Party Time

The staff, volunteers and children of Globalteer Volunteer Colombia Children's Project recently celebrated the quinceñera (15th birthday) of Luisa, one of the children at the project, which was a very eagerly anticipated event. For weeks they had debated the possible outfits, hairdos, and make-up, in addition to the options for decorations, music, and food.

Quinceñeras are very important events in Colombia because they announce a girl’s coming of age. The girls, their families and friends usually begin preparing for the big day several months in advance in order to make it extra special for the cumpleañera (birthday girl). Because Globalteer Volunteer Colombia Kids Project works similarly to an orphanage and most of the children have lived there for several years, the project has become a big family. The staff and volunteers are called tía (aunt) or tío (uncle), emphasizing this familial relationship.  So, of course the project undertook this planning with unmatched gusto and enthusiasm – equal to that of any other loving family – working very hard to put together the best party of the year.

They made announcements, prepared lists and sent out invitations. Everyone at Globalteer Volunteer Colombia Children’s Project was involved in this exciting preparation process, including the youngest members of the project, and the results of all the hard work were stunning!

When the big day arrived, they decorated the common area of the project with blue and purple colours to compliment Luisa’s party dress. Everyone was smartly dressed-up and the younger kids were running around in expectation of the wonderful fiesta to start. When the cumpleañera, who had her hair styled and was wearing a long layered dress, made her entrance everyone cheered and exclaimed that she looked so much like a fairy-tale princess! 

The party immediately went into full swing with plenty of music, and dancing and singing.  At times it seemed like a red-carpet event because there were so many photos and videos being taken. Luisa received presents and congratulations from all of the attendees, and everyone was happy and excited to share this special day with her.

There were many special events over the course of the night, starting with performers from Universidad Adventista de Colombia, who sang Luisa a beautiful rendition of the birthday song. After eating a traditional birthday dinner the main part of the event began: dancing! A local professional dance group performed traditional numbers including salsa, merengue and bachata. By the end of the performance everyone – children and grown-ups – had joined in. The children taught the Globalteer volunteers some basic steps so that they could participate in the fun too. Later on, the children began dancing reggaeton, a style of music that blends Caribbean and Latin American influences with hip hop and electronica, which is the most popular music genre with Colombian youth.   

To conclude this wonderful evening, the birthday cake was cut and served to everyone, along with sincere appreciation for their participation. Luisa and all of the children of the project thoroughly enjoyed the festivities, and will cherish the unforgettable happy memories of the fiesta.

*The children’s names have been changed to protect their privacy.

Journey into the wild

There’s something really special about Medellin’s zoo. Maybe it’s the beautiful and lush setting: a maze-like garden that is home to more than five hundred species of trees, including palms, fruit trees, acacias, coal trees, samans, búcaros, urupans, guayacans, ceibas, gualandays – located right in the middle of Medellín’s urban jungle! Maybe it’s the poetic atmosphere that piques the visitor’s imagination: in the center of the park stands a traditional hacienda with a beautiful porch constructed in the republican architectural style, a relic from the original owner of the land. Or maybe it’s simply the zoo’s classic charm with its fresco-painted walls depicting exotic animals, and Colombian families from all social backgrounds filling the pathways on weekends, that makes it so unique and endearing.

Whatever it is, el Parque Zoologico Santa Fe is definitely worth a visit for anyone who wants to catch a glimpse of the paisa (country) way of life and especially for all those eager to discover more about Latin America’s (and beyond !) extravagant wildlife. The zoo houses approximately one thousand animals native to the Americas, Asia and Africa, including many endangered species. Among the most popular animals on display are the lions, Bengal tigers, zebras, spectacled bears, harpy eagles and hippos.

Though it’s located in downtown Medellín, the vast majority of the kids from one of Globalteer’s Volunteer Colombia Children’s projects had never visited the zoo before. That’s why we recently organized an afternoon excursion for twenty of them, accompanied by one of the foundation staff and Globalteer’s volunteer coordinator. Recently arrived from Nashville and curious to discover the city’s attractions, our volunteer Mathew was excited to join the adventure too!
 
