FUTBOL! Attending the FIFA U-20 World Cup

When Kelsi and I heard that the FIFA under-20 World Cup was to be played this summer in Colombia we couldn't wait to attend! Hosting an event like this was a huge honor for Colombia and an awesome way for the country to show off their national pride. Additionally, I always appreciate good press associated with Colombia.

After months of reconstruction, the newly revamped stadium looked absolutely stunning - truly a world class place to watch a soccer game, so off we went last Sunday. For just about $23 each we attended the quarterfinal game between France and Nigeria. Unfortunately, the Colombian team lost the night before in their quarterfinal game against Mexico, however, spirits at the game were still high.

Walking in, I felt astonished at the organization, security and general aesthetics of the new stadium. We found our seats in the second row on the southeast (in the shade!) side of the stadium and enjoyed the game. We quickly figured out that we needed to be Nigeria fans based on our surroundings, and concluded this must be because Colombians sympathize more with a nation like Nigeria as opposed to France. Also, the Spanish and French have long been historical enemies and in talking with friends in Colombia I learned that French-Colombian relations have actually been tense for quite some time, including but not only related to the Ingrid Betancourt kidnapping.

So we cheered for Nigeria for the duration of the game, despite the fact that they always trailed by a goal or two. In the end they did not have enough to beat out the French, and lost with a final score of 3-2.

New stadium is just a ten minute walk from our front door!

France (blue) vs. Nigeria (white)

Loving it!

Gorgeous new stadium with the classic Cali symbol of the three crosses on the hill in the background.

Final score.

I love cultural things like this in Colombia, and while I am still not the world's biggest soccer fan, there is something so incredibly cool about the way soccer penetrates every aspect of Colombian daily life. Colombians are passionately involved in soccer and they love cheering on all their favorite teams. And as an outsider looking in, this is so awesome to watch. If only everyone in the US felt this way about baseball...then life would be complete. :)

Movie Review: The Two Escobars

Continuing with the soccer trend in my life lately, Kelsi and I watched an interesting movie last weekend entitled The Two Escobars.

This movie is part of the ESPN 30 for 30 series. The 30 movies are part of a documentary series about unique stories in sports history from 1979 to 2009. In essence, they were created for ESPN to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary of existence. However, the unique thing is that ESPN didn't just choose the top 30 stories from those years. Instead they chose the stories that people didn't always hear about, or that people didn't always know every detail of. They cover everything from rugby in post-apartheid South Africa to Michael Jordan's short minor-league baseball career.

You can view the trailer for the series here:

The movie we watched is about the rise of the Colombian national soccer team as they worked their way towards the World Cup in 1994 and how this coincided with the rise of well know narco-king, Pablo Escobar. Led by captain, Andres Escobar, the Colombian national team left for the 1994 World Cup as the favorites and were expected to win the whole thing. After losing their first game, the team also lost the second game when Andres accidentally scored in Colombia's own goal. For this, he was murdered in Medellin only weeks later, not a full year after the death of Pablo in the same town.

The most interesting part of the movie was the extensive discussion about something known as "Narco-soccer", or basically the idea that Colombia's national team had many more direct ties to Pablo Escobar than one might expect. The movie definitely makes you think about the relationships between businesses (legal or not) and sports, as well as the terrifying history that is still very much a part of Colombia's present.

Whether you are into sports or soccer this movie is definitely engaging to watch and I highly recommend it.

Here is an exert from the movie:

Futbol on the Brain

After watching the Copa del Rey during the "brewery tour" in Medellin, it seems as though soccer is everywhere in Colombia. I mean, more that it usually is given how much Colombians love them some soccer.

Yesterday, my students came into class for the last period of the day begging me to let us watch some of the semi-finals game for the soccer league in Spain, between Real Madrid and Barcelona. I said if we got through the lesson and they wanted to choose to do the homework at home rather than during work time, then maybe we could watch it. Sure enough, by 2:15 we were done with the lesson and so I said we could watch it. Within two minutes two of the boys in my class had the feed from the internet and we were watching the game live.

Now...when I say we were watching the game live, I mean my desktop computer screen was turned around to face the class and about 17 of the 20 students were crowded around the floor below. The coolest thing about watching soccer with students is seeing how into they are! And the girls just as much as the boys, which is cool since I am a pretty sports loving girl myself. :) They spent the next 15 minutes acting like soccer players watching other soccer players, so basically being overly dramatic about everything that happened on the field. Absolutely hysterical to observe.

