Travel Tales From a Colombian Abroad
The France – Colombia Year or L’Année France – Colombie, is an initiative launched by the French government. Every year since 1987 the French government chooses a country with whom to make an intercultural exchange and diversify relationships between both countries. For 2017, the chosen one was Colombia, the second Latin American nation ever be chosen.
We had to finish our trip through Northern Vietnam with the one and only, Ha Long Bay. Located in the Gulf of Tonkin, its emerald waters and limestone islands did not disappoint. The bay was named World Heritage Site in 1994 and it comprises 1,600 islands that are mainly inhabited due to their limestone composition. Thanks to this, the area has an extensive and impressive biodiversity.
Asian food has always captivated me, since I was a little girl my parents used to take my sister and I to a Chinese restaurant in Medellín, going there used to be like a price for us. Ever since, I took a real pleasure in these unique flavors, and well going to China and having the opportunity to taste its gastronomy was a delight.
I have been twice to the Grand Canyon and it never ceases to amaze me. I found it even more impressive the second time. It’s a place in which you feel tiny, a place “outside” of this world – literally since you feel like you’re on Mars or another planet – and makes you realize just how huge the Earth is.
On a cold winter night, after a long exile in the region of Aragón in Spain, Sent Pançard and his court decided to go back to France by crossing the Pyrénées. After getting past the barricade built by the bourgeois who were waiting for them at the doors of the city of Pau, the capital of the Béarn, they were able to enter the city. There, his Majesty was welcomed by the mayor, and the keys of the city were handed to him. Sent Pançard is a king who represents all the sinful qualities of humans, and he arrives to Pau to encourage the people to enjoy without measure the days leading up to Lent. The joyous town-people will participate in a party (La hèsta), where the King will lead a show of musicians and dancers.
Over a year ago I decided to come to France to study French. In the past I had studied at a language institute in Paris, France Langue, which I recommend. However, if you’re serious about learning the language, in Paris you have way too many distractions (the good kind of course), and since there are people from all over the world, you might end up speaking more English or your native language than French.
We arrived in Hanoi in the afternoon very tired and without our luggage, but ready for a new adventure. Once at the hotel, the first thing we asked was where we could eat some Phở, one of the most traditional plates in Vietnam, and this is how we began our trip throughout this Asian country.
One of my favorite pastimes and that of many people in the Southeast region of France is hiking in the mountains. A couple of weeks ago, we decided to hike La Rhune, a summit from which you can see the Atlantic Ocean and cities like: Saint Jean De Luz and Hendaye on the French side, and Hondarribia in the Spanish side.
When you start learning a new language, you learn so much more than just the language: you learn to put things in context, and you might even end up finding a deeper meaning to words in your native language or other languages you speak. This happened to me when I moved to France. All of a sudden I was hearing words that had always been familiar, but I had no knowledge of their origins or different meanings. Since Spanish is my native language, I immediately began to make the word connections and since both languages have latin roots, made my learning went a lot smoother. I also realized that many French words were used in English as well. About 29% of English derives from the French language but most words have evolved through spelling and phonetics. However, there are still words out there that are purely French, but their meaning or context might have changed. Let’s take a look at some!
We say goodbye to 2016 and hello to 2017, an opportunity to smile and live life to the max. 2016 was full of changes, learning, adventures, new friendships, and weddings… lots of weddings (I’m going through that age). I was fortunate to receive 2016 next to the Duque family, my parents, sister, and boyfriend in Medellin. Something that with time seems to be harder since we live in different places and the pace of our lives are different. It was a welcome where my heart was truly full.