“But, Why Colombia?!!”- a question I got from most of my loved ones. The reputation attached to the country got them worried. My country, India gained an awful reputation recently and I knew to what extend I should trust the media. Juanita Ossa, a close Colombian friend from University has been inviting me for the longest time. She lived in Bogota, a city that has been gaining much recognition for the social innovation scene. This called for a great opportunity for me to get involved with an innovative social project. Colombia will also be my best chance to learn Spanish…for the last time. Also, I strongly think that it will be quite a bizarre sight to see an Indian guy speaking Spanish, with an Indian accent.

Just when I was bragging about my decision to travel to Colombia to a friend in San Francisco, he said that he has a close friend, Adriana Christie who could be of some help to me while in Colombia. After 5 minutes of chatting with her over mail, she said, “Hey my parents have a school there called Arca International and you should teach something interesting to the kids. You can also learn Spanish from the Spanish teacher at the school.  Oh, and you should stay at my home too”. WOW!! She didn’t even know me five minutes ago and now I am going to stay at her home with her parents and sister for 3 months?! It is amazing how sometimes everything magically falls into place.

Juanita picked me up from the airport and during the drive home, I noticed how the streets, the cars and the small shops were so similar to my hometown in India.  Few days passed and I was surprised to know that only a hand full of people knew how to speak English. Adriana’s family warmly welcomed me into their cute home which was situated on a hill, away from the worries of the city. I began teaching the first set of lectures at school right next day and this was my first time teaching kids belonging to 7th,8th,9th,10th and 11th grade. Students were not half as naughty as I remember my class back in the day and I was glad to see all of them speaking English. The main objectives of my teaching is to trigger positive conversations among students, motivate them to follow their passion and do so being a socially conscious citizen. I do hope the students are having as much fun as I am while teaching. For almost everyone in school, it was the first time they were meeting a person from India. Not long ago I was a student and now that I am teacher, it made me realize many things about the teaching profession. The immense effort that has to go into preparing for the next day’s class, the comfort received when everyone is paying attention to your lecture and a bitter feeling even if single student is not, the excitement when students are participating in constructive debates and the amazing feeling when you are being loved by them. Kids would walk up to me in groups with curious eyes to shake my hand and clear off questions from their head about India, sometimes requesting me to show off few Bollywood dance moves. For an Indian, it is truly a rare experience to feel exotic at a foreign country since it we are often everywhere and in large numbers.  When I am in the city people stared; the same look I remember giving to foreigners while in India.

Juanita and I enjoying the real deal Colombian Coffee

Colombia and India has many things in common. Rich in culture, the greenery, coffee estates, warm people, people with faith in God and western influenced youth. Colombians loved football as much as Indians loved cricket.With the 2 months I still have in this gorgeous country I plan to travel to explore more cities,  eat the local delicacies, take beautiful pictures of old colorful streets and Colonial architecture, and speak Spanish like a pro. I am looking forward to experiencing the world cup fever and cheer out loud.

Vamos con toda Colombia!!!!