I wish I had a picture of them all crowded around, but alas you will have to picture 17 eighth graders crowded together.

Calle 13 & ChocQuibTown Concert

Urban beats, huh? Yeahhhh...not exactly a part of my cute singer/songwriter boys with guitars genre that makes up 90% of my iTunes. However, a pretty rockin' concert experience if I do say so :)

Last night a group of us headed over to the Centro de Eventos del Valle del Pacifico for the Calle 13 with ChocQuibTown concert. After a long day at school (Sports Day...full of all day madness and babysitting), I needed coffee and an hour of serious down time to psych up for the concert, but it was totally worth it! We got there around 7 PM and the doors were scheduled to open at 6 PM, so with our VIP section tickets (only about $45 USD), we figured we would have no trouble getting in.

As with most things in Colombia that relate to organization, crowd control, logistics and large groups of people in general, we were dead wrong and the scene outside the concert venue was a mess. After some discussion we decided our plan for getting in efficiently was to push through the crowd of waiting people, play the "were just innocent gringos who don't know what's going on" card and be on our way. This sounds absolutely ridiculous, but seriously, after 1.5 years of living in a country of disorganization, where no one respects the line, why were we about to go wait in the back?

The plan led to some awkward moments, like when Kelsi and I were stuck for about 10 minutes in the men's security line and very clearly in the wrong place. But we made it happen, following Kelsi's lead by climbing a barrier to the girl's line in front of a very amused crowd of Colombians. Winners. After three very through security searches and the confiscation of Kelsi's apparently lethal bobby-pins, we were in!

The waiting game began with Miller Genuine Draft beers for Angie and I...served in plastic beer glasses, some Aguardiente (AKA Colombian licorice flavored liquor), and an opening band during which the lead singer busted out a flute. When ChocQuibTown took the stage we were more than ready! Recent winners of the Latin Grammy for this song, this group originates from the Choco region of Colombia, which has a high Afro-Colombian population. Their music is a unique blend of hip hop, reggae, funk and more. They definitely got the crowd into their show and looked like they were having a blast up on stage, an element which always makes a concert more fun for the audience!

$4 for an MGD to pass the time.

Opening band numero uno.

Opening band numero dos: ChocQuibTown in action!

A video of the song (as performed at the concert) that has become the group anthem - Somos Pacifico. Basically the lyrics are about how we are people from the coast and we are united together. People in Colombia take a lot of pride in the region of the country they are from, the same way people in the US take pride in the state they are from.

ChocQuibTown left the stage around midnight and we still had to wait for Calle 13 to set up. However, the wait was well worth it and when they took the stage around 12:30 AM the place went absolutely crazy. Lead singer and songwriter Rene Perez Joglar rushed on stage, took his shirt off halfway through the opening song (and kept it off for the duration of the show), and began with the band's popular "Baile de Los Pobres" The song is basically a social commentary on the differences between the lower and upper social classes everywhere, but specifically in their home country of Puerto Rico. Needless to say this song ignited the crowd and I literally could feel the ground shaking below me from all the dancing and jumping. The lead singer doesn't hold anything back when he sings and this was evident throughout the entire concert.

Backed by his stepbrother and sister, the singer fuels the energy of the group and the entire band and audience fed off this energy all night. For two other songs during the night he brought girls from the crowd up on stage, which is something I love when musicians do, and you could tell by the reaction of the girls and those still in the crowd that this was a pretty big deal. This group has also earned global recognition since their beginning in 2005, performing at the Latin Grammys in 2007, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2008, a concert to commemorate Ecuadorian Independence in 2009 and Cuba in 2010. While sometimes criticized for their harsh commentaries and strong (sometimes unpopular) social stance on many issues, they are a band with something to sing about, that is for sure.

Calle 13 takes the stage.

The whole band.

Love & Friendship: Dia de Amor y Amistad

Saturday, September 18 is El Dia de Amor y Amistad, or the Day of Love and Friendship here in Colombia. Basically the equivalent of Valentine's Day, this is a day to celebrate the love and friendship you have with friends or significant others.

We celebrated by going out to dinner and dancing for my friend Hana's birthday, which happens to fall on the same day! We started the night at Carambolo, an Italian and Latin restaurant in the Granada neighborhood of Cali. I had a fabulous chicken stuffed with asparagus in a mustard vodka sauce and of course we shared a pitcher of sangria. Despite taking a really long time to get our food, the place was a great choice for a birthday celebration.

The whole crew at dinner!

