I have not been the most diligent language learner. As of 4 days ago I celebrated my 9-month anniversary in Colombia and I’m slightly chagrined to say my Spanish is not that great. But, it is significantly better than it was, and its improving daily.
However, the level of my Spanish isn’t what I’m here to discuss. Instead it’s a “discovery” that I think is vital for every language learner to make:
You will sound stupid in whatever language you are learning.
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Its easy to become so accustomed to luxuries that you begin to think of them as essentials. Dishwashers, dryers, microwaves, ovens, televisions, vacuum cleaners, a car… the list of things that I assumed were essential was quite lengthy.
Of course you can find these ‘essentials’ while living or traveling abroad, but I recommend living without them for at least a few months.
Continue readingIf you have done any research into traveling to Colombia you’ve probably come across safety warnings. While Medellin is a far cry from the dangerous days of the 1990s and early 00s its still a big city with its fair share of crime.
I’ve been in the city for a month and a half and have not experienced nor witnessed any crime… until this morning.
Continue readingNot many people don’t know where they’ll be in 6 months. Sure, your lease may be expiring soon and you may not know if you’re renewing or not… but for the most part people know.
Right now I don’t know.
(Warning: What follows contains no pictures or travel insights. It is me breaking the 4th wall, although perhaps not going full meta-analysis. Proceed at your own peril.)
Ok. You got me. Wings, pizza, and burgers aren’t technically Colombian. But if you stroll around Laureles I think you’d see how this is an easy argument to make.
There are dozens of wing, pizza, and burger places (as in dozens of each type of restaurant…although admittedly there are a lot of burger & wing places too!) within a mile of where I’m staying.
So, why is that? Do gringo digital nomads just want their wing, pizza, and burger fix and thus the market responded to demand? Or is something else going on?
Last Friday I arrived in Medellin, Colombia and I brought with me a small dog and two pieces of luggage. In addition to those physical things, I brought thoughts, ideas, and assumptions.
Some of these were grounded in research while others were based on my past experiences traveling, and of course some were simply assumptions that I never stopped to consider.
Life is tenacious and there’s nothing like hiking in the desert to realize that fact. Despite the heat and arid climate, the path leading from the Pima Canyon trailhead is nothing short of lush. Sure, everything is covered in thorns…but there is a remarkable amount of greenery for such a seemingly inhospitable land.
Looking to camp on Cumberland Island, well then you’re gonna need to figure out which campground you want to stay at! Although some of the barrier islands seem like backcountry playgrounds that allow beach camping, everything is tightly managed at Cumberland befitting it status as a National Seashore.
If you’re just joining me, then perhaps you’ll want to check out my previous post which provides an overview of my trip to the island. Otherwise, read on!
Cumberland Island is a barrier island off of the coast of Georgia. Its probably best known for being one of the few places you can go camping with wild horses.
Needless to say my goal was to see a wild horse. Much like my trip to the Okefenokee, my goal was met within the first hour or so of arriving on the island.
There is always a first time for everything. Or, there is always a first time for everything you do at least once. For me, this was my first time canoe camping. I’ve camped instead of staying in hotels on long road trips. I’ve RV camped. I’ve gone glamping. I’ve camped on overnight backpacking trips. But canoe camping? This was new to me.
And you know what? Its awesome. But, a goodly part of it being awesome was the location, and of the Okefenokee Swamp I do not think enough good things can be said.
Rambling Outback. 