Ingles y Literatura Day 2

24/6/09

Today in the Taller de Ingles y Literatura we first learned several different expression such as happy, angry, scared, sad, and mocking. After practicing pronunciation, we eaach emulated the different expressions using animated faces and gestures as well as loud and most likely obnoxious sounds. Then we learned the different parts of the face including eyes, noses, ears, eye brows, cheeks, etc. We played a game where one student blind-folded was guided by another student to find the different parts of the face on the floor and collect a complete face. 

To start the Taller off, we warmed up by animatedly expressing happiness, sadness, anger, etc

After they had the vocab down, I passed them the camera

and they gave me instructions as to what emotion I should 

express. As soon as they said the word in English, I made the 

face and they took the picture. This is the result of "scared". 

After three workshops in a row, we went outside for some

recreation. The students hung out in different small groups

playing various games.



Valeria is always willing to smile for the camera. She is

very active and very very curious. Every time I see her 

she asks me to translate a new word from Spanish to English.


Then Deivid began the arm wrestling fights. All of the students

wanted to challenge the Profers (as teachers are called here), and we

were able to win all of them until they began to organize ... 

And we had no chance. 

We returned to the Tallers for another activity that involved

finding the different parts of the face on the floor, naming them,

and then putting the face together (eyes, ears, nose, and mouth). 

This was all done blind-folded with a guide to tell them where to

go to pick up the different parts, in English.

The younger students put the face together over

the real face of Valeria. 

Paula posed next to the face that she put together. 

Ingles y Literatura Day 1

23/6/09

We started the Taller de Ingles y Literatura learning modes of transportation, months of the year, a few numbers, and how to present yourself. In order to memorize the vocab for the different vehicles, each student was assigned a vehicle and we simulated traffic. Of course this traffic included cars, taxis, boats, airplanes, helicopters, and even submarines all on the same street.

In the Taller running around as cars, trucks, airplanes, etc.

On the bus with Luisa and Denis 

¡Anticipación!

by Camila




Saludos a todos!

I’m excited to be writing my first Taller de Paz blog entry. Here were are, the night before the Welcome/Bienvenida for the parents and kids that will be participating in the Taller de Paz program. Tomorrow we will finally see the fruits of our labor—a binational brainstorming, planning, coordinating and creative process that began more than five months ago. We are excited, nervous and anxious to see how tomorrow will turn out. We have around 50 kids signed up for the program, and after interviewing parents and making follow up calls we hope that tomorrow at the Bienvenida we have a full house in the auditorium of the Casa de la Participación de Suba (“House of Participation” in the district of Suba). For the Bienvenida we will be introducing ourselves to kids and parents, doing “actividades de integración” (integration activities) with the kids, while giving parents a more in depth description of the project and doing small group question and answer so we can respond to any concerns parents may have. We will end the Welcome event with delicious food for everyone in attendance. On Tuesday we begin our regular programming from 10am to 3:30pm with our morning icebreaker and the four daily workshops: Photography, English & Language, Social Justice and Art & Muraling (my workshop!).

Since my arrival in Bogotá a week ago we have been busy meeting with our wonderful and committed student partners from la Universidad Javeriana to solidify both logistical details (e.g. outreach, transportation, food and materials) as well as the day-to-day functioning of the four weeks of the Taller de Paz (e.g. curriculum planning, coordination of the workshops and field trips/special events). Much of this had been figured out before, but of course there are always last minute details. Below are photos from our various meetings this week (what could be more exciting that photos of a meeting!? haha).








Besides meeting with all the Taller de Paz coordinators (Javeriana & Swat students), we have had a chance to get to know our contacts in Suba, within the local government as well as different organizers that do work in the community.




On Thursday and Friday parents came to sign their children up for the program. Those were the first days that we got to know the families with which we will be working and hear about their experiences as internally displaced people that have recently arrived to Bogotá. Alex and Andres were the members of the Swarthmore team that helped conduct interviews, along with Sandra, Angélica, Diana and Katherin from the Javeriana team. I will allow them to share more in depth about these experiences. What has become apparent is the degree of violence and loss that displaced families live with; many families that we interviewed have had their children killed and once they moved to Bogotá have found it extremely difficult to find employment. There seemed to be great interest in the Taller de Paz program.

We hope that tomorrow will be the beginning of a process of growth and community-building that will take Taller de Paz from a seed of an idea to an empowering, collaborative and relevant program for kids from displaced families in Bogotá.

