I arrived in Chinchiná, Caldas within the Eje Cafetero (coffee-growing) region of Colombia on Saturday. I chose this move in order to have a different experience particularly for the holiday season. The organization Minga House coordinates volunteers to help with a wide variety of community needs. Many of their volunteers are foreigners who come for a meaningful travel experience and maybe to put their Spanish to good use, as most of the opportunities involve hands-on work with locals who only speak Spanish.
All of this sounds great- like a good opportunity for me to grow and also to contribute while I am living in this country.
Glen Galindo, originally from Jalisco México, is the founder of Minga House, and after spending many years in the US military, also has a long story of putting himself out there to try new things and always being willing to give of himself and make a difference to those around him. His story is riddled with setbacks and frustrations, sometimes due to inefficiencies and challenging communication (slow, changing plans, vague expectations, and lack of resources to follow through with good intentions). Generally Colombia is a beautiful, resource-rich, diverse, colorful country that is largely underdeveloped but has lots of potential. A perfect playing field for someone like Glen and his team and open-minded, flexible, patient volunteers.
I was ready for a change from the megacity of Bogotá, but a somewhat uncomfortable time of transition is usually inevitable no matter where you move, and a bit (or a lot) hard for a while.
I’m on a top bunk for now with three other gals in the room. Bunk beds are fine for weekend retreats or 4-day trekking trips, but for 5 weeks… ummmm..
It’s loud and creaky and there’s a rooster right next door- literally on the other side of my wall- that has a completely screwed-up alarm clock, as well as several noisy chicken girlfriends.
The house is located over a grocery store. As I was unpacking my bags I asked one of my roomies what music she was playing – something salsa – and she said no, actually that was the store’s music that would probably stop around 9:30pm. And now it’s Christmastime so we’d be hearing a lot of Jingle Bells. In Spanish? I guess I’ll be finding out.
I went for a run my first afternoon- I love to do that to clear my mind and get my bearings in a new place – I didn’t have a plan or know where to go so I just ran along the chaotic streets. Though this town is a fraction of the size of Bogota, the traffic is still crazy. No one cares about pedestrians or waits for anyone! The backdrop is really pretty here – we are in green,green,green coffee country where everything grows like mad. I am looking forward to visiting some of the tiny nearby villages/neighborhoods where big and small coffee fincas (farms with houses on them) dot the landscape. The transportation to these places is by Jeep – a specific type called a Willy’s Jeep. It’s so typical to see them rambling along the roads, packed to the brim in the roofless back, with passengers happily standing on the rail in the very back, hair blowing in the wind.
I will form new routines and they will be different than those I formed in Bogotá and am now quite used to and enjoy. I accept that I can’t have everything the same, nor do I want it all the same- that’s why I’m here, but it will be weird and maybe frustrating for a while till I find my groove.
This week there are some really interesting things on the volunteer agenda. Some women from Mexico arrive Wednesday to lead a women’s empowerment and health/wellness workshop. There is an industry of sex-work in this region, and many young single women in vulnerable positions are trying to provide for their families. This 3-day workshop aims to give some education and tools for self-care and maybe some new perspectives and personal vision. I have been asked to be on a panel, as well as lead a 45-minute breakout session…all in Spanish!!
Other volunteers who have been here anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months include two women from Barcelona, Spain; one very young woman from Austria, a couple retired guys from various parts of the US, an Australian, and about 8-10 staff from various parts of Colombia who speak various levels of English and a few who have lived abroad in an English-speaking country for some years before returning to Colombia and now working in the volunteer-natural-tourism industries. It’s an interesting mix, and though takes some getting used to to know which language to speak when, and who’s in my bathroom or who’s using the kitchen when, or if the washing machine will EVER be available…haha.. I think overall this is going to be a great experience; one I’ll always remember. I find it fascinating to learn about other people’s stories of where they’ve been (not just travels, but life paths) and why they are here now.
My family has been super-supportive from afar, and I know I’m receiving prayers for emotional, physical, and mental space for me to grow – as well as safety and stability in all my goings-ons. We know that growth takes time and it’s usually not comfortable, but is rewarding. What would life be without it?? Dull and pointless. Now, maybe many of you don’t need to move to Colombia in order not to feel dull and pointless in your life! But for me, this is where my path has led me and I promise to embrace it day by day, even when the rooster-neighbor wakes me at 3am, 4:15am, 5:30am, 10:30pm… the wifi randomly shuts off, and Jingle Bells plays softly in the background as I climb up my creaky ladder to my bunk bed. Omg. I hope I can do this!
