Hat Shopping in Bogotá

As many of you already know, the hair on the top of my head is quickly disappearing - down drains, on pillow cases, on the shoulders of many shirts and blazers, etc. So long as my haircuts only cost $2, I'm OK with postponing the inevitable permanent buzzing of my hair. However, when that day does come, I'm going to have to start investing in some head coverings. Fortunately, quality hats in Bogotá are much cheaper than in the United States - everything from berets (the normal kind, not the velour ones with crazy stripes and pins), straw hats, fedoras, and beautiful "Colombia es Pasión" visors.

Here's a picture of my lovely wife demoing the visor:

And another of my Dad, looking like a badass:

In any case, if you have any suggestions of what might look good on me (you can use the picture below if you'd like to have me virtually model any styles), leave it in the comments.

Stay tuned for updates.

Mind the gap

As I believe we've mentioned, Jerry and I have started teaching English to sustain our life here in Bogotá. Between the two of us teaching roughly 20-25 hours per week, we make enough to live off of. We work for a language institute that has contracts with businesses and individuals. We generally teach in the mornings before people go to work (starting between 6:30-7:30am) and sometimes during people's lunch breaks or after work as well. Though waking up early has been an adjustment after our several months of sabbatical, it is wonderful to be home by 9:00 or 10:00am with the whole day ahead of us and with some money-making hours already under our belts.

Most of my students are "intermediate," meaning that they have a grammatical and vocabulary base in English, but don't always know how to express themselves and don't understand everything I say. They often understand almost everything in written form, but the same sentence spoken aloud is incomprehensible. So, I have been working a lot on listening - me talking or reading an article aloud, or watching a TED Talk or other video together - and then making sure that the student understands what's going on. This usually leads into a discussion so the student also works on speaking and building up their confidence in English, which I have found to be one of the most important things that we work on in class.

But Ivan falls squarely into the "beginner" category; I am Ivan's first English teacher. He works for Colombia's equivalent of the Small Business Administration (Patricio, I feel like you especially will appreciate that) and aspires to become the head of the organization one day. Of course, part of the job description is fluency, or at least competency, in English. That's where I enter the picture.

And then there is Sebastián, the 12-year-old grandson of Luis (who Pat talks about in the previous post). I helped him with his English homework a couple of times, which he has been taking in school for a year or two.

The learning gap between a 40-something highly educated man and a 12-year-old public school educated boy was staggering. Sure, theoretically young people pick up languages more quickly - but from my limited exposure to these two people from very different parts of Colombian society, it would be much easier for Ivan to reach a passable level of English.

Though Ivan's grammatical and vocabulary base in English is limited, he has been exposed to English - he has traveled to the US, he has surely interacted with foreign businesspeople. Not to mention which, he has learned how to learn. When I say, "this is an adjective" or "this word can be both a verb and a noun" or if I speak slowly in simple terms, he understands.

Sebastián, on the other hand, had a homework assignment to write 10 English adjectives. Well, he wrote the first 8, copying them from a page out of his workbook. I made him pronounce the words with me and ensured that he understood what he was saying. When I asked him to write two more adjectives, I quickly realized that he had no idea what an adjective was. Which led me to explain the concept of nouns, verbs, and adjectives. He has never been taught how to learn or think critically; he has only been taught to complete the pages in his workbook and do what he is told. On top of this, he doesn't understand a single word I say in English because in school, this is how the typical English class goes:

Teacher: "Good morning, class." (with heavy Colombian-accented English)

Students: "Good morning, teacher."

Teacher: "How are you?"
Students: "Fine, thank you. How are you?"

Teacher: "Fine. Ahora, por favor miren la página 16 y hagan los ejercicios." (Now, please turn to page 16 and do the exercises.)

Colombians are required to learn English. However, the average public school student in Colombia does not learn English from anyone with a base knowledge of the language, but rather goes through rote motions of completing written exercises without actually absorbing anything.

So for now, I am making a living off of people like Ivan. I have offered to give Sebastián free English lessons as long as his family brings him to our apartment. The family seemed excited and understands that it's important. But, like many situations in Colombia, people often say they will call and do things and then it never happens. We shall see.

New guest blog post!

