Working in Bogotá

How time flies. I've already been in Colombia for over 3 months. This is the first time I'm spending more than that amount of time in one country. Usually the tourist visas get you up to 90 days. I remember my experiences in Mexico and El Salvador. 3 months is a nice amount of time for making friends and lasting memories, you really get to know the culture more by spending more than a week there like most of the backpackers do. Although backpacking through the whole continent has its advantages, mainly getting to see a ton of places quite quickly, so maybe I'll have to do that some time too. The down side of spending so much time in each place is saying goodbye to friends when I leave. I've kept in contact with many on a limited basis but it's difficult because I've met so many people.

Bogotá has been a different experience for me in many ways. The biggest difference is that I've begun working, teaching English, mostly to working professionals and execs of multinational corporations. Not exactly my ideal job but the only one I can probably get without taking a job away from a local. Even teaching English I'm taking a job away from a Colombian, but at least for this job I have some sort of special ability to do it. I'd love to bartend or wait for a bit just to get to know more people and practice more Spanish. I've continued learning plenty of Spanish in Colombia but I can feel myself progressing much more slowly because I spend the majority of my day speaking English in my classes and with my co-teachers who of course speak English as well. I've recently begun making some efforts to expand my editing business. I put an alright site together but it needs some work. Comments are welcome, and of course if you know anyone who needs editing please do pass it along: www.technical-edit.com.

In any case, in other language news, I've begun some French classes, which was my excuse to get a student visa. Je parle un peu but not much. I've picked up a few extra English classes these past few weeks, and have also been pretty busy looking for apartments with some friends, so I've skipped half my classes haha. Apartment hunting has been frustrating. Unfortunately in Bogotá you actually have to fill out some forms, get some references, and get some co-signers who have property and dinero. The property part is annoying because most people we know rent. In other countries I've been to you can just hand someone some money and move into the place 5 minutes later, which is what we were hoping for here. Ah one of the downsides of development, a more complicated world. In any case, there will probably be four of us living together, we'll make an interesting group, with representation from Canada, England, Colombia, and of course gringolandia.

As for the city, well I've gotten to know it and I've barely gotten to know it. I know my away around the buses and transmilenio (sort of like an above-ground subway system, a bus with it's own lane in the city so it goes faster), and how not to get ripped off by the taxi drivers, who always talk quite politely to you before doign so. The culture is a bit more formal here in Bogotá than some other places I've been, manners are more important, but the same things happen. In Bogotá a taxi driver will tell you "at your service," "with great pleasure," and then overcharge you. In other cities in the country they might not use the same cordiality but they'll take your money all the same. I think I'd prefer the latter, at least I'd be more prepared it was coming. But I'm getting more city savy now so it's all good. As for not knowing the city, I've barely done anything touristy here because I've been busy working. My idea is to expand my editing work because it's more flexible, pays in dollars, and would allow me more time to practice Spanish and do whatever. Teaching English can be annoying because the people who pay well are working professionals and need classes at 6am or as late as 9pm, so you're left with time in the middle of the day to waste and it's difficult to meet up with other people because they're either studying or working regular jobs. Now I understand why TEFL teachers sometimes don't learn Spanish at all when they're down here, they're speaking English all the time.

In any case that's my news for now. Nothing too special I guess. When the apartment and job situations change so will my experiences here. For now, I'll keep on eating bandeja paisa, drinking avena, and dancing vallenato and salsa when I can find a girl to teach me.