Colombian food, however, tends to center around grilled meats for lunch, which is the largest meal of the day. This can make it hard to find filling meals when I need to eat out. Also, fried pastries are a very common snack, so I've had to be careful not to give in to temptation and eat a doughnut every day! At the same time, Medellín is a big international city, so I've found many alternative options for restaurants and home cooking that don't involve meat or fried foods. In fact, there's a delicious and affordable vegetarian restaurant just a half block from my university, and sometimes I eat lunch there. Furthermore, Colombia has an incredible diversity of fruits, many of which I had never heard of in the United States. I enjoy picking out a new fruit to try each week. I've also been experimenting with different recipes to cook at home so that I can eat vegetarian on a regular basis. A few days ago I made a yummy Asian veggie stir fry!
Not all adjustments to life in a new country are necessarily hard, though. There are many new aspects of Colombian culture that that I love. For example, Colombians have a very strong music and dance culture. Many Colombians of all ages go out to listen to live bands play salsa, bachata or merengue music and practice their (often phenomenal) dance skills. Most Colombians I've seen know how to move their hips when they dance in ways that I find difficult. I've tried to mimic their movements, but I think it will take several dance lessons before I can dance at even close to their level of expertise! Vallenato is the most Colombian of Latin American traditional music, and people here are incredibly proud of their musical heritage.
