June 9th- Team

One of the things we talked about before embarking on this trip to Colombia, was the fact that having an open mind would be an essential. "Do not be afraid to try new things" was something I reminded myself today was stepped into our cooking class. Within the group we were going to make a whole meal including an appetizer, a main dish, and a dessert. This sounded like a daunting task for a college student who was barely capable of cooking meals above the Ramen Noodle level quality line. In the end I was thoroughly impressed with us! Everything tasted delicious! Does this not look like a meal prepared and cooked by professionals?!

The appetizer was Ceviche de Camarón (Shrimp Ceviche). 

The main course consisted of  Arroz con Coco Titoté (Coconut Rice) and Pandoo (fish). The dessert was Quimbolitos, which was like a sweet corn bread. 

Later in the day our music skills proved to be just as impressive as our cooking skills when we had a music class with Freddy Colorado. I was shocked to learn that Mr. Colorado is a bit of a celebrity in the Pacific Coast music world; he is a renowned percussionist. Mr. Colorado is clearly magical as he was able to whip our group into a full blown band. Within the group we played four different instruments: the Bombo (bigger drums on stands), the Cununo (the drums resting on the ground), the Marimba (xylophone type instrument), and the Guasa (shakers). We put all of those instruments together under Mr. Colorado's direction and singing to the song "Velo Que Bonito" and we killed it! 

All in all, the message I took away from today, as corny as it may sound, is that anything can be accomplished with teamwork. During this trip we have to work as a team in order to help each other learn and grow in terms of our Spanish language and cultural skills and understandings. Today is a prime example of that team work in action and it led us to culinary and musical success!  

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