cderekbower has left 34 comments

cderekbower comments on

That Chavez sure is a nasty guy, spending all the country´s money on poor people, hospitals and education. He should do as the US does and keep the poor out of the universities and hospitals. How can Chavez think the US might attack his country? What historical precedent does he have? The US only has a tiny military capability and only acts in self defense. I can´t even remember the last time the US was involved in a war. Whenever I look at the George Bush poster above my bed I sigh a sigh of relief. Now, I am safe, I remind myself. Thank you America for alerting me to the dangers of socialism.

cderekbower comments on Two Apartments available in Bogota.....

Reasonably priced... like 200 000 a month? Ok, I am interested. Please, please, if you are selling a service give the price.

cderekbower comments on Best budget eateries in Bogota? Love empanadas :-) Tamales :-)

great set lunch with all the regular trimmings at cll 24 and cr 18 for 2500 pesos. i eat there almost every day. you can even watch day-time television dramas while you enjoy your steak and mango juice.

cderekbower comments on free online classifieds for bogota?

I have found a good one www.mundoanuncio.com It has a Colombia section.

cderekbower comments on Santa Cruzian´s desire to learn English? - any travellers in Santa Cruz?

slguy, thanks. in bogota there are around 100 private schools teaching english and on the street corners in some parts of the city there are people selling ´learn english´paraphenilia. english is hot here for sure. i have never seen it so marketable. just difficult to start a business here compared to bolivia. start up costs in bolivia much less. but i really need to know if there is a demand.

cderekbower comments on Solidarity among English Teachers

My intention with this posting is to encourage teachers of english in Bogota to not accept exploitation. It is important for potential teachers to know the situation and I think it would be good to set some standards. I welcome suggestions of standards.

cderekbower comments on ellbee2

My wife and I are looking for a better shared living situation in bogota as well. Please let us know if you find something noteworthy. Thanks.

cderekbower comments on Looking to share an apartment in Bogota

how much are you willing to pay per month. My wife and I may be renting an apt with an extra room or 2 this month.

cderekbower comments on

Perhaps the question should be... If I am my natural self, can I forsee her being satisfied? If the answer is no, then I should not punish the poor gal. There are 3 billion women in the world, surely one of them can take you as you are. If I like to spend all my money, then that will attract a spender. I believe it is typical from naturally rich areas, like the wet tropics that people tend to spend more recklessly. In the severe climate regions of the world there is more emphasis spending carefully. If I like to save my money that will be attractive to a Chinese or Scottish girl. It is impossible to know from a girl´s history if she will cheat on you. I can only control my own actions and the best I can do is to avoid cheating on my girl. It is unfortunate.

cderekbower comments on Colleen

having no luck with an apt. what about you.

cderekbower comments on

called the girl but the rent was 10 times higher than what i was seeking.

cderekbower comments on Solidarity among English Teachers

Crazy4cali, A few yrs ago on the big island of hawaii there was a shortage of contractors and it was easy as an illegal worker to get US$25 per hour. The illegallity was not a factor. I think the same is true here. There is a great demand for native english speakers to teach english in Bogota. There are many institutions with no native speakers on staff. So, with teachers in short supply and the visa issue irrelevant there is fundamentally no reason to accept being exploited. Tactics are important, but the use of deception must be avoided I think.

cderekbower comments on Looking for Bogota teaching job.

expect to find work within a week at 20 000 per hour if you dress well, speak well and can really teach a class or a one on one. you may find it difficult to get more than a few hours of work a week. I have been here 3 weeks and work for 3 schools but only have 10.5 hrs per week so far. I have not contacted 73 of the 85 schools. expect to work before or after normal working hours, ie 7 am or 6 30 pm. you may be requested to work for free for a trial period. i am encouraging people to refuse to work for free, as only half of the schools are asking this, and we as native speakers are in demand. good luck. do not sell yourself short. there are dozens of schools that will hire you on the spot.

cderekbower comments on

thanks colin.

cderekbower comments on

I would like the girl´s number please. thank you. derek

cderekbower comments on Solidarity among English Teachers

sweet hearts, I agree with you in some ways, however I think it might be more appropriate to say that only on some levels the teacher has no leverage. But, in almost any situation where labour conflicts with management there is a level in which labour does has leverage. The problem to solve may then be - How do we bring the struggle into the realm where the teachers are stronger? We as teachers do not have to use this strength to be unfair to management anymore than a parent has to be unfair to his child due to greater strength. Ultimately labour wins, I believe. derek

cderekbower comments on Colleen

no wonder you are so helpful! i was thinking that if you were from ontario you would kill my theory that ontario folks are buggers. generally i am down on canada and some of the ontario-canada characteristics, but i have a liking for nfld, cape breton , nb and ns hospitality. I think the entire northeast of na has a type of character that i feel comfortable with. I have a lot of friends from the west of na and i appreciate many of their ways but some would not be considered polite in my home village, Churchover, Shelburne co. i think ns folks are more like brits than we are like bc folks in some ways. weird to find a nova scotian in south america.

