I fell in love a little...

It has almost become a game I guess... The first time I took the wrong bus was sort of understandable- I was supposed to board the bus that said "UNICENTRO" but I accidentally hopped on the bus that said "CENTRO."


OK, makes sense, you see where I got confused... but the last bus I was on clearly said "GERMANIA."All in caps, just like that. The thing is, I can't see very well, especially when what I'm trying to read is driving by really fast and I'm standing alone in a big city. So I hesitate a bit, and get a little panicky every time a bus is coming, then sometimes I accidentally wave one down. It stops right in front of me, and I can clearly see that this is the wrong bus. But I feel so guilty for waving it down and get on anyway. Then I kinda hope it goes generally in the right direction... I sit down silently until I've semi-organized a sentence or two I can ask the person sitting next to me.


It becomes clear to them I cannot speak Spanish, and they start using some means of universal language (sometimes it's a little something like interpretive dance). I manage to get some type of instructions and I reply with a perfected "Ahhh... Muchas Gracias!" :D

                                       Yes. Yes my friends, I can read this.

La Candeleria (the place where it all began- this city I have fallen so in love with)

Friday was a really hard day for me. I've been attending Spanish classes for the last four weeks (I promise I'm going to get better soon...) and Friday was my last day. The composition of these classes are ever-changing from week to week with new students arriving every Monday or so. 


Starting on day one, I had one buddy in my class. She knew diddly squat just like me. I think of her as my side-kick kinda. Together, side-by-side, we learned how to ask to go to the bathroom, how to describe what each other were wearing, how to meet and greet, and all the good stuff like that. Each time a new student arrived in our class, we looked at each other and agreed they were far too advanced to ride with us. 


On Friday, I had to say good-bye :(


But it was unexpectedly really really hard. It's always hard saying good-bye to friends, but this time I was saying good-bye for good. We become good friends and tomorrow and everyday for the rest of my life Im not going to go to class.


I've met some seriously un-freakin-believable people from all over the world (Africa, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, USA, Canada) . Each of every person I've met is... perfect. I can't imagine my life without them now.


That's a big thing to say, but I've talked to each and every person and they have completely changed the shape of my existence. I could now go on for days and days talking about philosophical questions regarding how and why and who and what was meant to happen and bla bla bla, but I won't. Because I've been reading some other (really great) blogs, and I've realized maintaining a short message is key. 

                         Sebastian from CANADA!

                           Edwige from AFRICA!

    Mateo (ready to change the world) from the US! 

(I have also met an IAN and a JOSE from the US)

                        Luz, my crazy prof!

                        Markus from SWITZERLAND!

                         Rocco from HOLLAND!

David... (It's said "Shet-al" but it starts with a Kj...-something...) from NORWAY!

And, my side-kick, Ashley with her beautiful baby boy!

I wonder who else would change the path of my life if I had stayed just one more week.

So the message I would like to leave with you today is...

Go fearlessly and let the world change you. Open your hand to people; let their words become yours- and your words become theirs. Each of every person you encounter has the power to change a tiny thought or diminutive decision that can change the rest of your life. Whether it's a conversation, a concept, a coffee- take what has been so graciously offered and offer what can be so graciously taken. 

I am...

I was probably smiling, I don't remember. 


I flagged a bus down on the street... all by myself for the first time.
Pretty proud, I hopped on, took a seat, and propped by backpack on my lap.


Enjoying the view out the bus window, my smile started to fade as I realized a few turns later that the bus had turned.


Ohhhh shit... It wasn't supposed to turn. No, it was definitely supposed to go straight. Sooo... stay on or get off.. Stay on? Wait, no I should really get off. But I sat there stupidly debating with myself in my head.


No, I should get off. 


I got off, a little flustered. Dodged some traffic and managed to get to the sidewalk. I definitely hopped on the wrong bus. Hmm... Well, I've got a fourty block walk....

                                                     Sierra Morena

                                                        Myself, Jose

                                     Chillin with the hippis (Me, Lineta, Aleja)

                                                      Sebastian, Me, Jose!

I'm not sure where I was getting with my story but I thought I'd tell you anyway. 

Being that Feliz Dia Papa was ayer, I would like to share a little advice from my daddio:

Who are you?

Yes. You have a name, and maybe you can tell me a little bit about your family and what you do, etc., etc. 


Who would you say you are if you thought about things like this-


"You are the little pulse in the centre of your chest. You are... your heart.
Your brain is kinda like me (coming from my dad). It's there to get you where you're going, not to determine where that is. So, although your brain is very important, it's not always the right thing to guide you. Use your brain to satisfy your heart, not to decide who you are."


For those of you who don't know Fred, he's a really quiet guy and doesn't speak much English. He's a chef (an amazing one)- he cooks all day in the back of a restaurant. He's my dad and he's super cool. 


