During the second week, we used the time between classes and off-days to explore the city of Medellín!
On this day, we will go to Centro. This is the downtown area of Medellín and is the political and economic center of the city.
We entered the Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture, had coffee at a cafe in front of the square, and relaxed.
On another night, I went to a Japanese restaurant called SUSHI LIGHT for sushi with a friend from SEED!
Colombian sushi differs from Japanese sushi in that it is shaped like a nori roll, with fried ingredients, cream cheese, and plenty of sauce.
One thing that surprised me about this restaurant. That was that they had chopstick aids! 😂
COMNA 13
On Thursday, when I was off, I went to Komuna 13 in Medellín with a friend I met at Spring Hinata!
This area is now famous for its colorful streets and vibrant tourist attractions, but in fact, it was once even called “one of the most dangerous places in the world.
In the 1990s, the city was in a constant struggle between drug cartels, gangs, and armed groups, and residents were forced to live with violence and fear on a daily basis.
In the 2000s, however, the city began to change little by little. The government’s efforts to improve security and infrastructure, and above all, the strong desire of the local people to “improve the city,” gradually took shape.
Symbolic of this are the cable cars and outdoor escalators that connect the city and the colorful street art.
In some places, bullet marks from the shootings still remain on the city walls, and it was very impressive that they dared not erase them, but left them along with the art. It was a strong indication of people’s will to change the city in a bright and positive way through the power of art, while remembering and accepting the sad history of the city.
Here we took pictures with art in all parts of the city and ate our favorite buñuelo 😋.
After that, we went to eat fried chicken at Frisby’s, which is no stranger to Colombia, visited my friend’s university, played basketball, and had a very productive day. ☺️
Ajizal
This week’s class at Ajizal was like a private lesson for one student due to the bad weather. It was kind of a relaxing class, as the child who seemed shy and bashful before became very talkative because it was just one person. ☺️
After class, I went out to eat with my fellow instructors who went with me. We ate “Picada Antioqueña,” a Medellín specialty. It was a hearty plate of chicharrones (fried pork belly), chorizo, morcilla (black sausage), arepa, patacon (fried bananas), etc., which we all shared 😋.
Afterwards, everyone went to the arcade!
We had a great time playing air field hockey and had a great time. ☺️
The next issue will be the last!
I will talk about the kimono workshop, which was the biggest event of this internship, and the last week!