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.)