A Weekend at a finca + Elecciones en Colombia

Last weekend, the (awesome) owner of our (awesome) apartment, invited us to her finca to get away from the city for a couple of days and spend time in the country with her family. Since in Spanish class you learn that finca means farm, I assumed that we would be going to be spending the weekend amidst barns, cattle, and plain fields of grain. WRONG. My expectations were completely off.

Instead, what we encountered was more like a hillside country-house estate. For example, we got to sleep in the guest house, built on top of a stable, as the family actually owns two horses (plus three dogs, a cat, a parrot, and lots of geese). The finca is located in the township of Tabio, about an hour north of Bogotá. Mind you, this is the country, and there are cattle in general, however since it is still in the Andes, it lies amidst a gentle rolling landscape.

Last weekend was also election weekend. On Sunday, the family lent us some bikes, and we rode them into the town with them, as they were going to vote in the second round of the presidential election. It rained all day throughout the country, so turn-out was fairly low, partly due to the rain, the soccer world cup on TV, and probably some malaise. Thus as was expected, Colombia’s next president will be Juan Manuel Santos, while Antonas Mockus, the progressive Green-party former mayor of Bogotá lost. Hopefully, Colombia will continue on its current trajectory of economic and democratic improvement, and continue to diminish guerrilla activity in random parts of the country.

Anyway, our stay at the finca was idyllic, from our amazing accommodations, to the delicious food that they offered us, and just their warm hospitality in general.

Word of the Day – ajiaco

This is what we ate for lunch when we were at the finca. Ajiaco is a traditional Colombian soup made with chicken, corn, and potatoes. It is mighty hearty, tasty, and wholesome, and often served with a traditional Colombian bread called arepa, which is like a thick tortilla, but more scrumptious, and sometimes made with cheese.

Transporte en Bogotá, Parte 2

Attempts at building a subway system here in Bogotá have so far been fruitless, even though the demand is definitely there. Instead, for the past 10 years the city has been constructing a rapid bus system called the Transmilenio. It is a system of dedicated bus lanes on major streets and highways within the city, with the long, articulated red buses stopping at subway-like above-ground stations. At 1600 pesos, the fare is slightly more than a buseta, but the experience is vastly different.

The buses are not stuck in regular traffic, although at rush hour the quantity of Transmilenio buses that are on the road is impressive, as busses pull into a station one after another. The trick is that because not all routes stop at every station, is to find out the optimal route that will take you to your destination faster, and with the fewest transfers.

Word of the day: taquilla

Taquilla, which looks deceptively like tequila, is not an alcoholic drink. A taquilla exists at every station on the Transmilenio; it is the ticket booth, where during rush hour queues of more than 30 or forty people can form. The taquillas can either sell you a one-ride card that will be eaten up when you enter the faregate, or you also can buy or recharge a mutli-ride touch-fare card.

Riding the Transmilenio is not an idyllic experience by any means. There are between 1 and 2 million people using the system daily, and it is packed throughout the day and most evenings. It is a rare but pleasurable event to get your own seat. Also, the ride can be quite bumpy since the buses try to speed up, but soon have to slow down, and the road surface is in constant repair. Finally, although the system is quite expansive, it does not exist on all major streets, and one may have to walk quite a bit to get to a Transmilenio station, which is unfortunately the case for us.

Synopsis: the Transmilenio is a very high quality bus system, but it is no substitute for a highly needed urban rail network, which is hopefully in the works for Bogotá in the intermediate future. Nonetheless it is arguably better than any bus system in the United States, any to me is highly superior to the busetas, with admittedly a lot less local color.

Transporte en Bogotá, Parte 1: Taxis, taxistas, y busetas

The city of Bogotá is expansive territorially. Avenues, which go from north to south, are numbered east to west, from Carrera 1 (around where we live) to about Carrera 130. Streets, which go east-west, start downtown at Calle 1 and go to about Calle 200 in the north and past Calle 60 Sur in the south of the city (we are in the north at around Calle 57). As I mentioned before, about 7.5 million inhabitants live in the boundaries of the city and traverse these streets daily.

So what are the options for getting around?