The Colombia Less Seen

Hola--

I'm sorry I've taken forever to publish my first post, but the first week in Bogota has been filled with doing project related stuff, meeting up with family, finding an apt. etc. I promise to be more on top of my blog posts.

My colleagues (Alex, Camila, Andres) and I have decided each to focus on a different aspect of Colombia/the project. The voice that I have chosen to take for this blog is one of esta es la verdadera Colombia, This is the realColombia! Growing up as a Colombian-American all I've heard people talk about when they mention Colombia is drugs (specifically Cocaine), the war, and once in a while, Shakira. However, I don't blame them because that is what the media chooses to portray. Nevertheless, through my two months here I would like to show the unique, rich-in-color, culture filled, and fascinating place that is Colombia. This is not to say that I will not talk about the negative aspects of Colombia, because like any other country there is plenty to talk about. However, I would like to place more of a focus on the part that most people and the media leaves out--The Colombia Less Seen-The food, places, transportation, colors, people.

With that being said, I want to highlight some of the interesting things I experienced in my first week in Bogota.

Public Transportation

Bogota has is a bustling city, I would even compare it to New York. There are people everywhere, walking, working, shopping, eating. With 7 million people, Bogota has developed an innovative and amazing transportation system that is way better than that of most cities, such as Miami and Philadelphia.

The main source of public transportation is the Transmilenio. This is a fast-

speed bus system that works to reach most places in Bogota. Basically, two road lanes that would normally be used for cars, are closed off for solely for these

buses. Inexpensive, practical, and accessible to most rolos (people from Bogota), the Transmilenio is a great option for a growing city with a growing population. Its been so popular among rolos that other countries have started taking the idea. The downside to the Transmilenio is the amount of people that at peak hours are found in these red buses and what this facilitates (a haven for pick pocketers).

Besides the Transmi, Bogota has other private buses that have access to parts not accessible through Transmi and the cab service is excellent (over 100,000 taxi cabs in the city!)

Food

The amount of food that I have consumed during this week has been ridiculous. I lost like 6 lb while in Miami, but I

believe that those have been gained. It really is hard avoiding all the variety of food that Colombians eat. In

my blog posts I will try to highlight specific foods, but since I've been running between restaurants and relatives' houses, for this week ill just provide pictures and names, and you can be the judge!

Granadilla

This deserves its own section. Alex mentioned this fruit in his last post. Simply amazing...don't judge a book by its cover!

A Classy Flea Market

I've been to only a couple of flea market, but the ones that I have been to do not come close to the ones I went to on Sunday in the Usaquen area of Bogota. Beautiful arts, amazing food, and live artists. What more can you ask for?

Here is just a small preview:

With this I end my first blog post. Hope that this is starting to show a different side of Colombia, the side that I hold close to my heart.

Deivid Rojas.

¡Todo es chévere!

New Words

Chévere -- the Colombian all-purpose adjective: Cool! Sweet! Awesome! Delicious! Perfect! Super-Fun

Arepa -- delicious breakfast food, that kind of looks like a mix between a hash brown and a pancake but takes nothing like that combination. It usually is accompanied by butter, cheese, and eggs. ¡MUY RICO!

Ubicar -- to locate, to find: ¿Estás ubicado? Do you know where the hell you are?

Franja -- stripe or band: For your safety, do not stand on the yellow FRANJA.

Lúdico -- fun, non-academic: usually describing activities

Pico y placa -- As words, together they make no sense as far as I know, but to Rolos (those who live in Bogotá) it is the traffic control system which determines which cars can drive on which days

Incrustado -- embedded, inlaid; however, when used to describe how you feel about life, it means that you'd rather not: Él está incrustado de la vida.

Billetera -- wallet

Alcadía -- governmental body for a city, the head official is called the Alcalde, similar to a mayor

Granadilla -- One of the most delicious fruits on the planet despite that the insides look like a giant slug upon first opening

Rumba -- partying, clubbing, dancing, drinking, the usual fun stuff

Chimba -- Bogotá slang for a good time, cool, fun, etc

Introduction

How exciting it is to be in Bogotá! The city is alive and absolutely full of people. I have never been anywhere like it. I would even venture to say that New York would have a hard time keeping up especially with the buses that give you no more than one second to board.
I apologize for not having written sooner, but there has been so much to do and see. To catch up, I'll start form the beginning.

