First of all, I would like to state the obvious: culture shock is a very real thing (as I have recently discovered). And there's no good way to prepare for it, because it's a unique experience for everyone. For me, culture shock has consisted of being flabbergasted by the fact that people here eat wings with plastic gloves on, not understanding why there are statues of Mary everywhere, and having an intense longing to listen to nothing but the Eagles. It's hard being an exchange student, especially because half the time I really don't know what is going on, due to barriers both linguistic and cultural. Don't get me wrong- I am having the time of my life. Every day is full of new experiences and wonderful people. Colombia is hands down the most beautiful place I have ever been. However, I am still adjusting to everything, and it's a slow process. Things that are obvious and normal for Colombians are neither obvious nor normal for me. Thus, all I can do is sigue adelante- move forward- with a smile on my face and gratefulness in my heart for this wonderful opportunity.
Oh, and about the Sancocho- it's a traditional Colombian soup that I had the pleasure of trying today. Some close friends of my host parents invited us to lunch to eat it. I am not quite sure how to explain it because I still am not entirely sure what it is, but it was delicious. Getting together to eat lunch, especially Sancocho, is a formal ordeal in Colombian culture. We were all very dressed up (though at first I wasn't sure why), and after we ate, we all sat around for hours talking about anything and everything. It was really cool to get to do this with my host family, whom I love so much already. My host sister, Elizabeth, taught me how to dance Bachata today too, so there's my day for ya.
Anyway, everything is going well still, and with each day I learn more about Colombia, Spanish, the people around me, and myself. This is truly an amazing experience.
