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I don't know how I'm going to pry myself away from this city. Most of the people I've talked to in the US about travelling to Medellin either have never heard of it, or have only heard of it because of the legacy of Pablo Escobar and his infamous drug-fueled reign of terror in Colombia centered in Medellin. Those people think that I'm either nuts or extremely brave for travelling here.
News flash: Pablo Escobar is dead. He was killed by the Colombian government in Medellin in 1993. Since then, not only has Medellin become the incredibly safe, clean, beautiful, fun city it was previously, but the drug trade has also seriously tapered off. In fact, many of the residents of Medellin I have talked to about the American perception of their city and Country resent the notion that theirs is a dangerous, drug-ridden city. Neither is true anymore.
The day before I arrived in Medellin, I decided I wanted to utilize the network of in-home hosts I had become a part of while living in Memphis called Couch Surfing (www.couchsurfing.org). If you haven't heard of it, it's a worldwide network of people with either a couch or extra
bed that they are willing share. Payment is strictly prohibited, but guests are expected to help with chores as well as participate in cultural exchange with their host. It's an awesome program. I hosted 3 people in Memphis, and they were all really awesome people. It amazing what you can learn when you have a little bit of trust in the inherent good of fellow humans.
My host family here are the Cano-Henao's. They are Merly, Rogelio, Ana-Maria, and Veronica. They are all great. I feel like they are trying very hard to make sure that I love Medellin, and they're doing a great job. Ana-Maria is on vacation from University, so she has been my guide most of the time. She has taken me to several parks, the botanic garden, all over the city on the metro, several awesome shopping centers, and the Botero square and Antioquia Museum, which has an excellent Botero exhibit. (If you don't believe me that Escobar is dead, I refer you to Botero's painting, The Death of Pablo Escobar.)
Ana Maria introduced me to her boyfriend, Diego, who has also taken me under his wing and accepted personal responsibility for my
enjoyment of the city. He took me to play futbolito (indoor soccer) with his team on July 2. That was awesome. I scored 4 goals, and now every time he introduces me to a friend (many, many times), he tells them how I am a gringo who plays futbol and I scored four goals against his team. (Gringo isn't derrogatory. It's almost a term of endearment.) He speaks a little English, so he's been a lot of help with learning Spanish. I think I've helped with his English, too. In the course of our conversations on the 2nd, I told him that the retired Colombian Futbol player Carlos Valderrama, nicknamed "El Pibe" (The Kid) is my favorite player of all time. He is regarded as the most famous player in Colombian futbol history, and was always instantly recognisable for his huge, blond, permed hair. His playing style was elegant, as opposed to fast and physical. He played midfield and never ran a whole lot, but was always exactly where he needed to be. He was one of the most intelligent players in football history and some say the best passer of all time.
The day after our match, Diego
called the house to ask if I wanted to change our July 4th plans from Bowling to watching a Futbol match. That was an easy decision. On the 4th, after going swimming in the morning with his brother J (pronouced Hota), Diego and I went to the Stadium. The name of the home team is Atletico Nacional. Their colors are green and white. I bought a jersey on the way in for about 8 bucks or so. Diego had led me to believe that Nacional was playing their cross town rivals, the Reds. When I asked him why I only saw green jerseys everywhere, he said that since Nacional was the home team for this match, no fans wearing red would be allowed for fear of fighting. It made sense at the time. Upon entry into the stadium, on the big screen, we saw El Pibe geting off the bus. ¡Mira! (Look!) Diego shouted. ¡El Pibe! He is playing today!" I didn't believe him for a few minutes. "Nooooo. Stop it. He's a coach or something right?" I kept saying. "No, He's really playing!" He kept telling me. As it turned out, Nacional was not playing their cross town rivals.
