The Places You Will Be From

Back when I was in high school, a little band from Minneapolis, Semisonic, had a bit of radio success with a little tune called "Closing Time," a meandering and nostalgic alt-rock song about a bar at the end of the night.  During the chorus they sing

"every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end"

As excited as I am about the amazing opportunities coming in my move to Campinas, Brazil, in a few short weeks, it doesn't make the ending of my amazing experience in Colombia any easier.  Five years in one place is a long time.  Living in Cali now ties living in Eau Claire in longevity for places I've called home in my adult life; if leaving "EC" was a difficult transition, this has been downright heart-wrenching.

I've made a life and home here in Cali and this city, this country, my school, and all the people along the way will be a special part of my life.  As they say, "Colombia es pasión" and I've been feeling a lot of it lately...

First up, graduation of my second group here.
It was a very bittersweet day; I may have cried six a few times this day.

Congratulations, Class of 2012!!!

I am definitely going to miss a lot of these guys.

Science Department "despedida" (farewell) party.
I've been fortunate to work with so many talented and intelligent
colleagues over the years.  

One of the best 11th grade Pre-AP Biology classes I have ever had.
On the last day of classes they threw a little surprise goodbye party.
(The placement of the tree in this picture may have been a
mistake in hindsight...)

Two of my favorite ladies at work; it makes me
physically ill to think about not seeing Juliana
and Moraima every day and to work on another
show together. 

And of course I can't forget my ninth graders this year...

...they're just so...

...special.  (Which is why I love them, obviously!)

The pictures projected at the Ceremonia de reconocimiento
(Recognition Ceremony) for my five-year anniversary.

My five-year pin.
I took a picture so when it inevitably gets lost I will remember that I had it. 

Parting gift: A personalized ceramic chiva bus. 

Chiva-bus picture with the man who hired me over five years ago on a
frigid February day in Waterloo, Iowa.

Oh, and there was that time my former students
threw a "despedida" for me...at a bar.
Reason # I-don't-know thousand why I will miss this place...

Also, in the same song, Semisonic sings "time for you to out to the places you will be from."  This means two things to me: Brazil is waiting and, although I am not Colombian, you can bet if they make it to the World Cup in 2014 in Brazil, I'll be cheering proudly!

Hasta luego, Colombia...te extrañaré.
Siempre estás en mi corazón.

Get Your Hair Did

The Colombian mullet is a thing of beauty.  A lot of styles have come and gone during my time here but one of the main-stays has been the mullet, or the Colombian version of one.  Less redneck hill-billy and slightly more stylized with a dash of hipster, it is, love it or hate it, truly a coif to behold.

Which makes the follow student quote so amazing.  While working on lab activity, he stopped me, shaking his head slowly from side to side and said:

"Look at what I can do with my mullets!"

Yes, mullets.  With an "s" as in "more than one."  I've never heard a Colombian use the term mullet so that was awesomely humorous in and of itself.  The plural and the head shaking were icing on the funny cake.

No Reservations

“It’s crazy that this place [Colombia] exists,
and not everybody wants to live here.”

~Anthony Bourdain (chef and host of the Travel Channel series "No Reservations")

The Darndest Things

"So, you're telling me I can not take calculus, move to a third-world country, and still be a player?"

This gem comes courtesy of one of my dear grade 11 students who asked me to help him with his note card for Calculus final exam after I told him that I had never taken a calculus class.