1. They will call you... on the phone. Sometimes they will even call in the morning to see how you've "amaneciste"ed, or how it dawned upon you, how you arose from your bed (if you're even out of it yet). No texting charades here; when they want a date with you, they call you and extend a formal invitation- "Amanda, I invite you..."
2. They pay for everything. If you accept one of these invitations, it is never even a question that you might pay for your half. According to our LCFs, you can even bring your friends and family members and they will buy their lunch, dinner, drinks, too. And on this volunteer's budget, I am not protesting too much.
3. Their egos don't get in the way of them approaching you. Back home, you may sit in a bar for hours while a man stares you down from across the room without ever initiating a conversation. But here, if they are interested- they go for it. Machismo isn't all bad. Men back home, at times, need to strap 'em on and man up. If you like a lady, talk to her!
4. They throw excellent piropos, or pick up lines. Echando piropos (throwing flirtatious compliments) or endulzandola (sweetening her) are the things you get in the street, at the bar, in the grocery store, or at even at school. Back home when the dudes finally approach you, it's normally an awkward "Uh..... er... so what's up?" But here, you get to listen to lines like: eres una poema, un bello poema (you are a poem, a beautiful poem), eres el veneno y la cura (you are the poison and the cure), or eclipsas el mar... (you eclipse the sea), or something like that. Hola my light, my sky, my queen, my heart, mi amor. Muuuch better, men. And thank you. ;)
5. They can dance. Like you wouldn't believe.
6. Their passion. Duh.
7. They're close to their moms. Sometimes they're a bit too close, for instance grown men still sleep in bed with their moms if necessary, but the point is they love their moms, and that's always a good sign.
8. Some of them are very, very good-looking in a way only a Latino can be good-looking: dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin, oh my!
9. They will walk you home. In the dark hours, Colombian men will never let you walk home alone. They will either put you in a taxi- that they pay for- or walk you home for your protection; they are caballeros, knights, in the purest sense. I'm recently very grateful for my student Hernando who walks me to my door after every English class offered to the community. He is a boxer and a weight lifter, and I feel very safe with him.
10. They write you poems. As an English teacher and logophile, this is the way to my heart. ¡Ay!
Now to find a single one...
Speaking of my Community English class, it's finally started, and at a student's request we have begun with the alphabet. Teaching the alphabet gives me a strangely good feeling. I feel like Squanto or something. Here we are breaking it down--
Here's Mendoza, my favorite, most smiliest security guard who sneaks into my class-
And lastly, I can't pass up the chance to share with you just one photo from my school's "Women's Day" presentation. Women's Day is a big day for Colombianas- they are serenaded by the vallenato accordion, given cake and flowers throughout the day, and are presented with inspirational PowerPoints such as this-
We watched a series of photos like these in the school's teacher lounge with the faculty and choice students while eating more cake and drinking sparkling cider. Suffice it to say that I will be making next year's "Women's Day" PowerPoint, and it will be drastically different.
22 months to go!