Monday, June 8th

I left my home and family (see my most magnificent mother and me below), and stepped on to a plane headed for Miami Despite a 24 hour flu and some strange single-serving encounters during the flight, I arrived and was picked up by Deivid and his most gracious family. After doing some major packing, we rested for our final day in the United States.




Tuesday, June 9th

Drive to the airport, check in 6 bags (carry-on 2), shuffle in socks through security, wait at the gate, board the plane ... nerves on end. The plane is gigantic (see below), no one is speaking English, but the food is delicious (Note: Comparable only to other airline food), and the entertainment is even better: choice of movies, tv shows, music, even games such as Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (apparently not me). Avianca treats its passengers well.



















Once darkness settled in, we arrived to be picked up by a friendly and generous crowd of Deivid's family. After we had a quick bite to eat at Deivid's tío's (Uncle's) place (sandwich con jamón y queso) and dropped Deivid off with some bags at his abuelos' (grandparents') place, I left with Cristian and Daniel, the Colombian team leaders, to stay with Dani at his most hospitable tía's. Although I lost at both FIFA and Mortal Kombat vs. DC, it was a great first meeting, and I couldn't be more excited for our project.

Wednesday, June 10th

Woke up with a swollen left earlobe, second guessed the spontaneous decision to pierce ear 3 days before the trip, but the day began anyway and only got better. It stared with a most delicious typical Colombian breakfast: aprepas con queso y huevos and chocolate milk. ¡Que rica! I then walked around the city for a bit with Dani to get a fell for the city. Later we met up with Deivid and headed for Suba, the district for Bogotá where we will be hosting the project. There we met with Carlos Camacho, an official of the Alcaldía of Suba. After our meeting we toured the different sites in the area where we will be able to take the students. See picture of Plaza de Suba below.



After we finished all of the business for the day, we called for one last meeting with Dani, Cristian and some new members of the Colombian Taller de Paz team: Kathrin Lopez, Diana Diazgranados, and David Gonzalez at a nearby pub in "El T" next to the center of social life in the area Parque 93. I don't believe there is a country in this world without an Irish pub.



Thursday, June 11th

Ear inflammation went down thanks to some quick action on the part of Deivid and Dani with some Isodine ... Youthful rebellion still intact!

Today we visited La Javeriana, the home school of our Colombian team. On our way there, we rode one of the many buses that weave in and our as well as stop suddenly anywhere and everywhere throughout the city. While on the bus, we were provided with entertainment by a street performer who hopped on with his guitar. The music was bittersweet, and at the very least, moving for this young, impressionable American. Listen to a sample in the player below.

busRideGuitarJune11.mp3

The rest of the day we spent searching for an apartment. We finally settled on a small but cozy, one-room apartment, complete with a bed space, kitchen space, table space, patio, tv, and internet. It is also near the Transmilenio which is Bogotá's public transportation system. It consists of a network of buses that drive around the city in Solo Buses lanes and stop at numerous stations. It has so far been very fast, efficient, and cheap. We concluded our day with a little unpacking and some prep work for the project.



Friday, June 12th

Late start, but not too late all things considered. Hopped onto the Transmilenio and rode over to the office of Deivid's grandfather's leather store, La Riviera. We drove over to their place for a delicious lunch of chicken rice and veggies. On our way back to the office we stopped by Parque 93 and picked up some Juan Valdez coffee, Colombia's (tastier) version of Starbucks. Afterwords, Deivid and I visited Parque Nacional, a wonderful green space in the city. (See photo below)



We returned to the office and helped to pack up and ship the last order of the day. Leather wallets, belts, and bags sell very well around Father's Day. As Deivid slid the boxes down a long wooden ramp, I caught them and tossed them over metal rollers to the waiting truck. To finish the day, Deivid's tíos (Aunt and Uncle) invited us to dinner at the Corral in La Gran Estacion, a rather large shopping mall in Bogotá. We then did a little grocery shopping and called it a night.



(This is the milk section ... bagged and not refrigerated, but still delicious)

Conclusion

This has been my/our first week in Bogotá, and it has been muy chévere. Thanks to everyone who has made our move to the city so easy and enjoyable. Be sure to check out the slide show on the sidebar to see all of the photos from this week. If you click on it, you should be able to view larger versions.

