New pad, new pets, new hobbies

Since April, I have become quite accustomed to making a home wherever I lay my hat (any one of my numerous hats). However, I hope that my latest move (last Saturday) will prove to be my last….at least until next June. I was happy staying in Elisabeth´s house with her and her son, Juan Pablo. Yet, as she herself made clear from day one, she had ´rules.´ Thus, it was time to fly the nest…..

I am now living with four females (2 of them cats), at the bottom of the famous and unforgiving ´falda,´ which leads up to the main university entrance. My room is like an oven but the company is good; I live with Sara, my Fullbright colleague, and Hajla, an Estonian who speaks and teaches half of Europe´s languages, it seems. I am even uncovering an affection for cats, which I never thought possible after my experiences with our former neighbour´s cats, who liked to leave ´little gifts´ all over our back garden.

I finally made it to Maranilla last weekend. Various students have been flying its flag for the past couple of weeks; “es que, es mucho más cultural que Rionegro.” True enough, it is more cultural, and cooler, than my ´hometown.´ I went to see a play with a teacher from la UCO, in a theatre that wouldn´t have looked out of place in Peckham and Shoreditch; full of beards, chairs made from crates and (relatively) over-priced coffee cocktails. I felt at home. The play, ´Citas a Ciegas´(´Blind Dates´) was excellent and, thankfully, easy to understand, due to the superb acting as much as the simple dialogue and my adept comprehension. I even got the jokes.

I have also met a Colombian footballing hero, in the form of Tino Asprilla. Andrés (of first blog post fame), Sara and I had been to see Atletico Nacional crash out of La Copa Libertadores against Argentinian side Tucumán, and we were chatting to friends outside the stadium when the big man appeared. A previously forlorn Andrés sprang into life, beckoning Tino over to have a photo with me….and a bunch of others, it turned out, as fans piled in from all angles to record their magic moment. Although the atmosphere inside the stadium was again electric, Nacional´s exit meant that meeting Asprilla was the highlight of the night for me.

This past Wednesday, Sara and I also attended Salsa classes in Rionegro. At around 3 quid a pop, classes are very reasonable, although I suspect prices may rise when they discover the work that their latest student needs. ´Listen to the music,´ was our instructor´s mantra, which I had taken as a given anyway, to be honest. ´Sin pausa´ (´don´t pause´), she repeated again and again. I didn´t think I was! Anyway, I will continue with the classes; even if I don´t reach the ´not-too-embarrassed-to-salsa-in-public´ stage, I enjoyed the first class and it does give me a good, wholesome mid-week activity, which doesn´t involve Pilsen. And, since I only have one weekend to go until the Medellín Marathon, Pilsen should be off the menu.

This weekend, my intention was to have a tranquilo couple of days and while it´s been far from crazy, it wouldn´t have been complete without a few coerced aguardientes with Don Fabio and Miriam, in front of the football.  This time, it was la selección de Colombia. Scoring in the last minute to secure a 2-1 victory over Venezuela, Yimmi Chará dashed mine and Mike´s betting hopes for the evening. Oh well, there´s always another game….

Over the past couple of weeks, I have also got to know Rionegro even better. There is building work everywhere you look at the moment, as the town continues to modernise. One of my students took me to the new Art Museum last Wednesday and, although not officially open yet, it does have a temporary exhibition which focuses on all the new renovation and construction projects taking place. Rionegro will soon have its own Light Rail, for example.  Given that it is home to Medellín Airport – the second largest in Colombia -, Rionegro´s infrastructure is, indeed, in urgent need of development. However, as well as the urban side of Rionegro, I have also got to know some of the greener parts of the region, going on a hike around ´Ojo de Agua.´ I am still unsure as to what the ´Eye of the Water´ actually is but the walk was pleasant and the views over the surrounding Antioquian towns and countryside were stunning.