Cartagena

Dear friends and family,

Lonely Planet describes Cartagena as “a fairy-tale city of romance, legends and sheer beauty. Cartagena de Indias is an addictive place that can be hard to escape. This is the place to drop all sightseeing routines. Instead, just stroll through Cartagena's maze of cobbled alleys, where enormous balconies are shrouded in bougainvilla and massive churches cast their shadows across leafy plazas.”

The historical center of Cartagena is exactly that.  Breathtaking, mesmerizing, captivating.  But, of course, there are many sides to everything and Cartagena is no exception.  The real story of Cartegena is a tale of many cities.  Downtown Cartagena, the part the Lonely Planet focuses on, gets a fair amount of attention from foreign travelers.  Two cruise ships arrive weekly with tourists to deposit.  The shops in that sector include the most expensive clothing stores, jewerly shops, and cafés.  In other neighborhoods, such as mine, Cartagena is a concrete jungle with few charms.  There are few trees and no parks or fields for children to play in.  Their playground is the street.  Beyond those neighborhoods, the city opens up, the concrete fades into dirt and the city mixes with the jungle that borders it.  On the city´s edge you can find two extremes: stunning wealth and heart-wrenching poverty.   Gated-communities and shanties. 

This is Cartagena.  This is my home.

Everyday I walk to my school and i`m usually there from some random time in the morning until the evening.  School has been in session for two weeks now and I´m still following Peace Corps` recommendation that I observe classes before beginning to teach.  The students are very reserved with me, which is something that I didn´t expect.  I`m told that once they get used to me, they´ll open up and it´ll be hard to set boundaries.  The English program at my school seems well developed.  Many people here on the coast recognize the importance of English and are eagar to learn it.  I work with two local teachers and we teach 10th and 11th grade (there is no 12th grade in the Colombian education system).  Next week I`ll start teaching.  I`m excited about the lessons I`ve been putting together.  I love this age group and I`m hoping to see a lot of growth in their English capabilities as well as in their intelectual, social, and emotional development. 

In my free time I´ve been researching organizations that work here in Cartagena.  My desire is to work with kids who have had to drop out of school for various reasons.  I’ve visited 2 organizations so far but haven’t found a place where i’m needed and I can do something meaningful. 

I’ve been really fortunate in everything I’ve encountered so far.  I have a terrific family and I feel super comfortable in my home.  I have my own room with a private bath and shower.  Imagine!  Running water just for me!  Fantastic!  My host family consists of a woman in her mid-fifties, Ruth, her husband Oscar, their 19 year old son Estéban, and Yamina, a woman in her 40s who rents a room with us.  They are all very warm and welcoming and are careful to make sure that I’m feeling at home, and checking to make sure that things at school are going well.  I’m really grateful for their care and attention.  I have the Independence to come and go as I please and yet when I want to be with family, they’re here to talk and sympathize with me.  I couldn’t imagine a better family. 

I’m going to stop here and post this before I get distracted and let it set for another week on my laptop.  I miss you all but I’m glad I’m here.  I hope that winter is passing at the rate you’d like it to and that spring is promising to be a great time for everyone.  With love from Cartagena,

Micah