Snowboarding rocks!

God knows that we “the born and raised in the Equatorian line” don’t think on freezing cold as a desirable weather, much less on snow sports as a weekend plan. Except for having the chance to wear a nice jacket and boots (and maybe a nice hat). But that only applies for shopaholics (and fashionistas… and unfortunately wannabes). Me, a graceful lady who grew up between 10°C and 30°C, I bare and even enjoy cold temperatures. But the frosted windows and the gray days are really a turndown for any party activity I intend to do.

The landscape

Well, let’s say I was wrong. I wasn’t aware that one of the benefits of living in a city with 4 seasons and located next to the world’s longest continental mountain range “Los Andes”, is that winter sports are part of the enjoyment of its population (and its visitors, in my case). Now, the coldest season of the year has an appealing: SNOWBOARDING!!!

I decided to go for snowboarding ‘cause that was my favorite game on Play Station. Plus, I like speed and trying new things (And well, I guess the fact that my company has a snowboarding group also helped). But yes, I joined the group and today was my FIRST DAY practicing a winter sport!!!

At the ski park

Snowboarding is the COOLEST SPORT IN THE WORLD. Is like surfing on ice or skateboarding surrounded by white hills instead of high columns of concrete. And in case you’re wondering if I’m an extreme sports freak, the answer is NO. I’ve never done surfing, neither skating, nor gotten even close to a board before. Don’t even like playing sports (that’s because I hate sweating). My parents know I’ve tried them all: tennis, basketball, skating, BMX, volleyball… and didn’t become a fan of any of them. What can I say? Sports don’t like me!

Me ON the board

With all of my sports history against my real intentions I still decided to give it a try. For my own surprise, I have a natural (and until now hidden) gift for snowboarding: I’M BALANCED. It means I can stand on the board without falling down (at least, not too many times). If it wasn’t good enough, I found out I DON’T SWEAT while doing snowboarding. And if I do… I can’t tell! (How cool is that?). Besides, compared to water sports, winter ones don’t dry your heard down. And you get a beautiful sight of the landscape while practicing them. That’s what I call “perfection”.

My first day with a board on a ski park was for sure one I would never forget. I can’t describe you how it was like, ‘cause there’s nothing I can think of to compare it (and I’m kind of good with comparisons). To begin with it, you need a few tons of clothes to go there: a special jacket, special pants, special glasses, special boots, special everything! Then, try to get yourself down from an ice hill with a slippery board on your feet (no problem, pretty cool until now). And then, try to go back up with the damn board on your feet again (not so easy, uh?).

I did this about 15 times. And though I made it down many occasions without falling down, the “going up” part is still my martyrdom. But it was all worth it. The mixed feeling of freedom and control is totally worth it for the pain my ass is feeling right now.

So, summing up all the benefits I’ve decided: snowboarding is my favorite sport to play. Who would have thought my preferences were so far away from the equator? J.

Farellones on the back

The last 2 months

Can’t believe it has been more than 2 months since I left Bangladesh. Can’t believe that we’re halfway into 2010 and that my birthday is getting so close! Can’t believe it’s been so long since my last post in this blog. Many people has complained about it, which is why I promise to post many of the things I wrote off-line and couldn’t post before because of my limited internet connection during the last few weeks.

SO, what have I been doing that kept me so busy? Well, as you already read, I left Bangladesh by the end of March. On my way back to Colombia I visited my brother in Washington after some very short vacations in Dubai. Spent 2 weeks in Colombia sharing time with my family and some of my old (very old) friends and prepared myself for a new chapter of my life: CHILE. On April moved to Santiago, looked for a new place to live, got a new circle of friends, started a new job and got my DMAIC certification. Oh!, and I forgot to mention that I also went to Argentina: spent 3 lovely days eating beef and drinking wine in Mendoza (but that’s a whole different post to be).

Yes, I’ve been living in Santiago since April 12^th and will be here for a year. I’m working for DHL Express as First Choice Analyst, and I couldn’t be happier about it (look what First Choice is on the internet). That’s all I’m gonna say about my work as I rather to keep personal separated from professional. But I could tell you that I’m really happy with my colleagues, my boss and my new working place.

View of Santiago

I’m living with another Colombian girl, Carolina - who arrived two weeks before me to work in Novartis, and the owner of the apartment, Jaime - a Chilean guy who happens to be the friend of another Chilean guy who hosts other 2 Colombian friends (forgot to mention this country is full of Colombians?? Seriously, every Chilean has a Colombian friend!). I was very lucky I found a place so close to work. I love the fact that I only walk during 10 mins to to get to my office in the morning, instead of a 50 mins ride in the crowded and smelly city subway.

