first week and a half

Upon my arrival I realized why AIESEC is set apart from from other organizations and study abroad programs. At the airport the entire LC of Bogotá was waiting for me they gave me a traditional Colombian bag and poncho as a welcoming gift. They told me that its was normal to where the poncho .. and that “everyone did it in Colombia” They took some pictures and snickered to themselves. I soon found out they were joking and that the whole poncho thing is a big stereo type of latin American people it what they used to wear back in the day. This was one of the many stereo types I soon found to be very false about Colombia and its people. I was not offended and found their joke to be quite funny It was a good icebreaker.
My first week there I stayed with an @er in Bogota. She was my host and everyday she showed me something new about Bogota. There are a total of 6 LCs in Bogotá alone. The LC that hosted my tn is in a school of engineering. They are a very studious people whoo dont like to drink as much as i do ..we’ll just leave it at that. Once I first found out they to party a lot I was really stressed, sure the whole LC is really friendly and was always inviting me out places but who was I gonna go out on the weekends and get wasted with?!?!? Haha well this has been a good experience for me because I am starting to realize there are other things in life besides booze. I was starting to realize the college culture at the U of M (god bless its soul) had taken a toll on me as a person and my social life. In Colombia I was forced into the life style of my LC and I fought it at first, but then I soon realized that even the other LCs (which I soon got to know) that did go out to party on the weekends didn’t drink and go to clubs to get shit face wasted, but rather to drink socially, make friends, dance, aaaand hook up occasionally.
Above all I want to emphasize the difference between study abroad through your University and the AIESEC experience. When I was in spain I studied through CIEE I was surrounded by other Americans and people who only wanted to speak English. With AIESEC cultural immersion, you are 10 times more independent, I haven’t seen a US American in I don’t know how long, and I am aaalways speaking Spanish, by the time this tn is over I will be 100 fluent.