Half-way

I know it is a funny title for the post, but this whole week (week 3) has been exactly that – half-way.
This week we had more classes, which is good, because I am finally getting some vocabulary and more flexibility in terms of what I can talk about – yay, I can now talk about the past and not just about now or what I like (or not) in general.
There were the trips to the mall, and a restaurant, so yes, we've mastered survival Spanish – can order food, buy clothes and shoes, and be somewhat nice about it. And there was dancing – Cumbia!

Wednesday Bud and I joined a couple of colleagues from Javeriana and went to Agua Blanca, the other Cali. This part of the city that is home to over half a million people (of the total 2.5 million in Cali), many of whom are displaced and generally very poor. I must not have been paying a lot of attention when I was getting the memo about this visit, because I thought we were meeting with Fe y Alegria … as a result I definitely stood out – tall, white, in my pretty high heels. I had no idea we were going to Agua Blanca, but I am glad we did. Our hosts at all three sites (where Fe y Alegria works) were generous and lovely people. We first visited a school and community center, then an after-school program, and finally a sports center in the middle of the barrio. The children laughed and took photos with us, the adults eagerly shared stories and experience working in this community. Walking around the narrow streets I could not help but notice the metal bars on the doors and windows; I had a camera, but the feeling of being watched prevented me from taking photos; a few times I mustered enough courage to peer inside through an open window or door into small rooms with sparse furniture, or a set of eyes that reflected my curiosity with guarded depth.

Wednesday afternoon I really have to make an effort to go to music class. It brings me joy, though. German takes sweet revenge as he brought his camera and is taking photos of us making faces. By the way, German, if you are reading this, I am still waiting to see those photos :)
As it turns out (since I am finally making this post 2-3 weeks after originally written) this was our last music class.