January Updates

Wow...some how we're already at the end of January and I haven't written an update since the start of November!

Brief highlights:

November:

• Visit to Cartagena. An amazing city that I need to go back to again and explore some more. I realized very quickly that I miss living near bodies of water. Spending a couple hours sitting on the wall of the Old City and watching the sunset with a cold beverage was one big highlight for me. The other was visiting La Cevicheria, a restaurant featured by Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations!
• Another long weekend just relaxing in Medellín. I am trying to make a conscious effort to spend more time exploring my own neighbourhood instead of focusing only on getting away. I've found a weekly language exchange where I can meet and chat with locals who are learning English. We all get an opportunity to practice and socialize!

December:

• Finished up the first half of the school year with the end of term 2. It's hard to believe that I've been here for almost half a year already! I'm pretty happy with my classes and I'm looking forward to another year here.
• I took off for Christmas holidays, but didn't head home. Instead I booked three weeks in Honduras, on the islands of Utila and Roatan. I spent two weeks in Utila, getting my PADI Open Water certification, and getting to know a bunch of amazing people. Unfortunately I came down with a pretty severe fever and stomach bug that took me out for 5 days, preventing me from being able to take my Advanced Open Water course.
• My 32nd birthday was my last night on Utila. I had a lot of fun with a bunch of random friends that I had met on the island.
• My last week of holidays in Roatan was indescribable. I met some absolutely amazing people that I hope I can meet again somewhere in my travels. From a day spent on an isolated beach on the far east end of the island, to diving almost every other day, to watching the sunset from West Bay, I will always treasure my time on Roatan.

January:

• Back to school, starting up term 3! We got back to work a week before the kids started, so I had plenty of time to finish up my report card comments, get my term roughly planned, and get some of my lessons together.
• My Spanish has definitely improved since I returned from holidays. The quiet time for consolidation was needed and since coming back I've been more confident in speaking. There's still a lot more work before I'm even close to being able to have a decent conversation, but it's going in the right direction!

What's next?

• We're in our longest term, with the longest period between holidays. I won't have a long weekend until the end of March. So I'm trying to plan some shorter weekend trips to local pueblos.
• I've got a week vacation coming in April for Semana Santa. I have no idea where I want to go during this break, but I'll need to book soon because it's a pretty common period for South Americans to travel too!
• I'll be signing a new contract with Colegio Canadiense in the coming weeks. So I'll be here in Colombia until at least June 2020!