Moving to Bogotá and living here for the past two months has been absolutely incredible, and I’m so grateful to be able to experience life here! However, starting over in a new country isn’t always as easy as you’d like it to be! I came here for the first time, not knowing anybody, in order to start a job that I had never done before. Adjusting to these changes and integrating into my community hasn’t come without a few challenges. Through trial and error, I have found that the most effective way to face these challenges is by being patient, open-minded and always ready to learn!
Being open-minded can turn frustrating incidents into learning experiences. There are several cultural differences between the United States and Colombia. When I stay open-minded, it’s easier for me to learn what these differences are and adjust to them accordingly. For example, punctuality is less strict here, so that means being late is pretty normal! Before I started teaching, I was told that all of my classes would start at 7:00 a.m. However, it turns out that none of my classes start at that time! One of my professors warned me in advance not to expect class to start on time. On the first day, I arrived early anyway, but 7:15 a.m. rolled around and nobody was to be seen.
