When the Odd Becomes the Norm...

Every culture and country comes complete with things that to the casual, outside observer would appear odd and strange. It's these "quirks" and differences that make living in new cultures outside of your innate comforts exciting and interesting. When I first moved to Repelón a little over a year ago, there were definitely things that caught my eye as odd and extreme. However, today, I rarely even bat an eye when these events occur. Here are some of the things that my pueblo has taught me to embrace as the "new norm":

1. Overly affectionate students

In the United States, teachers are drilled on the importance of maintaining space between themselves and their students. Physical contact of any kind is severely frowned upon. Primary teachers are taught the art of the side hug. Secondary teachers do their best to form bubbles around themselves so as to avoid possible lawsuits or sexual harassment cases. Here in Colombia, this just simply does not exist.


Every morning at school, I am greeted by hugs and a kiss on the cheek from the female students and various, elaborate handshakes from the male students. Colombians are very affectionate people.Why let the institution of "school" change that?? I still remember the first time that a female student approached me and tried to give me a kiss on the cheek. I started profusely sweating, as my eyes darted around the school to see if any other teacher or administrative staff member was watching me. I was expecting the police to show up at any moment and haul me away for making inappropriate contact with a minor. Needless to say, all of my anxieties and awkwardness surrounding this practice have disappeared during my time here.

2. Farm animals gone wild!

As I have mentioned many times before, I grew up on a farm in a small town in Iowa. We raised sheep when I was younger, and my grandparents, who live about a mile up the road from my house, still raise cows and pigs. I have been around farm animals my entire life and have no issue dealing with the unavoidable smells and noise associated with have live animals. Here in the pueblo, many of the same animals exist as well. The only difference is that they roam free and do pretty much whatever they want!

Pens and pastures are a thing of the imagination. Why keep animals locked up when they can just roam free through the city?? The sight of pigs and cows meandering up and down city streets has become such a daily occurrence that I don't even think twice about the oddity of it. Just last month, a friend of mine visited from the Atlanta. As we did a tour of the pueblo, she was in awe of the fact that pigs just wandered freely and did whatever they wanted. It made me realize that this isn't "normal" to an American. Heck, I've even been delayed on my walk to school by herds of cows lazily walking through town, having not a single care or worry in the world.

3. Pueblo bus culture

In my last post, I wrote about ways to get around the pueblo. One of those ways was by bus. Since a large majority of the people living in the pueblo don't have a personal vehicle, the bus becomes the only source of transportation for not only bodies, but other items as well. Over the last year, myself and fellow volunteers have seen the following being transported on a bus:

- Washing machine
- Rocking chairs (complete with occupants using them as seats)
- Queen-sized mattress (strapped to both the top of the bus and inside the bus)
- Bed frame and headboard
- Floor tiles
- Live animals, including, but not limited to:
         > Roosters
         > Chickens
         > Dogs
         > Birds
         > Piglets
- Lumber for construction
- Large sacks of rice, sugar, salt, etc...

Now, boarding a bus becomes some what of a game. What fun and inventive items are going to be transported back to the pueblo today????

4. Club standards

Going out on a Saturday night, one is bound to go through the same routine:

1. Meet up with friends (normally half an hour to an hour late)
2. Head to the caseta/estadero/club
3. Order a round of drinks
4. Consume said drinks while trying to not go deaf from the blaring music
5. Dance to every fifth song with a friend or through an invitation
6. Repeat steps three through five

While this may seem a lot like a night out in the states as well, there is one glaring difference: age requirements. It is super common to see parents with their small children (between the ages of 2 and 5) out well past midnight. Primary aged students weave their ways through the throngs of adults dancing and enjoying the night. Bachillerato students awkwardly congregate in the corner and try to act cool. Age limits do not exist here in Colombia. There are no bouncers at the door checking ID's to make sure that patrons are over 21. This type of night life is just such a part of the culture here that no one thinks twice about having everyone participate in it, no matter what their age.

