Arroyo Peligroso

This past weekend in Barranquilla was awesome. If it was any indication as to what the next two years here will be like then I'm very happy. I made it to "el centro" on Saturday for the first time, which is where all the markets are, selling everything from meet and fish to radios and batteries. I was in awe of all the fruit and vegetable stands and how cheap they all were. You can get 10 bananas for 1000 pesos, which is roughly 50 cents. You'll probably find me there every weekend buying my fill fruits and veggies for the rest of the time I'm in Barranquilla. Now would probably be a good time to introduce to you the wondrous "arroyos" that occur here. When it rains in Barranquilla there are no storm sewers for the rainwater to drain into. Instead, the rainwater rushes down the streets creating river-like rapids called arroyos, which completely paralyze the city. I'm yet to see a really big one but I've seen pictures of arroyos that wash away cars and busses, and they say if you get caught in one you'll wash straight to the Rio Magdalena to die…in other words, if it's raining and you approach an arroyo, you best stay put and wait the storm out. I guess right before we arrived at el centro it had rained because when we got there there were still some small arroyos. As they taper off, the water is still a few inches deep, safe to cross, but nasty. In order to cross the street without having to step in the icky water, some clever folks have made a business out of placing wooden steps in the street that you can use to cross for a nominal fee. This really amused me, and kept me from fearing I would contract giardia from the dirty water.

We had planned on going to a music festival Saturday afternoon but it was so hot that standing in the sun listening to blasting reggaeton was not on top of my list. On Saturday night we went to a culture landmark in Barranquilla, if you will. "La Troja" is a salsa club in town where people GET. DOWN. People I spoke to about it had talked it up, telling us how it was the best place to learn to dance salsa quickly. I had envisioned a place reminiscent of a scene out of West Side Story; dark, red lights, live music, the works. No. La Troja is nothing more than a large open corner tienda with an awning, tons of people dancing in between the tables and a row of street vendors selling "mondongo" (read: cow intestine) across the street ready to receive late night revelers. It was so much fun and it certainly lived up to its reputation. The place was so crowded that the masses spilled onto the street, so it essentially became a giant street party with lots of Aguila, salsa music and dancing. After begging the street vendors to sell me a plate of potatoes WITHOUT the mondongo with no success, we went to another salsa club call "Mi Barrio" down the street and danced our little hearts out until 4am.

Carlos, the iguana

A picture of an arroyo in Barranquilla I got off google images

A few member of our group at La Troja

Prado Mar

On Sunday we got a super late start but managed to make it to the beach by around 3pm. We went to a beach called Prado Mar, about 30 minutes outside of Barranquilla. I thought it was perfect. Such a wonderful escape from the crazy city and perfect place to catch some rays. The beach is unlike any I've ever been to. It was lined with cabanas made of palm leaves where you can grab beer or hang out in the chairs. It was so nice to wind down after a long week of training (and night of salsa). I definitely want to try and make it out every weekend as long as I'm in Barranquilla. There are 5 or 6 beaches along the coast that are pretty close so I look forward to exploring all the different ones and finding my favorite.

This week we're doing our field practicum, where we spend all day observing and planning lessons with teachers and then teach a few lessons by the end of the week. Wish me luck. I'll let you know how it goes.