Salsa at Galería Café Libro

Learning and dancing Salsa (and other Latin styles) was one thing in Salamanca... here it's the real thing! Well, at least Colombian style. Last week, Zayrho and I headed to Bogotá for a concert of the Salsa band La Conmoción. Amazing!!!! There was a cover to get into the Salsa club called Galería Café Libro, but it was well worth the 15,000 Colombian pesos each (which is only about $6 in the US).

We enjoyed some appetizers, mojitos (yummmmm... remember that Salsa comes from Cuba, and so do Mojitos!!), live music by La Conmoción, and lots of dancing. Here are a few pictures and a little video treat for you, so maybe you can feel like you were actually there:

And finally, what you've all been waiting for... the video! Galería Café Libro presents, on September 22, 2010... La Conmoción

Soooo much more to come, now that I have time since I've finished all of my Spain summer quarter homework and have plenty of time for blogging! :) ...and I have a lot to show about beautiful Colombia!

A special shout out to my Dad on his birthday! Happy birthday, Dad!!

...catch me later :)

First 5 Days in Colombia

I gave you all the DL on my first day or so in Colombia, but much has happened since. I know I promised pictures soon but I have had a problem with uploads... I'll get it figured out soon, hopefully tomorrow!

So of all of my "goals" for this trip, the ones I think I have achieved so far are trying tons of authentic Colombian food (which is super easy because La Gordita makes me three meals a day that are all super authentic and sooo delicious), and achieving one of my worst hangovers ever from a Colombian liquor called Aguardiente. Whew! Not only did I not like the taste (I just drank it to go along with "Bienvenido a Colombia" thing... tasted like black licorice.. bleh!), I hated the effects the next day. Unfortunately I drank it the day before I spent the day walking around Bogotá, taking a 30 minute bus ride to downtown, and visiting the Museo del Oro (Gold Museum). I was able to recover by the evening with lots of café, postres, y sandwiches.

I've met some pretty amazing people here so far and all of them are so welcoming to me. I kind of feel like I'm cheating because most people my age speak some English, and to make me feel comfortable they speak in English to me and Spanish to each other. I think I have to buck up and tell them to only speak to me in Spanish. It's nice that they want me to feel welcome though.

I've also noticed that there is a lot of US culture here, especially in Bogotá. The music, tv shows, stores, movies, and other things like that are often also from the US. Also, I find myself calling myself "American" which is normal for us to say, right? Well, here it's pretty much rude to say that because everyone from North or South America is an American. So I am from the US, or a "Gringa"... which makes most people laugh when I say.

Tonight we're headed back into Bogotá for a night of Salsa. It should be very fun! I'll try to get those pictures uploaded soon and will have more stories to come. I love Colombia! :)

Catch me later :)

Bienvenido a Colombia

After 12 hours of traveling, I finally landed in Bogotá around 8:30pm local time (2 hours ahead of Seattle, 7 hours behind Spain). I was hit hard with the Spanish of the people working in customs, asking me if I was carrying more than $10,000 worth of cash or products, what business I have in Colombia, and a few more things. I finally made it through and was greeted with a huge smile from Zayrho on the other side of this guard rail. His house is pretty far from the airport, just north of Bogotá off of the North Highway. The town he lives in is actually called Briceño, but it's about 16km away from the North part of Bogotá. I was so nervous as we pulled up to his house, knowing I was about to meet this family that I will be living with for the next two weeks. Other than the initial shyness (which is typical for me) I was able to whip enough Spanish out to chat a bit with Zayrho's mother, cousins, brother, sister, and nanny (oh, and the nanny here is kind of like live-in maid, but Fran has lived in the De San Vicente home for close to 25 years and is part of the family). It didn't take long until there was some tequila on the table, which we cheersed many times to my arrival with, followed by the most delicious shots I'd ever had, called Sangrita. It's kind of like a bloody mary but is different, though I honestly couldn't tell you how, exactly. Shortly thereafter we found ourselves eager to move around... we left the kitchen and moved to the living room and turned on some excellent Salsa music.

Now, this whole time I'm thinking this has to be typical of the De San Vicente family... grabbing the bongos and cowbell and playing along with the Salsa, dancing all over the hardwood floors, drinking tequila and sangrita, laughing so much that we achieved an abdominal workout for the day, all until 2am... but later came to learn that all of this was very rare and it was a special moment for welcoming me into the house. I had so much fun! Dancing with Zayrho once again (which felt like we were never apart for one month, it was so natural), Dancing with his 13 year old brother, Zharim, and cousin Andy. Well, we had an amazing time, finally heading to be between 2 and 3am.

