There is something about both Bogota and Cartagena that makes my heart swell with love. In all the people I have met in the schools I have been in, and with our host family, there is a clear emphasis on generosity. And I'm talking about more than gifts, although there is plenty of that as well. They have fed us (maybe a little too well, ha, ha!), they have presented us with sombreros, friendship bracelets, candies, confections, and chila bags. I can't tell you how many times I have heard, "We have a surprise for you..." and it will be a performance of singers, musicians, dancers, or a combination of all of these. It may be that we are led down a hotel hall, a door opens, and there before us are a myriad of delicious and artful snacks including cerviche, meat kabobs, jugo, cafe con leche, arepa, and other fried delicacies. But this is just one level of the kindness that I have encountered in Colombia. The level I'm talking about here is the attention and hospitality that we have received here in both cities. People we have just met make it their uncompromising goal to see that we have a good time. The students and staff of every school have cooked for us, danced for us, played instruments for us, spoke English for us, translated for us, cleared their schedules for us, and patiently answered all our questions. Hotel staff have stopped what they were doing to help us. I have been hugged and kissed multiple times by virtual strangers. Our host family, the whole family, would not go back to their weekend until we were safely settled in our new hotel. They took us out to dinner at an exclusive club. They took us to the grocery store and waited patiently as we gathered supplies. Rosalia's son, Michael, trekked up to the third floor to find me a bottle opener. Her husband, Pedro, drove us all around the city with a smile. I sometimes feel in the United States that it sometimes gets a little competitive in conversations with accomplished people--not so here. It is easy to hang out with these people. Later, Rosalia's family patiently helped us in grocery, and when we got back to the hotel, they indicated no hurry to get back to their lives, but stayed awhile, engaging us in interesting conversation about language, history, education, and Pokemon-Go. I love these people! Americans are always falling over themselves not to be intrusive, and that has its place, but I must admit it was refreshing to be around people who lingered as it made me feel so important as a person, and cared for as a guest.
6 Comments
Andres Felipe Hernandez Castro
7/28/2016 12:05:32 pm
thanks for accepting our invitation and coming here! i would like to say that i enjoed all the moments when we was speaking and i was very excitied when you coming in my birthday and i would like to say that your presence was my first gift in my day! Thanks for coming =)
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Mary Rafferty
7/29/2016 03:37:33 pm
Thank you Andres! You are precisely what I am talking about when I say generous!
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lina d arco
7/28/2016 12:14:07 pm
I think T G C teachers are great and they are nice people
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Mary Rafferty
7/29/2016 03:38:46 pm
Thanks for saying that, Lina! You make it easy to be nice!
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Andres Felipe Herrera Perez
7/28/2016 12:15:00 pm
Thanks for coming His visit was of great importance
Reply
Mary Rafferty
7/29/2016 03:39:46 pm
De nada, Andres! It was important and fun for me too!
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Open ForumThis blog exists in order to encourage discussions between my high school English Language Arts students at New Futures School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and other students around the world. Archives
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