Barefoot in the park

When listing the various reasons why they love Medellín and have either continued to return or stayed longer than planned, many foreigners routinely mention the perfect weather, great public transportation system, gorgeous natural setting, and friendly and open people. Another pleasant surprise is the numerous public holidays that Colombia enjoys. 

With 18 days, Colombia ranks first in the world for its number of public holidays. These are taken so seriously that officially, if a holiday does not naturally fall on a Monday, the day off is moved to a Monday so everyone can enjoy a three day weekend (called puentes, or bridges). The holidays are so numerous that most Colombians have no idea what the occasion is and, when asked why everyone is celebrating, most locals will reply with blank stares or answer with a shrug “it’s something religious” or “because it’s Monday”. 

At one of Globalteer’s Volunteer Colombia children's projects, most of the seventy-odd children go home to spend time with their parents on puentes, but not all the children have parents or homes to go to. On these occasions as many as ten children of various ages remain at the project, occupying themselves by playing games, watching TV, or revising their schoolwork. Though there are several nearby parks the children can only go to these when accompanied by an adult, a rule demonstrated by the constant cries of “tio, vamos al parque” whenever a volunteer arrives for the day.

Recently, when Globalteer Colombia’s latest volunteer, Bjarne Aakeroe from Norway, began his placement at one of Globalteer’s Volunteer Colombia children's projects, his first day coincided with one of these puentes. When Bjarne and Globalteer’s volunteer coordinator John arrived at the project, it was unusually quiet for a residential foundation normally filled with noise and activity. While several of the older kids busied themselves doing teenage things upstairs in their rooms, the five smallest remaining boys hovered over their collection of trading cards in the main lobby. 

Delighted to welcome a new visitor to the foundation, six-year-olds Mario, Carlo, David, Paulo and Alejandro* quickly took Bjarne by the hand and led him on a personalized tour of their home, visiting the separate dormitories, the library, the computer room and the classroom. The children were rewarded for being such good tour guides by a visit to the nearby court and with palos locos (crazy sticks), their favorite popsicle from the corner shop. Bursting with energy, they ran wildly around the court while licking their treats and shouting that their crazy sticks make them crazy! 

John and Bjarne then decided that such a particularly beautiful day called for a trip to the nearby Parque de los Pies Descalzos, or Barefoot Park. An expansive complex filled with restaurants, an interactive science museum, an urban bamboo forest, a large sandbox-like area where shoes are not allowed, shallow pools for splashing your feet, and hidden fountains which shoot jets of water out of the ground, the park was a gift to the city by the adjacent Empresas Publicas Medellín, one of Colombia’s largest power supply companies. At the taxi driver’s urging, the five young boys scrambled in to the backseat of a taxi along with the squashed volunteer coordinator, while the larger Scandinavian volunteer got to stretch his legs in the front seat. The taxi driver appeared bewildered to hear the two foreigners addressed by all the children as tio, or uncle, and asked how many nephews they had!

Barefoot Park was filled with families, ice cream vendors, picnicking couples, helpful park guides, and numerous wet children running through the random jets of water that erupt from the ground. The five lucky boys immediately shed most of their clothes and ran to the sandbox where they took turns burying each other under sand and gravel.

Emerging smiling but completely filthy, they then ran to join the other children in the jets of water to wash off. Before long most of the boys had exhausted all the energy obtained from los palos locos, and were found stretched out on the pavement in the middle of the plaza, suntanning and drying off as if they were at the beach. Only Mario* remained at the fountain, sitting cross-legged directly on top of a dormant spout, patiently awaiting the next round of water with a large toothless smile on his face.

At the conclusion of an unusual first day of volunteering, the Norwegian remarked to the volunteer coordinator, “I think I’m going to like it here”.  


(* The children's names have been changed to protect their privacy.)

Celebrating Mother’s Day

The weather in Medellín is considered by many to be perfect. With clear blue skies, bright mid-day sun, light breezes which come down from the mountains that surround the city, and temperatures that consistently hover around 22 degrees Celsius, Medellín truly lives up to its nickname “The City of Eternal Spring”. 

The Paisas – as the locals call themselves – thrive in these conditions. The year-round springtime temperatures put a spring into their steps and a smile on their faces, and nobody misses an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful mountainous countryside that is easily accessible from the city in every direction. 

To celebrate Mother’s Day and to take advantage of a particularly beautiful day in late May, the staff at one of  Globalteer Volunteer Colombia’s partner projects partner projects organised a large excursion for the project’s approximately 60 children and their parents. Piling into two large rented buses at the project in a largely industrial part of downtown Medellín, the children, parents, and project staff were all set to enjoy a long day out in the countryside. 

A 30-minute bus ride took the group to Copacabana, a small municipality north of Medellín. Their destination was a nature park called La Quebrada Piedras Blancas. As the park is well off the main road, the buses deposited their passengers as close as possible to the park and everyone walked the remaining 15 minutes up a cobblestone street. Everyone helped carry something from the buses to the park – parents with arms full of firewood, foundation staff with food and large pots, small children with three-litre bottles of Coca-Cola, older children carrying the smallest children on their shoulders.

The lush park occupies a small valley, with green spaces hugging the hillsides and a small river flowing through the middle of the park. Water cascades down rocks in the river, forming small waterfalls that the children jumped under immediately after arriving. Bottles of Coca-Cola were placed in shallow water to keep them cool for the day, and children and adults alike stripped down to their bathing suits to splash and play sports in the river. 

While a soccer game was organised between children and parents, one of the more resourceful fathers quickly set to making a fire, and the foundation staff got to work peeling vegetables and making other preparations for the stew, a regional favourite called sancocho. Heavily meat-based, as the Paisas are generally very carnivorous, sancocho is a thick stew of beef and pork, with potatoes, carrots, yucca, and corn. Before long two pots, each large enough to fit a small child, were placed over the fireplace and filled with the bubbling stew, and everyone stopped all other activities to form a long line and await generous portions. 

The children sat with their parents to eat lunch and regain their spent energy, but before long they returned to play in the water with much sancocho-fuelled vigour. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing games, enjoying the calm respite from the activity of the city, and relaxing and chatting under the shady trees. As the sun began to set at 6pm everything was packed up, the pots were cleaned in the river by some of the older kids, wet and shivering children were clothed by their parents, and everyone began to make their way back to the buses with huge smiles on their faces. 

All agreed it had been a wonderful way to celebrate Mother’s Day. If you'd like to join an excursion like this and help out the wonderful children of Medellín, consider volunteering at one of  Globalteer Volunteer Colombia’s partner projects.