Sunday, April 20, 2014

New City Blues

Whenever I travel to a new city alone I always get a case of the blues for the first day or two as it dawns on me that: I have no company, I know no one at the new city and I have to pretty much figure out everything from scratch. Once I get my bearings around the new city and start talking to people then I start feeling more comfortable and more excited about the new surroundings.

Medellin was no exception to my "new city blues." Having spent about a month in Cali, I started feeling restless and wanted to go somewhere else for a short while to get away from the heat and to take some time off alone. I did some research online and found a good Spanish school in Medellin then proceeded to book a room through airbnb for a two week stay. An 8 hour bus ride later I was in a new city, Medellin.

My first day in Medellin was yesterday and I was feeling a bit blah and I kept thinking, "okay, what the heck I'm I doing here again?"I took a walk around my neighborhood, did some grocery shopping and came back to my room to chill. I was just not feeling it.

Today I woke up feeling slightly better and decided to venture out further outside my comfort zone to see what this city had to offer. My host's mum at the house I am staying at, gave me a metro card and showed me a map of places I should check out. Armed with some information and determination to get to know my surroundings better, I set off to use the metro to get to one of the places that had been recommended to me - The Botanical Garden of Medellin. I have to admit I was feeling a bit nervous but I figured that if I was to get lost I could always take a taxi back to the house anyway.

Getting to the garden was easier than I expected and I was glad to have made the trip, the area around the gardens was very lively with lots of people and vendors selling some pretty cool handicrafts. The botanical garden was really pretty and I took my time to walk around enjoying the peaceful surroundings.

Entrance to the Botanical Garden.


House of butterflies, saw some very beautiful colored butterflies.









That's it folks, I managed to beat my "New City Blues" on the second day in Medellin and I am now looking forward to what this new city has to offer. Tomorrow I will be starting my Spanish classes at 9 in the morning. I don't know why I do this to myself but I registered for 3 hrs of daily Spanish classes from Monday to Friday. I hope I will not burn out.

Random Thoughts of The Day:

Weather wise Medellin is a fresh breath of air compared to Cali. It's not as hot and the air just feels fresher, today walking around the botanical garden felt so comfortable and nice. I did not break a sweat at all.

Unlike Cali I haven't heard much salsa music in Medellin. Maybe it depends on the area I am but I sure do miss hearing salsa being played everywhere.

The bed at the room I rented is the most uncomfortable bed I have ever slept on. The mattress is hard! the first time I sat on the bed I kind of landed hard assuming I would bounce on the springs.........wrong! my butt still hurts! I had to double check to make sure that indeed I have a mattress because it's too hard to be real. I may need a chiropractor by the time I leave Medellin.

Taking the metro is super easy and convenient in Medellin. I don't know why I was even nervous to begin with.

Lemon juice and sugar have done wonders on my skin. I was so distressed about my facial breakouts due to the heat and constant sweating in Cali, but this concoction is restoring my once radiant and flawless skin. Having never suffered from acne as a teen, getting even one pimple on my face now freaks me out. What can I say? I am vain when it comes to my skin.

airbnb is one of the best accommodation options, I have had people recommend it to me but I never tried it until now. I think i will try it again when I visit other places.

My thighs are still sore from the trek we did two days ago at Cerro De Las Tres Cruces and whenever I have to climb or go down any stairs I walk with a limp.

I am so glad my room has cable TV, I don't think the other rented rooms in the house have TV. I can catch up on news and enjoy some shows before going to sleep at night and when I get bored of the TV I have my nook and laptop to entertain me.

I am impressed by how much Spanish I have learned so far, I hope to be fluent in the near future.




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