This morning was also great. The breakfast that Fran (the nanny, the kids call her Gordita... Little Fatty, a term of endearment here.. haha) made me was so delicious... homemade bread, fried eggs, a latte (or café con leche for those who are so inclined), and fresh made orange juice. After breakfast I went on tour of the neighborhood where the family lives, a beautiful housing development that is unlike anything I have ever seen in the US. The houses are on a golf course that sits in a valley between all of these hills and mountains. We went on a driving/walking tour to the tops of the hills all around. It is amazingly beautiful! The weather is very similar to Seattle, though, which is nice for a country that is near the equator (but Bogotá is at an elevation of around 5000 feet... whew, talking about losing your breath while walking up those hills!). Later we went to a nearby town called Sopo to buy traditional Colombian deserts and eat them in a plaza. We went for coffee afterward (and yes, Colombian coffee is as amazing as I had built it up to be... sorry Spain, Portugal, and Italy.. Colombia wins!) and then headed home to relax a bit.

Now this is probably the most detailed post you're going to get while I'm here, so eat it up! I'll post again soon with more fun things I've done, seen, and learned (and pics included next time... promise!).

Catch me later :)

The Next International Flight

Hola mis amigos! I'm getting ready to head out for my next adventure to Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. This trip is much awaited and I'm so stoked that it begins at 7:05am tomorrow morning. I'm sure within the first few days I will be itching to post my first round of pictures and tell you about my adventures! I will be picked up from the airport upon my arrival Saturday evening and then I'll be out and about, no doubt to do something incredibly fun. I thought I had done quite a bit of studying Spanish while being home, but the fact that I forgot the verb for "to drive" ... like drive a car... today while in the car attempting to text my friend Jon, I found myself slightly discouraged. I'm sure the immersion will help. I'm so excited to see this wonderful culture and people I have been dying to experience. Just over 24 hours away! :) I'll keep you all posted very soon!

catch me later :)

Madrid: Wrapping up Spain

I left Salamanca with quite a few tears, but hope that Madrid would bring some relief. I was excited for what I'd see there, but the 2-1/2 hour bus ride leaving Salamanca for the last time was tough one. We did some pretty sweet things while we were there, though. Here is me and TeeTee at dinner at this pretty sweet Indian Restaurant (it was the only spicy food I was able to find in Spain!!).

On day one in Madrid, I went on a loooong walk all over town and saw this bear and tree statue that I've always seen in other people's pictures. I'm still not sure the name or significance, but I got a picture (I was getting lazy at being a good tourist... after 6 weeks of it and all).

Here is the Stadium Santiago Bernabéu, where Real Madrid plays futbol. I did an exterior tour (aka self led around the outside, too broke to afford the actual tour) and got this sweet picture of me in front of it.

Here are a few more cool buildings/statues... once again I don't know the significance, but they sure are pretty!

On the final day, I made a much desired visit to the Prado Museum. I have been waiting a looong time to make it to this museum and see all of the famous works within. You can ask anyone in my Art History class last winter who knew I was going to Spain... every painting in our book that was listed in the "Prado" I was freaking out about. Oh, and I saw them all, you better believe it. It was my favorite thing about the city. Here is me in front of the Prado with the statue of Velazquez, arguably the most famous artists to come out of Spain (competing with Pablo Picasso, of course).

What else did I do in Madrid? Lots of great things! My other favorite thing, aside from the Prado, was the live Flamenco show, up close and personal. We had front row seats and literally got sprayed with the sweat of the dancers. It was incredible... all of it... the dancing, music, vocals, ahhh it was just great! What else? Dinner at a random terrace, walking around, befriending two guys on the street and taking randomly hilarious posed pictures, eating lots of ice cream (yeah, yeah, nothing new), and finding a pretty sweet Mexican restaurant (for those of you who didn't read my earlier post about Spanish food, it's much different! haha).

Catch me later :)

Change in Travel Plans

For those of you who have been lurking on my Facebook page (aka Facebook stalking me), you've seen now that I'm back in Seattle. I am confirming that I did have a change in my travel plans and I am temporarily in Seattle again. Don't you worry your pretty little heads, though, Colombia is calling my name loud and clear. I'll be headed there next month for 2-1/2 weeks and will surely have an amazing time.

