District to Colombia: Different Scenery, Same Story Accelerated Learning Resources

District to Colombia: Different Scenery, Same Story

Spring break could not have come a better time. I truly needed a break from work, classes and my ongoing job search. After a stressful period of midterm papers and presentations, I was very excited to remove myself from the monotonous reality on campus in Washington in exchange for the dynamism of Colombia’s capital city, Bogota. A dear friend of mine from Georgetown who had graduated early recently moved there with her sister. I would be visiting them for the week, taking in the sights and culture, and, of course, relaxing.

I love traveling. I rarely travel purely for pleasure, though. There is generally a conference, a meeting or workshop that I am attending, and I happen to add on a few days to enjoy the city. My trip to Bogota was not organized under this model. Last Thanksgiving, I decided to fully take advantage of my last spring break by not staying in Washington or returning to Phoenix and going somewhere new. This was, after all, the last time I would have structured time off in my calendar for the foreseeable future.

The change of pace and scenery was definitely welcome. Washington can be a very insular place to live, and Bogota challenged me in various ways. I enjoyed experiencing the local culture and trying the cuisine. But the best aspect of my trip was meeting other college-aged students and learning about higher education in Colombia as well as their search for employment. Not surprisingly, the similarities with my experience were abundant.

Most of the students I met had been visited the U.S. Some had even studied abroad here. They were very aware of the challenges (immigration requirements, bureaucratic labyrinths, etc.) in applying for competitive American jobs in the aftermath of the global Great Recession and decided to return to Colombia. They hope that their experiences and skills attained while on American college campuses will give them an advantage in their home country.

All of us—whether finishing undergraduate coursework in Colombia or in the U.S.—share similar aspirations and are constrained by the same worries. Somehow we balance our classes with extracurricular commitments while still looking ahead to graduate school or joining the work force. We have all completed countless applications; we have all been interviewed numerous times. It is a nerve-wracking process. In the end, we are all anxiously awaiting responses as well.

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