The first option is by foot, if you don’t mind braving the inclines, highly uneven and eclectic sidewalks, and the large distances. Walking around Bogotá can actually be very pleasant, since the city is very green, has a range of different architectural styles, and during daylight is relatively safe. After dark, the feeling of security wanes in many neighborhoods, even though the crime rate has been significantly reduced over the past ten years.

Therefore, at night, and whenever you need to get somewhere fast, taking a taxi becomes the expedient option. There are vast fleets of yellow taxis plying the streets of Bogotá, outside of rush hour, will usually take you to your destination quickly and at a reasonably price. For us, most cab fares have ranged between the equivalents of three to eight dollars (6000 to 1600 Colombian pesos).

I have never taken so many taxis in my life before, and thus have never encountered such a variety of different cab experiences. First of all, when taking a taxi you have two options – flagging one down, or calling a taxi company by phone to request one. Flagging one down is usually very easy (and slightly cheaper), except for certain locations during rush hour, where it is impossible to catch a taxi because all of them are already carrying other passengers.

Calling a cab company is another story. The companies have telephone numbers that are easy to remember like 3111111, 4111111, 2222222, and the like. Whenever you call from a landline, you reach an automated system that detects your address simply from the number you are calling from. The system then tries to locate a cab nearby, and upon finding one, gives you a confirmation code, and tells you that the cab will arrive in 5 to 10 minutes. You run into problems when: the system can´t find a cab nearby and puts you on hold indefinitely, you forget the confirmation number when you finally get into a cab, when you call from a cell phone at a random location, which makes it more likely that you and the cab miss each other.

The experiences inside the cab vary from pleasant and courteous, to somewhat chaotic and almost dangerous. Road rules seem to be a lot more lax in Bogotá than any place in the United States, as drivers cut each other off frequently, travel in-between lanes or weave in and out of them at will without signaling, keep tiny distances between preceding vehicles, and frequently talk on cell phones while driving. For example, one day when we were taking a taxi back home, the driver was a bit reckless, and rapidly stopped at a red light, slightly to the left of the lane we were traveling in. Next thing we know a buseta screeches to a stop, knocking off our taxi´s left side mirror. The driver makes us get out of the cab without paying, get out himself and frantically starts knocking on the doors of the buseta and yelling. Once the light turns green the buseta speeds off, and the driver hops back into the cab to proceeds to chase after the buseta. End of story: unknown, but we were stuck on the side of a fast moving road, having to flag down a different taxi, that ended up being on slightly less sketchy.

Word of the day – buseta.

In Bogotá the bus system is for me, a whole new world. The traditional form of public transportation is the ubiquitous buseta. Busetas are smaller than regular buses, and because operated by many different private companies, carry a whole range of liveries and are a range of different makes and models. Tickets are basically non-existent – you pay the driver with cash, and the driver is actually able to deal out change while speeding though traffic. From what I can tell there are no route maps or route numbers for busetas – you can only know which one to take by glancing at a white placard on the front windshield of the buseta that lists the main destinations and streets of that particular buseta. Neither are the stops fixed – if you want you can flag down a buseta at any corner. Once inside the buseta, you are subject to random vendors boarding (without paying mind you), calling out their spiel, selling their wares, and alighting. If it is rush hour you are getting nowhere fast, but at 1300 pesos, the ride is the equivalent of 65 cents, and may get you to where you want to go eventually.

Sin internet en casa

So there has been a week without posts... actually a bunch of posts are written and ready to go, but my internet at home is currently nonexistent. Will post soon!

Fotos de nuestro Viaje a Boyacá

A Puente in Boyacá

So this weekend K., S. and I decided to check out some lovely towns four hours north of Bogotá in the department (read: state) of Boyacá. Apparently Boyacá is associated with Colombia´s independence, as a couple of important battles against Spain were fought there, and a number of Colombia´s forefathers like Antonio Nariño and some presidents spent time there (in Nariño´s case he died in Boyacá, specifically in Villa de Leyva, in a house which would be later made in two a museum to be visited by me).

Word of the day: puente

Yes puente does mean bridge. But did you also know that puente means a long weekend?