Hey y'all,

Sorry for the recent lack of blog posts. You know, what with work and cooking, we've just been lazy and haven't written in a while. Recently, we've had tons of visitors. Vicki (AIS high school friend) came the other week, my Dad was here for a week and a half, and William and Megan (DC friends) get here on Saturday for a few days.

Now, onto Patricio's post:

This is an acccount of my visit to Colombia 2/7-16/2011 after 40 years out of the country.

2/8/11 Jerry, Robin and I took a taxi to Fontibon, a distant suburb of Bogota to visit Luis Gomez and his family. Luis was my muchacho in San Bernardo, a small town in the Andes mountains of Colombia, for two years during a Peace Corps volunteer stint doing rural community development. Luis and I have somehow kept in contact despite (ed. by letter!) many address changes. The taxi dropped us off in front of a steel gate which would look imposing at San Quentin. The neighborhood of Fontibon is full of warehouses and factories. All the family was there (wife, 3 daughters, son-in-law, 2 grandsons, dog) ---- except for Luis! He works until 10 pm collecting lottery ticket sales money from his agents who sell them on the streets. So when he walked in the condominium it was a big surprise. His story is that of many who find their fortunes in Bogota. He left San Bernardo as a teenager and scrimped, saved, and worked very hard to achieve success. His many jobs include: muchacho for a Peace Corps volunteer, car repair specialist, factory worker, lottery ticket seller, taxi cab driver etc. His wife ran a small grocery store until a recent illness, and his daughters work in insurance, medical care, and business administration. We talked about the good and bad times; exchanged gifts and started planning the weekend at his small house in Girardot.

2/9/11 Jerry, Robin and I took a taxi to the Terminal where we boarded a bus to Fusa, the center of the Sumapaz region of Cundinamarca, a state which surrounds Bogota. It was raining, which is very appropriate for a 3 hour bus ride to San Bernardo. It is always fun to remember the land slides (derrumbes), huecos, jerks, stops, and delays that seem to always accompany a bus ride in rural Colombia. The preparation for this trip is minimal because please tell me how one prepares when faced with these comments from informed sources in Bogota:

"A military guy was made mayor last year after the civilian mayor was shot." This was later found to be false.

"The ELN or FARC or M19 or ParaMilitares, which are basically terrorist groups masquerading like patriots, are a problem and one never knows." This is true.

My interpretation is that these terrorists got their start with funding from USSR and Cuba. When this source of money ran out, they resorted to violence, kidnapping, (ed. the drug trade?) etc.

"Patricio, you should only go during the daytime and do not let anyone know who you are." This is true.

"Patricio, Uribe and the military are very serious about control and so increased their presence in San Bernardo and the Sumapaz region (battallion size now vs. one seargent and a corporal in 1970). This is true.

My favorite saying came from Sargento Joaquin Pineiros, who was the military mayor of San Bernardo in 1968: "La mano fuerte is que manda." This means that the Strong Hand runs the Show. This is true in rural Colombia.

"Patricio, you should only travel by bus; don't travel in a private taxi or car. You know that the bandidos target private cars and taxis because only the rich can afford them." This is an exaggeration.

Life in Bogota shows 21st Century improvements, such as:

the water is clear, not brown;

the tap water can be drunk without boiling;

soldiers and policemen carry nightsticks, not AK47's;

school children walk unaccompanied;

shops are open late;

electricity works 24/7

...so the daily routine is almost boring!

So now back to the bus trip to San Bernardo>>>

For those willing to brave the trip, the Terminal is located at Carrera 69 and Calle 26. The Terminal shows that Colombia really does care about its lower classes. The Terminal is clean, large, well equipped and SECURE. The old Terminal at Carrera 13 and Calle 14 was an accident waiting to happen. My clearest memory of the old Terminal is a tank parked outside with 20 armed soldiers carrying guns with the safety switches in the OFF position. Access to the new Terminal is terrible; but then Bogota tends to be one big parking lot anyway.

The Auto Fusa bus to San Bernardo is another Big Improvement. This is a modern "Greyhound Quality" bus with big windows, cushioned seats, curtains, heat, A/C etc. I no longer long for the Blue Bird school buses with springs which bounced the bus so badly that plastic bags were passed out regularly to sickened pasengers! The "ayudante" no longer carries a knife and gun.

Bus rides like ours to San Bernardo are a Work in Progress. The bus leaves the Terminal with 6 passengers and later picks up 10 or more passengers on the street and highway. Of course there are signs everywhere that this informal pickup is forbidden by Ley No. 123456XXX.

