Greetings from Cota, Colombia!

Morning Coffee at Casa Santa Cruz

We arrived in Bogota Wednesday around 11pm without any travel issues! By the time our group got through immigration, currency exchange, etc. we made it to our orientation site around 1:30am (Thursday). Our group of 36 volunteers plus several staff is staying in rural Cota, which is about a 30-minute bus ride from Bogota, at a beautiful, old retreat house called Santa Cruz. We have a huge yard, complete with numerous gardens, more orchids than we’ve ever seen in one place, and a makeshift soccer field! The house is big and the architecture is beautiful. Next door is a farm with horses, donkeys, cows, chickens and dogs—all of which we can hear through the fences starting around 4am—but it’s fun and we are happy to be in such a beautiful place.

We were pleasantly surprised our first morning at how beautiful the weather. Aside from the brief midday monsoons, it has been sunny and warm, 65-70 degrees. Our days are mostly filled with Spanish, TEFL and cultural trainings. Meals are home cooked, traditional and tasty. Last night was our favorite so far—a creamy potato and veggie base soup with shredded chicken, aguacate slices (avocado), corn and queso fresco—called Ajiaco. The coffee is delicious! We’ve met some very nice locals at the nearby tiendas and feel very welcome and safe.

Today we will make our first excursion into the Cota town center to explore and grab some basics. Tonight, a group of us will try our first Colombian restaurant for dinner and dancing.

We’ve been tired and slightly overwhelmed, but definitely enjoying being at Santa Cruz and learning more about what is to come. We are very anxious to get to our new home in Santa Ana (pronounced “Santana”) and to finally be able to unpack! We will update again as soon as possible. Hasta Luego!

Futbol game this morning (Micah on  left)