5. Lack of punctuality

One of the biggest things that I have had to try and let go of here is my concept of time. Americans are notorious for their punctuality and desire to squeeze as much into a day as they possibly can. This spans the generations, as my mom remembers going to church every Sunday growing up a child. Even though mass didn't start until 9:00 am, her family always arrived by no later than 8:30 am. Gotta make sure to get that pew!

Showing up somewhere thirty minutes early is simply unheard of here along the coast. I have had to seriously adapt my views on what "on-time" really  means. This caused many frustrations and misunderstandings when I first moved here. Friends would say "Let's meet at 7 tonight in the plaza." Being the American that I am, I would show up at 10 'til 7, and then proceed to wait for 30-45 minutes for everyone else to show up. I quickly realized that meeting times were just arbitrary numbers used without any real meaning.

This in turn has caused me to become a bit lazier! I have stopped arriving to places early and deliberately show up late - I still normally end up being the first one! For example, last November, I organized an end of the year celebration for the students of my community English classes. We decided on starting the event at 4 pm, knowing well that this was never going to happen. I finally showed up around 6 pm, two hours after the stated "start" time, and WAS STILL THE FIRST PERSON! It just blew my mind!

Through the course of my Peace Corps service, I have adapted to so many new norms and ways of life. With a little over nine months remaining before I head back to the United States, I'm excited to see how many more of these new "norms" I can identify and enjoy before the hustle and bustle of American life re-consumes me.

Pueblo Transportation

Living in a small, rural pueblo presents itself with plenty of challenges and obstacles. Power is lost without warning. Air conditioned rooms are a luxury. Running water is something found in the large, bustling cities. Despite these perceived limitations, there is one thing that is relatively easy to access and use: transportation. Getting around the pueblo itself and to other surrounding areas is fairly easy and straight forward. Below are five of the most common ways to get around a Colombian pueblo...

1. Moto

Easily the most convenient and popular option of locals, motos can be found at pretty much every street corner and major intersection in town. For less than $0.50 USD, you can be transported anywhere in town that you would like. Motos also run between pueblos and are sometimes the only option available when a bus is missed or time is an issue. Locals are not afraid to transport any item on a moto, as I have personally witnessed pots of sancocho, bookshelves, and queen sized mattresses moved on the back of a moto.

2. Motocoches

These three-wheeled bikes are almost as popular as motos. Used mainly by large groups of people wishing to travel together or people with lots of luggage/groceries/items, motocoches provide a bit of a safer, slower ride. Prices are normally a littler higher to use one of these (closer to $1.00 USD), but when trying to transport lots of items, the slight uptick in price is definitely worth it.

3. Bus

When traveling outside of the pueblo, the most effective form of transportation is the local pueblo bus. These colorful vehicles are normally adorned with various decals, ranging from Looney Tunes to pictures of Jesus to American flags. These buses are marked with the name of the final destination, usually painted across the front, just above the windshield. Most also provide a small plaque stating the name of the pueblo where the bus is headed. Getting on the bus early and finding a seat, preferably by a window, is a necessity as the bus tends to fill up quickly. The lack of air conditioning can make the commute extremely uncomfortable some days. Buses leave once every hour, more or less on the hour, starting at 5 am, with the last bus leaving town around 4 pm. From Repelón, the two-hour bus journey to Barranquilla costs roughly $3.00 USD.

 4. Bicycle

The bicycle is also a popular way to move about the pueblo. Used by all ages, biking provides for a more relaxed, controlled ride. One of the really interesting things here is how people use their bikes. It is very common to see two or three people on one bike - one person sitting on the bar between the seat and front tire, one person on the seat, and someone else hanging on the back wheel. Also super common is seeing grown adults (usually men) riding bikes designed for small children. While an amusing spectacle, I personally cringe every time that I see this, just thinking about how uncomfortable that ride must truly be.

5. Walking!

My personal favorite and preferred way to get around my pueblo is by walking! Everyone in town is always in shock that I choose to walk the ten minutes to my house from school every day. I am constantly bombarded with cries of "but the sun - it's going to turn you black!" To this, I quickly reply "that's the goal!" One thing that I've come to understand and appreciate here is how Colombians judge distance. It is not uncommon to see a Colombian take a moto three blocks - anything to avoid extra steps! While the heat does sometimes make walking absolutely horrendous, I love the exercise, along with the ability to greet and converse with others that I encounter.