Sangria = delicious :)

After that we headed out to Kukaramakara (tongue twister, I know) for some dancing. While the place ended up being more live music and crowded tables than dancing, it was still a fabulous day with friends.

Kelsi, Catie and I

The Birthday Girl (Hana) and me!

To all of my fabulous friends wherever you may be - Feliz Dia de Amor y Amistad!!!

The Colombian Gym Experience

Whenever I start to feel settled here, like Cali, Colombia really is a place I can call home, something new happens to make me appreciate the little things all over again.

After doing a lot of commuting this month to go to the gym in Kelsi's neighborhood I decided it was time to seek out something a little closer to home. I had seen a number of gyms in my neighborhood, but never really took it any further. This week after school I did some investigating and found one that seemed to suit my needs.

A mere two blocks from my house, this place is small, but the monthly fee of $70,000 pesos ($35 USD) is totally worth it for the convenience. They are open all weeknights and Saturdays too, which isn't as popular in Colombia as you would think. There are only about 10 bikes, 5 ellipticals and 3 treadmills in the place, but they offer classes like yoga, dance and spinning in addition, so what's not to love?

I went to the spin class on Monday night, where the instructor personally introduced himself to me and then we chatted before the class. During the class he introduced me to everyone else (since the class was only about 10 people) and made sure I felt welcome. What a change from gyms and rec centers where anonymity seems to be what people desire most. Then yesterday, as I was on the elliptical, one of the older men from the spin class came into the gym. I gave him a little wave to show I recognized him. He then proceeds to come over, shake my hand mid-run and chat me up! He remembers my name and asks how I like the place. Fascinating! I thoroughly enjoy the extent to which Colombians are so into making connections and forming relationships with others. Guaranteed I probably stick out like a sore thumb as the only non-Colombian in the place, but it was still nice that this guy remembered me.

Since being in Colombia I have been missing the consistency of being able to go to my college rec center whenever I wanted (open from 6 am to midnight) without having to pay a thing (outside tuition) and usually running into a friend or five. While Colombians are very concerned with their personal image, this does not always correspond to a need to stay physically fit. Working out in public, aka running outdoors, is not very popular. Therefore, I am hoping that by joining this gym I will feel a bit more like myself here. In the mean time, I am loving the warm welcome! :)

Happy Saturday!

Rules? What Rules? (A Trip to the Cali Zoo)

The Zoologico de Cali is the number one thing to do in Cali, according to Lonely Planet, so after months of talking about it, we finally got it together and went there! The zoo is a ten minute cab ride from my apartment, so Kelsi, Hana and I headed over there on Sunday afternoon. We paid $9.500 pesos to get in, which is sort of expensive for Colombian standards, but is an awesome price in comparison with US zoos. The Cali Zoo features tons of animals that I had never seen in the zoo before, or ever in real life, so I really enjoyed walking around, even if I not much of an "animal person".

In walking around the zoo I was so impressed by the gorgeous landscaping, nicely paved paths and helpful signs! The paths of the zoo are in better condition than the Cali roads - with better signage too!

Kelsi and I at the entrance to the zoo.

Some of the gorgeous landscaping at the zoo.

Who knew? The Rio Cali runs right through the zoo and twists around the grounds - so cool!

Monkey/gorilla combination.

How cool is this? A sign shows the differences between the "hands" and "feet" of primates...including humans.

However, the zoo was not all cheery fun for everyone. After about three hours at the zoo it became apparent that Colombians do not understand zoo etiquette. In all of my trips to the zoo over the years, I have always assumed the "norms" at the zoo were understood and accepted by all. I consider these "norms" to be things like:

• Do not feed the animals.
• Do not climb on the animals' cages.
• Do not throw trash in, around, or near the animal cages.
• Do not pick up your children so they can climb or sit on the animal cages.
• Do not taunt the animals or bang on their cages.
• Do not touch the animals.
• Keep large, dangerous animals in appropriately sized cages.
• Repair any damage to animal cages immediately.

Well, apparently Colombians are not all about the zoo etiquette. Rather, they blatantly ignore ALL RULES.

Sign at the entrance to the zoo...listing what the rules were supposed to be. Loosely translated this sign says respect the environment, gardens and cages which are designed for your protection. Avoid hitting the glass on the exhibits. Do not feed the animals, they have special diets. Do not throw objects at the animals, as this may hurt them.

We started to notice that not all was secure about our zoo experience when we found this huge brown bear asleep in a cage with about an 8 foot wall around it. Hmmm....shouldn't it be higher??

