Get to know Colombians: Now that is something you don't have to worry about, because it is very easy. Generally speaking the "rolos" (Bogotanos), and all Colombians anyways, are quite open and not shy to talk to anyone. While of course, I have a lot of relatives here, and had a head-start, I still made very good experiences so far with strangers. Obviously they are very good at picking out foreigners and mostly take the initiative by asking where you're from or directly pulling your leg with some jokes! So especially if you speak a bit of Spanish it is unlikely you'll be left alone... and if you join in, don't be surprised to get invited for a coffee or beer or even to their house! Since that sounds very neat, I also have to tell you about the big BUT... don't be too trustful, as there are black sheep around as well, as everywhere in the world and therefore some people can promise you paradise on earth just to take advantage of you and quickly lose interest if there is nothing to gain. Also present are the pickpockets, as you sure have imagined, so don't give "papaya" (show off) about your valuables (or better even don't take too much with you when going out for a walk or for the "rumbas" (parties)). Be open all the way, but careful overall and you will have a great time.
Speaking of time: The Colombians do like their watches, of course especially the Swiss ones, but the concept of it has kind of a low priority here. They share the same expressions for time as we do, like "tomorrow" or "in a moment", but "mañana" or "ahorita" is more understood as "sometime in an indefinite future"... and actually those are two of the most often used words here! It happens that you call someone and because he's out of the office the secretary tells you, that the person will be back in "cinco minutos" but you finish talking to him a week later. You get invited to lunch on a Thursday and your host will be surprised that you didn't arrive only until Friday. Okay, I might a bit exaggerating and you shouldn't adapt to this extent, but the point is that coming late is normal and if you show up at a party about an hour late, it could well be that you are the first guest. The upside is you can accept every invitation for the same day & time, because one or the other will be cancelled and if you decide not to go there nobody will get upset with you... on the other hand just take it easy, if some meeting you scheduled drops off.
About traffic and weather I've already talked before, so just a reminder: be prepared for everything weatherwise and don't lose your patience in the streets of Bogota.
Another one of my favourite topics is the Colombian language. Although I've been speaking spanish for quite a while, my whole life actually, I'm like a beginner when it comes to colloquial conversations here. Luckily the Colombian spanish is really beautiful and clear to understand, but the difficulty comes with all the double meanings they give their vocabulary and the challenging jokes they have in their discussions. Besides those aspects, I don't even want to get started on all the regional variations that the "paisas" from Antioquia or the "costeños" from the coast like to fashion, it really is a "gallo" (rooster), and I don't mean the animal...
For everyone who still would like to try out his "castellano" here, I am putting together a little dictionary with the most important must-knows of the spoken language that I'd like to share with everyone who asks me for it. Of course that dix is a work-in-progress, as I'd never dare to boast that I already know them "colombianisms" all. I'll just give you a little teaser... so for that let's start at the beginning of a conversation: "hola" (hello), the usual opener, by far is not enough here. Your vocabulary should definetely contain some of the following questions like: "como estas", "como has estado", "como te han tratado", "que has hecho", "como te va", "que tal", "quiubo" or "que hubo", "que me cuentas", "como le acabo de ir", "que mas", "que hay", "como te fue" ... and so forth (they actually all mean "how do you do"). But be aware that to learn only one opener will not get you through, because often the conversation starts with a long exchange of these and similar expressions. Funny and typical! I've also come up with a little sentence that contains some quite surprising words and literally translated doesn't mean anything reasonable, but I wonder if anyone understands (I'm sure my Colombian friends and relatives will... so sorry beforehand!):
"Una zorra estaba dando papaya casi en pelota a mi parce y le dijo: Ey, mono, no quieres echarte un polvito? Pero el man, por haberse tirado la paja antes, estaba tan mamado que no pudo echar mas palo... pailas!"
Says literally: "A fox was giving a "papaya" almost on a ball to my cellmate and told him: Hey, monkey, don't you want to put on some powder? But the guy, because he had thrown some straw earlier, was so absorbed, he couldn't put in more wood... pans!"
If you want to know the actual meaning, you'll have to drop me an e-mail, because I'm too ashamed to actually tell it on the blog and am sure Google would censor it, if I wrote it all down... :)
Anyways, that is just to illustrate what I have to "fight" with in my everyday conversations!
So, what else do you need to survive your Bogota-experience? I guess I can't tell you much about where to sleep, as I fortunately live with my lovely relatives, but there are a lot of good and economic hotels and I'm sure the tourist guides can help you out with that. Instead I could tell a bit about the food. I've already introduced "ajiaco", one of my favourite plates, in an earlier post and I could fill the whole post with delicious culinaric highlights (and maybe I will another time). Right now I'll only say that you can't starve in Bogota because you can get something nice to eat in every corner. And don't be afraid to try out different places, as even if the location might look shabby, you will get your stomach filled with a marvellous "corrientazo" for instance. A "corrientazo" costs you between 5'000 and 10'000 pesos (3 to 6 dollars) and provides you with typical dishes of soup, salad, main course and sometimes even the "tinto" (black coffee) all included. Another food-tip for a good start into the day I have though. Perhaps not the healthiest streetside breakfast, but a piled-high plate of perfect "arepas" is hard to beat for pure morning pleasure. Golden grilled cornmeal cakes stuffed with eggs or cheese, and oozing butter, these little creations provide the perfect energy boost for a day on the Colombian city streets. Grab a portion from a vendor and wash it down with a steaming glass of hot chocolate. It might not do wonders for your waistline but it’ll certainly see you through a rainy Bogota morning.
Thinking of the "aguardiente" brings to my mind another wonderful topic, that is never redundant to be aware of: Knowing about Colombian music! I've already spent a few evenings sipping on my goblet and listening (actually I'm starting to participate in the singing as well) to folkloric songs. It amazes me everytime anew, how almost everyone knows so many songs and that, whether old or young, people join in when some traditional music is performed in a club, at home or even in a plaza outside. That is a tradition I would definetely love to have at home in Switzerland! On this occasion I'd like to share a specific song with you, that I came across a week ago in San Gil on the town-plaza during a concert there. I was told, that it is like a second national anthem, and if you happen to cite or sing a part of it to a Colombian, you can be sure that you'll get adopted right away! So make sure, you memorize a bit of it, it's called "Soy Colombiano":
"A mi deme un aguardiente,
un aguardiente de caña,
de las cañas de mis valles
y el anís de mis montañas.
No me de trago extranjero
que es caro y no sabe a bueno,
porque yo quiero siempre
lo de mi tierra primero.
Ay! que orgulloso me siento
de haber nacido en mi pueblo.
A mi canteme un bambuco
de esos que llegan al alma,
cantos que ya me alegraban
cuando apenas decia mama.
Lo demas sera bonito
pero el corazón no salta,
como cuando a mi me cantan
una canción colombiana.
Ay! que orgulloso me siento
de haber nacido en mi patria.
Y para mi una muchacha
aperladita, morena,
o una rubia de ojos claros
de suave piel montadora.
Muchachas, musica y trago
de la sierra o de mi llano.
Ay! que orgulloso me siento
de ser un buen colombiano.
Ay! que orgulloso me siento
de ser un buen colombiano."
For melody and translation just give me a call!!!
So umm... I guess there's enough information for a bit, but I'll make sure to update you on anything else that comes up in the next few months and hope these tips are useful! I'm having a good time and will be glad to share it with everyone who got teased with these few lines of mine!
Take care and keep in touch! Lique en Colombia...
