A busy end to the spring semester

Hiking around Villa de Leyva with Anthony, Margaret, Jayne, and Priyanka

My first semester at Los Andes has finished, and incredibly I’m halfway through my time in Colombia. Classes ended well, and I feel I got quite a bit out of them. My class on the history of the Colombian armed conflict has given me a good overview of the past century in Colombia, and the professor of the course shared many great stories from the various peace processes he has been involved in with different guerrilla groups. A second class, on the theory of armed conflict, was a downer, as professors Tom Cruise (one looked like Tom Cruise) and Kung Fu Panda (the other like Jack Black) failed to deliver on what could have been an interesting course. Our class on negotiations and peace processes was my favorite and made me realize that I’m most interested in the role the international community can play in the development of peace in internal conflicts—a good interest for me to have, I suppose, given the unlikelihood of an armed conflict in the States.

Sampling chicha, a local beverage of fermented corn, with Jayne and Raimondo

During the second half of the semester, I grew closer to many other students, as our time together extended from the classroom to the social arena. Close friends include: David, who hails from Pasto, the most ridiculed place in Colombia; Raimondo, an Italian whose greatest love is reggaeton; Sophia, the group’s go-to photographer for all social events; Juan Felipe, member of two rock bands, one called Dandi Yonquis that sings completely in English; Juan Ricardo, who recently exposed us foreigners to traditional Colombian music during his birthday celebration; Laura, my partner in crime at the concert of La 33, Bogotá’s most famous salsa band; Mariz, socialist and dancing feign; Carlotta, a Spanish student who recently became my neighbor; and Daniel, another Spaniard who could easily pass as a Colombian—sans the accent—after having spent eight years here.

Amusing ourselves at Juan Valdez, Colombia's popular coffee chain

Old friends also have graced the scene as of late. Priyanka, Margaret, and Jayne, all of whom were with Anthony and me in Cuba in 2006, came to visit a couple weeks ago. Anthony and I enjoyed giving them a tour of the city we presently call home. We sampled Colombia’s most important legal export at various cafes; visited the Botero museum; danced at a variety of clubs, ranging from the Moulin Rouge-esce Andres Carne de Res to the decades-old local hotspot, Goce Pagano; ate fabulously both in my new neighbor and at Restaurante Casa Antonio Dest; and climbed—ok, went by cable car—to the top of Monserrate, the peak that overlooks the city. We also had a chance to leave the city to visit Villa de Leyva, a colonial town five hours outside of Bogotá, where we hiked around waterfalls, went horseback riding at night, and hung out in town’s enormous plaza.

Priyanka and I on top of Monserrate

My friends’ visit was over before it started, only to be followed by a visit from my girlfriend, Paula, en route to a Nourish International summer in Peru. I continued to perfect my skills as a tour guide, and the weather even cooperated for the second week in a row. In addition to general exploring, we had a chance to see Son de Cali in concert and host a house warming party at my new apartment. All went well in the latter, excluding the lack of chairs, which left a number of people on the floor. Oh well, yet another reason Colombians should show up on time!

Son de Cali

Paula left a few days ago, and I have been playing catch-up since. More post should follow soon…

Paula and I out with my classmates