cderekbower comments on Looking for roommates in Bogota...

colleen, If we can find work that provides a living wage, and I expect we can, we want to be here for a couple of years. Our preference is to live centrally as we do not yet have the jobs we want and need to be close to all possibilities. Currently we live at cl 23 and want to move further north. We would love to meet you. Phoning us now may not be a successful way of making contact. My email is cderekbower (at) yahoo.ca if you do not want to give contact info for yourself in such a public place. derek

cderekbower comments on Colleen

hi colleen, At what school are you working? Where is your home in Canada? I am from NS, but have been out of canada for many yrs. do you speak spanish?

cderekbower comments on Solidarity among English Teachers

Colleen, Thanks for the advice. I cannot read the spanish website, unfortunately. I have the addresses of int. schools from the local yellow pages however. I will be visiting schools soon. Do you think that I can expect to find hiring staff present at the schools during the summer months? Derek

cderekbower comments on Looking for roommates in Bogota...

my wife and I are actively looking for a place now as well. we are interested in sharing accomodation. derek

cderekbower comments on Solidarity among English Teachers

to Philly, I am working without a contract because I have not yet found an offer of enough hours to satisfy me. Currently I work for 3 different schools. I have been promised a contract later by 2 of the schools. Ideally I will find work teaching physics or mathematics in english as that is my specialty, and should pay better. I have come to understand that a work permit does not necessarily follow from a contract. In my case, I do not have a BEd. I have 7 yrs of teaching experience both in Canada and abroad, but I am not a certified teacher. Some say this may prevent me from getting a work permit. Thanks for your comment. derek

cderekbower comments on Has anyone ever done any hitchiking in Colombia

I have a friend on couchsurfing.com named Ivan. He is from Bogota. He has hitch hiked a lot in south america, speaks english and is helpful. Look him up. He may be able to advise you. there is no better way to travel.

cderekbower comments on Where can I buy a cast iron frying pan in Bogota?

got one today at the flea market in candaleria. 8000 pesos. now just have to convince my roommates to let me bake oil into it for 3 hrs.

cderekbower comments on Work and Volunteer in Colombia

please post wages and rent. thank you

cderekbower comments on Canadians living in Bogota

hello, I am a Canadian and my wife and I are living here in Bogota also. Just arrived 2 weeks ago. Our number is 282 2452 We would love to meet you. We live around cl 23 and cr 19 We are also hoping to take spanish classes with a student visa. derek and nisha

cderekbower comments on missdeelish

we found a place in santa fe. several rooms for rent in area for 150 000 per month.

cderekbower comments on Where can I buy a cast iron frying pan in Bogota?

Thanks. I will look there.

cderekbower comments on NICE APARTMENT IN CHAPINERO ALTO, BOGOTA, FOR RENT

please post the price.

cderekbower comments on Farmers Markets in Bogota??

If you are really interested in tropical and subtropical fruits, their uses and methods of preparation, I would be able to go with you to the big cheap market near the apartment where my wife and I live. I am familiar with about 100 species of tropical fruits and have recently left my farm in Dominica where I grew many uncommon foods. Fruits are my passion. 282 2452 ...a spanish-only speaker will answer the phone just ask for Carlos or Nisha.

cderekbower comments on 2 year room or apartment rental required

In only 2 hrs of searching on foot in santa fe i found several places for 150 000 to 220 000. The most expensive was the best, a huge room with shared kitchen and bathroom. I would advise others with my inital problem to just come to santa fe and walk around to find a place. rooms are advertised in their windows. Don´t fall in a hole while looking up and walking.

cderekbower comments on MUST SELL - Moving sale items - great for student or long term traveler - Candelaria area

is the place you are leaving going to be available to rent?

cderekbower comments on NORTH BOGOTA ,BEST PLACE WITH THE BEST SERVICE AND PRICE

looks like a place i saw for us$60 per night if rented for a month. what a joke.

cderekbower comments on Anyone need a roomate?

My wife and I are also looking to rent something other than a hostel bed. If we find something with 2 bed rooms how much are you interested in paying?