(I'm not even sure there is a cross town rival.) They were playing an exhibition match to celebrate the retirement of Tino Asprilla, one of their best players. The team they were playing against consisted of famous retired Colombian futbol players, and they were captained by none other than El Pibe himself. What an awesome surprise! I first remember El Pibe from the 1994 World Cup, and I never thought I'd have the chance to see him play, yet, there he was, doing a pre-game interview in the locker room.
The game itself was awesome. El Pibe was just a relaxed and efficient as he ever was, having the assist to both of the goals that his team scored. Perfect passes to the best target everytime. The retired team went up early 2-0, but Nacional won 3-2. It was only right. It was a celebration for Tino, after all, not El Pibe.
If you've never seen a Colombian Futbol game, it is absolutely bonkers. I have been to 2 NFL games, 4 or so Pro Baseball games, countless College Football, Baseball, and Basketball games, and none of the crowds at any of those games were 1/4 as raucous
Hardcore fans
¡Colombia es Pasion!as the crowd at this game. And this was an exhibition game. In the rain. The stands were a sea of green. There was a LOUD drumline in the stands leading songs that hardly ever rested. I learned my first futbol song! (¡SOOOOYYYYY VERDE! SOOOOYYY VERDE!! ¡DEL VERDE SOY YO!!!! Translated: I'm green! I'm green! Of green I am!!) The crowd was jumping nearly the whole match but they were not mean at all. After all, the opposition team was some of their favorite players of all time as well. After the match there was a firewoks display that was every bit as good if not better than most of the firworks displays in the US on the same day. Only at home the celebration was National and Personal Independence. Here it was an exhibition futbol match. Of course, all of the firworks were green. I will never forget that experience.
After the match, Diego, Ana-Maria, Veronica, J, and several of their friends went to a club where we split a bottle of Aguardiente (similar to Mint Schnapps) and a bottle of Ron (Rum), the 2 signature liquors of Colombia. Diego is such a nich guy, and naturally has
Fireworks
In addition to the fireworks display, the hardcore fan section had roman candles that they shot onto the field. Nutso. a ton of friends. He introduced me to all of them all night (as the gringo who scored 4 goals). People here have a lot of trouble with my name. It usually comes out as "Body" at best, instead of Buddy. So when they'd ask me my name, I'd just say "Soy Verde!" (I'm Green!) This got a huge smile and fist bump every time and a "¡Yo tambien!" (Me too!) One guy turned around and showed me his brand new Atletico Nacional tattoo on his calf. Fist bumps all around.
The next day, the Cano family took me to their mountain house in Marinilla. We played a Colombian version of Monopoly, grilled Costillas (ribs), Carne (steak), and Arepas (ground corn patties), and drank a few beers. Then I brought out the guitar and Señora Cano wouldn't let me stop playing until it was time for bed. Good times.
Yesterday I got a dental veneer that I've been wanting for some time. I got a root canal and tooth whitening last week, and he finished the job yesterday. If you're wondering, Colombian healthcare, as well as dental care, is world-class. My dentist here was educated in the US,
speaks nearly flawless English, has an immaculate office and state-of-the-art equipment, and he charged me about 1/5 of what it would cost in the US. Total price tag for painless root canal, tooth whitening, and porcelain veneer: about $450 US. The veneer alone would cost about $900 in the US. And I couldn't be happier with the results.
My only problem now is tearing myself away from Medellin. The people, the food, the futbol, the music, the scenery, the weather. But it's just about time to move on. Up next: Bogotà.
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Dad
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Missing you
Hey, Bud: Sounds like you are having a grand ole time, as I knew you would. In the cities, mostly, the people are, as a rule, outstanding hosts. Especially if you have a good host to stay with. I am proud of what you are doing, but, don't fall in love with it too deeply unless you are bringing me down there. I love you. Looking forward to the next blog. Are you still going to go to Bolivia? If so, you will be starting at La Paz area, sounds like. Waiting for the next blog. Best way to learn Spanish, huh? Shoot me an e-mail - personal - soon. Love ya. Dad