The ride down the mountainside to Fusa from Bogota is uneventful because the curves and steep hills have been eliminated with the new road. The old road through San Angel followed the trail of the Chibcha indians and the Spanish conquistadores. It went down another mountainside and was always challenging. This was especially the case when the overloaded bus was trying to beat out the bus just ahead.

The ride to San Bernardo was a ride down memory lane as we passed the familiar spots:

Cucharal neighborhood where we found a good swimming hole; built an aqueduct; recruited a bright student for the Universidad Nacional; and saved an orphan from starvation.

Hotel Manila where we could bask in luxury for one night is now a growing suburban neighborhood.

La Estacion Bolivariano where we tried to catch the next bus and where the gamines would carry any load in their wagons for a price is now replaced by a modern bus station.

La Estacion Shell where the road turns off to Arvelaez and San Bernardo is now a Esso station; but the name never changed. Congratulations to the Shell Oil marketing department.

El Castillo where Alva Mendoza introduced me to the idea of owning 2,000 acres and employing 200 campesinos (peasants) is now a massive real estate development. Yes, there are unsold lots just waiting for you!

Arvelaez is still dominated by the weekend retreats of the rich.

San Bernardo entrance is announced by a huge stone inscribed with the words "Las Leyes hacen La Paz". (The Laws make The Peace.)

San Bernardo's road is unpaved and rough compared to the paved road of Arvelaez. (The rich landowners have more pull than San Bernardo.)

San Bernardo's church still has a huge cross but now the Colombian flags wave from the top of the cross. (The Church has ceded some control to the State.)

San Bernardo's plaza is nicely landscaped; its main streets are paved; its water is clean and plentiful; and, most important, its security is assured.

The country side of Colombia looks very much the same as it did when I was a Peace Corps volunteer (Rural Development 1968 to 1970) in San Bernardo, Cundinamarca. Its unofficial name as a region is Sumapaz which means the "High Peace". Well, the High Peace came at a high price. One only has to count the number of murders in the Sumapaz region from 1948 to 1950 called the "Violencia" and from 1980 to 2000 called the Terrorismo to see the price.

The fences, sugar cane fields, coffee plants, platano, etc. have the same look. The land holdings in San Bernardo are still small; the poeple live off the land for food and live off part time jobs and cash crops for imported items (clothing, tools, appliances).

The violence of the past is gone and replaced by a positive vision of the future. Colombia is proud of itself and does not place blame on others. This is their strength as a people.

We arrived in San Bernardo for a delicious lunch in a white tablecloth restaurant. The wall decorations were very eclectic and a creative mix of cultures. For example, a Sacred Heart of Jesus picture was mounted next to a Taj Mahal picture. I will leave it to the anthropologists to explain that one! The delicious lunch was mostly locally grown and raised in the San Bernardo region. For example, hot climate items such as sugar cane, pineapple, mangos all are produced in the lower altitude regions of San Bernardo. The temperate climate items such as coffee, green beans, and platano are produced at a high altitude. And cabbage, potatoes and beats are produced in the cold regions referred to as "paramo". The only "imported" food items were rice (grown in the flat plains of Colombia called llanos) and Coca Cola (produced locally but the syrup and brand name are imported).

My hobby during my time in San Bernardo was horses. I liked to ride into the campo which allowed a better view and a faster trip. I owned various horses. One was a galopero called Kentucky. The name came from a previous Peace Corps volunteer, Richard Wilson. (Richard: If you are reading this, then remember that many people in San Bernardo still remember you.) Kentucky was a good horse to ride on roads but struggled to go up and down mountain sides. Tango was my favorite for many reasons. Tango was trained as a pasofino and so had a smooth gait. Tango also was very excitable. This meant that sometimes his head had to be covered by a poncho while mounting him. Of course, the people loved to watch the crazy gringo mount his horse with a a poncho over the head of the horse. But once mounted, Tango would go for hours up and down mountainsides.

We then strolled down memory lane a bit more as we went down the street where I rented a four bedroom apartment from Don Gutierrez, a local landowner. He cut me a pretty good deal because I made improvements. But he complained that the inspired art work of paintings on the wall was more than he or the next tenant could take. By this time, the paintings have been covered over but some curious anthropologist will find them in 500 years and have a hell of a time explaining their source! This locale was excellent for meetings, parties, and informal charlas. It became a bigger attraction when a bar was started up in the street front. The music and talk into the middle of the night allowed me to learn a lot of Spanish and local culture.