Apparently Colombia is know for its puentes, though I am not sure about its bridges. It seems like there is a holiday every other week (so far it has fallen two weekends in a row including this past one), and it seems to fall on a Monday so many people can enjoy three days of relaxation, fun, or travel. Fun fact: there is also tiny bridge in Boyacá, called, you guessed it, the Puente de Boyacá, which serves as the center of a site of national monuments, which I think we actually passed by on one of our bus rides on Saturday.

So here´s how it went down, our trip that is. Bright and early Saturday, we trekked out to the bus terminal in Bogotá, which is rather out of the way, in a non-central location in the relative direction of the airport. We immediately hopped on a bus to Tunja, the capital city of Boyacá. Just as the road was becoming ever more spectacular, with mountains, valleys and much greenery, we arrived in Tunja. At first glance the city looks a bit worn, but as one heads toward the main plaza (and so far every substantive city in South America that I have come to know has an imposing, stylized main plaza, replete with at least one church and one or more government buildings), which is called Plaza de Bolívar, just like in Bogotá, one begins to feel the a certain charm. This charm bounces of the antiquated buildings, the pedestrians, and little kids playing in the plaza. After taking some pictures and imbibing some caffeinated beverages, we strolled around Tunja and stopped by a small museum, the 16th century Casa de Don Juan de Vargas. Was Don Juan de Vargas a Don Juan? Unknown, but we were followed around by a group of Colombian soldiers, which seemed to have a certain noticeable effect on K. and S. Beside the usually period furniture and whatnot, the had a particular beautiful garden and interesting painted ceilings.

Anyway, we went along our merry way, hopping on another bus to Villa de Leyva, the main attraction of the trip. As soon as we stepped into its streets, we were charmed. If Bogotá is a ginormous eclectic hodge-podge (which I like because I love big cities), then Villa de Leyva is a compact unified masterpiece, painted in broad stokes of white and lined with large cobblestones. It is peaceful and beautiful, especially since it is surrounded by very smooth, rounded mountains, and it has been preserved to attract tourists, though not yet entirely overwhelmed by said tourists.

We stayed in a remarkable (and remarkably inexpensive) guesthouse called the Hospedería La Roca, right on the main plaza, this time called the Plaza Mayor. After having a wonderful late lunch/early dinner, we strolled about the city, wandering the streets, shops (one notable one sold whimsical knitted hats), and parks of Villa de Leyva. The town was actually celebrating its 438th birthday this weekend, and we caught a bit of the celebration concert in the plaza, though I turned in early to sleep after the past week of waking up at around 6 am to go on rounds.

Sunday morning we started off with huevos pericos, the Colombian breakfast staple of scrambled eggs with tomato and onion. Then after wandering around town some more (I stopped into the Museum dedicated to Antonio Nariño, see first paragraph, which also had period furniture and a nice garden, as well as some great balconies), we took a bus to Ráquira, a very small town 45 minutes out of Villa de Leyva. Ráquira is supposedly Colombia´s capital of pottery, and although I was not that impressed, I nevertheless appreciated the uniqueness of this colorful town. Here is where I split off from the girls, and decided to head back to Bogotá early.

Thinking I was smart by hoping on a Bogotá bound bus directly from Ráquira, I quickly realized that the bus was by no means a direct one, as it took a twisty unpaved road for about an hour and a half, dropping off random people who had spent the day at the Sunday market-festival in Ráquira. Undeterred, I took in the scenery, and about 4 1/2 hours and 1 bus change later, I stepped off at the Portal del Norte in the northern reaches of Bogotá. Here was where I ventured for the first time to take the Transmilenio, a special Rapid Transit bus system that has been under construction here over the last ten years. The system is pretty cool and fast, though crowded at all times and somewhat bumpy. It is a placeholder until Bogotá builds a subway system in the intermediate future, which I think for a city of its size and stature is de rigeur.

Anyway, I finally got home in one piece (yes, my residence in Bogotá I suppose is a temporary home of sorts), and tomorrow, on the last day of this puente, am planning on exploring Bogotá, which I keep feeling is to vast to ever fully explore.

