Danny Leal

April 2nd I took a trip to Medellin, Antioquia, the second largest city of Colombia (3.5 million people). Just 20 years ago, this city was the largest drug trafficking region in the world. Home to the infamous Pablo Escobar, cartels practically ruled the city. However, today, Medellin is one of the most modern, developed cities in Colombia. It is home to some of the largest businesses in Colombia such as Exito, and Bancolombia. It also is the only city in Colombia with a metro. I had the opportunity to stay with one of my exchange friends in medellin for a week. The first thing I noticed upon arrival was that the city was located in the middle of a "bowl" of mountains. From the edges of the city, you could see the entire downtown. It made ... read more

I just got back from my first Rotary-sponsored trip! From february 24th until March 2nd, all Rotary Exchange students from Cali, Medellin, Pasto, Buga, and Pereira had the opportunity to travel to the Caribbean coast. About 15 students took advantage of the trip. This trip highlighted the two BEAUTIFUL cities of Cartagena, and Santa Marta. These two cities are the most tourism-driven cities in Colombia. Cartagena, historically, is one of the most important cities in Colombia, and is home to the old walled city (ciudad amurallada) and the Castillo (castle) San Felipe. It is also (in my opinion) the cleanest and most beautiful city in Colombia. The first day of the trip, we stayed in a small city called Tolu. Because we arrived around mid-afternoon, we didn't have anything special planned for the day. We spent ... read more

Its been a while, so I'm going to break down some of the main events over the last 4 months, starting with halloween. On halloween, 11th grade of my colegio (my class) was in charge of dressing up and parading around the school for the amusement of the younger grades, ending at the school auditorium. There, we climbed on the stage and led the school in dancing. I had dressed up as PSY so I had to lead the whole school in the "Gangnam Style" dance. Very un-halloween like, but super fun :) Just like back at home, there were people dressed up all over Cali, walking down the streets, and in the malls. November, my grade began practicing for a theatrical presentation that my colegio presents every year called the "macro proyecto." This was the ... read more

Just like to give an update on some of my experiences. 1st: I have found that a TON of people here play instruments and love to play in bands. One of my best friends here is an avid drummer, and he and I have gotten together with a few kids at my high school to jam. Very cool. 2nd: Last weekend I took a trip to buenaventura to go whale watching. While the day was extremely fun (and a good excuse to get out of school) we only saw one whale, and it was very far away. However, the boat ride was awesome, and we got to see some beautiful areas including a couple of waterfalls. I will do my best to upload pictures asap. 3rd: I've realized that here in Colombia family time is extremely ... read more

I haven't posted any blog entries in a while, but this year has been so busy!!! I started school last week and am attending a high school called "Freinet." My grade consists of 31 people, and is split into two groups of about 15. We have about 8 classes in a day of 45 or 90 minute periods. Classes include physics, language, calculus, chemistry, english, etc. The best thing about the school is how close everyone is, and how easy it was to make friends. Already I have good friends at my school who I have hung out with various times. This weekend, in fact, there is a party in celebration of two birthdays at my school. I'm super excited!!!!... read more

I went to a city yesterday called Popayán. It is a city of about 500,000 located in the mountains south of Cali. My family and I went to some hot springs nearby with some family friends. The few pictures I took (on the cell phone of my host family-- my camera's battery died and I need to buy a charger) say it all.... read more

I've almost officially started training at a soccer school here called "Barsa." I trained one day and have gotten a good feel for the soccer here in the city. I'll be training at the school all year long from 330 to 6 everyday Monday through Thursday! Unfortunately, I will only be able to practice at the school because I am too old to participate in actual games. Regardless, I really enjoy playing soccer often!... read more

The second day with my family they took me to a statue of "El Cristo Rey," a statue much like the statue of Christ the King in Brazil. From the top of the mountain we could see almost the entire city of Cali. On top of the mountain were literally hundreds of people flying kites. The site was very popular for this because it is one of the only places with enough wind to support flying them. Also, I have pictures, I just can't post them because my camera won't charge......... read more