More details: How I spend my days

Ok, so ... now that my computer screen has been repaired after being SMASHED between two bus doors... let's get to some specifics:

1. What do I do in my job?

2. What is life like in Colombia / Bogotá so far?

Sundays traffic shuts down in certain lanes to let people spend time outdoors!

So, you already know I'm working for Fundación Capital (FundaK), but specifically I am an Operations Officer on their Graduation from Extreme Poverty Program. That means that I'll be overseeing the implementation, monitoring and evaluation for this Graduation Pilot I told you about last time, which will take place with 1000 participants in 2 different municipalities of Colombia. The first is near the Caribbean Coast, in an area that was chosen because it's heavily populated with resettled victims from the internal conflict, and happens to be just outside of Shakira's hometown. The second is a rural mountainous area and the "Musical Capital of Colombia".

FundaK is often hired out as a consulting firm by various different Latin American governments (it currently has assorted agreements with 13 of them). It can help those governments to design and implement a handful of social programs that FundaK specializes in. (The ones that you can see under the "Projects" drop-down on FundaK's web page.) So, although we pilot a lot of our own innovative projects, a lot of the time we also train the governments to do these projects themselves. That's our end goal in the Graduation Project also.

A little help visualizing

I happen to work with one of the BESTEST groups of talented, motivated, and inspiring people ever!! They have been great. We'll be updating the "Our Team" page soon... Yay, cause then I get to be on it!

Bogotá... is apparently a rainy city! And at 8,600 ft above sea level, the altitude has taken some getting used to. But it's an exciting and energetic city, with a fast pace and a lively populace. 

Aspects that have struck me:

People here are POLITE -- on a regular basis! Let's say that you go to the airport at "rush hour" and need to speak to an employee behind the desk, they attend to you with tact, patience, and manners. It's weird.

This politeness does not extend to the bus stops. Lol.

I'm having to relearn a lot of my Spanish. They told me I spoke like a Mexican when I got here. Ha. No one here knows what a Chapin is.

Being equatorial and all, fruits & veg come in a wide variety and are very cheap -- I mean, considering I'm living in a city of 7.5 million, where not much else is. Taxis are also pretty cheap, but I ride the bus to work, because (a) I believe in using mass transportation and (b) traffic is a bear in the mornings anyway and buses have their own lanes.

Security? Ummm.... well... I live in a safe place, and work in a safe place... but everyone around me is doing a good job of making me paranoid about getting robbed on the street, ... which I guess is good?, cause paranoia tends to keep you safe, I guess?

This is just a short update -- more later. Anything in particular you'd like to know?

Dinner out with friends from work at a great restaurant in Bogotá