Medellín is home of the bandeja paisa, a heavy lunch consisting of ground beef, sausage, a fried egg, plantain, red beans, rice, avocado, and my favorite part, chicharrón, or fried pork belly. These are not your usual American lunch portions, and I struggled to scarf it all down. Later in the week, I had a cholado, a dessert that includes ice cream, shaved ice, sweetened condensed milk, and a colorful array of tropical fruits, such as mango and maracuyá. When it comes to food, Colombians clearly “go big or go home.”
I usually only play music when I’m on a run or napping. If I want something upbeat, I’ll listen to Colombian artist Maluma or Kendrick Lamar. Rock in Spanish is also one of my favorite genres. I recently asked one of my local friends what song Sasaima “sounds like,” and she said La Cantina by Hernan Gómez. Indeed, I’ve heard it frequently when walking past some of the bars in town.
I briefly left my town to help another Peace Corps Volunteer with their English Day event, which included a fashion show using recycled materials, a spelling bee, a singing contest, and a segment where we taught them how to country line dance. The students blew away my expectations and gave it their all.
My e-reader is a lifesaver since my town’s library is small. I read in both English and Spanish. This week I finished a Colombian novel called Río Muerto, which is about the country’s violent past associated with paramilitarism. I plan on picking up a lighter read in English next.
