One morning, I was picked up at my school in Belén de Umbría and taken to a rural school in La Tribuna, a tiny rural village about 45 minutes away. The ride through the mountains was down a narrow one-lane muddy road. It was slippery and dangerous. The road had no guardrails and it was a straight drop down the mountain.
Lashae and I were invited to go on a hike through Santa Emilia Municipal Park (Parque Municipal Natural Santa Emilia) one Saturday with an adult English class from Belén de Umbría. The park is located about 20 minutes from Belén. It has a nature trail through a dense forest that leads to a few waterfalls.
La Virginia is a hot town in Colombia’s Coffee Region. There’s really no reason for anyone to stop there. It’s basically a town conveniently located on a crossroads to many major cities.
With a couple of other teachers (Natalia #1, Natalia #2, and Maryam), I went to a Marc Anthony concert in Pereira. It’s not normally I concert I would go see, but I was sure the atmosphere would be amazing in Colombia.
The biggest social event in Medellín is the annual Flower Festival (Feria de las Flores), held annually in August.
El Centro is the city center of Medellín. It contains some of the city’s most important landmarks. It’s also a great place to observe daily life. El Centro is officially known as La Candelaria and corresponds to Comuna 10.
A brief guide on where to stay in Medellín. As far as accommodation, Medellín has several options for every budget, from hostels and budget hotels to business class and luxury hotels.
I arrived in Pereira, Colombia, on 1 August to start volunteering with the Nukanti Foundation. My job is to enhance the quality of English education in a public school in the Risaralda department of Colombia, the heart of Coffee Country. I will aid the English teachers in improving their own English to better serve their students, and provide a cultural exchange for the students in the school. I’m really looking forward to getting started!
Just the thought of an amusement park with a coffee theme was intriguing to me. Parque del Café, part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, is located in a beautiful green valley in the heart of Coffee Country near the town of Montenegro in the department of Quindío.