Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Language Exchange

I had been thinking of looking up a language exchange program here in Cali so I could meet more people while practicing my Spanish. Of course my lazy self never got round to looking into it until I got back to Cali from my 2 week break in Medellin. I looked up some information online and started researching on potential language exchange programs, I was determined to follow through with my plan this time.

As luck would have it, today I came across a really cool language exchange event. I met up with a new friend who had been introduced to me by a mutual friend of ours and as I was hanging out at the hostel where he is staying at, I noticed a posting about an event called, "Cool Monday." Upon further inquiry I found out it was a language exchange event that's usually held every Monday at the salsa club I have gone to before with my friend Edna.

At first I was feeling a bit lazy about checking it out but upon second thoughts I figured that it would be a nice opportunity to meet new people. I went to the event and I am glad that I did because I ended up having so much fun. They had several tables set up and each had a sign indicating which language was to be practiced at the table. Of course there were no strict rules about this and you could move from one table to the next if you so wished. I met some really cool people who were very friendly and down to earth and I even got some tips on places to check out.

Every Monday the club hosts this event between 6 pm and 8 pm then after that they have salsa. Now I know what I will be doing on Monday evenings.

Here are a few pictures I took at the event.....





These two were really good dancers but more so the lady. She could move!


Random Thoughts of The Day:

Chevere is a Colombian slang for cool. So if you see or experience something really awesome you can say chevere, meaning cool.

I have mastered the Colombian currency but when it comes to the coins I get a little confused so whenever I go to the store I only use currency notes instead of coins because it's less confusing for me and I really don't want to hold anyone up trying to count coins. As a result of this I have so much change on me, I need to sit down one day and count it all then make a point of using them.

When I got back to Cali from Medellin, Fernanda's mum remarked that I had become fatter..........point to note, there is no such thing as sugar coating certain truths here. Now I have to really watch what I eat and stop overindulging.

You can get some pretty cheap lunch over here, for the equivalent of say $3 you can get soup, the main course and juice. The food is a lot too!

When I arrived to Cali from Medellin the sound of the ever present salsa in the neighborhood made me realize how much I had missed that about Cali.

A lot of young folks here go to hotels for some "private" time with their boyfriends or girlfriends because most of them still live with their families so there is no privacy. Fernanda is always pointing out which hotels are the best just in case I ever get a boyfriend here. Very funny girl.

I mentioned before that we have a resident gecko in our bathroom and at night he is busy having a buffet of mosquitoes. I don't mind that at all but trust me, waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and coming face to face with this gecko, is not fun. The little sucker eye balls you as you are doing your business and is not even frightened enough to hide, the nerve!

I had forgotten the pros of staying in a hostel until I visited my new friend at his hostel. They had several events and activities listed on the notice board and there was a cool social vibe that provided a good opportunity to meet other people.




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