Added Bonus: Mule Cart

The occasionally mule cart will make its way through town. Normally used by local farmers transporting their goods from the finca to town, this form of transportation always adds a bit of adventure in maneuvering through town. Getting stuck behind a slow moving mule is almost the same as following a combine back home during harvest season - you aren't going to be getting anywhere anytime soon!

With the various difficulties that living in a pueblo can present, it's nice knowing that getting from one place to another is relatively easy and stress-free. It'll definitely be an adjustment when I finally return back to the US getting used to the pace at which everything moves, including transportation. I'm also going to have to retrain myself in the art of driving, something I will not have done for over two years! The accelerator is the pedal on the left, right?? ;)

Pueblo Royalty

It’s that time again: Carnaval! Also known as the happiest time in one of the happiest countries in the world, this year’s Carnaval celebration has been filled with everything you would expect – extravagant costumes, traditional dances, and copious amounts of drinks and laughter. The above quote, which loosely translates to “he who lives it is he who enjoys it”, accurately captures the atmosphere here on the coast during these celebrations.

The celebrations this year have taken on a bit of a different meaning for me. Last year, I was caught up in the pomp and circumstance that Barranquilla’s festivities bring with it. Touted as the second largest celebration in the world, the parades, hordes of people, and constant music established an amazing experience. However, this year, I wanted more of a personal experience, one where I was more actively involved in the activities and excitement. Carnaval in the pueblo has offered me this opportunity and more.

Pre-Carnaval Activities

Although the actual Carnaval itself is a 4 day celebration that leads up to Ash Wednesday, the build-up to the main event starts over a month before. Decorations adorn houses. Costumes and traditional outfits are pumped out by local tailors. Music fills the air with more gusto and strength than during the rest of the year.

These activities extend to the schools as well. Carnaval rotates each year based on when Easter is. That meant that this year Carnaval fell on the first weekend in February, which happened to be about a week and half after the start of the school year. This means that the only thing on everyone’s mind was who the school queen was going to be and what the school’s float was going to look like. Needless to say, academic matters have been of little concern.

Prior to the start of the school, the teachers gathered for about two weeks of meetings, planning, and discussions about the upcoming year. Those discussions this year included the choosing of the teacher queen and rey momo (Carnaval king). Normally, these honors go to new teachers that have just started as a way to welcome them to the school. Despite the fact that I am not a new face, the other staff voted me as the Rey Momo of the school for this year. It probably helped that I am one of only 2 male high school teachers, but still, it was an amazing honor to have been chosen. 

The week before the  start of Carnaval was spent nominating candidates for the student queen, working on dance routines to perform at numerous assemblies, and figuring out where all the party hot spots will be. Each grade elected a female representative from their class to be in the running for the student queen of the school. These candidates then went through a competition, in which they danced, wore traditional outfits, and answered questions. The candidates were judged by a panel made up of the school coordinator, jefe nuclear (more or less the superintendent of the schools), a former student, and a respected parent from the community. The build-up to the announcement of the student queen was infectious. When she was announced, the students went wild! The Miss Universe pageant has nothing on the queening of the student queen!

With the candidates for primary school queen

The teacher queen, Alison, and I

With the representative from 10-2

Angelica and I! Best counterpart around!

My favorite janitor crew in the world!

The student queens for 2016!

Later that night, I took to the streets with my friend Jaime. We headed down to the plaza and scouted out the best location to watch the coronation of the pueblo queen. Chosen about a month before, this year’s queen is the cousin of one of the student’s in my community class. This honor brings a great sense of pride to the family and everyone associated with her. The festivities that night were filled with lots of dances, vallentato performances, and the eventual crowning of the queen. It was a great event filled with tons of espuma (foam), maizena (corn starch that is thrown at bystanders in good fun and jest), and sore feet from hours of dancing and standing.

With Jaime and Kevin before the start of the coronoation

Getting ready for the festivities to begin!

The Repelón Carnaval Queen!