The circle of AIESEC trainees in Santiago is large and close to each other. We have social activities (not to call them “parties”) for each day of the week – the agenda literally goes from Monday to Sunday-, but I off course skip most of them and participate only on those held during the weekends J. The group consist of around 30 young, hot, smart, and apparently “immune to alcohol” people from Poland, Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Costa Rica, Greece and (how did you guess?) Colombia. We are 12 Colombian trainees already, and there are more to come. Is not like AIESEC Santiago planned it this way (Even I feel invaded or… invading?), but it is a clear fact: CHILEAN COMPANIES LIKE COLOMBIAN HUMAN TALENT.

Group of trainees, when we went to see Lions in Rancagua

As a closing line for this post, I could say that my life in Chile so far is pretty good. On one side is good to be back in South-america and feel closer to my country, and on the other it feels like everything was meant to be. I’ve been so lucky that everything clicked so fast (my job, my apartment, my new friends). And I’m even luckier to have some of you by my side, taking care of me though the distance and always there when needed.

Now that everything is more settled I hope to be posting more often.

KISSES FROM CHILE!!!

3 Days in Dubai

On my way back to the Americas I had a transit stop in Dubai and I decided to stay there for a few days. Well, actually it was my good friend from Pakistan, Adeel, who convinced me to stay there with his gorgeous family to get to know this fabulous city.

After living in Dhaka – located in one of the poorest countries in the world - for 5 months, going to Dubai became a experience full of contrasts. Dubai, a place where you can see what real opulence and “first class” means.

It all started with a Desert safari, where I met a different face of the desert. The nice one, the beautiful one. Where the colors and textures of the sand combined with the blue sky, and the adrenaline of bashing through the dunes is greater than riding a roller coaster. The safari trip finishes with a Camell ride, a Narguila smoke, great Arabian food and a Belly dancing show. It all transports you into the Arabian world.

The second day was meant for relaxation. Going to Jumeirah Beach was the perfect plan after an almost sleepless week. Great sand, great water, great view, not so many people and it all was for me. Jumeirah Beach just gives you an impression of how good life should be like.

Later on, I dared to go to a shopping mall. And I say “dare”, because having the courage to return to a normal and westernized consumer life in a city known for its shopping “opportunities”, was not a clever idea. I got to admit I loved going back to my favorite shops. But it was like putting a former alcoholic in front of a winery or a former smoker in front of Phillip Morris’ HQ. I swear I sweated like a cow on EID’s eve, but I survived to it and in a very decent way. It proves those days of shopaholic are way behind me… on my credit card’s behalf J.

During the last day I went to the places that make of Dubai so famous: The Burj-al-Arab, the Atlantis hotel and the recently opened tallest building in the world: the Burj-al-Kalifa. It was so amazing that got me speechless and thinking on how opulent human being can be. Those places were beyond my imagination and beyond of what I could think of luxury, for what I can’t describe with words... It is just another level of extravagance.

When it comes to the city, Dubai is a modern one. It is full of touristic activities and diversed people. I really enjoyed watching a woman in a burka and a Russian tourist with a cleavage blouse shopping at the same shop, the same top. Amazing how beauty standards can be changed or unified so easily around the world, isn’t it?

It was a short but an astonishing trip. One of those that made me want to come back. One of the few that I will do again with more time to enjoy.

B day is coming!

Goodbye Bangladesh

Six months ago when I decided to have an exotic and crazy experience in Bangladesh, everyone asked ne “What? Bangladesh? Why are you going to India? Couldn’t you find anything farther away?”. After explaining to them that Bangladesh is a country of its own and that I wanted to go there to live something different, I can tell that many of those who didn’t even know where it was are still skeptical about the time I had there. Well, I’ve decided to share this “goodbye note” to prove that it wasn’t THAT crazy and, of course, to close a very special chapter of my life.

What I loved from my exchange experience in Bangladesh was that I got to do the typical things a foreigner do:

1. Eating chicken biryani in the middle of old Dhaka at 4am… and loving it!
2. Wearing a Sari… and feeling pretty (and half naked) on it.
3. Learning bangla… or at least enough words to communicate with rickshaw drivers.
4. Getting stuck on a rickshaw jam… and stop thinking it is funny.
5. Eating spicy food every day, crying for it the first days… and having the usual diarrhea anytime during the first 2 months.
6. Getting awake every morning by the praying sounds of the nearby mosque.
7. Eating with my hands… and getting my hands smelly for hours after that.
8. Going shopping to large apparel brand’s sales … and almost pass out after seeing how inexpensive prices were.
9. Getting a henna tattoo… and having my parents going crazy after thinking it was real J.
10. Having a chicken Shawarma every second day… and actually like it.
11. Taking a bus between Gulshan and Bashundara… and surviving to it!

