Ryan Goes Abroad

I just completed 2 full months in the capital of Colombia. It has been an interesting experience so far. There are many things I like about Colombia, and Bogotá as well. But, having lived here for awhile, I do think there are a few reasons why you might sing the blues in Bogotá. 1) Bogotá [...]

So guess what I received in my inbox last week? U.S. EMBASSY BOGOTA WARDEN MESSAGE February 17, 2011 This Warden Message alerts U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in Bogota, Colombia of demonstrations throughout the city.  The truck driver protest which began on February 15 at several sites throughout Bogota is continuing today, as an [...]

There are two websites I have come across recently which I have been absolutely eating up. Both help you learn Spanish. Both are free. And the best part is, this is NOT any kind of sponsored post. I write this post only to pass them along to you. 1. University of Texas Spanish Proficiency Exercises [...]

Last night I watched the Packers beat the Steelers in a sports bar in midtown Bogotá. I can tell you that it was a lot of fun and everyone in the bar had a lot of fun. The TVs were all tuned in to Fox Sports Latin America, with the commentary completely in Spanish and [...]

You are a finite creature. I want you to read that again just in case you missed it. You are a finite creature. Granted, some of you may have bought any number of hot books these days about becoming superhuman, but the reality of your simple, bodily needs remains… You are a hobbit, a very [...]

Hello, triple digits. Nice to meet you. A little over 3 months ago, I started this blog as a way of sharing my journey abroad and my journey to fluency in multiple languages, but I have found myself drawn to write about much more. Perhaps the post I am most proud of is Your Time [...]

Last weekend I went out with some friends to a Colombian restaurant / bar / salsa dancing place called Cafe Libro in the middle of northern Bogotá. There were about 6 or 7 of us, including one girl and her visiting father, a Swede about 50 or 55 years old. We arrived around 8 pm [...]

I made it to Colombia! WOOT WOOT! I have arrived in Bogotá, and I am starting to get to know the layout of this city a little bit. It is a MASSIVE city, with something like 8 million people. (I luckily arrived during the time when many people from Bogotá take a vacation, so the [...]

At last. When this post goes live, I will be en route to Bogotá, Colombia, the start of my 3 month (minimum) trip abroad. It’s the first long-term travel I’ve ever done. I am so excited. I am totally stoked. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am. The first part of [...]

I did it. This past weekend I completed the final lesson in Pimsleur Spanish 3. This was a New Year’s resolution of mine that I kept, with a week to spare before the end of 2010. It was not easy… It was tedious at times. It was boring at times. It was annoying at times… [...]