Take everything you think you know...

Take everything you think you know about Colombia and throw it out the window. No, really. I came to Colombia thinking I knew what to expect, based on my travels to other Latin American countries, but every day here has been a learning experience. So here it is! This is what I've learned about Colombia in my three weeks here:

• The Colombian young people really see themselves as a critical part of being agents of change, not only in Colombia, but also in the world as a whole. In school after school, we saw students engaged in environmental campaigns, conflict resolution, and other peace projects.

• Colombians are perhaps the warmest, most welcoming people that I have encountered in all of my travels. Time and again, I heard "Esta es su casa" (this is your home). This never-ending show of hospitality has caused me to do a great deal of self-reflection about how I welcome others into my environment.

• The Colombian Ministry of Education is very concerned with best teaching practices and strives to implement a consistent curriculum in all their schools, especially in the teaching of English. The Ministry of Education is placing a high importance on educating a bilingual populace and has created a program "Colombia Bilingüe". The mission of this program is that Colombia will be the most educated country in the region by the year 2025. I was also interested, and happy, to see that English is being taught the way that ACTFL (the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) advocates for the teaching of a second language: immersion in the target language.

• The Colombian teachers I met are incredibly hard-working; many of them work two or three jobs to make ends meet. Being so busy, you wouldn't think they would have the time to pursue professional development, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Every teacher I met was very concerned with improving her or his own education, especially learning English, for the benefit of students. Many Colombian educators hold advanced degrees and many participate in competitions to receive scholarships to participate in special professional development programs, such as studying English or sharing their teaching practices abroad.

• The Colombian students I met were highly motivated, engaged, and enthusiastic! For example, my U.S. teaching partner and I brought letters and post cards that our U.S. students had written, in order to do a pen pal project with our Colombian students. The Colombian students were so excited to make American friends that many asked to take several post cards and then returned their messages to us beautifully decorated, many with small gifts for their new pen pals.

And finally...

Colombia is absolutely beautiful. From its bustling cities (Bogota has a very European feel to it), to its mountainous countryside, dotted with small towns, Colombia holds never-ending beauty.

I can't wait to get to work on projects with my new colleagues in Colombia and from other parts of the U.S. and I'm looking forward to returning to this amazing country! ¡Hasta pronto, Colombia!

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