Week I of Medicina Interna

Word of the day: Revista

Revista in regular Spanish means magazine. However in the medical context in Colombia, it also means ¨rounds¨ as in what doctors do every day with their residents and interns, going around and visiting patients, updating their condition... revistas are what we are taking part in over the course of our first month in Bogota:

It has been a full four days since K., S. and I have been immersed into the world of the Hospital de Fundación de Santa Fe de Bogotá, shadowing teams of doctors, residents and interns, specifically in the department of Internal Medicine. Every day in the hospital, has brought new adventures. Here is a brief summary:

Day 1 (Tuesday): Having arrived at the hospital excited to start our internship, we quickly became aware of how tight security procedures were. Because none of us realized that we needed to bring our passports to fill out the necessary paperwork for our carné (not carne, which is meat, but carné which means identification card), we had some runaround and issues with hospital security agents over the next two days. However, everyone was super-gracious in receiving us, especially the internos, who are in their last year of med school, and whom we are following around during their rounds.

Day 2 (Wednesday): After a lengthy round in the morning, we spent the rest of the afternoon navigating the highly Kafka-esque process of receiving our carné (again, not meat but hospital ID cards). BTW the carne (meat) in Colombia is great, but then again so is the chicken, fish, fruits, cheese, make that all dairy, in fact eating in Colombia is very enjoyable (and not too taxing on the wallet, score!). Score II, in the afternoon we finally received the elusive carné, and are now free to roam the hospital! However, in the evening we took a deviation from Colombian food, and went to a local pan-Asian food restaurant chain called Wok. Delicioso - best sushi I have had outside of Japan!

Day 3 (Thursday): We got some unexpected treats in the hospital! No not food, but 1) a juicy afternoon round in infectología (Dept. of Infectious diseases), where we saw patients suffering from diseases ranging from lupus, to Hepatitis C, shingles and whatnot. 2) In the evening, we got to sit in on the graduation ceremony of the outgoing interns and residents, which is interesting not just from a comparative point of view, but as a great insight into the institution that we are in (A university hospital that is a partnership between the Fundación Santa Fe and the Universidad de los Andes).

Day 4 (Friday): Among other highlights, we saw a patient suffering from Chagas disease receive some ventricular defibrilation, which looks just as cool as it sounds. Also, the awesome internos have been trying to teach us how to do basic things like take a pulse and measure blood pressure during spare time, for which I am oh so grateful!

All in all, it is so amazing to get a lengthy sneak peak into the life of a university hospital, and medicine in general. I hope the following weeks will be just as exciting!

Also some things to look forward to in this blog: the joys of taking taxis (and buses) in Bogotá, an upcoming weekend visit to nearby Villa de Leyva!

A whirlwind of impresiones

So the last two posts were a bit of a cop out, since they contain some of the photos that I have taken without much explanation. However, I think it can be neat to illustrate some of what I am seeing.

I am in my fourth full day in Bogotá. The city, pop > 7.5 million, is gigantísimo! It is also a highly eclectic urban area located on a plateau and surrounded by various hills and mountains of the Andes range. Although the city is more or less flat, it attempts to reach upward, nor just with skyscrapers, but also onto the mountains. In fact, the subdivision where we are living, the Barrio el Castillo (yes it is kind of like a castle), is located on the side of a hill at the Eastern Cordillera.

Word of the day - Chigüire

A chigüire is a capibara - a large mammal in the rodent family that can be found in the llanos (plains) of Colombia and Venezuela. It´s meat, when grilled, can be considered a delicacy. Guess what I tried for lunch on my second day in Bogota?

This past weekend was a puente, which means a three-day weekend due to a Monday holiday (I still haven´t figured out what holiday it was), so we spent much of the weekend relaxing and adjusting.

We went grocery shopping at el Éxito, a hypermarket of sorts, about 20 minute walk down into the city. Somewhat well-stocked we have been cooking dinner and breakfast for ourselves, and so far it has been pretty successful. However, we are already running low on some things, especially frutas, which by the way are heavenly in Colombia. Yesterday I tried two varieties of cherry and and plums that were completely new to me, not to mention guanábana (soursop) juice - trying all of the fruit is one of the best parts of being a tourist in Colombia!

