I have take a step that I might regret, which is that I have arranged for, and paid for, Spanish lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So on Mondays and Wednesdays it’s Chinese and then a switchover to the other language. I am more worried about the Chinese suffering than the Spanish; since I know the […]
Those I’ll never see again
For some reason dogs seem to like me. This is not exactly reciprocated, as I don’t particularly like keeping pets, and especially indoor dogs, but I don’t mind dogs as long as they aren’t noisy and boistrous. Anyway, the dog at my Spanish school really seems to like me, but in a rather sweet way […]
Successes and failures
After lunch we took a cab to La Catedral, formerly prison of Pablo Escobar (built to his specifications and so equipped with tunnels and various luxuries) and now an old-age home run by monks. The road climbed high in the hills behind Envigado, and it was startlying how suddenly we left the city behind: a […]
District 13
The internet is full of advice on Comuna 13, formerly one of the most dangerous urban spaces in the world. This advice is: go with a tour that tells you about the barrio’s sad past and inspiring present, admire the graffiti, don’t stray off the path, learn the history of the area, get over your […]
Jab
I returned to the flat from my class and we went off to Poblado with several missions in mind, but only one that we were reasonably confident of completing. In the event we managed all of them, hurrah. It took ages to get there as the traffic was terrible (we had hoped to save time […]
Five o’clock chorus
I woke up at five in the morning to the sound of men singing sad songs in harmony, with a mournful trumpet accompanying them. It was actual people singing, not a recording: though the trumpet was well played, it was definitely not slick and professional. Very peculiar, I thought, go to sleep it’s five in […]
Ouch
I have developed a very sore wrist and arm, and am worried about RSI. I suppose I had it coming, but today I took all sorts of measures. These included: Posting on Metafilter to ask for keyboard recommendations. Selecting an ergonomic keyboard, to be purchased from Canada or the UK depending on the bother and […]
My scaly friend
We went to the botanical gardens today. Again, by metro; Medellin’s metro is so very impressive. Clean, inexpensive, fast, airy. Such a pleasure. The entrance to the Jardin Botanico was a smooth modern structure with a circular path around a sort of basin. It made me feel very much like a little silver ball rolling […]
Thoughts on two articles in the Observer
The music was very loud again last night and did not stop till 4. There is something about the way that sound echoes in our street, it is very loud indeed so it made for a very uncomfortable night, again. Anyway, I woke up at 7 so feel quite underslept, plus there is no milk […]
Up up up
We took the metro to Acevado, first missing the stop altogether becuase we didn’t pay attention to the announcement (in both Spanish and English) that only some doors would open due to construction. So we overshot then returned, this time careful to ask a man in a uniform where we should stand. I must say, […]