Cumbia performance

Espuma aftermath!

Carnaval Activities

This past Friday I was able to participate in a parade of my own. All of the schools in town created floats, dressed up in their best Carnaval attire, and made their way through town. I was joined on the IE John F. Kennedy float by the queen of the teachers, the primary student queen, and a cumbia band. This event reminded me a lot of our homecoming tradition back in the States. There was a lot of town pride, with students from all three schools joining in and walking the route with their respective floats.

Alison and I all decked out in our outfits

Ready to start the parade!

With some former 11th grade students

Clapping along with some cumbia!

 

Repelón wasn’t the only town kicking of the Carnaval season in style. Just up the road, in Rotinet, my friend Jessi was having a grand celebration of her own. A few days earlier, she had told me that she was being crowned as the queen of one of the local casetas (club) near her house. With this being such an amazing honor for her, I made my way to her pueblo and experienced one of the coolest events ever.

It is obvious that Jessi has made an amazingly positive impact on her town. A large majority of the citizens gathered outside of the caseta, where a stage had been constructed (complete with an American flag, which was an awesome touch!). Throughout the night, Jessi made multiple outfit changes, danced cumbia, mapale, and champeta, and stole the hearts of all of the Rotineros all over again. As an added bonus, I was unexpectedly named Rey Momo and was able to enjoy the night by her side. Not only was this a night that the town will never forget for quite some time, it’s one of the many memories that I will bring back home with me. 

Ready for the coronation ceremony to begin!

And what an absolutely stunning and beautiful queen she is!

There are still three more days of festivities left. More vallenato will be played, aguardiente drunk, and maizena dispersed. However, the events that I have been able to experience so far make this year’s Carnaval far and away better than last year. Remember – Quien Lo Vive Es Quien Lo Goza!!

Unintentional Ride Along

It all started off just as a normal Tuesday. Having just returned from a glorious two week vacation, I was anxious to get back into the groove of pueblo life. As I made my way to the police station to check in with my cop friends, I had a sneaking suspicion that this day was going to provide a bit a twist. Turns out, I was right...

As I made my way through the front gates, I was greeted by the faded one-eyed Santa Claus painted on the pavement in front of the station. After making my rounds through the normal greetings with all of the cops present, I wandered into the office of the police chief, Mel. He and I engaged in conversation about my vacation and his upcoming trip home for the holidays to see his family and friends. Suddenly, the police radio crackled some incoherent words that immediately alarmed Mel. As he uttered the first cuss word that I had ever heard him say in the past year, I knew that something bad was going down.

Mel stormed out of the office, calling for some of the other cops to gear up and get ready to head out from the station. I started to pack my things up, figuring that this was my informal cue to return home. I was extremely startled when all of the sudden I heard "Michael, venga conmigo!" (Michael, come with me). As Mel's muted words sunk in, I made my way out of the office to see him motioning me towards to police truck. Expecting a stern, serious face awaiting me, I was instead greeted with the typical, wide-eyed smile that Mel wears with extreme pride.

I climbed into the back of the truck and we took off. My initial thought was that I was being taken home, a common practice that is often extended my way when returning to my house after an afternoon at the station. Instead of turning towards my house, we headed out of town. We meandered through Rotinet and stopped off at a finca on the outskirts of the corregimiento. As we pulled up to the front gate, we were met by four other local police and four military men, decked out in camouflage uniforms and huge guns. Not knowing what was going on, I elected to just stay in the truck and try to figure out what was going on.

Instead of sounds of stern talking and discussion, my ears were greeted with the sounds of laughter and lighthearted conversation. Peering out the back window, I saw all ten of the police standing in a circle. They appeared to just be swapping stories about life and any earlier tension that was expressed by Mel at the station seemed to have dissipated. After about five minutes, Mel and one of the other cops returned to the truck. With vallenato spilling out of the speakers and filling the night air, we headed back out onto the road. However, we weren't headed back towards town - we just continued away from home and normality.