Luckily, when the group arrived early on a Thursday afternoon, the zoo was almost empty. The only things we could hear were the singing of exotic birds and growling of wild animals…We felt privileged to have the animals almost to ourselves, especially considering how crowded the zoo can be on weekends.

 
Soon the quiet paths were filled with the voices of kids screaming with joy and surprise as they ran excitedly from one animal’s enclosure to the next, their eyes filled with curiosity, captivation, fear and sometimes disgust (such as when they saw caimans hidden in mud) as they discovered creatures they had only seen in books or movies.

 The kids’ favourite was definitely the large cat section, where we had the chance to meet panthers, a jaguar, a Bengal tiger, pumas and a very curious fellow, a little “tiger cat” who seemed very intrigued by his visitors.

But what probably impressed the kids most was their first encounter with a lion. “His Majesty” was lying towards the front of his cage enjoying a huge peace of fresh meat, which allowed us to observe him very closely. He was so absorbed in his lunch that he didn’t even seem to notice the kids’ presence, even though they were staring at him through the cage bars.

Another highlight was the visit to the monkey section, especially when some of the little cheeky creatures started throwing food and… urinating in our direction! This episode caused huge bursts of laughter from everyone.

Then we happened upon a hungry parrot, which had managed to find his way out from his cage, and started to follow the kids everywhere because they were eating ice-cream. The kids also really liked the hippos, zebras, American bison, flamingos and an Andean Condor.

The most thrilling event of the day happened when we took the kids to see the lion one last time before leaving the park. All of a sudden, he jumped up from the bottom of his cage, where he had been hidden from view, and ran right in our direction, provoking the kids who were there – and the volunteer coordinator – to scream in terror! We took this as the sign that it was time to go…

Light Christmas

For North Americans and Europeans who are used to freezing temperatures and snow at Christmas time, spending the holiday season in temperate Medellín might seem a bit surreal.  Lying just north of the Equator, there isn’t much seasonal change in the City of Eternal Spring, where temperatures hover around 22°C year-round.

Instead of a White Christmas, Colombians treat themselves to a “light Christmas.”  Preparations for the alumbrados (light displays) in the cities begin as early as two months before the big day. Some of the most intricate displays contain several million lights, and each one revolves around a specific theme. There is an informal competition amongst the biggest cities in Colombia for the best alumbrados, and year after year Medellín is considered the uncontested winner.

Medellín’s most famous light display is located in the park next to the Medellín River, which city officials begin turning into a pedestrian promenade as early as October.  The river lights adopt a different theme each year, and this year’s display featured the region’s local flora and fauna.  Strings of lights crossed the river in the shapes of plants and flowers, and illuminated animals and insects ran along the promenade, where visitors strolled past vendors selling grilled meat and beer.  

It isn’t common for two of Globalteer'sVolunteer Colombia Kids projects to gather together for an outing because they are pretty far away from each other, but the alumbrados are a special occasion.  On a recent late Friday afternoon, the staff, volunteers and children from one project in the hillside descended into the heart of the city and met up with everyone from the inner-city project in Medellín’s central BarefootPark.  As soon as they arrived the kids, numbering well over a hundred, took off their shoes as fast as possible so that they could splash about in the water and run through the gravel playground, while waiting for the sun to set.  

As the sky began to change color the group began a short walk over to the river, with the adults and older kids looking after the little ones.  After twenty minutes walking along the darkening promenade, they arrived at the traditional starting point, which features intricate fountains and random jets of water shooting out of grates that are illuminated by multicolored lights.  At around 6:00pm, the holiday lights along the river were turned on, to the delight of the children, while the adult chaperones began the difficult task of keeping up with the kids who started running every which way.  Soon the entire length of the promenade was filled with exuberant children climbing on top of animals, insects and trees made of lights.  Several hours later they had exhausted themselves, and the two projects parted ways until their next big outing.