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.  

Enjoying nature

Medellín is a great place to live, and many people agree that it has the highest quality of life in Colombia.  Posters and notices seen all over Medellín proudly proclaim that the City of Eternal Spring is currently competing with Tel Aviv and New York City as the Wall Street Journal’s City of the Year.

You don’t have to look far to understand why Medellín has been recognized around the world for its innovation.  The list is endless… the modern metro system, the numerous new public libraries in the poorest parts of the city, the new green transportation initiative including a new tram line and a public bike-share program, the cable car system integrated into the metro that allows residents from poor hillside barrios easy access to the rest of the city, and the world’s first outdoor escalator system designed for public transportation for residents of extremely steep neighborhoods.  

In addition to continuous improvements in the city’s infrastructure, Medellín’s city planners always try to preserve as much green space as possible and connect the city to the forests, mountains, and countryside that lie just beyond the city’s borders.  Indeed, in many parts of Medellín it feels as if a city was planted on top of an existing botanical garden. 

Last year an extension to one of the city’s two metrocable lines opened a “tourist line” to a huge nature park that lies over the mountain adjacent to Medellín.  Parque Arví, roughly the same size as the city itself, contains numerous walking paths, lakes, endless virgin forest, in addition to opportunities to rent a horse or bicycle, go camping, and go swimming in the charcos (streams).  With the park covering a large part of the neighboring corregimiento (township) of Santa Elena, itself technically a part of Medellín, the only way to access Parque Arví in the past was to take a long bus up a mountain road.  Now residents of Medellín can access the park by taking the city’s metro and metrocable, and then transferring to the tourist line of the metrocable which takes 15 minutes to arrive at the park, a peaceful and beautiful ride above virgin forest.  

None of the children from this particular one of Globalteer Colombia's partner projects had ever visited the park before, so Globalteer recently organized a day trip for them.  Twenty of the children excitedly gathered in the foundation with their backpacks filled with snacks, packed lunches, and bathing suits.  With only one of the foundation’s staff and Globalteer’s Volunteer Coordinator to chaperone the event, all of the older children were expected to help and take the hands of the youngest so they wouldn’t get lost in the walk to the metro station and the crowded metro system. There have been numerous excursions over the years with the children of the three projects that Globalteer works with in Medellín, and no one has ever been lost or misplaced.  

Upon arrival at the final metrocable station in Parque Arví, the group was met with gorgeous clear skies, bright sunshine, and a park guide, free of charge to all visitors.  The children couldn’t wait to dig into their snacks and before the tour began insisted on devouring their chips, cookies, and malt sodas.  

They needed the energy, as they were unknowingly about to begin a three-hour journey into the wilderness.  The chosen path took the group past a large national police outpost with expansive horse stables for the mounted police who patrol the park.  Soon the pavement ran out and became a dirt road, with numerous old and rustic country houses dotting either side of the path.  A bit further down the path, with the children already beginning to inquire about whether we’d reached our destination yet, the gravel and dirt changed into an old stone pathway, which the guide explained was made by the original indigenous inhabitants of the area, long before the arrival of Columbus. 

The group veered off the main road and into the forest on a narrow path.  The children who had been complaining of fatigue after walking on the main road for an hour all found renewed energy and began to run after each other on the path through the forest, a gigantic natural playground.  They ate lunch on some picnic benches deep within the forest, and then as it began to gently rain the group arrived at the charcos - what the children had been waiting for.  Soon the area and pathways around the streams and small waterfalls were clogged with soaking and shivering children.  While Medellín enjoys a springtime-like year-round temperature, Santa Elena lies at a higher elevation as it’s outside of the valley that Medellín inhabits, and for this reason can be a lot cooler than the city.  The freezing cold water that the children were happily swimming in didn’t deter them, and most spent more than an hour jumping into the shallow pools and sliding down the slippery rocks of the rapids.   

Most of the children at this project live in one of Medellín’s dirtiest inner-city districts, an area filled with car repair workshops, lumber shops, and not a trace of greenery.  Fortunately for the kids, it is easy to get out of this area and find themselves in a place like Parque Arví.   

While it would take more than an hour to escape from the concrete jungle of Bogotá, residents of Medellín have nature all around, and a 15-minute trip in any direction will take you outside the city and give you access to a never-ending natural playground of nearby hiking trails, waterfalls, creeks, lakes, charming small towns, and nature preserves.  It’s no wonder that people in Medellín are very connected to nature.  While they love their city, most never miss the opportunity to visit a small town, ride a horse in the hills, or spend the weekend at a finca, or country house.  The opportunities for day trips with Globalteer Volunteer Colombia children's projects are endless.  Now the kids from each project have made a trip to Parque Arví, and Globalteer staff and volunteers are often asked when they can go again. Will you join them on their next excursion?

Wet, wet, wet!

The residents of Medellín frequently speak of how the quality of life in their city has improved drastically over the past decade. After Medellín-native Alberto Uribe became Colombia’s president in 2002, the Paisas, or residents of Medellín, began to see a striking change in their city, as the federal government focused more attention on Colombia’s second city. Infrastructure was improved, public transport was upgraded, and safety concerns were tackled head on. Most strikingly, many of the social problems that had plagued the city began to be addressed through a citywide cultural revolution.