Within ten minutes, we had reached the limits of Luruaco, another town within the vicinity. With lights flashing, we weaved our way through local motos and bikes towards the Luruaco police station. Upon arrival, I once again hid in the backseat while Mel entered the station and the other cop struck up a conversation with the other cops standing outside. Eavesdropping gained me no new knowledge that would help explain what this journey was all about. About ten minutes later, Mel returned and we headed back to town.

Still completely confused as to the purpose of our journey (and really why I was along for the ride), I asked Mel what had just happened. He explained to me that there had been a suspected break-in at the finca. Now this particular finca was at one time a part of the drug trade that has crippled Colombia in the past. When we arrived at the finca, the other cops and military at the site said that it was a false alarm. We had to continue on to Luruaco to report the lack of findings and fill out some paperwork.

All in all, this experience just reassured that saying "yes" to requests from community members always leads to some interesting experiences. Being apart of an inadvertent drive along provided with an opportunity to get a bit of look into the life of a police officer here in Colombia. While I'll never really know what was talked about at the finca or the police station, the relaxed way that this situation was handled completely reconfirmed the "coge la suave" attitude possessed by the costeños. Now I can cross "partake in a ride along with the police" from my bucket list.

Dissecting the Pueblo Classroom

Monday marked the first day of school for many students all along the Caribbean coast of Colombia. After two months of vacation, it was time to come back to the daily grind of Colombian education. Two weeks of teacher meetings established new rules and procedures that hopefully will help make the school flow and progress in a more organized way. Despite all of these changes, there is one thing that remains the same: the classrooms.

This composite of various classrooms from the school I am currently serving at, I.E. John F. Kennedy, shows some of the conditions that teachers have to teach in and students have to learn in. It's easy to see the mostly bare walls, lack of a ceiling, and numerous seats. However, there are many other aspects to each room that make teaching even that more of a challenge.

6-01: Lack of Desks

One of the unfortunate things that occurs in many schools all over Colombia is overpopulation of classrooms. It is very common to see anywhere between 30-38 students in a normal Colombian classroom. Not only is teaching to a large number of students difficult, but many times basic necessities, like desks, are in short supply. That is the case with this classroom. With close to 32 sixth grade students using this classroom at one time, at least 4-5 are left without a desk. Sometimes, even chairs are in short supply and students are forced to sit on the floor. It's hard enough to concentrate on math when your desk wobbles - imagine having to do that while sitting on the floor.

7-01: Open, Dead Space

The openness of Colombian classrooms is necessary. The constant heat and humidity make closed classrooms impossible. However, this necessity is also a hindrance. Since every single classroom in the school is constructed in this same way, the happenings of other classrooms are constantly incorporated into daily lessons. It becomes hard to hold student's attention for long periods of time. Conducting quiet, focused activities are almost out of the question. Learning how to adapt and use these conditions to your advantage has been something that requires an ample amount of time to do.

7-02: "Cooling" System

In the above photo, there are two fans on the far wall of the classroom. The extreme heat and humidity and overall lack of a breeze make the classrooms stifling. Lack of air movement leads to a profuse amount of sweating and easy irritation. The fans in the rooms are meant to help counteract this reality. However, the fans only really reach the first row of desks placed directly below them. The air current created by the fans does not reach the front of the room or the other side of the classroom. Students are constantly battling for those prime seats, which leads to unnecessary quarrels and disagreements.

8-01: Teacher's Desk

One of the luxuries of teaching in the United States is having your own classroom. The students come to the teacher, who is able to store all of their items in a secure location. Here in Colombia, the opposite is true. The students stay in the same classroom throughout the entire day with the teachers rotating to them. This means that the only "space" that becomes the teachers is the desk. In this photo, the teacher's desk is in the opposite corner under the colored squares of paper. The only main issue is that many, if not all of these desks, are broken. Some days just looking at the desk wrong causes it to collapse in on itself. As a teacher, it is very difficult not having a secure place to unpack your things during the day. The constant shuffling and packing up of things after each 50-minute classroom adds additional stress to each day.