The fact that Bangladesh isn’t exactly the first destination people think about when deciding to go on exchange, makes it a place where only very special go to. And THIS was my favorite part of my exchange experience: THE PEOPLE I MET. From garments traders to NGO directors, from business consultants to social development students and from interns in bankruptcy to social marketing specialists, I met so many random still interesting people that when I tell the stories to my “back in home” friends I wish I could take pictures to their “I don’t believe you” faces. (You don’t know how often I found myself wondering: How did I come to meet this person here?)

Besides the special people, Bangladesh was also full of RANDOM experiences. Like celebrating my first Thanksgiving dinner in a Muslim country or eating a beef byriani after seeing the cow getting slaughter in front of my eyes during EID or smoking weed for the first (and definitely only) time in a remote island at the south of the Bengal bay.

And then you can add the “Not so random but still interesting” things that I went through. Like having power going off at least 3 times a day, having my picture on the newsletter shouting at the reporter after being mugged by 3 guys in a car, performing a Colombian Cumbia dance for the first time in my life or seeing my boss carrying his external drive in a Red Snoopy Dog bag (that now I got to keep J).

Despite the fact that every single person keeps asking me “Why did you go to Bangladesh?.. You're so weird” I still can’t erase the smile on my face while writing this note. And I know that this was for sure a UNIQUE and AMAZING experience that I would share with my grandchildren when I get old.

Anyway, the only thing I still have left to do (After meeting special people and Having random experiences) is to “Say goodbye to Bangladesh”. My phone didn’t work properly for the last 2 days and I couldn’t say goodbye to so many of these special people. But I’d like to take advantage of this note to thank a few of them:

• Judith, Anneke, Karen, Laura, Rafa, Melissa, Rikae and Diana: Thanks for being my flat mates (each one at her time), and being a support for each other during the short time we got to live together. Hope each one of you got a precious memory of this experience as I have.
• Boss, Wasim, Zayed, John and the others: Thanks for making of this internship an unforgettable experience.
• Sana: you are by far my favorite person in Bangladesh! If there’s someone that I would always remind with a smile, that would be you. I’m anxiously waiting to see you in Latin America soon.
• Adeel, Saad, Raisul, Usman: Thanks for the best trip to St Martin’s ever!
• Srijon, Nader, Niels, Nauman (mr. Nunu), Sameed, Saad and Paul: thanks for showing me the young side of Bangladesh. I love meeting each one of you guys. Hope to see you again somewhere around the globe J.
• Mafe: Gracias por darme todos los tips para llegar y sobrevivir en Bangladesh. No se que habria hecho sin. Espero que Dhaka te traiga lo mejor de lo mejor en esta nueva etapa… no dejes de pensar que te lo mereces!.
• Domenico, Filippo and Adele: Thanks for introducing me to Dhaka. Without you, I’d have probably be lost in such particular place. And wouldn’t have had as much fun as I did. I just love you guys!
• Rene: guey… gracias por estar ahi en el chat cuando lo necesitaba. Funny how circumstances can bring you closer to someone. Sigo en gtalk J, aunque no tan seguido, para que mantengamos el contacto. Tambien te deseo lo mejor en esta etapa de transicion, seguro que todo te va a salir super bien.
• Paola, Maisa, Juan Carlos, Jorge: Gracias por ser como la familia colombiana en Bangladesh. Que rico llegar tan lejos y saber que no se esta solo. PS: El baile nos quedo todo un exito, no?
• Paco y Carmen: Me encanto conocer un poco mas de la cultura Espanola con ustedes. Paco, gracias por acercarme de Nuevo a la literatura colombiana J. Saludos desde el pais de Macondo!
• Andreas: I had a great time meeting you. I know circumstances would make it difficult to keep in touch. But I do wish you the best with all your life goals and plans! And I hope we randomly meet somewhere else, just like we did in Bangladesh J .

There’s way more people that I couldn’t mention on this note (like AIESEC’s or the rest of the members of the Latin group). To all of them, there’s nothing more to say than THANK YOU!