A Rainbow over Bogota!!!

 Thursday, July 22nd!

Another wonderful day at Sabio Caldes!  In the morning several students presented information about their clubs and extracurricular activities.  Believe it or not..they are very similar to ours!  They have a school magazine, film club, peace club, English and French Club...and many others.  The clubs are run either by teachers or people that live in the community.  These clubs are all held after school and provide a safe haven for the students beyond school hours! It was really difficult to hear the students talk about how dangerous their community actually is.  Essentially it is ruled by "gangs" which are made up of displaced individuals from the guerilla groups and paramilitary groups.  These gangs control the neighborhoods.  The people who live there are forced to pay money to protect themselves. You really can't leave your house after 8:00 p.m. unless you have permission from the gang.  If you are out...you will be shot!  They post a list of names in the market and if yours is on it...it means you are on the list to be killed!  I can't even begin to imagine what life like that must be like...  The country is working hard to try and bring about peace and change..but the process is slow.  The community at Sabio Caldes is certainly a step towards a better life for all of the students and their families!

Breakfast tamale...

Learning about the clubs!

 After learning about the clubs we went to a school assembly where the students and faculty put on a show for us!  It was so much fun!  We saw dancing, singing, musical instruments, and comedy!  They were phenomenal!  At one point, they even pulled some of us up into their dance!

Students enjoying the show!

 At the end of the day, we had a wonderful discussion with the teachers and headed on our way to visit Monteserrat.  As you can see the view of Bogota from the top of the mountain was magnificent!  A city of almost 9 million people...it is tremendous!

The whole group!

Simon...one of our guides...being his usual silly self!

 At the end of the day we went to the Zona Rosa for dinner!  Fabulous day!!!

Tomorrow we're off to the Caribbean coast!  Our two hour trek to the indigenous school!  I will be out of touch until Saturday night or Sunday...  Off to Palomino at 6:00 a.m.!

Can't wait to catch you up on my experiences!