One of the most notable initiatives was the creation of a Sports and Recreation Institute, INDER, an organization that encourages young people to engage in physical activity and play sports. Across the city you can see numerous public soccer fields, basketball courts, swimming pools, playgrounds and youth recreation centres. Medellín hosts over seventy such facilities, completely free and open to everyone, from foreign tourists to children from poor neighborhoods. 

Recently the children from one of Globalteer Volunteer Colombia Children’s projects were treated to an afternoon excursion to a nearby pool by new volunteer Alex and visiting ex-volunteer Michael. Equally thrilled to be welcoming Michael back to the project after several months away from Medellín, as well as from the excitement of showing Alex their neighborhood, the children eagerly took turns grabbing the hands of the two foreigners and leading them along as the group of twenty-five paraded through the bustling hillside community. 

The INDER swimming pool is only a ten minute walk from the project, but for many of the children it was their first visit. As it is a public pool and the Paisas take personal hygiene very seriously, everyone was obliged to come prepared to swim with tight-fitting swimming suits and caps. While the other adults changed into their Speedos, a few of the children chose a bright lime green swimming cap for Michael from the vendor outside the pool. 

The complex is small but state-of-the-art, boasting a small children’s pool and a much larger one for adults. Several INDER employees stood watch, clad in the organization’s easily recognizable yellow and green outfits, and led the twenty small children (and the foreign volunteers) in various aquatic activities. 

Unfortunately, two of the young boys had forgotten to bring a tight-fitting swim suit, so were not allowed to enter the pool. Forced to remain in the small plaza between the two pools in their baggy shorts, they looked longingly through the chain-linked fence at the other kids playing in the pool. All of a sudden powerful jets of water erupted from hidden spouts in the plaza, soaking the two surprised boys. The other children quickly abandoned the pool to join them, running around the plaza enjoying the impromptu shower, and often sitting directly on top of the jets. Various children placed their swimming caps on top of the strong jets of water and squealed with joy as their caps shot high up into the air. 

After several hours playing in the water the children were worn out, and several were even able to trick the volunteers into carrying them part of the way back to the project. The group collectively decided to stop at a corner restaurant on the way back and the twenty children, two staff members, two volunteers, and volunteer coordinator all shared a large meal of chicken and Coca-Cola. The irony of the food choice was not lost on the children, as they had all taken to affectionately calling Michael “chicken” during his six-month stint as a volunteer. Obviously thinking it hilarious to be eating chicken with the man who had so successfully taught them the word in English that they had decided that it should be his nickname, many of the children insisted on having their picture taken with both Michael and a drumstick or chicken breast.

During what was to be the first of numerous future visits to the neighborhood pool, the children were reminded by their adult chaperones of how lucky they were to have such impressive recreational facilities so easily accessible for everyone to use. The city’s initiative stemmed from the belief that by providing the city’s youth with unrestricted and plentiful access to recreational opportunities and by promoting sports and wholesome activities for them to become engaged in, the young people would be far less likely to fall victim to many of the temptations, vices, and dangers that have been known to plague the city’s marginalized hillside barrios. By all accounts the INDER initiative seems to be a huge success.  

The magic of Medellín

There is something magical about Medellín. Maybe it’s the perfect weather, maybe it’s the beautiful setting, or perhaps it’s the friendly people. Whatever it is, it keeps drawing people back to visit and even to live here.

Long-term Danish volunteer Michael is on his way back to Medellín right now. He came to Medellín for a three-month volunteer stint in November 2011 but found it so difficult to leave that he ended up staying a total of six months! You can read more about ‘the volunteer that wouldn’t go home’ on our Globalteer website. 

In his old life, Michael was head of an anti-corruption initiative at the World Economic Forum in Geneva but volunteering in Medellín changed his life and he now plans to start his own organization to help impoverished children. We wish him the very best of luck!

Michael and some of the kids at one of our partner projects

Australian volunteer Jodie volunteered with Globalteer at one of our Colombia Children’s Projects in August 2011. She came back to the flower-filled ‘City of Eternal Spring’ a few months back and is now planning on making the city her home.

Kevin was one of our Globalteer Colombia Children’s Project volunteers in May 2011. He had such a great experience that he recently returned to Medellín with a friend for a 10-day visit. Kevin was keen to see the wonderful kids he had worked with during his volunteer stint and loved catching up with them all again at one of our Globalteer Colombia Children’s Projects. Kevin is planning on moving to Medellin next year and is committed to helping more and raising funds for the projects here.

Californian Bob holds the record for returning volunteers - he has volunteered at one of our Globalteer Colombia Children’s Projects three times! He continues to make donations to help support our projects and he will be coming back to visit ‘his kids’ at the end of the summer.

Bob and friends

And recent volunteer, Norwegian Bjarne, had such a great experience in Medellín that he is also planning on coming to live here in 2013.

Bjarne on an outing with some of the cute Colombian kids

Lukas, who came from Holland to volunteer for 8 weeks from October to December 2011, also had a life-changing experience in Medellín. He recently went back home after staying and living here for 8 months but he didn’t go alone. He met a local Colombia girl, fell in love, and has taken her back to live in Holland where they are planning on getting married very soon. Congratulations, Lukas!

Lukas on an outing with some of the kids

It’s amazing and very special to us that many of our Globalteer volunteers have enjoyed both their experience at our projects and their stay in Medellín so much that they have either stayed much longer than originally planned or have found a way to come back to visit or live! 

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.