It isn’t realistic to shop in bulk when you have to carry your groceries through the hilly city streets and when you can’t eat them all before they go bad because they have no preservatives. Overall, life is slower here. I will do my best to bring that slowness back home with me, and I encourage you to be as present in every moment as you can.
Next up, I’m going to miss how healthily I live here. Again, I will work really hard to keep this up back in the U.S. It is so much more feasible to live healthily in a city where you walk everywhere and where fresh food is more affordable than junk food. Improving my fitness was one of my goals coming here, and I have succeeded in bettering my health. Since moving to Bogotá, I’ve lost at least 42 pounds, probably more since it's been a while since the last time I checked. The first 28 of those pounds were not even intentional, as I didn’t get my gym membership until about four months into my grant. So, just from moving here and adapting to the lifestyle, I got stronger and healthier. Good health is, of course, more than achievable anywhere you are, but when movement and nutritious foods are more accessible, it sure makes things a lot easier!
Finally, what I will miss the most are the relationships I’ve built here. I have one really close Colombian friend who has been nothing short of a saint, and I absolutely love my students. My Colombian friend’s name is Alejo, and we met when he saw a video of me posted on my university’s Instagram. After seeing the video, he came to my school and asked the concierge where I was. He introduced himself and took me to coffee as soon as he could.
