Emily Explores

101 things I love about Colombia

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by

wickerem98
in ,
Originally titled 1001 things I love about Colombia. I then realized that was far too ambitious an undertaking for a Wednesday morning. This list and the included photos are a compilation of many moments and favorite things since I arrived last August.

LA GASTRONOMÍA

  1. arepas boyacenses stuffed with cheese
  2. limas mandarinas & the delicious zing they add to any savory dish
  3. hot chocolate with cheese in it!
  4. maracuyá (passionfruit) in all its forms
  5. fresh-squeezed orange juice
  6. all the Electrolit flavors
  7. boxed chocolate milk, specifically on bus trips
  8. arepas rellenas smothered in sauce and topped with a quail egg
  9. quail eggs sold in tiny boxes
  10. quail eggs cooked and added to the top of any fried rice dish
  11. chorizos de La Cuncia, also sprinkled with fresh lime juice
  12. Chocokrispis
  13. the chocolate milk left after I eat all my Chocokrispis
  14. so many different kinds of fresh bread
  15. bocadillo con queso (guava paste with cheese)
  16. Nutella-filled anything and everything
  17. KFC chicken sandwiches (trust me, it’s just better here, thousands of miles from Kentucky)
  18. the entire selection available at Mr. Cookies
  19. that one melted-cheese-fried-plantain-potato-chip topped hot dog I ate at Mr. Perritos in September 2024 and haven’t stopped thinking about since then
  20. pan galleta specifically from at a corner bakery near Parque de la Vida

PEOPLE

  1. all the wonderful people I have met and shared life with here!!!
  2. whoever invented the chocolatera kitchen appliance to make sure your milk & chocolate powder perfectly combine into a hot beverage at the touch of a button
  3. whoever invented the crookie (croissant cookie)!
  4. the chefs behind the delicious hamburgers at 10/10 Burger
  5. our beloved portería guards, especially the ones who learned our names
  6. the friendly lifeguard at the conjunto pool
  7. the 10-year-old Emily whose family home I now rent, she left me a collection of art, a hand-painted “Pared Artística” and miniature animal sculptures
  8. students who bring snacks to class to share
  9. the friend who passed me a soft purring cat to hold as we sat next to a campfire while camping under the stars
  10. policemen on horseback
  11. the two señores who sell freshly cut pineapple on rolling carts
  12. every motorcycle delivery driver who has ever brought food or medication to my house
  13. everyone at CrossFit who has watched me sweat profusely and still given me a high-five or fist bump after the workout
  14. everyone who has ever gotten up early on a Sunday with me to walk up the Vereda El Carmen

JUST COLOMBIAN THINGS

  1. lechona + Coca-Cola on a Sunday morning
  2. Sunday afternoons in the city park
  3. so many malls & so many people in them
  4. brightly-painted houses and family businesses
  5. “A la orden.”
  6. “Para servirle.”
  7. finally hearing “¡Siga, veci!” while waiting in line at the Ara grocery store
  8. besitos, (almost) always.
  9. the cultural norm of sharing any and all food
  10. everyone, everywhere, drinking small cups of hot tinto coffee
  11. that one Colombian birthday song
  12. the gold and silver design of the $1000 peso coin, it reminds me of an Olympic medal
  13. random U.S. movies shown on public Colombian buses
  14. hailing a taxi with a nearly imperceptible wave of one’s hand
  15. the way “Pull” doors in local businesses are labeled “Hale” and not “Jale”
  16. la cultura de invitar or “inviting” (paying for someone else, often when eating out)
  17. everyone buying or making and flying kites in August
  18. Christmas lights everywhere in late November and all of December
  19. pharmacies, supermarkets and empanada stands on every corner
  20. the entire concept of an ensalada de frutas (“fruit salad”) including ice cream & cheese

DAILY VILLAVICENCIO LIFE

  1. the “Dios te bendiga” exchange at the beginning of every church service
  2. how much my rhythmic clapping skills have improved in six months (thank you, Familia Cristiana Villavicencio!)
  3. riding on the back of a motorcycle & not getting hit by a truck
  4. seeing dogs (of all sizes!) riding on the back of motorcycles
  5. the sheer number of unique & colorful motorcycle helmet designs available for purchase
  6. the way ants will clean up & carry away the cockroaches I kill in my house
  7. little lizards on the wall who live behind the paintings in my house
  8. neighborhood cats & dogs
  9. getting my nails and toenails done for an incredibly affordable price
  10. the wide variety of random breed combinations of street dogs
  11. fifth-floor patio views of the mountains from my university
  12. hearing snippets of the new Bad Bunny album around the city
  13. bedazzled family dogs with jewels pasted to their foreheads
  14. fluffy Huskies, Malamutes, and German Shepherds galore despite the intense tropical climate of this area
  15. birthday celebrations in the office, where everyone pools their money to buy a cake & drinks

EL LLANO ES UN PARAÍSO

  1. llanero festivals, always
  2. watching coleo + trabajo de llano (yes, I know, maybe controversial, but I am a rodeo gal at heart)
  3. the rich diversity and natural beauty of Meta
  4. living in a department of Colombia that few people have the opportunity to explore
  5. joropo dancing!
  6. the loud clap of the men’s shoes on the ground & the colorful swishing skirts of the women dancing joropo
  7. pan de arroz con masato
  8. group hiking excursions to waterfalls in the jungle
  9. jumping into a cold waterfall pool on a hot day
  10. tropical flowers everywhere
  11. mid-afternoon rainstorms
  12. evening rainstorms
  13. the blissfully cool weather after it rains

BUS TRAVEL

  1. the fact that I have never missed a bus, yet I have twice arrived at the terminal entrance at the exact time the bus was scheduled to depart
  2. bus ticket salesmen in Bogotá who somehow always seem to know to shout “Villavicencio, Villavicencio, Villavicencio!” at me when I pass
  3. the Bolivariano bus workers whose job it is to pull out a 2007 camcorder and record the passengers for their safety protocol
  4. watching all the Bogotá bike commuters head to work on early Monday morning bus rides back to Villavicencio

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS

  1. the cardboard lizard taped to the wall and collection of tiny cats & bears in my rental house
  2. taxis with A/C and functional seatbelts in the back seat
  3. SUV taxis
  4. McDonald’s Postres stands at the mall
  5. cockroach-killing spray that my landlord left for me to use
  6. cockroaches who choose to die peacefully in the open before I have to kill them
  7. the delivery speed of online Asics Colombia shoe orders
  8. the nickname “T” (short for “Teacher”) given to me by a university colleague
  9. the way my hung-to-dry laundry actually dries surprisingly quicky despite the high humidity that disintegrates every package of chewing gum that I open
  10. refillable dry-erase markers
  11. tile floors that make cleaning everything easier
  12. hammocks on every balcony
  13. the hammock hooks in my living room!!!
  14. well-organized and fully-stocked fruit and vegetable shops

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

  1. getting to actually live in Colombia this year!
Of course, I could write another list about all the things I don’t enjoy about Colombia … but undoubtedly it would be shorter and not a productive or life-giving exercise.
For those who are curious, here are 10 things I do not love about Colombia:
  1. Cockroaches
  2. Ants, everywhere, all at once
  3. The heat
  4. The humidity
  5. Taxis with no A/C
  6. Most public bathrooms
  7. Risking my life every time I cross the street
  8. Odd comments, stares and whistles from random men
  9. Cold showers when I am sick
  10. Walking past fish markets

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