We also decided to trek by foot about 60 blocks on Sunday to glimpse at the historic center of the city. You can see a few photos below. Since it was a Sunday, there was a Ciclovía along the Carrera Séptima (7th Avenue), which means half of the road was closed to cars, and open to pedestrians and biciclistas. It was a very nice walk, and we got to see some local animals(see below), as well as flea markets and street musicians.

Yesterday we spent a large part of the day in a country club at the north of the city, which was very pleasant and quite luxurious. We were invited by our host "parents" María Consulo and her husband Ricardo, doctors afiliated with the Los Andes Medical school, where we have our internship.

We are actually starting our internship today. More details soon!

La Plaza de Bolívar - el centro de Bogotá, con llamas

Fotos de nuestro apartament y sus vistas sobre Bogotá

Bogotá impresionante

After I arrived yesterday at the El Dorado Airport (Yes, it does refer to that El Dorado, the mythical city of gold!), and filled out my lost baggage report, María Consuelo (our gracious host from the Universidad de los Andes)and her husband Ricardo picked me up and drove me to the apartment, which is located on the eastern border of Bogota, right next to the mountains in a neighborhood called Chapinero Alto. Which brings me to -

Word of the day: Chapinero

Chapinero - maker or seller of clogs (a chapín is a type of clog worn by women). Who knew?

Anyway, my two compañeras from Harvard on this trip, K. and S., had already arrived earlier in the day, and welcomed us into the apartment.

Then María Consuelo and Ricardo took all of us to dinner, in the area around Calle 93, in a place Called Café Renault. That´s right a cafe within a Renault dealership. It was pretty upmarket and tasty, with glasses of Sangre de Toro to go around!

This morning, I woke up really early, and decided to take pictures of the apartment and the amazing views of Bogotá that it looks out on. See above post!

Arrived in Bogotá, pero sin maletas

After about a 12 hour journey, since I left Chicago, I finally arrived in Bogotá a few hours ago. Of course, not without some adventure and an unexpected detour to Indianapolis; and of course my luggage did not quite make it yet. Hopefully it will arrive tomorrow - fingers crossed!

More details soon.

Chubascos over Bogotá, in two days

I was warned that Bogota is well... often rainy. It is neither hot (never above 77°F/25°C), nor really cold, but rather ¨mild¨ and ¨wet¨.

Coming from a place like Chicago where one is subjected to intense heatwaves and snowstorms from time to time, this is actually a relief. In fact, I can´t wait to get away from this clinging humidity, which is currently enveloping my whole being.

Out of a sudden feeling of curiosity, I felt moved to check the weather forecast for the day when I am supposed to land in Bogota. For authenticity´s sake I decided to scope out a website in Spanish, for after all, it would probably give a more descriptive picture of what to expect.

Friday, June 4th:

Chubascos. Min 10°, Max 20°.

???, or rather ¿¿??

So I´m sitting there wondering, what exactly is a chubasco, and how am I going to re-gauge my mind to Celsius?

Which brings me to a segment of this blog, to be prosaically named ¨Word of the Day.¨ This will be a meditation on whatever new word, phrase, or linguistic curiosity I happen to come across that day in Colombia. In all likeliness, each entry will be from the incredibly awesome Spanish language (though there is a chance that non-Spanish entries will make appearances).

Word of the Day:

Chubascos - heavy rain showers, squalls.

Uhhhh, squalls? Aren´t those the things that hardy fishermen encounter at sea? Violent rainstorms, replete with, you guessed it, thunder and lightning? The kind that threaten to flip the boat and wipe out everything in sight?

Well then, chubascos it is. For such an amusing word, the meaning is a bit on the stark side. Apparently, it comes from the Portuguese word chuva, similar to the Spanich lluvia, which means rain. Also, a more literary meaning of chubascos suggests adverse events that make the going difficult, hindering one´s progress.

Hmmmm. I am very excited to begin my summer journey to Colombia, but I think I need to temper my expectations, and be ready to brave any chubascos on the horizons. I actually like rain, because it can create a kind of gray-ish, gloomy charm. And, the sun is bound to come out eventually.