Arriving in Bogotá was similar to what I had expected: mixed emotions of exhaustion, excitement, anxiety, curiosity and ‘can’t-believe-I’m-really-doing-this-ness’ flooded my thoughts as I stepped out of the plane into the chilly Colombian capital. Going through immigration and customs was easier than expected and soon I found myself in the lobby of my student accommodation. After a little while I was finally able to move into my room, where I essentially collapsed into my bed at around 9 pm local time (3 am in Austria).
Waking up the next day had me filled with excitement and I was eager to start my day. This motivation was reduced quickly due to my jet lag as well as sudden anxiety about exploring this huge, foreign city that I knew next to nothing about. I wasn’t sure which areas were dangerous, how to navigate through the busy streets, communicate with the locals and not to immediately out myself as a Colombia-newbie. Therefore, working up the courage to get out of bed and into the rainy, chaotic streets of Bogotá took me a while. And even then, I was only capable of walking down the street to a Subway store, buy a sandwich in broken Spanish, and quickly make my way back to my safe room, before feeling too overwhelmed by the unfamiliar and crowded neighbourhood that was supposed to be my home for the next months.
Luckily, day two was blessed with a slightly more confident me and I spent the day getting coffee, running some errands, and even discovering an incredible vegan restaurant very close to my flat: Mestizo Vegano (I took an outrageously shitty picture of my food that doesn’t do it justice at all – will try to step up my photography game and post better pictures in the future).
All in all, although I still feel overwhelmed by the sheer size, foreign culture and language of this city, I am now back to being excited about my time here. I knew that it would be challenging (and I am perfectly aware that there are a lot more challenges to come) and I am ready to face all of it.
Colombia Chronicles 