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I never dreamed that I would be able to speak Spanish (more like broken Spanish) and never actually thought about learning it, not even once, not even for a second. But then here I was in a country literally thousands of miles away from home, a 12-hour time difference, and exactly on the other side of the world.
Colombia is a beautiful country located in South America and is bordered by Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru. Known for its biodiversity and coffee production, it is now becoming one of the hottest tourist destinations. Anyway, what did I do in Colombia? I was here for a program called ELE-FOCALAE, a semester-long Spanish course for tourist guides and University students, which has been established since 2013. In 2016, the Colombian Government decided to give continuity to this initiative and offer up to 60 scholarships to Southeast Asian countries, members of FEALAC, interested in learning Spanish as a foreign language, AND IT’S FULLY FUNDED BY THE COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT!!!
Who didn’t want that? When I knew it was all free and fully funded, I was like, hell yeah, let’s apply for this one, it’d be cool if I’m accepted and get the chance to know more about Colombia and not just all about Sofia Vergara. The requirements were not complicated at all, but it did say that they prefer those who speak basic Spanish. But that didn’t mean that you couldn’t apply if you didn’t speak a single word of Spanish. I didn’t speak the language at all.
So I applied for it, sent all my documents, waited for the next result, and thank God I passed. The next step was an interview, you will be interviewed by the Colombian Government, the nearest Colombian embassy in your country, and a person from the program itself. The interview went for around 20 minutes, and they would ask you some questions about yourself, your interests, and what you know about Colombia. After the interview, there will be a short Spanish test to measure your Spanish level. The test won’t affect the final result, but it will determine which city and which university will be your home for the next 6 months.
The final result came out a few weeks later. Indonesia sent 8 people, which is the biggest number compared to other countries. There are 3 tourist guides and 5 university students who are from different backgrounds.
When I wrote this, it had actually been 2 months since I left Indonesia, and life in Colombia has been great. Me gusta mucho.
Well, let’s just be honest, I was a bit struggling for the first few days. Why? First, jet lag. It took around 33 hours (including flight transfer) from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur (KL), KL to Amsterdam, and Amsterdam to Bogota. It took me around 2 weeks to finally recover from jet lag. Second, there was the cold weather in Bogota. I was born and raised on the coast, so you know, cold weather and I, we didn’t really get along together. Besides, I also have a skin problem when it’s cold. But anyway, I survived and did well.
So, what did I do during the last 2 months?
The first week was the orientation week. The orientation itself was about general life in Colombia, cultural shock, security, food, biodiversity in Colombia, how the insurance worked (All the participants got international insurance), and how your debit card worked since we all will be receiving a monthly allowance through Banco de Colombia (Bank Colombia).
During the orientation week, you will also get the chance to see some cool places in Bogota. On our first day (If I am not mistaken), we went to a neighborhood called Usaquen.
And the other day we went to the central of Bogota and La catedral de Sal in Zipaquira.
Other than that, there was a welcoming party for all of us in La Cancilleria, and we got to wear our country’s traditional costume during the event.
After a week of orientation, we finally went to our destination cities, which were Bogota, Chia, Medellin, Bucaramanga, Manizales, and Armenia. Your destination city will be based on the result of your Spanish test. People who speak good Spanish will be in Bogota or Chia. If you are at your intermediate level, you will be placed in Medellin or Bucaramanga. Then the rest of us who don’t speak Spanish were sent to Armenia and Manizales.
During the program, you will have a minimum of 20 hours of Spanish course and 10 hours of volunteer work every week. The schedule will be arranged by the university, so you might have a different schedule from other people in another city. As for me, I was in Manizales and studying at Universidad de Caldas with only 2 other Indonesians and 2 guys from Myanmar (Burma). I had 4 hours of a Spanish course and 2 hours of volunteering for the day.
The ELE-FOCALAE program was one of those programs I would recommend to you if you wanted to learn Spanish, or wanted to get to know about Colombia, or just wanted to travel. You will learn and see more than you expect. I mean, I’ve been learning so much about Colombia, and I literally knew nothing about the country 2 months ago.
