Cali, Colombia
I’m moving to Colombia.
There’s a million things I could say about this and I’m not quite sure where to begin. Most of you have probably already heard the news anyway.
Here’s the short version: I’ve wanted to do a missions/humanitarian trip for a long time. I had pretty much finished an application for a volunteer position in Peru when this opportunity to teach English in Cali, Colombia was brought to my attention.
You might be thinking, “Cali? As in, drug capital of the world.” Yup. That Cali. Though that reputation isn’t entirely accurate anymore.
Colombia ... the place I'll call home for nearly a year.
I’m going to South America to teach for one academic year at Ekklesia School, which is part of a church belonging to the same affiliation as the congregation my parents attend (and I used to). I’ve met the pastor - a phenomenal woman of God. She’s one of the few that speaks English there, however, so I’ve been cramming Spanish and will continue until I get on the plane and after.
Which brings me to departure time. I don’t have an exact date yet, but it will be mid August. So very soon. My last day of work here is July 28. I’m going to spend a couple of weeks vacationing with family before I fly south. I’ll have just over a week to do some training and preparation before I get in front of a classroom.
It’s true, I have no teaching experience whatsoever. All I knew in Spanish was senorita, adios and gracias before a few weeks ago. I’m freaking out a little. This trip also means I am giving up my dream of going to the Vancouver Olympics next February; I’ll just set my sights on London in 2012.
I’m ridiculously excited. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and the door has swung open wide. Despite a few nerves, I know God has called me to do this and he will both equip me for the job and be with me every step of the way. Of that, I have no doubts or qualms. Plus, this is a great chance to travel – I can cross South America off my list – and experience more of the world.
This is my happy face - super stoked to be going to Colombia. :)
Never fear, I will not disappear off the face of the earth while I’m gone. I’m not sure what the Internet situation is there, but I will keep this blog updated with photos, stories and whatever else strikes my fancy as often as possible. Feel free to send in your requests, comments and updates on your life so I don’t feel too isolated down there. I’ll also be blogging regularly about the process to prepare and actually leave for Cali.
So, what do you think? I’m going to Colombia!
Learning a second language
Buenois dias.
Number 18 on my life to-do list is learn either Spanish or French. I picked Spanish … and started working on it a couple of months ago.
I bought Rosetta Stone and borrowed a couple of vocabulary books from my cousin, who decided to learn the language for fun about a year ago. Rosetta Stone is amazing. The computer program doesn’t have any translation, which basically forces the student to learn to think in Spanish, immersed in the language.
I'm learning Spanish using Rosetta Stone on my computer.
I’m not going to lie – I love it! It’s interesting, and I definitely think I’m making progress, but it’s also pretty slow going. I can almost feel my brain expanding when I’m doing my lesson every day. I try and work on it for about 20 minutes every morning, but I’m not always consistent. I’ve also been listening to Spanish television and music, and reading Spanish materials online and in print. Eventually I’ll be fluent …
So … you may be asking why Spanish? why now?
Oh, I have a very good reason. A very exciting reason …
… that I’ll tell you all about tomorrow. ;)
The trial must go on
Today Judge Douglas Cunningham ruled that the trial of Mayor Larry O’Brien will go on. Read my story about what went down in Courtroom 36 here.
If I wasn’t already a huge fan of Cunningham, I am now.
His decision – a 24-page document – placed a great deal of emphasis on the integrity of government. He basically said that even if O’Brien’s actions weren’t illegal, the appearance of anything less than ethical should still be investigated and tried. You don’t hear that every day. Most people dismiss political appointments as tradition (the defence attorney tried to use that argument) and just part of government culture. Though Cunningham can’t take on Parliament Hill with this decision, he made it very clear that he is not going to let O’Brien get off easy.
“Because the public will not necessarily be able to determine for themselves whether or not a particular advantage or benefit is legitimate, the very appearance of dishonesty must be preserved in order for the integrity of government to be maintained,” Cunningham said in his decision, referring to another’s judge’s interpretation of the Criminal Code sections that apply to O’Brien.
