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Dancing
in the fountain
On
the Saturday, it was the main precession of flowers that paraded
down the hills into and along the city roads. This was meant to
be the main attraction of the weekend. However, due to the crowds,
we were unable to see much but we enjoyed the atmosphere, the street
vendors and sunshine.
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| Jen
& James |
After
we left the main crowd of people, we passed a water fountain and
someone suggested that we go in... Without needing too much persuasion,
my shoes and socks were off and the next thing everyone knew I was
jumping up and down in the refreshing water.
I was
joined by Jen, Shane (who is doing a CEED in Medellín from
AIESEC in Bristol) and Bee. It is one of those random things that
will stick out from the weekend - not a care in the world for anything
just enjoying the moment.
Chiva
fun
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| Chiva |
After
the antics in the fountain, another highlight of the weekend was
almost upon us... I was excited, looking forward to my first Chiva
experience. What is a Chiva you are probably wondering?
Imagine
a bus with open sides and a roof, designed to carry about 20 people
then cramming it full of people any thing from 50 people upwards
depending on the size of the Chiva, then driving round the city
playing super-loud music with everyone dancing and drinking stopping
off at a number of landmarks along the way. The only thing to compare
it to is the Black Country Bus or city party buses - these compared
now seem tame.
Wishing
everyday was a Chiva day!
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| On
the chiva |
Part
of me was hoping it would not be an anticlimax as a number of people
had been on one before I arrived.
Some
have not stopped talking about it, while Dan Uno, much to everyone's
amusement, is a Chiva obsessive and went around the whole day saying,
"Guess what today is? It's a Chiva Day!" He has also insisted
on buying Chivas models of all sizes wherever we visited and other
Chiva merchandise: t-shirts and hand painted shot glasses.
Even
given all the hype, the Chiva was no disappointment - we toured
the city at night exactly like the promised description above!
The
Vintage Car Parade
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| Vintage
Ford |
The
final day in Medellín was spent on the outskirts of Medellín.
Avoiding the main crowds, we watched hundreds of vintage cars pass
us.
We
then went to Santiago's apartment, a local AIESECer. He and Lady,
another local AIESEC member, and others were amazing the whole weekend:
in charge of all the logistics, making sure everyone was happy and
in the right place at the right time.
The
majority of AIESEC members work unpaid, the dedication shown is
hard to describe and I think everyone left the weekend with new-found
friends.
Another
race to the airport
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| Santiago |
After
a few hours at Santiago's, we ordered a taxi to the airport. It
arrived half an hour late, so again it was a race against time.
We
travelled up the winding roads to the airport, over 1000 metres
in less than 30 minutes, with a drop in temperature of over 15 degrees.
Once again, there was nothing really to worry about, we arrived
at the airport in good time, all three of us feeling very sick -
a combination we think of the winding roads and altitude sickness.
Barranquilla
again
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| James'
favourite shop sign |
Returning
once again to Barranquilla, we were greeted by the humidity. Dan,
Juliet & I decided to finish off the weekend in the lovely Crepes
& Waffles again before returning to our host families.
The
following morning at work, colleagues in our foundation asked us
if we were OK. We said we were fine and were then informed that
there had been a small bomb, the day before at the Vintage Car Parade
we'd been at in Medellín. It was reported locally that between
21 and 35 people were injured in the attack.
It
feels a strange reality to be faced with - the whole time having
been with local people and not once feeling like our safety had
been threatened. It is a reminder to us that we are in a more risky
country and to remain alert. Everyone is well and safe though, so
there's nothing to worry about.
I'm
really looking forward to this week, hoping to make progress at
work. Next weekend, people are visiting the north and we are going
up to Cartagena for the weekend.
Written
by James Eder
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