Mike

TheTallGringo

Mike

¡Bienvenidos!

My name is Mike Hower. In case you haven’t guessed, I am The Tall Gringo. Why? Well, because I am tall and—err—a gringo.

I graduated from the University of California, Davis in 2009 with a double major in Political Science and American History. After graduating, I spent a year and a half working in the private sector in San Francisco.

Despite having landed a secure job at a good company, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I belonged elsewhere. All my life, I had walked the practical path—I went to college, finished in four years and found a “real” job. Although I had done well for myself, I longed to find a way to do well for others—to break away from the safe harbor and do something, anything to make the world a little better, a little brighter.

So I did something some might consider crazy; I turned down an impending promotion, quit my job and moved to Colombia to teach English in Bogotá’s southern slums as part of Harvard University’s WorldTeach program. Although adjusting to a new life in a foreign country has not been easy, for the first time in a long time, I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing.

In other words, I’m not in that safe harbor anymore.

Staying Safe in Colombia

South America » Colombia May 6th 2011

TheTallGringo

Colombians have a saying, “No dar papaya” which translates as, “Don’t give papaya.” It has nothing to do with giving tropical fruits and everything to do with staying safe. It means to not put yourself in a situation where you can be taken advantage of, hurt or worse. With the dramatic improvements in its security situation, Colombia is becoming one of the most popular backpacker destinations in South America. Although coming here ten years ago would have been an exercise in fatuity, today Colombia has cleaned up its act enough so that it is safer for foreigners to visit. But safer doesn’t mean safe—in coming to Colombia, you are pretty much by default, darring papaya. Although the Colombian tourist board will probably have me assassinated for saying this, Colombia is still a developing country plagued by ... read more

Coffee and Colombia

South America » Colombia April 28th 2011

Coffee beans

TheTallGringo

If there is one thing San Francisco has plenty of—besides seismic activity—it’s coffee shops. They’re everywhere. Last year when I worked in the San Francisco financial district, I often spent my lunch breaks meandering Market Street. Amidst my strolls, I marveled at the sheer number of coffee shops concentrated in such a small area. I found it a miracle that so many could stay in business—one could literally stand in front of one Starbucks and see another Starbucks less than a hop, skip and a jump away. And that’s not even counting the innumerable Tully’s and Peet’s Coffees sprinkled in between. I often wondered where all that coffee came from. A year later I would have my answer… Riding in the back of a modified old Jeep Wrangler, I sat hunched over as far as possible ... read more

Semana Santa in Colombia’s Coffee Region

South America » Colombia April 25th 2011

Hiking

TheTallGringo

Standing on the crowded TransMilenio bus sporting my overstuffed travel pack, I might as well have been dressed up as Uncle Sam with the looks the other passengers were giving me. Normally, I can avoid stares by keeping a low profile and keeping my mouth shut, but with my giant gringo travel pack, I wasn’t fooling anybody. After linking up with two other volunteers, I arrived at the El Dorado International Airport with plenty of time to spare. When it was time to board, the flight staff led us down a short flight of stairs and ushered us onto a bus that took us to where our plane was waiting further down the runway. Although I was slightly taken aback by the fact that the plane had propellers rather than jet engines, I had no choice ... read more

Gringo Origins

South America » Colombia April 14th 2011

TheTallGringo

Have you ever wondered where the word ‘gringo’ originated? I sure have. After devoting no small measure of my considerable mental resources to solving what could possibly be one of the greatest mysteries of our time, I dug up a few interesting theories. The Mexican-American War Theory For those of you who never paid attention in history class, here’s what the Mexican-American War was in a nutshell: the United States asked Mexico if they could borrow some of Mexico’s land so that some of their citizens could have a place to live. After Mexico said, “No way, José!” and spilled American blood on American soil the United States was pissed and had no choice but to borrow the land through force. There are actually two digressing theories based on the Mexican-American War paradigm: 1. The Uniform ... read more

