Flight home

Back home,

I wonder how many of you thought twice when brushing teeth and letting the water run, or the toilet paper?  Cold water in the shower? We stayed long enough to start feeling the island.

The pictures are for you guys,

gracias por  la experiencia.

You may be wondering… our last day in San Andrés

We have been disconnected for some days.  It is because finally the students have time off to explore on their own.

Last Friday, we went to the library of the “Universidad  Nacional”  and students researched on their topics .  

On Saturday we had another full day with the community, in the morning with the Raizal, and in the afternoon with the continental.  They were able to observe the contrast with each population and dance traditional music.

Sunday, we celebrated Afua’s birthday with a “Rondón” traditional plate from the island.  Monday through Wednesday was dedicated to go to the beach, do some homework and one scheduled interview with the department of health and the secretary of education. 

Last evening was our last important commitment, and students felt very important.  We were invited to the office of the San Andrés governor.  All well dressed, we met her and told about our experiences on the islands.  We showed her pictures and brought her something from Oneonta State.  She surprised us with a beautiful gift from San Andrés to each one of us and was very happy to see us again on the island.  The intention of building a permanent bridge between both communities is serious and official.  I left my last business card with the governor and have the assignment of delivering a message for Dr. K. in our college.  Please Oneonta be prepared San Andrés wants us back and they also want to meet us in the cold north. 

I believe a little of Caribbean sun is healthy for us at Oneonta.

See you all tomorrow, we will be leaving tonight.  We already miss home.

Last day at Flower Hill, Visiting the Special Education School and the Irish Concert.

Thursday was our last afternoon at the school.  It was the children’s last day of school before a 2 week vacation, too. (Their school year runs January - December.)  Everyone was celebrating and we were invited to a classroom party by the sixth graders.  It was hard for most of our students to leave behind these kids that just clung on them looking for love and attention.  Our students were touched by just a few days spent with them and it was hard to say good bye.

In the morning we went to the special education school, and for some of the students to see the children with disabilities was also hard.  However, the interaction was dynamic: they played cards and bingo in the cafeteria; swung and slid at the playground.

In the evening Colleen expressed how hard had been the day for her.  Too many emotions, but I found a way to reward them with a concert: “We Banjo 3,” an Irish group here in San Andrés.  We had a nice evening, students identified with the music, and they danced all their energy out.

Today Friday, they spent the morning researching at the university library and the afternoon was FREE, so they cannot complain anymore about me not having a sense of “free time”.

Attaching to the community

Yesterday was our last visit to the nursing home.  We got them the other items collected from our Oneonta community.  Conversation and dancing were flowing, and Carol and I were chosen as dancing partners; however, he liked Carol more.  He said that he prefers “Monas” (blond in Colombian dialect).  Students are actively researching now that we have met, and they observe with a purpose.

Nobody is invisible for them anymore, the woman at the coffee shop, the clerk at the supermarket, the bus driver or the “Moto taxi” (motorcycles that serve as personal taxis); all of them may be the parents of the kids from school.  Students are observing roles, behavior, attitudes, and ideologies maintained by the people of San Andrés.

Today is our last day at “Flower Hill” (the school).  We were invited to a farewell party by the children, with small hand written notes (in English/Creole and Spanish) from a group of 6^th graders.  Everyone is preparing a celebration since today they start their mid-year one month break.  It will be hard to say good bye, our students are already attached to these little kids and adolescents that need love, attention and a good education.

La piscinita

Our island bus tour ended at La Piscinita, a gorgeous swimming spot with crystal clear waters, colorful fish, diving boards and a water slide. We took advantage of everything!

Navigating San Andrés by public transportation

Our scheduled activity for a Holiday Monday in Colombia was to tour around the island.  We had a shuttle bus just for us, and an authentic tour guide “Patricia”; she belongs to the Raizal community and gave us all the insights of the issues in San Andrés.  We asked her questions that go beyond the touristic attractions.  As we passed by the North end, she pointed to one of the best hotels on the island, the only one with the best private beach, and told us the story behind it.  The Raizal community owned this property, and it used to be their ancestors cemetery.  They were displaced to the South end of the island and today there is a pool and a bar for tourists in a hotel that is owned by an international corporation.

