I took the bus up to Medellin last weekend only because I missed the window to pay cash for my flight. Ibague - Medellin is only 50 minutes, and would have saved me some time, and I can pay in my local Efecty with cash, that is if I arrive more than 24 hours before hand. I arrived only 23 hours before hand, so instead I took the bus for 9 hours. But in the end, I am glad I went.
Medellin is the number two city in Colombia, and becoming a top tourist destination as well. I went to meet a group of entrepreneurs, some living in Medellin, and some visiting the region from around the world. The event had rented a big house on the highest point of Envigado, where I got this picture overlooking the city from the pool. Medellin is laid out across a valley, so it makes for some really good views from around the city.
The night was productive, and I was very interested to hear everyone's impressions of Colombia; from US people to a South African, a German and a Dutch, some from other Latin American countries like Argentina and Mexico as well. The main topic of discussion was about investing in Medellin, and Colombia by proxy. I had a few things to share with everyone but was most happy to hear them share about their experiences and interests.
On the second day I met up with several groups of men, breakfast, lunch, afternoon coffee; discussing further ideas, business plans, of course inviting them to come visit me in Tolima. Not many of them had heard of Tolima, but that's okay, its the State just south of Medellin! After a day of meetings, I went out to the pub with an Irishman and watched 'El Clasico', Medellin-Nacional - this is a classic matchup from the two teams from Medellin, and boy was a it a good match, here's a highlights reel:
It ended 4-3, perhaps the most exciting soccer match I have ever seen, although I haven't really seen all that many.
I took the bus back the next day, and then headed up to the farm. I found Jose working hard at changing the bamboo supports of this structure that my father-in-law built around 6-7 years ago while we were in the US. I remember he built it too short, and we had used a bar to pry up the legs and shove rocks underneath. I also remember that fitting the tin sheets in a circle was a puzzle that took me several days to solve, but I did it.
Now, a big Higuerrilla tree had grown over it and was pushing it over. Jose helped me clean out around it, we pruned the tree and now it has new supports - a still lasting legacy of working with my father-in-law Don Heberto.
Our farm, Buena Vista has undergone some wonderful transformations, we have been aggressively pruning back one main area in the center of the farm, and I am amazed at how open and beautiful it looks. More and more people want to come and visit us and see what we are doing, and this is okay - its good to have friends!
Like this friend of Ledis', who lived close to the nursury where she worked last year and always invited her over for coffee. She came and visited with her husband, and they both were happy to experience 'el campo' so close to home. She even got greated by a butterfly, as if to say, "You are welcome here".
No sooner did I get back to town and a friend of some friends was eager to meet with me. He has a small, start-up call center in Libano, and wanted to know if I could help train some of his workers to improve their pronunciation in English. They don't have to say much, but phrases like 'I'm sorry, let me transfer you' would go a long way in their line of work.
He currently has contracted work from many different health centers in Florida. His team handles Spanish speakers, and another team in Jamaica handles the English speakers, but sometimes they get the language of the person wrong. Its an interesting business, and he also wanted to know if I had any students interested, because he thinks the company wants to replace many of the Jamaicans with Colombians if they can.
We agreed on a rate that I would come by twice a week near the end of the shift and give some pointers to the employees, they are excited that some English training comes as a job benefit!
When I say we are working hard down here in Colombia - I mean it. But that doesn't mean we aren't having fun too - making friends and helping each other. Colombia is a country with lot of potential in terms of development. It is a country that produces enormous quantities of raw materials, with a people that are hard working and friendly, even if they sometimes lack focus.
I know what I see - MASSIVE POSSIBILITIES - and I continue to hedge into this emerging market that I know and love. Now it seems I have met some new friends looking to do the same.