This week there was a holiday on Monday (Colombian Independence Day), so my fellow scholars and I took the opportunity to visit Guatape and El Penol. Guatape is a popular day trip from Medellin, only about an hour and a half away by bus. It is known for its colorful buildings with bas-relief carvings called zocalos. The carvings usually had repeating designs. Here is a picture of one of my favorites. 

We also visited El Penol, which is the third largest rock in the world! There was a beautiful view from the top. 

When we returned to work on Tuesday, my team was able to make progress on our communications materials and fundraising plan for Platohedro. If anyone reading this is interested in donating to support education programs in art and technology, and artistic and research residencies, then check out Platohedro’s Patreon! So far, we have reorganized Platohedro’s website, drafted a Linkedin profile, drafted a Vaki profile, and identified more than fifty potential donors to contact for our campaign. 

Finally, we presented our projects to potential student volunteers at UPB! They will assist by bringing in new ideas and helping us to better understand the Colombian cultural context of our projects. 

While it can be frustrating how little you can achieve as a parachute volunteer in a new country, I am incredibly lucky to have this opportunity, and to be able to learn from my peers and my organization. 

All the best, 

Anne