Yes, small child, please climb the fence, wave your little mask thing at the animal as it sticks its arm out the cage. Where were the parents, you ask??? VIDEOTAPING!! At least they will have their sons mauling on tape to show the grandparents.

More mask trouble. Little girl drops her mask in the llama cage? No worries, Dad will hoist himself over the wall to retrieve it as Mom looks on.

Sure, feed the llamas with random brush leaves. Hold your child while you do it. Brilliant.

Cute, now this snake can cuddle up with this plastic soda bottle.

***Disclaimer: This really was the only trash I saw in or near any cages, so it is not at all the norm at the Cali Zoo, but we were already so amused by all the other broken rules, that I had to photograph.

Perfect - feed the bird some of your chips. Lovely.

Well, this looks secure. Solid crack down the viewing window of this animals cage - I'm sure it will be fine, its just a Bengal tiger. Wikipedia, source of all legit information tells me, "Tigers are known to not like the presence of humans in their territory, since they like to be alone." Fantastic.

Despite all zoo adversities, we prevailed and the entire day was a fabulous outing. I love playing tourist in the city I live in and discovering new spots in Cali is so fun!

Me - as a turtle. In a turtle shell! Hooray! :)

Here's hoping your weekend was full of equally amusing ridiculous-ness.

Clásico por la hermandad - Soccer game for Haiti

[Lots of teachers from school at the game!]

Last night I attended a soccer game between the two soccer teams in Cali, Deportivo Cali and America.

Soccer is super important in Latin America, and pretty much everywhere else in the world besides the States, so people get pretty into it. Normally, when America and Cali play each other there are basically fights, riots, stampedes, etc. However, they played last night as part of a fundraiser for Haiti, so it was supposed to be a "friendship game". (This didn't stop the players from engaging in multiple fights, but such is life...)

The reason games are so intense is because Colombians in general are such die hard fans. People from Cali have a decided team, either America or Cali, basically as soon as they are born, and they never deviate from these allegiances. Before last night I did not support a specific team. However, I think I will be following the logic of my friend Kelsi in deciding. She went to a game back in October and told me, "we sat on the America side, and America won, so now I like America." Well, last night we sat on the America side, and America won. So, America - I am officially on your side. Traditionally, the America team is the local team without the big sponsorships or money, while Deportivo Cali is known as the "rich team". Seeing as how I am a Minnesota sports fan, "underdog" is basically my middle name, thus solidifying my choice for America.

At this particular game, everyone wore white to show support, hope and solidarity with Haiti. I loved seeing the whole stadium in white, when it is normally covered in red (America) and green (Cali). Also, while people definitely still cheered for their respective teams, the overall atmosphere seemed friendly and fans maintained great moods throughout the game. Only once did the refs have to stop the game and ask the Cali fans to stop throwing things on the field. (Another reason I'm an America fan - clearly this is fate)

[note all the white in the background!!]

I definitely want to go to an official Clasico game sometime in the future, but for my first soccer experience this was a pretty cool event. Also, I must say I was struck last night thinking about how truly global in nature the response to this earthquake has been. Very few times since moving to Colombia have I felt that the US and Colombia have the exact same priorities. However, in situations like this I am reminded of how connected our world is and what a wonderful community we can be when we put our minds to it. People all over the world care about others - really care. A pretty refreshing thought, don't you think? :) It definitely left me smiling...

TIC: This is Colombia

***Scheduled Post***

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas celebration wherever you are in the world!! I am still in Pasto, so I thought I would take this time to write a post about some of my reflections on my first five months in Colombia.

Remember in the 2006 movie Blood Diamond with Leonardo DiCaprio when he is trying to explain that things are different now, because after all, this is Africa? He uses the phrase the rest of the movie whenever something doesn’t happen quite as he thought it would.

Well, upon arriving in Colombia our first week Maggie & I began to say TIC: This is Colombia whenever something happened that struck us as unique or out of the ordinary for us Americans. Now, after five months in Colombia I feel I am coming to understand some of the things that make this country so strikingly unique. While some of these things I love about Colombia, others drive me absolutely crazy, but at the end of the day they have all in some way characterized my life here so far. So at this halfway point in the year here are, in my opinion, the most distinctive TICs.