I’m glad about the verdict, and it’s not because I’m an O’Brien-hater or anything. I’m just impressed to see someone standing up for integrity – especially in government – something I thought was nearly a lost virtue in our society.
Ready, ready
On Saturday, my dragonboating team – Crew 22 – took to the water at Mooney’s Bay for some racing action. It was super fun, though we kind of bombed the first race. Our downfall was our start; we were distracted by the other boats and not prepared when the gun went off. We came in third in our heat with a time of 2:29 – not great. We spent a few hours hanging around, absorbing the festival atmosphere. I caught a ride on the media boat and snapped some great shots of the other competitors.
A team celebrates their finish by splashing the caller.
Cathy Fowler screams at her team to keep up the pace to the finish line.
Gotta love the facial expressions on these guys, straining the last few metres.
For our second race in the afternoon, our team was much more focused. Once we reached the starting line, we all shut up and put our paddles in the water. Our start was 100 times better than the first one; we came out strong and in first place, keeping the pace and position for the entire 500 metres. It felt phenomenal.
Back at the dock and pumped after our second race.
We ended up with a worse time (2:32), however, probably due to shifting winds. Despite the disappointing finish and our inability to make the finals, it was a great race and we all felt pretty good about ourselves.
Crew 22 in all its glory.
Watch this
It’s Friday!
Here’s a couple of videos to brighten your day.
A college dorm room light show.
A hilarious prank – I totally want to try this.
Festival frenzy
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve experienced several Ottawa festivals … and I wonder why I never bothered to check them out before. I seriously love this city.
I went to Open Doors a couple of weeks ago and visited several major buildings that I’ve always wanted to peek inside. The Supreme Court was really cool, though I’m sure it would be more awe-inspiring to see during an actual trial. Library and Archives Canada was disappointing – they basically only had one room open. The Library of the Senate was the same. We thought the event should be called Open Doorways. But I also checked out the old train station and a rooftop garden overlooking Parliament Hill – both were very cool. Not connected to the event but still cool was the currency musuem in the old Bank of Canada building, where the new building has been constructed around it.
Supreme Court
The currency museum
Last weekend, the traveling Magnetic North Theatre Festival stopped in the capital. A couple of friends and I tagged along on the Rideau Project – a series of plays in different locations (and both languages) around the city, depicting some of the historial events. Afterwards we heard a couple songs at the Franco festival at city hall. Basically, downtown at night on the weekends is awesome.
Last Sunday, a friend and I braved the threat of thunderstorms and went to Westboro for WestFest. Richmond Road is shut down to vehicle traffic and people set up shop and stages on the street. There was some pretty cool performers, including this duo.
These kids had an amazing sound ... by playing the most random things.
Hmmm … compromise?
I don’t want an election this summer. I think it would be ridiculous.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and opposition leader Michael Ignatieff are meeting for the third timetoday to discuss how to avert the election before the confidence vote on Friday. The government is tabling their latest economic report; both the NDP and Bloc have said they’re against it. The Liberals have asked for changes to fix employment insurance, the isotope crisis and other issues.
Chris Wattie/Reuters
I’m impressed that Harper and Ignatieff have actually had meetings on this (and saddened that I’m impressed) and are hopefully coming to a - dare I say it? - compromise. Isn’t this what minority governments are all about? The constant threat of an election hanging over the country can’t be healthy, but at least we might see the parties working together to actually make changes and run the country. They’ll never agree on everything (anything?) but it’s a good sign that they’re working on it. Now they just have to sell the deal to the rest of their parties.
It might look like Ignatieff is being weak by supporting the Conservatives instead of just pulling the plug. But I disagree, and maybe that’s just my lack of desire for an election showing through.
Seriously though, Harper laid out his plan. Ignatieff said it wasn’t enough and described what he would like to see happen. Now they’re talking about it like civilized people. This is much better than the Liberals automatically calling an election on a confidence vote. Compromise is key.
Yes, EI needs to be fixed and the isotope crisis addressed. Though voting down the government on Friday would prove how serious the opposition is about the issues, it won’t bring resolution any faster. Those will still be problems after the votes are tallied and the new, or previous, government takes the reigns. Why not fix it now and save the nation millions of dollars on an election campaign? We have a $50 billion deficit and we – especially the Liberal party – can’t afford it anyway.