Students were able to see the most affluent houses of San Andrés by the west north side; we kept going south on the west side until we arrived at the “Casa Museo”, a beautiful replica of the way of life of the early residents on the island.  There, we also learned how to dance the “raga raga” and “calypso”.  Later we visited an ecological park and observed all the plants that grow on the island and the domestic animals.  We saw more folkloric dances and end up on a high trampoline and toboggan.  It was a wonderful natural light blue pool with lots of fish.  I jumped again, this time not so much due to peer pressure, but because of the heat and need to cool down.

All wet and stinky, we went through the south point and rode back north through the east side. We passed the university and the botanical garden where we are planning to go at the end of the week.  We also passed by the Raizal neighborhoods where we will be this coming this Saturday morning.  The bus passed our Posada and students decided to continue down town.  Carol and I stayed at the Posada; we needed a fresh shower to continue with our afternoon riding on local buses with the people of San Andrés.  We managed to find a restaurant out of the tourist area, then took another bus to the North end where the tourist stay, and sat peacefully to feel the breeze and drink some Colombian coffee by the beach.  All by public bus transportation, we were very proud of our selves. Students are also riding the island on their own; we have finally gotten a sense of orientation.

 

Island bus tour - día de fiesta

Schools and shops were closed yesterday for a "día de fiesta.¨ I learned from our friends at the posada where we're staying that Colombia has lots of those. When I asked if it was to commemorate something they said, "We'll have to look at the calendar to see." Cute. Some of our students misunderstood and thought it was a ¨día de siesta.¨ Cute again.

We used the day away from school to take an island tour, with commentary by our old friend, Patricia Bowie. We worked with her last time, and then one of the students from that trip, Diane Mancini, came back on her own and stayed with Patricia while doing some research here. It was great spending time with Patricia again. She's knows everything about the island. One of the stops on our guided tour was at the Casa de Cultura, which included lessons on traditional dance here. The students, as always, were good sports, and eagerly volunteered to learn some.

Today, we're scheduled for TV interviews in the morning, and then back to school in the afternoon.

Weekend beach time on Johnny Cay

It's not all work here, but we do learn no matter what we do or where we are. Sunday we did like so many Colombians: we shuttled over to Johnny Cay, about a 10 minute rough boat ride from the San Andres waterfront. You can see the boat in the bottom photo here--with my goofy face. The shuttle operation is both amusing and perplexing to watch. Starting at 9 a.m. ("Colombian time"), crowds of people loaded on to dozens of these boats one by one. Vendors with last minute beach cover-ups, water shoes, bottled water (or course)... Your group's name gets called, and you all pile in. Then you bounce across the waves, water splashing in your face (welcomed in the blazing sun, even in the morning), and then you arrive at a concrete pier, shoving in after the last boat that just dropped off 20 some passengers. 

We spent the whole day there, in the water, on the beach, feeding the very large iguanas, napping... the usual beach activities (except for the iguanas). You have to stay the whole day until your boat returns. Everyone got sunburned despite our best efforts with 70 SPF, hats, cover-ups, shade, etc. You just can't avoid the sun here. Just about everyone was in bed and asleep by 9:30 last night. 

Today, we're on land all day for our island bus tour.

Santa Ana, our first community afternoon

Yesterday, we went to “El barrio Santa Ana”.  It is one of the poorest neighborhoods on the island.  Two years ago we painted a mural with the same kids, this year we recovered it and added more to it.  All, children, teenagers, mothers, community leaders, and our Oneonta students were engaged.  The weather was nice, everyone seemed happy.  This was definitely an event for the children of Santa Ana.  I am eager to reunite with our students and hear about their perceptions of our first community visit.