traveled with his 8th graders to Santander, Colombia for a week.    Santander is known as the adventure capital of Colombia with gorgeous mountains and valleys to explore.  Therefore, this year's field trip included high adventure sports and some social service work.  They hiked, camped, repelled down a waterfall, rafted and even learned how to build a rammed earth wall for a local family!  Needless to say, Aaron was in heaven and had a fantastically tiring time!

Along the famous hike, "El Camino Real,"  from Barichara to Guane.

Students creating a rammed earth wall for a local family.

Learning about textiles at Cofibras in Curiti, Colombia.

Students at Colegio Bolivar also participate in social service and must complete a specific amount of hours of service work during high school.  They host English classes on the weekend and are involved in a variety of non-profit organizations in Cali.  I have always been a strong proponent for extra-curricular activities, and it's refreshing to be in a school that seeks out and embraces educational opportunities outside of the classroom realm!