• "Que pena" / "What a pain." Colombians do not apologize for anything, because everything is the result of our fates, so nothing is directly any one person's fault. Whether they bump into you in the grocery store, show up an hour late, don't show up at all, mix up your order at the restaurant....whatever, their consolation is "Que pena".
• Throw a party in Colombia and say it starts at 9? The Colombians will arrive around 11:30 and stay (literally) until the sun comes up.
• Colombians live by tiempo colombiano, Colombian time, and they are always late for everything. Their mindset is so different from that of North Americans or Europeans - they believe their are very few things worth rushing for, so if you are in a hurry you better tell them right away!
• Tiendas (stores) are for sitting around with friends and having a beer. Bars? Bars are for salsa dancing, always.
• When the salsa music changes? You listen to reggaeton, a genre I still cannot fully explain here but is basically a blend of reggae music with influences from pop, rap, salsa, meringue, etc.
• In need of help or assistance? A Colombian will not only help you with your problem but he/she will personally guide you along the process? And if they can't come? Don't worry - they are sending their son/daughter/cousin/friend/boss/acquaintance/neighbor to help you.
• More than half of all businesses are closed on Sunday and holidays. Colombians may work hard during the week but when a holiday arrives there is no way you are getting any business done.
• "Oooooy"/Whoooooooosh". Two phrases said with enthusiasm and exaggeration, mostly in my classroom, whenever students feel the need to be overly dramatic...which is basically every minute when you are a middle school student.
• What traffic laws??
• If you want to get a Colombian talking for hours on end, just say the word futbol (soccer). Since there are 18 national teams across the country, that should keep them occupied for a good half day or so.
• Despite any personal hardships, or the corrupt/drug-filled history of the country, Colombians are happy, joyful, friendly people. They accentuate this fact by saying "Muy amable" or "Very friendly" to anyone and everyone who shows them the slightest kindness, from taxi driver to the person who packs your groceries to good friends.
• Honking is a widely accepted form of communication when operating a motor vehicle.
• Family is the most important thing in the lives of Colombians. All holidays are spent at home with family, celebrating and sharing a big meal together.
• Machismo is alive and well in Colombia. Most men still reign as the dominating figure in relationships and quite sadly, cheating happens a shockingly ridiculous amount in Colombia. Getting a Colombian man to marry you and stay faithful seems like a very steep uphill battle.
• Aquardiente - a cheap aniseed-flavored liquor that is an absolute staple at any Colombian fiesta.
• Despite being world famous for their coffee, good coffee is shockingly difficult to locate in Colombia. Outside of Juan Valdez I have yet to encounter a delicious cup of coffee anywhere in Colombia - highly disappointing given my blog name and all.
• Colombian beer is weak, light, and overall pretty terrible. Colombians choose to ignore this and drink it anyway, usually asking for cerveza michelada, or beer with lime juice served in a salt-rimmed mug.

Dia de Las Velitas

Christmas is coming to Cali!! While it may not feel like the Christmas season without snow, the holiday preparations and parties are in full swing here in Colombia.

On Friday night at school I attended Dia de Las Velitas, in English, "Day of the Candles". Day of the Candles is a celebration held at school on the weekend closest to the Immaculate Conception on December 7th, and marks the official beginning of the Christmas festivities in Colombia. At school, the Asopadres, or Parent's Association, sets up this giant festival with candles, food, music, etc. on the school lawn. I saw tons of my students there and their families too, so it was a great community bonding experience. I love being able to attend cultural celebrations like this one, that honor the special spirit of the holidays in a similar sense, but in a uniquely Colombian way. Also, seeing school all lit up like this was GORGEOUS. :)

Music tent and lawn with candles. Yes, the local bomberos (firefighters) were on site for any situations that arose, but I shockingly saw zero kids light themselves on fire.

Main lawn at school.

Candles we lit!

My friend Caleb created this lovely art project from melting lots of candles on top of one another.

Dia Sin Carro

Happy Thursday!

Today is Dia Sin Carro (Day without Car) here in Cali. From 7am to 7pm all privately owned vehicles are prohibited from driving on the streets. Since we take the school bus to work every morning this didn't really change our morning routine too much, but since others could not drive, there were lots of new faces on our bus!

Although there are many exceptions to Dia Sin Carro, like government, military, school vehicles, taxis, etc. I do think this day is an awesome way to promote to use of public transportation and sharing rides. After being in NYC two weeks ago, and living in a big city here, I am totally in love with public transportation at the moment. When it works well and efficiently mass public transit really is a thing of beauty - not to mention being fabulous for the environment.

One of the most interesting things about Dia Sin Carro here in Cali is that everyone participates. Since this is a law, and enforced, people generally obey and do not use their cars. Which only leaves me to wonder - how would this work in the United States? If there was a mass Dia Sin Carro in your city would you figure out a way to get to work, school, etc. or would you just stay home and claim you had no options??