Week 1:

Setting the Scene

Before arrival, I done all essential preparations, attended meetings organised by Makesense, and researched Fundación Sora to suggest how my skills could contribute. I didn't have much of an idea of what Sora did or what I should do. All those questions started to get answered during the first week, though my team and I soon realised that the more we do, the more questions we have.

(Sam from Makesense with me and Laidlaw Scholars during organisation visit)

Mucho Gusto, Medellín

I got to meet other Laidlaw Scholars and Sam and Dani from Makesense. The plan for the first week was immersion.

Our Fundación Sora representative gave us a tour through Comuna 13, a neighborhood that transformed from one of the most dangerous areas into a safer place with community art (graffiti) and local initiatives. The tour finished at Fundación Sora itself, and my first impression after talking to the workers was how strong those señoras are, and how happy I am that I chose this organisation.

I would also like to highlight that Medellín is a wonderful city. As we stay in a safe neighborhood, I feel even safer than in my UK neighborhood. The city has transformed so much, and you don't need to look hard to see how proud people are to live here.

(Graffitour in Comuna 13 with Santi)

The Language Barrier

Very few people speak English, which I expected and prepared for with online lessons. However, I realised I only had basic knowledge to describe basic needs, but not enough to form a real conversation. I can get the gist of what Colombians say, but I constantly wish I could understand more.

At the end of week 1, we attended the Bazzar festival. I prepared questions and practiced my intro in Spanish, but due to the busy environment, I froze and didn't start any conversations. Coming up to strangers is normal for me at career events, but this courage turned out to be less transferable in a language where I have low confidence. My fellow Scholars constantly inspire me, and my team is also proactive at communicating in Spanish. And when no, it doesn't stop them. James M. asked a seller how a machine worked in English, and somehow they communicated! It pushed me to stop using the language barrier as an excuse, but also I'm motivated to learn more.

(Local food at Pichacho con Futuro organisation visit)

Week 2: 

Meeting the Kids 

We went to Sora to meet the kids. Leidy (the main teacher) introduced us, and the kids prepared a poster called Mi historia. They shared their favorite food, hobbies. We also introduced ouselfs to them. Me llamo Mariia, soy ucraniana y tengo 19 años.  All of them loved my cat's photo! For a few moments, I felt connected to their fun state of being without feeling a language barrier.

During one of the icebreaker activities, the kids started singing their favorite song: El Ritmo Que Los Une by Ryan Castro  (a little spoiler: check out Week 5 to see how this moment unfolds!).

During this visit, we identified our core project task: Fundación Sora has 8 donated computers, but the kids were essentially using them for games like Roblox since staff lacked technical knowledge. Based on this, our team decided to focus on designing tailored computer workshops for the Media Lab.

(Sora Team having a closer look at the map of Colombia)

Adapting to the Local Rhythm

It turned out Colombians have a lot of holidays, filled with parades and colorful street celebrations. In the context of LiA, this was a challenge: our visits were planned for Mondays and Fridays, which were usually holidays, forcing us to constantly rethink our schedule.

(Sora Team on a little hike)

Peace with Chaos

When an evening request to visit Sora was missed, we got a morning message that it was better not to come. Even though it was week 2, I felt uncertainty in our project plans and daily activities. I consider myself an organised person who plans everything in advance, so adapting to this spontaneity was tough. Entonces, I had to learn to adapt, and by the end of the week, I was proud of myself for being at peace with the chaos around me.

(Gorgeous red lilies in the park)