Right now, I'm Julianna Tan. I currently (temporarily) live in Bogota, Colombia. I am a traveler, to the church on the peaks of Mount Serrate, to the house of Simon Bolivar (considered the founder of Bogota), to El Mercado (full of local goodies and cool crafts), and to the neighborhood Sierra Morena.  I am a volunteer. I am a friend (to many people I wouldn't have even dreamt of meeting: Jose, Aleja, Sebastian, Julian, Andrea, Malu, Veanka, Isa, and more.... some pretty cool people). I am a student

.... and these are my teachers.

00:00 Colombian Time

Are you in a rush to get anywhere? I'd hope not. There are many things I can say, but I'm not sure exactly how or why I ended up in South America. I was talking to a friend today and realized I'm here. I hopped on a plane not knowing didly squat, but hoping for something amazing. 


I've been up to some shenanigans- riding horses in the mountains, putting chunks of cheese in... everything (for reals my friend- it's really good in hot chocolate, especially for breakfast), sipping aguadiente, and pretending I know how to speak spanish to the taxi drivers. 


Where are you right now? Why not find your favourite place to be in the whole wide world and just... relax.


There's a little something I've been running on lately and it's called "Colombian Time."
My first encounter was the second day I arrived here in Bogota. Mauricio said he would show me how to get to my school in the morning. Pacing- my little stress meter was long maxed out. Class was starting in five minutes. I was supposed to arrive ten minutes ago...


It's been one day short of two weeks from then, and I've come to realize the beauty of this so called "Colombian Time." It's not that the people here are unreliable, lazy, or careless. It's that the people here have realized something EXTREMELY difficult for me to grasp- something I think many people haven't realized. 

There are only very few things in life worth rushing for.

My life, in the norm, is run on punctuality. I schedule for the minute. I rush. I value time.


Or, I thought I valued time. But I've got this all wrong. 


If you're enjoying your lunch or whatever it is that you are doing- savour it. Razzle those salivary glands. Right at this moment- truly, honestly, and fully participate in your life. Appreciate your existence and celebrate your happiness at every moment. You have all the time in the world because all the time in the world is just that. Simply yours.


I know that sounds really wrong... or at least it does to me, but it's a reality I'm living right now. Extremely strange to me... extremely outside of my comfort zone... extremely valuable. 

               Leaving Home 

                Arriving in Bogota

         Hello ciudad.

                I started drawing again.

                     Gente esta muy bonita.

(Jose, Me, Andrea, Malu, Julien, Annhilita, and... her nobia.. sorry)

                    Hula Hooping. (Juan Phillipe)

                      Squishy cheeks.

                        Making moments out of minutes. 

Now I know it's unrealistic to forget about that second hand on your watch- especially for a culture in which punctuality has been imbedded, so let's find a balance. Don't live counting moments by minutes, but live by making moments out of minutes. 


(Perdone- I meant "Carrera 5" and not Calle 5 in my last post- it makes a bit of a difference. My bad.)

Calle 5, South end- Bogota

John Phillipe- so willing to teach and so eager to learn. I felt something new today when I realized how much fun a young child could have just listening to me speak-- perdone, "try" to speak his language. He threw his head back as he belted out with laughter asking me to say it again. 


"BAY-ent-ay..." I repeated myself. 


" No no no- Ve-ENT-ay!" he shouted with laughter and warm eyes. Then he asked me in Spanish to continue to count, nodding his head in approval after each number. 


I travelled to the south of Bogota for the first time today not knowing what to expect. Dangerous, ugly, poor... I will admit as curious as I was, I hadn't heard anything nice about the south and was a bit nervous. The trip there was a long ride on the "TransMilenio"- the "sexy" public transportation created by Enrique Penalosa, a recent mayer known for creating vehicle-free zones and founding the Sunday Ciclovia (very cool) in aims at increasing physical activity and outdoor activities. 


I can't explain what it is like to witness the contrast of the city. The wealthy north end (and I mean wealthy- luxurious, city lights, fancy restaurants, waterfalls and the like) and the South.


Calle 5, South: crumbles, shacks, garbage, dogs everywhere... and children. 


Beautiful. Bright-minded, intelligent, polite, creative, loving, unexplainably grateful, and... poor. 


"Buenas dias," a little girl pecked each and every cheek as she arrived in the park. Garbage floating everywhere, I broke two branches off a tree and used them as "chopsticks" to pick up the rubbish that polluted their playground. Young John Phillipe offered his tiny hand and held one stick while I held the other and together we carried a dirty diaper (repulsive, I know) towards the garbage bag. 


Later, we played. We spoke. We learned.

                             Jose, John Phillipe, Me.

                              Beauty at its finest.

                               Getting dizzy.

                                Las ninas colouring.

        I was asked by the photographer to flash a pose

                          The Photographer- David. 

I learned something today. I learned a lot actually. Most graciously, I got a glimpse of inequality. You hear about it, you see it on TV, you think about it. But to let it shoot you in the heart as you grab it by the hand and spin it in circles to hear laughter is a whole different story. Her laughter only lasts until you get dizzy and tired, and then you say good-bye.