A Tale of Two Bogotás

South America » Colombia » Bogota April 11th 2011

Barrio

TheTallGringo

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way… As I stand on third floor balcony overlooking the dilapidated neighborhood surrounding Nueva Esperanza, I cannot help but think of these words, immortalized by Charles Dickens over 150 years previous. Abounding crumbling buildings stand in stark contrast to Nueva Esperanza’s modern, sound architecture. On the streets below, homeless dogs of every ... read more

How to Get Around (in Bogotá)

South America » Colombia » Bogota March 29th 2011

On TransM

TheTallGringo

Dictionary.com defines chaos as: -a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order If you ever came to Bogotá, after spending two minutes on the street, you would agree that the above definition offers an adequate description of Bogotá’s transportation system. After five minutes, you would realize calling it mere chaos is a gross understatement—it’s more like pandemonium. But you’ve got places to be, so you need to figure out how the heck are you going to get there. Here are your options: Taxi Cab Every traveler’s natural first choice, you hail a cab and tell them in broken Spanish to take you where you need to go. God forbid you are over six feet tall—most of Bogotá’s taxis seem to be designed to carry the cast of Little People, Big ... read more

Colombian Comida

South America » Colombia March 23rd 2011

Typical Dinner

TheTallGringo

Brace yourself, ladies and gents, because this is the post you’ve been waiting for—where I delve into the wonders and intricacies of Colombian grub. But before another person asks me how the enchiladas are down here, let me get one thing straight—there is a HUGE difference between Mexican food and Colombian food. In fact, most Central and South American food couldn’t be more different than Mexican food. Now that we’ve cleared up that little misconception, let’s continue with your crash course in Colombian cuisine. Although the following is not a complete compendium of Colombian cuisine, I’ve tried to include the most commonly consumed comestibles. Also, I apologize for all the alliteration. It’s just one of those days. Ready? Here we go… Arepas If you spend time in Colombia, chances are you will sooner or later cross ... read more

St. Patrick's Day in Bogota

South America » Colombia » Bogota March 19th 2011

At Irish Pub

TheTallGringo

Although I have faced many challenges in Colombia, few have been as stifling as trying to explain what a Leprechaun is to a group of Spanish-speaking fourth graders. As a visual aid for my explanation, I had drawn a crude picture of what I more or less resembled the mythical Irish creature. I tried to explain in English, speaking slowly, “A Lep-re-chaun is a… mag-ic-al lit-tle man. He likes to hide gold at the end of rain-bows.” My students looked at me like I was speaking dolphin. I paused to regroup my thoughts. Back home, I had never really thought about what a Leprechaun actually was—all I knew was children seemed to always be after their Lucky Charms. I gestured to a pitiful picture of a rainbow and pot o’ gold I had scribbled on the ... read more

Saturday in Suesca

South America » Colombia March 10th 2011

Rappelling

TheTallGringo

I awoke in the dark to the sound of my cell phone’s grating alarm. Fighting the urge to smash the vexatious device, I instead flipped it open to shut off the alarm. When my eyes adjusted to the blinding light I saw that it was only 5:00 a.m. And it was Saturday. After mustering the motivation to get out of bed, I trudged to the bathroom in hopes a shower would shock me into full consciousness. Luckily, the shower more or less did the trick and I got dressed and sat on my bed to put on my hiking boots—the first time I put them on since the day I got to Colombia. What had compelled me to wake up at this ungodly hour on the holiest of days was a chance to finally use my ... read more

The Mayor of Bogotá, Democracy and AC/DC

South America » Colombia » Bogota March 7th 2011

DSCN1819

TheTallGringo

Cascades of Bogotá’s signature rain bespattered the jalopy’s virtually opaque windshield as the vehicle powered up the hill to Nueva Esperanza. Crammed in the back seat next to two elderly women, I held on for dear life as the driver made a sharp turn at the next corner, sending a muddy spray towards an unlucky slumbering neighborhood dog. “Aquí, por favor,” I said. The vehicle came to an ungraceful halt. Grateful to still be counted among the living, I paid the driver and stepped out into the pouring rain. When I looked up at Nueva Esperanza, the first thing I noticed was the enormous white tent that had been erected in the primary school’s courtyard. The second thing I noticed were the guns—lots of guns—being wielded by a contingent of Bogotá police and Colombian military personnel ... read more

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