8-02: Mucked Up Whiteboard

The whiteboard is the central tool of any Colombian teacher. With reliable technology not really available, the whiteboard becomes the main source of communication information from the teacher to the students. This importance isn't always obvious to everyone at the school. The top 1/3 of this whiteboard is pretty much unusable due to an unfortunate glue incident. A couple of months before the end of last year, students were decorating for Teacher's Day and decided to glue letters onto the whiteboard as a part of their decorations. In doing this, they failed to consider what would happen when they tried to take the decorations down. The result is a whiteboard that is only 2/3 usable.

9-01: Weak WiFi Connection

One of the biggest surprises that I received during my first day at IE John F. Kennedy was the fact that the school has 4 separate Internet networks, over 50 laptops, and close to 150 tablets for the students to use in the classroom. This obviously made me extremely excited and happy, as being able to incorporate technology into the classroom is something that I love doing. Just one major problem. Despite all of the available possibilities, there are many outside factors that get in the way. For example, this particular room does not receive a WiFi signal of any kind. Attempting to use applications on the tables is nearly impossible due to the lack of a strong, stable signal. Being a school that supposedly specializes in the use of technology in the classroom, these little bumps make that reality a difficult one to attain.

10-01: Not so SMART Boards

On the right hand side of this picture you can see a projector sticking out of the wall. This projector is part of a SMART Board in the classroom. This is another amazing technological tool that is unfortunately not being used to its full potential. In this case, there is no way to plug in the board since the power cable was severed by some students last year. The lack of a power source renders the SMART Board moot. Outside of that, students have decided to use the boards as a graffiti practice wall. It's really disappointing and sad that this overall lack of respect for some very useful and interactive tools adds to the difficulties teachers face in the classroom.

10-02: Street Noise

As I mentioned earlier, the openness of the classrooms is both a necessity and a hindrance. Here is another example of how this openness becomes a hindrance. This classroom faces a road that passes along the school. During the day, there is a fair amount of traffic (motos, motocoches, cars, etc.) that pass by the school. Every now and then, larger vehicles make their presence known with various honks and shifting gears. There was even a period of time last year in which construction on the street battled instruction within the classroom. Having to deal with this extra outside noise, in addition to that of the students both inside the classroom and the other classrooms, creates an almost unbearable environment in which concentration and learning are next to impossible.

Spending between 5-6 hours daily in these classrooms has made me appreciate the luxuries that are taken for granted in the United States. Things like air conditioning, closed classrooms, assigned classrooms, and solid doors, among others, makes the teaching environment one that is more conducive to learning. Here in Colombia, however, that isn't always the case. Instead of letting these presumed difficulties bog me down, I have attempted to find different ways to use these elements to help motivate my students.

So far, the second school year is off to a positive start. I feel more comfortable with not only the teachers and students, but also the conditions of the school. I am very excited to see what type of results my students can produce with the help of my improved understanding and realities of these classroom conditions. 

Living on the Cheap

American money is boring. It's dull to look at and lacks character that other monetary denominations possess around the world. Despite this boring state of appearance, there's no better time than now to be using the dollar as your base currency. The overall strength of the dollar has made life abroad a much more affordable endeavor. This is especially true here in Colombia.

The local currency here in Colombia is the Colombian Peso (COP). Currently (as of January 27th), $3,355 COP is equivalent to $1 USD. When I first arrived in country a year and half ago, $1 USD was equivalent to about 2,300 COP. Needless to say, it's a great time to be an American living here! Due to the overall strength of the dollar here currently, the prices of many every day things are fairly cheap when compared to the United States. Those prices become even more affordable when living in a rural pueblo.

Colombian Pesos

In the pueblo, one of the main centers of commerce and gathering is the local tienda. Here in Repelón, tiendas litter every street corner. At any given time of the day, groups of men can be found here playing dominoes. Business deals are completed over a local delicacy from the bakery and a coke. Beers and conversation are shared by all ages as sitting in front of the tienda is a popular way to pass the hot, humid days. It is also at these tiendas that some of the best deals in town can be found.

