I arrived in Medellín, Colombia on the 5^th of July. From my window, I saw sparse lights of the rural regions so it appeared as if we were landing in the stars.

The first few days required a lot of admin: getting various cards for travel and food expenses; changing out SIM-cards; exchanging some Colombian pesos and getting over my jet lag. It was cool to meet so many other Laidlaw scholars from all over the world working on the same project.

On Wednesday we met the organisation we would be working with- Fundación Sora. They are based in Comuna 13, a neighbourhood which was one of the most dangerous in the world transformed into a vibrant, touristic area filled with graffiti art. Upon arrival, we were given a “Grafitour” by Santi, one of the volunteers with the organisation. It was so amazing to experience the atmosphere of the Comuna. As Santi showed us around, fist-bumping people of all ages, we passed a hip hop lesson on the street with a young boy learning crazy tricks; kids playing basketball with the backdrop of music and art. We had lunch at Sora and met Leidy and Marisol, the two women who set up Sora. We had the opportunity to sit down with them, hear their story and ask any initial questions that we had. We also met Camila who had been running their social media and some volunteer mothers who worked in the kitchen. We were able to see the three main spaces that SORA had- the communal kitchen; the classroom and the cultural café. Although it was a very fast first meeting, I got a good feeling for the organisation and the community around it. I had some initial doubts about how much I could really contribute in six weeks but after meeting the organisation I felt very motivated to begin.

We visited the Botero Museum; Parque Arvi and Museo del Castillo that week for some cultural immersion. Learning about the city through art, wildlife and history is helping me get a richer picture of what life is like in Medellín. I have really enjoyed the local food so far- filling meals of pork, rice and plantains with the freshest, sweetest juices on the side. I think I’m going to find it difficult to go from grape, mango and guava juices back to the boring orange and apple of my local Aldi.

On Sunday, we went to the “Bazar de la Confianza” a festival for local social organisations and communities to share culture, products and services. While SORA hasn’t participated in the bazar yet, two of the other organisations our wider group were working with had stalls on the day so we felt it would be useful for a bit of research. It was hosted in the Botanical Gardens which was an absolutely beautiful venue and the day was filled with learning about different social organisations in Medellín, hearing traditional music and dance and trying local food. After a few years away from Spanish, I am finding it a little frustrating digging through my brain for vocabulary but I’m determined to keep using it as much as I can while I’m here and to learn some Colombian slang!