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Noooooooooooooooo!
I can't believe it's the last day! In a few short hours I'll be dragging myself to the airport to leave this place behind and cling to some amazing experiences and memories that I hope will last a lifetime. Not to mention a whole new group of friends that I hope to keep in touch with and see how things shape up for them.
I got a rough start to my day, and in the process I really freaked out my host teacher! Hmmm... I'm getting ahead of myself, let me explain. First of all, we were the latest we have been getting out of the hotel. As a result, we were the latest we have ever been in getting to school. Couple that with the fact that we had to finish a ton of projects before 11:30 and that's a recipe for disaster! I ended up fighting with a computer for a good 43 minutes, and that put me flying into the classroom 1 minute (or less depending on your watch, but not late, NEVER) before we started.
Last night Jeff and I were joking about who was going to teach tomorrow due to the unnatural potency of the firewater which I had to try several times to make sure I liked it. Needless to say Jeff thought I was otherwise unable to perform my duties as assigned. To his credit, he had it all figured out, including the copies. I felt bad, but they don't have phones in the classroom, and my phone doesn't work here in Colombia.
The kids were squirrely today, but nothing that I couldn't handle. Even in my state of pure exhaustion. We solved some story problems and then shared our results. Then we had some certificates to give out, pictures to take and then it was off to their last week of Summer vacation! I don't think they were half as sorry to see me go as I was to see them leave for the last time. They were a GREAT group of students and I really enjoyed working with them.
We then cleaned the classrooms, packed, and met with the Superintendent, Assisstant Superintendent (Susan, Colombia's Wonder Woman), to share final thoughts and get some hugs and gifts. It was interesting to see how much we had invested emotionally in this whole process, and in each other. There were some drippy eyes by the time we were finished.
From there we went to a park in the center of the city called Parque Paisa. It was cute and had a fantastic 360° view of the city. Just in case you were wondering, the city measures at it's longest 20 miles North to South, and 5 miles at it's widest, East to West. Yep, 100 square miles of pure beauty. Now, don't get me wrong, it has its impoverished areas, and there's some parts that aren't well kept up, but it's the cleanest, well kept city I have seen in Latin America so far. They just seem to care more about what their home looks like, and it shows.
From there, we headed to our goodbye dinner. We went to a restaurant called Hatoviejo which was modeled after a type of hacienda like farm that was typical in the early days of Medellin. Not only was the food fantastic, but the company was too! All the consultants (minus two, who were off being pampered with massages and such), Susan, and Gloria (a literacy coach), and Barbara ( the elementary school principal). Gloria is a BLAST! She told me (among other things) that when she heard me talking in Spanish she thought I was straight out of a soap opera! Colombia imports almost all the Mexican soap operas, and I took it as quite an incredibly funny compliment. Barbara, on the other hand, has the most wonderful laugh and is a big fan of Juanes (one of my favorite Spanish rock stars, who also happens to be from Medellin). We talked at length about him, and Susan has actually met him! He even has a home that's right next to the Columbus School! WOW!
We also were visited by a reporter from a Medellin newspaper as this was the first institute of it's kind in Colombia, and as far was we know, the first in South America! He talked with some of us for awhile before we went back to the hotel. Then it was all about packing and paying up.
It was funny how much we had all bonded during this week. It was much more emotional to say goodbye to my roommates (Jim and Kentaro, both HS teachers, and brilliant by any standard), as well as the rest of the group. To give you an idea, three of the consultants weren't leaving until early afternoon on Saturday, but they still got up at 4 to see us off. I was really pleasantly surprised!
And, that's all he wrote... I'm here in Mexico City right now reminiscing about this great experience and I can't believe it's already OVER! I have a feeling that I just might have another chance to come back to Colombia, but we'll have to see how this year shapes up at home. But I can worry about that later, my biggest problem right now is keeping myself entertained until my bus leaves! I have a feeling I'll be sleeping soundly once we get on the road, well, at least here's hoping!
WRITE ME, OR ELSE! Just kidding, although I haven't heard much news from some, so keep me posted! No need to write a blog, just post a quick message in the message board, or better yet, send me an e-mail!
Later!
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