What do you think? When will the next election be?
Game 7
Tonight Detroit and Pittsburgh will battle for Lord Stanley’s Cup. So far none of them have lost at home, so it’s not looking great for the Penguins. Nevertheless, I am rooting for Crosby and his crew … It’s not that I’m a big fan of Sid the Kid, I just really want to see the Pens take it home this year.
Whatever happens tonight, I’ll be finishing well behind first place in my hockey pool. I’m hoping to keep my spot in third (Go Malkin!) at least. I thought the pool would keep me locked into the playoffs, but I actually watched only a few games and just checked scores and scorers afterwards. Lame, I know, but life is busy. It didn’t help that the Canadian teams were shut out pretty quickly.
GO PENS!!
Not a proud tradition
The trial of Mayor Larry O’Brien is essentially paused while the lawyer’s arguments for and against a directed verdict are reviewed. The defence legal team is basically asking the judge to throw the entire case out, because even if the charges are true, O’Brien’s actions were apparently not illegal. The attorney said the tradition of politicians giving away appointments to get something in return is a long one and not criminal, and since O’Brien didn’t get a monetary benefit what he did shouldn’t be considered wrong.
The mayor and his wife arrive at the courthouse on Monday.
This frustrates me so much. Okay, even if the judge decides that’s true and what the mayor did wasn’t illegal, that does not make it ethical, admirable, or at all something to be desired. If the trial is thrown out, O’Brien can head back to city hall and resume his position as mayor. Even though the charges were never proven false.
Here’s the editorial the Kourier-Standard published today about this issue:
Patronage: a stain on our democracy
Larry O’Brien’s defence team is trying a new tact: arguing that even if the mayor did what he is accused of, it’s not illegal.
Lawyer David Paciocco says offering political advancement for gain is a tradition that goes back to Confederation and has never been a crime.
If so, it’s not a history we’re proud of.
Sure, there have been plenty of backroom deals, suspicious appointments and surprise promotions over the years.
Whether or not those incidents involved criminal activity is unknown, but even if it wasn’t illegal, it doesn’t mean it was ethical.
Why is the grey area between moral black and whites increasing?
Governing should not be about what our political leaders can get away with before being criminally charged.
They should always be held to a higher standard and more should be required of them. A pedestal is not necessary, but we can’t accept just everything.
Our politicians should obey both the letter and the spirit of the law.
If Paciocco succeeds in throwing out the case against Ottawa’s mayor (the judge’s decision came after our press deadline), O’Brien will probably take the few steps from the courthouse back to his office and resume his position as head of the city.
He can say he was never convicted, and was never involved in any illegal dealings.
But that doesn’t mean the accusations against him are false. It doesn’t mean the offer to Terry Kilrea never existed.
We will still have a mayor that tried to convince an opponent to drop out of the electoral race – even if he didn’t offer a bribe – and often used some pretty crude terms to persuade him.
Those activities, along with all of the other backroom dealings that happen at all levels of government, will remain a stain on our city’s history, and become part of a political tradition of which no one should be proud.
The bar just keeps getting adjusted – and it’s getting lower.
What do you think?
Swinging through the trees
On Saturday, a few friends and I went to Adventure Lafleche in Quebec. We completed the adventure park and then tried out the extreme zip lines – ridiculously fun. Here’s some photos, courtesy of Sheena since I decided not to carry my Nikon D50 while clambering up ladders, crossing tightropes and flying along through the trees.
No hands!
Sheri on the most difficult tightrope. She rocked it.
It was a perfect day for it - not too hot but nice and sunny.
Jackie heads out on the massive zipline high above the trees.
I got stuck on this one (glove caught in the pulley – my bad) and had to pull myself about a third of the way across, which is far. When I finally arrived at the platform the Lafleche worker said he had clipped onto the line, ready to come out and rescue me. “I underestimed the bionic woman,” he said. Needless to say, my arms were pretty sore the next day.
Zipping out over the small lake ... sweet.
Cheryl