Now, my story back from Spain is a fun one. So I left Salamanca and went to Madrid for a few days (PS pictures and blog update about Madrid is coming your way soon). While in Madrid, my plans to Colombia quicky changed. I found out two days before leaving Madrid that I would be landing in Seattle, not Bogota, after all, and I would have to reschedule my whole trip to one month later than originally planned. I crazily emailed Laura, my manager at Windworks, and begged for some work hours upon my return, just two days away. Then I took my flight back to Philadelphia and prepared to board for Seattle.

Then suddenly (oh, I know the suspense is killing you), the flight was overbooked back to Seattle and US Airways kindly offered me $550 in flight vouchers and a hotel for the night to get bumped to the flight the next morning. Heck, sure, why not? What did I have to get home to so urgently anyway? Pretty much no job, my bed was still going to be there just the same. So sure. Well, the hotel was a great and the next day I headed back to the airport at 5am. Well, it just so happens that once again, the flight was overbooked. I obliged to another $550 flight voucher and hopped a train to the historical district in Philly, where I spent the morning and early afternoon (pics to come from that mini-adventure, too!). That afternoon I caught my flight back to Seattle and was greeted at the airport by my lovely Leslie and then basically went straight to Mexican for margaritas and a reunion with most of my roommates. Lovely :)

I also had a surprise waiting for me upon my return to Seattle. Heather, my bestie that got engaged to Jon while I was gone, asked me to be her Maid of Honor in their wedding next March! I was (and AM) so freaking excited!!

Well, what's on the agenda for the next month? I was able to pick up some Windworks shifts (thanks to Holly and Laura), I have 3 papers to write (12 pages each in Spanish... eeeeek!), surely enjoying some Seattle sun, beach, sailing, hiking, friends, a trip to Yelm to visit the fam, my favorite bars, then my cousin's wedding in Portland, a weekend jaunt to SoCal for wedding dress shopping for Heather, and then Colombia! Oh, and missing Salamanca and all of the people who made it so amazing for me. I miss you all :(

So check for my updates coming soon: Madrid, Philadelphia, and a fun fact blog about cool Salamanca things. That sounds vauge, but it'll be great.

Catch me later :)

Salsa in Salamanca

I know you know by now that I spent a lot of time in Salamanca dancing... and not just any dancing... Latin dancing! I was vague enough before (and in the title of this post) to simply say Salsa dancing, but it was much more than just Salsa. Here's a little bit of what I learned about Latin dancing while in Salamanca (compliments of Zayrho De San Vicente and El Savor).

Salsa.

Salsa has its roots in Cuba but has many different styles from many different countries all over the world. The most important thing in Salsa music is the clave rhythm, which can be performed by many instruments, but is usually performed by congas, bongos, piano, or a few other instruments. Some think (and I would agree with this) that the best part of a Salsa song is the "venom" where the music changes from something more timid to something with bite. It really is beautiful. The most important thing in Salsa dancing is to never stop moving your feet and to keep stepping the next step (don't forget while turning!). The focus is in the steps and what the feet are doing, not necessarily the hips and turns (though that do make it very nice to watch). Salsa can be danced solo, in couples, or in groups, choreographed, free-style, or very close to follow the leader.

Cumbia.

Cumbia is a dance from the Caribbean coast of Colombia (yay Colombia). Originally the dance style was created by African slaves. The slaves often had chains around their feet, so the dance involves movement of the hips much more than the knees or feet, and the feet are usually pretty close together. In addition to Cumbia, Vallenato also come from Colombia.

Merengue.

Merengue is from the Dominican Republic, but of course its popularity has spread all over. It's quite different from Salsa and Cumbia because the beat is very different and the steps are quite different. I haven't decided if it's more simple or more difficult than Salsa, but it's certainly different. In my experienced, it is more easily danced close with a partner because you can feel where the leader will take you next with the steps. The music is generally fast, fun, and energetic.

Well, there is much more that I learned, but that's probably enough to chew on. Since I don't want to forget these great dance skills, I'm going to try to find some place with Latin dancing back here in Seattle, but at least I get to enjoy a few more weeks of dancing in Colombia when I go there next month. I can't wait!

Catch me later :)