A small collection of the various tiendas around town

I will admit that I'm not the most active shopper in town. I have been extremely lucky that my host mom is an amazing cook and prepares the majority of my meals for me. However, many of the other volunteers in my group do shop in their pueblos. So, in order to figure out just how strong the dollar currently is and what things cost, I asked some of my fellow PCV's to help me out by supplying me with some of the common items that they buy either on a daily or weekly basis. Below is a table that compiles all of the items that they supplied me with. It's really shocking to see just how cheap things really are when they are laid out in this way.

*Special thanks and shout out to Jessi, Alejandra, Jordan, and Katrina for helping me out with this post! Couldn't have done this without you guys!*

It's honestly pretty amazing how far $1 USD will go in the pueblo. All that I know is that I'm going to have a really hard time readjusting to food prices when I get back stateside...

Faces of Repelón: The Barber

Monday is a rough day for anyone. It’s the beginning of a new work week. The relaxing conditions of the weekend are in the rearview mirror. However, I always know that as I turn the first corner on my way to school, a huge smile and warm greeting will be waiting for me. My neighbor Jaime always knows how to start a week off on the right foot. A jolly “Hola!” followed by a jovial wave has become the norm when passing by Jaime’s house as he sets up his equipment to being his day as a barber, shoe repairer, and fixer of chairs. A jack of all trades, Jaime is one of the happiest people I have met in my community.

Born here in Repelón, Jaime is part of a large family. His mother, who is from Repelón, and his father, who is from a small pueblo by the name of Sopla Viento in the neighboring department of Bolivar, have lived in Repelón for 32 years. All of Jaime´s family lives either in Sopla Viento or Repelón, further supporting the Colombian ideal of close family relations. The youngest of three children, Jaime, who is 22, has lived on his own for the last six years, ever since he graduated from high school. He recalls watching his grandfather and uncles cut hair and fix shoes from a young age. This had a huge impact on his decision to follow in their footsteps.

Learning solely from sight, YouTube videos, and lots of practice, Jaime has become one of the most popular barbers in town. I trust my haircuts with him and only him. He has a great eye for what style looks good on anyone. Anytime anyone needs a quick fix on their shoes or a re-threading of a chair, Jaime is the person the pueblo turns to. He didn’t always want to follow in his grandfather and uncle’s footsteps. Like a great majority of Colombian boys, he had grand dreams of playing soccer in front of large crowds of screaming fans. Starting at a young age, Jaime remembers playing soccer in the street with his friends, during recess in the school cancha, and on a traveling team that allowed him to mix it up with other players in Medellin, Barranquilla, and Cartagena.

Following graduation from high school, Jaime quickly realized that the path to soccer stardom was a larger climb that he was able to make at the time. Due to an overall lack of access to resources and, most importantly, money, Jaime changed his focus toward his current career. At age 19 he fathered his first of two children and started cutting hair from the front of his house. It’s obvious that he loves his job and really couldn’t happier doing anything else. His social and outgoing personality immediately makes anyone passing by gravitate towards his front door for a quick hello or two hour conversation.

Jaime is extremely proud of his Colombian heritage. He loves living in Repelón due to the abundant amount of fish available from the local lake and the dance culture that consumes the estanderos and casetas every weekend. Also, the overall sense of family and friendship that dominates life here is really hard for him to imagine living without. Cities, in his opinion, tend to be cold and overwhelming. There is so much hustle and bustle that people don’t always take the time to be appreciative of what they have. Life in the pueblo has taught him to be appreciative of every day and to cherish each and every conversation and interaction that he has with those around him.

Jaime has quickly become known throughout town as not only a super hard worker, but also the “gringo’s friend”. He has expressed multiple time how much this latter association truly means to him. When he talks about our friendship with others, the glowing smile returns and his eyes light up. Being his first, and at this point, only friend from outside of Colombia means a lot to me as well. He’s talked to me multiple times about coming to United States for a visit once I return home and I’m going to do my best to make this dream come true for him.

With less than a year left in my service, I know that my opportunities to interact with this amazing Repelonero are dwindling. Instead of focusing on that aspect, I’m looking forward to more pristine haircuts, long chats on his front patio, and a continued bond of friendship that will eventually span continents. 

Jaime doing what he loves!

At the 25th Anniversary celebration for Peace Corps Colombia

Jaime and his family

The house where all the magic happens