My Experience in Colombia
(Rajeev Ram, Summer 2013)
I participated in the ViveLA
program in Bogotá, Colombia from June 27th to August 25th,
2013. My desire in this reflection is to give you an idea of what I
accomplished with my time in Colombia, and my impression of the ViveLA
Internship program. When applying to ViveLA, I was asked to list three goals,
which I hoped to accomplish; therefore, I will try to describe my experiences
in terms of these three goals:
1. Since
I am studying Spanish in university, I wished to immerse myself in a
Spanish-speaking culture to improve both my speaking and listening skills.
2.
I enjoy traveling around the world, and have
been doing so since I was young; I wished to travel to South America because I
had never been there before.
3. I
wanted to perform social work for underprivileged people, i.e., I applied to
the “Teach English” program to help grant underprivileged kids more
opportunities.
I can decidedly say that I was able to complete all these
goals through the ViveLA program; furthermore, I believe that made a lot of
lifetime friendships and that I grew immensely as a person through this
experience.
Upon
arriving in Bogotá, I was met warmly by Bogotá’s ViveLA representative, María
Fernanda Gutiérrez…by the end of my first day, I was exhausted…Suddenly, though
I realized I had been speaking in Spanish almost continuously for 24 hours;
more than that, I had been managing without much difficulty. This gave me a lot
of confidence, and I finally felt comfortable in my new habitat. Of course, I
continued to speak volumes of Spanish and learned lots of new vocabulary
throughout the rest of my travels.
Throughout
my first week, I explored many national monuments and historical landmarks in
the area near my home…one of my favorite places to visit was Monserrate – a
mountain village located on the east side. From here, you could see all of
Bogotá’s 613 square miles and visualize its 8 million inhabitants.
For
my internship component, I chose to work at a foundation for underprivileged
children which served as a safe haven for both parents and kids alike,
providing them with a place to rest, an economic and nutritious lunch everyday,
and an opportunity to build a community support system. I was chosen to teach
English to the younger kids (ages 6 to 12) for my duration in Colombia. More
than just being a teacher, however, I had the opportunity to mentor these
children. I taught them English, yes, but I also sang with them, played soccer
with them, and painted with them. Everyday, I would eat lunch with my group of
fifteen kids in the dining hall, talk to them, and laugh with them. On Mondays
we would paint and draw, and on Fridays we would sing and dance. The rest of
the time I dedicated to language class; some days I would teach my kids English
by reading to them, other days by acting, other days by giving grammar lessons,
and still other days by playing games.
Most
days, I would come home from work exhausted. But this job was one of the most
rewarding ones I had ever had. One of the coolest parts of my volunteer work
was improving my Spanish while my students improved their English. I can still
picture them rushing into the classroom every day at 1pm, notebooks and pencils
in hand, faces smiling, eager to learn. Even though I only worked for eight
weeks, I really felt like my students became a second family, and that I was
able to make a measurable difference in their lives.
Besides
the kids and parents that I grew to love I made other lasting friendships as
well...
...Outside
of Bogotá, I also visited various town and cities including Medellin,
Zipaquirá, and Cartagena. Zipaquirá, located an hour outside of Bogotá, holds
one of the most famous salt mines in the world.
Having
taken over one thousand pictures throughout my nine weeks in Colombia, I can
easily say it was one of the best trips I have ever taken.
Firstly, I had the
pleasure of meeting numerous new people and making lasting friendships.
Secondly, I had the opportunity to make a measurable difference in the lives of
my fifteen Colombian students, and ultimately, the next generation of Colombian
citizens. Thirdly, I visited cultural sites all over the country that were both
beautiful and historically rooted...
I would definitely recommend ViveLA for anyone who is
looking to have an experience at all similar to mine. I grew immensely as
individual these fun-filled nine weeks and have become one step closer to being
a global citizen in the 21st century.