Jerry and Robin made the trip all the better because someone was forced to listen to all the crazy stories of life in San Bernardo. After viewing the apartment of Don Gutierrez we strolled out to Guatemala, a neighborhood on the poor side of town. I chose to rent a old house made of adobe from Don Manuel Vicente Acosta so that I could get closer to the people. Closer meant allowing little curious kids to wander in and out. I allowed them to pickup the birth control leaflets and other educational materials and take them home. This is called dissemination of information in the textbooks!

The people who walked by look you in the eyes and say Buenos Dias. The greeting of one another is very important. If there is no greeting and the eyes are fixed to the ground, then this is a sign of discord or worse. So we said hello to a number of people, including Don Jorge.

Don Jorge owns a house in the Guatemala neighborhood; and, we later discovered, is married to a relative of Don Manuel Vicente Acosta. He said hello and I asked him about Don Manuel. I found out that Don Manuel had passed away about 13 years ago. Don Jorge was slow in talking so I said goodbye.

We walked on the the horse pasture (potrero) where I kept my two horses. The pasture was owned by the local government of San Bernardo (municipio) and was rented to me at a good price...zero, nada, $0. This was a typical Colombian deal (negocio). I was helpful to San Bernardo; drank coffee with the local leaders; and showed respect to Sargento Pineros, the mayor appointed by the Colombian Army. So long as I kept my side of the bargain, then San Bernardo cooperated.

The improvements to the municipal horse pasture were very interesting. A 2,000 sft brick building was built to process vegetables and fruit. But is closed due to lack of management. This could be converted to a horse barn for training and birthing of horses. The horse pasture is now overgrown with weeds. In my time the horse pasture was cleaned by a friendly campesino on a weekly basis. I paid him 20 pesos per month for the cleaning (rozar) and for feeding my horses sugar cane and hay (pasto imperial).

The adobe barn where I stored supplies was burned down last month. The explanations for this burning differed widely. This is the fascinating part of talking with many people in the same neigborhood. Don Jorge said it was because of unpaid rent. Another person said that it was because of bad wiring. (In Colombia there is a lot of "stolen" electricity.) In any case, the foundation of the adobe barn is still there and could be used for another purpose (bathhouse).

The old aqueduct is still there but the water is now redirected to the main water supply to San Bernardo. This is a major improvement and allows for good, clean water.

We continued walking back and found Don Jorge still standing by the road. He commented that the son of Don Manuel lived next door. So we met Don Nestor Acosta who is a good contact. He invited us into his house; offered us coffee (tinto); and was very excited to reintroduce the gringos to the entire family.

He still remembered the crazy gringos who came to stay in San Bernardo. The stories (cuentos) could go on for days or even years! Through Don Nestor we were introduced to all his extended family in San Bernardo and Bogota. This made our trip very interesting.

Nestor and his career are very typical of young, energetic Colombians. He left home at 15; worked various jobs in Bogota; went to the USA; drove trucks (tractomulas) all over the States; returned to Colombia; studied dentistry; has a good dentistry practice in San Bernardo; raises and trains horses; and is a great talker. His wife and son are there by his side always offering encouragement.

Nestor invited us into his house for tinto and proceeded to update all of us on EVERYTHING. He did all of this while making a set of false teeth, answering the cell phone calls, and greeting the people walking by. His energy and enthusiasm were contagious.

Nothing would do but that Nestor take us to see his mother, sisters, aunts and cousins who all live nearby. The scene with his mother who had not set eyes on me for over 30 years was incredible! Of course, she gave us more tinto and pan de sagu, which is a delicious bread made from sagu a special plant which grows only in San Bernardo climates.

Time now was runnning short to catch the last bus to Bogota. Nestor drove quickly to catch the last bus back to Bogota just as it was leaving San Bernardo. This was a wonderful, memorable visit. The coincidental meeting of Don Jorge on the Guatemala trail led to many other wonderful experiences.

Dad ran out of time to finish the complete account of his time in Colombia. I'm sure maybe only 10% of the people will actually read through the whole thing to read my comments... I'll post pictures soon. Enjoy!