Written by Jada Jackson, (Howard University), Student Correspondent for CET Colombia, Fall 2024
Wow, so much has happened in the past month since my last essay! Life in Colombia has truly been amazing and I am so excited to share this with you guys.
Homemade Meals with my Roommates
A few times a week we have group dinners and someone cooks a meal of their choice. For this night our Colombian roommate, Sharick, decided to make us a Colombian meal her and her family eat: arroz con papa y huevos pericos.
Living with a Colombian roommate that is around our age is so fun and truly an adventure everyday. We have all gotten so close in such a short period of time, so these group dinners have become really important for us. And coincidentally, one of my roommates is an artist and had drawn this prior to even coming to Colombia! So that was super fun to talk about
On a Mission: La Galería Alameda
For one of my class assignments for Intermediate 1, we were split into groups and taken to La Galería Alameda. This is a really popular market here in Cali that sells everything from fruits to meat to jewelry to bags.
Our assignment was to buy fruit from the market to make a fruit salad, while also learning how to barter for a cheaper price. At first, it was difficult to navigate our way around, but one we encountered a really nice man. It made the process so much easier. He kept giving us so much fruit to try and they were all so fresh and sweet. There were also so many fruits I hadn’t seen in the US before.
We couldn’t help ourselves and ended up buying everything he gave us. He even threw in a few extra fruits for free just because. Me and my group ended up buying mangoes, pinas (pineapples), frescas (strawberries), mangostanas (mangosteen), maracuyá (passion fruit), rambutanes (similar to lychee), guanábano (sweetsop), y limón (lime). Safe to say, we got an A!
Festival Petronio Álvarez
This weekend was Festival Petronio Álvarez, which celebrates and pays homage to the Afro-Colombian culture on the Pacific Coast. It has been the talk of Colombia all week! Every person I met was talking about how excited they were for it. There was food, cultural musical performances, vendors, and literally everything black-owned.
In the states, I had been to festivals similar, mainly those curated to cake reate black culture and allow space for black creators and entrepreneurs to come together. So while being in this space was nothing new, it still felt so different. Everyone was so lively and happy and genuinely just having a great time. I danced until my feet hurt and cheered until I lost my voice!
The food was incredible and the vendors were nothing short of talented. They braided hair, sold custom art pieces, and had performances everywhere! It was truly an amazing experience to see how people come together to celebrate culture and ancestry. The last picture I took was of my roommate, so safe to say me, my roommates, and her friends had so much fun!
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