Hola! I have landed safe on Colombian soil and have just woken up on my first morning in South America. Getting here was a breeze compared to everything that happened since my last post before I left. Remember how I was excited to be making home made fish and chips? Well, the boiling vegetable fat came flying out of the pan when I put the fish in and I managed to give myself a fairly large 2nd degree burn right on the joint of my wrist and hand. My last few days were spent in and out of the hospital and I’m stuck in a bandage round my entire wrist and hand! Ah well, that is SO me! I may have to get to a doctor in Colombia soon if it doesn’t seem to get any better! oh well!
So, I flew from London to Miami (9 hrs) with British Airways – mid industrial strike (they were still amazing though and provided a great flight despite being on skeleton staff) and then from Miami to Medellin (about 3 hours). Touching down in Colombia, it was pitch black and raining.. but still pretty warm. I was met at the airport (after a thorough searching by immigration – eeek!) by Santiago and Brett who work with The Humanity Exchange (THEX) and then we were off, driving through the mountainous landscape of Colombia. It was still too dark to see much but the scenery is incredibly lush and green, I can’t wait to see more! We stopped off at a traditional Colombian style restaurant and I had my first taste of the cuisine… fried plantains, corn breads, chorizo, a type of salsa and another dish that was pork crackling (British folk will understand me here as it’s a traditional acccompainament to a good old Sunday roast!). And to top it all off, a mango juice that was just soo tasty! I tried Santiago’s juice as well (made from a fruit called Lulu) which I found very amusing as Lulu is an older singer back in the UK, but unfortunately for her I’m afraid she can’t beat a fresh bit of mango! As I get more accustomed to the names of the dishes I’ll write more about them in the upcoming weeks, but last night I was so tired, I didn’t manage to get them all noted. Colombians are keen on their MEAT, which will be a bit of a challenge for me as I don’t ususally eat too much, but I’m sure I’ll soon be into the swing of things.
After the dinner, we headed on into Medellin city to arrive at my new home. Driving through the city at night, I was surprised by what I saw. Everything is so modern, so developed and not at all what I was expecting really. Medellin is the economic hub of Colombia and as such is a cosmopolitan city that rivals anywhere else in the World. I’m about to head out now to explore it for the first time…
I was welcomed into my new home with such a lovely greeting, a big hug and a kiss on the cheek and much excited chatter (unfortunately my Spanish is still pretty limited but I managed a ‘Hola’ and ‘gracias’!). I’m living in a family home right in the city centre with a lovely lady called Alicia and her husband and their seven year old son. Also there is there 7 year old son and a scotty dog (makes me feel at home) and a rabbit to keep me company! Two other girls, one from Peru and one from Canada live upstairs. There’s even a maid who makes all the food etc, which is new for me as I’ve never experienced this before. It’s a lovely place and I have a my own room and a little balcony. 
OK, well I need to have some food and head out now with Santiago into the city to buy some bits and bobs and my new Colombian sim card. Tomorrow I will start at my internship with Amichoco and live the Colombian working life!
Till later!
Nicole x