Much Love

pax,

Alex Frye

Thank You! Gracias!

MIL GRACIAS!

Now that we have introduced the program and have provided some background information, we would like to thank the people and entities that have helped make this program possible!

ENTITIES/GROUPS:

Conciencia Social: La Javeriana University 

La Pontificia Universidad Javeriana

Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility of Swarthmore College

Swarthmore Foundation Grant

Social Sciences Division of Swarthmore College

Language Resource Lab of Swarthmore College

McCabe Library of Swarthmore College

Friend's Meeting House

The District Government of Suba in Bogota, Colombia

The Mayor's Office of Suba in Bogota,Colombia

Colegio Distrital Simon Bolivar, Suba

Alimentos Polar Colombia

Shine-A-Light (http://www.shinealight.org/index.html )

Avianca Airlines 

La Fundacion Colectivo Revolucion y Rimas 

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

Miyuki Baker

Aurora Camacho

Carlos Camacho 

Edison Freire

Janice Gallagher

Julia Graft

Paola Guerra

Cristian Gomez

Daniel Huerga

Paul Jimenez

Sandra Jimenez

Michael Jones

Pamela Kane

Deb Kardon-Brown

Jennifer Magee

Melissa Mandos

Ruben Pacheco

Leandro Ramos

Tony Rocco

Kurt Shaw

Camilo Vega

Stacey Bright

Edston Detrich

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL!

¡Bienvenidos!

First: A Warm Welcome!

Welcome to the Taller de paz (Workshop for Peace) blog. This is over very first post of many to come, and we hope that you stay around as this project develops. Before we get started, we want to say thank you to all who have contributed to the project either through materials, space, advice, contacts, or all of the above. We'll get to naming all of you later, but for now we just just want to say thank you because without you Taller de paz would not be possible.

Second: An introduction to the US team

Deivid Rojas -- Deivid is currently in Miami, spending the few weeks he has there before the beginning of the project! He is originally from Bogotá, Colombia. He just finished his sophomore year in Swat and is excited to be a part of this project. He is planning to major in History and minor in Political Science and (Film and Media Studies, Latin American Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies..who knows?). Throughout the project he will be leading the Photography Workshop with Andres Freire and also managing many other aspects of the program.

Alex Frye -- Alex is currently in between his sophomore and junior years at Swarthmore College. He is originally from Illinois. He is planning to major in Political Science and minor in Spanish and Latin American Studies. Throughout this project, Alex will be leading the English & Storytelling Workshop along with managing the blog and PR.

Nelson Andrés Freire Kane -- Andrés completed his Junior year at Swarthmore this year. He currently lives in Philadelphia, but his roots are in Ecuador. He is double majoring in Economics and Spanish. Right now, he is somewhere in the United States driving around on his cross-country expedition. During the project he will be leading the Photography Workshop with Deivid while also managing the budget.

Camila Leiva -- Camila has just graduated from Swarthmore! She is currently looking for a place to live, but finds her home in Chile. She special majored in Sociology and Education. She is also traveling around the world before she finally arrives in Bogotá. During the project she will be leading the Mural & the Arts Workshop and managing the direction of the big projects.

Third: A History of the Conflict

As you may have read, this summer we will be working with kids who are from families that have been displaced by the violence of the civil war. For many of you this may be old news, the conflict has been going on for over 50 years), but for others this may be new so we'll give a brief overview.

In 1948 Liberal presidential candidate, Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, was assassinated. As one of the first viable candidates from a leftist party for an electoral rise to power, his death set off what would become decades of ruthless violence, the beginning of which is aptly named La Violencia. During this time guerrilla groups organized in order to protect the interests of the poor and the farmers, the largest being the FARC (1964) and the ELN (1964). The fighting between the guerillas and the government forces and later the paramilitaries caused brutal violence throughout the country. In need of land, food, personnel, resources, and control, the soldiers often turned to the poor farmer as objects of exploitation. The violence against those living in the countryside was unbearable and created a constant fear that permeated the country. This violence has been further escalated by the U.S. "Drug War" against Colombia. As a result, many families made the decision to move to the cities for safety.

The children with whom we will be working this summer are living in the district of Suba on the outskirts of Bogotá because of this history.

Of course, as to any history, there is much more to say about this and we will explore it as the weeks go on, but please feel free to add comments with any knowledge or questions that you have about the situation.