Going to teach English in Armenia. Any advice?

ColombiaBoard says on Apr 3, 2005, 08:53:

Teaching english Here are some answers to your questions:
- "Usually", kids studying at bilingual schools are rich kids, the bilingual schools have very high tuition costs and therefore only wealthier families can afford it, so you won´t be with "inner city kids" but they´re probably spoiled
- Caribbean islands near Cartagena? they probably mean Islas del Rosario, a bunch of little islands off the coast of Cartagena, they´re ideal for scuba diving or just frying under the sun...
- Yes, buses are safe during the day, it takes about 2 1/2 hours to drive from Cartagena to Barranquilla
- Intercontinental airlines went broke so your options now are Avianca and Aerorepublica. Aerorepublica is always cheaper than Avianca but they´re usually late
- Yes, you can get DirectTv satellite dishes or the local cable company but make sure first that the local cable company carries some sports channel (usually ESPN in spanish)
- Parque del Cafe is excellent, Panaca is more a "Farm" type of Park
- The snow covered mountain and park is called Nevado del Ruiz

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jediknight says on Apr 3, 2005, 10:19:

aerorepublica it's a good airline, reasonable prices but sometimes there are delays so give yourself time and expect to wait. i flown aerorepublica and avianca and both have their good and bad days.

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COLDK says on Apr 3, 2005, 11:17:

Cartagena - Barranquilla Buses are safe. But I can recomend a taxi service that pick you up at your place and take you to the address where you are staying in Barranquilla and the way back the same. They take 4 passengers and the price is ok. The bus is cheaper, but then you have to add taxis to/from bus stations in Cartagena or Barranquilla so, finally is the same. I did this all the time when living in Barranquilla and visiting Cartagena.

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caulfield2 says on Apr 3, 2005, 11:30:

Sorry, I have "student housing" in Cartagena provided by "Nueva Lengua," the Spanish school...my concern was going between Cartagena and Barranquilla, so your advice is that a taxi would be better?

I've heard Cartagena is one of the best cities (except for pick-pockets) and that Barranquilla was a little rougher...but I'm not going to be hiking between the two cities at 3 AM, lol.

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COLDK says on Apr 3, 2005, 11:55:

Buses or taxis "...my concern was going between Cartagena and Barranquilla"
Buses or taxis are safe to travel from Cartagena to Barranquilla, but I personally recomend the door to door taxi service because is faster and you dont have to go to any bus terminal.

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bufalo says on Apr 3, 2005, 12:18:

I agree with everything the posters said, especially Colmbiaboard. Tell your girlfriend´s parents not to worry, Colombia as a whole is way safer than before. Armenia is one of the safest cities to live in. It´s also getting a bit of a boom touristwise. Parque del Cafe was boring for me. Big, but if you want to see coffee go to a coffee farm (contact me and I´ll bring you to a real coffee farm owned by my wife´s relatives). The Parque has amusement park rides, why go to Eje cafetero for that?. Panaca I think was better, a lot of nice animals from all over the world. Haven´t been to the Nevados yet but I heard it´s awesome. Salento is a nice artist type town (was better, too much publicity now too many tourists I think its losing its local touch little by little). Valle de Cocora is really nice. Buses armenia-Cali are fine to take.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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caulfield2 says on Apr 3, 2005, 12:28:

Thanks Buffalo I'm gradually starting to get a feel for the country. I keep on hearing things like watch out east of Armenia in the mountains or west of Cali, FARC, hikers, kidnappings...I went to Russia in the middle of the "Bush War II" and didn't experience any problems, but I wasn't in Ukraine, which is a little dicier.

Do you ever fly out of Pereira? I keep picturing it as a small commuter airport...I've been told to fly into Bogota and they will pick me up, but isn't it a 5 hour drive? Plus, I'll hopefully have my dog with me.

I know the principals/directors of schools in Manizales and Cartagena, so that's a start, at least.

Is Valle de Cocora picturesque, lots of scenery? From the photos I've seen, it reminds me a little of Salt Lake City or Denver, in terms of being surrounded by mountain ranges. I'm guessing the mountains in Colorado and Utah are a little taller...

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 3, 2005, 12:41:

how do the Rockies compare with the Andes? "The Andes
The mountain region consists of three ranges of the Andes: Cordillera Occidental, Cordillera Central, and Cordillera Oriental, all of which have a general south-north orientation. The Cordillera Oriental has a complex and varied structure. It consists of short, noncountinuous ridges that follow a north-south direction, with some ridges running nearly parallel. This is particularly so in the middle part of the range, from the vecinity of Bogota northward, where it reaches its maximum width of 140 miles. The Cordillera Oriental rises well above the snow line, and extensive areas are snow-covered the year around. Another feature of the Cordillera Oriental is a number of high basins, three of which are comparatively large, resembling intermont plateaus. The Capital Bogota stands in one of these basins, the gently sloping surface of which is 8,000-9,000 feet high, which places the basin within a cool climatic zone.
The Cordillera Central is the highest and most formidable of the Andean ranges in Colombia, with several peaks rising above the snow line. Pico Cristobal Colon, in the extreme north, is the highest peak at 5,776 meters and among the number of active volcanoes the highest is Tolima, at 5,215 meters; it last erupted in 1829. In the extreme north, in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the Cordillera Central rise again above the snow line with the strong relief characteristic of the high Andes. This range, which is approximately 40 miles wide, has many small, populated valleys at different altitudes; taken as a whole, however, the range is only sparsely inhabited.

The Cordillera Occidental is much lower and narrower. It highest peak is only about 10,000 feet. Even in its high southern part, it has convenient passes. The range decends gently into the Caribbean coastal plain, where it becomes partly sumerged under thick beds of sediment deposited by the rivers draining the Colombian Andes. A deep and mostly narrow valley, drained by the river Cauca, runs between the Occidental and Central ranges. Like the Cordillera Central, the Occidental has only small valleys, in which most of the population lives. The Cauca and some adjoining valleys constitute one of the most densely inhabited parts of the country, with two of Colombia's four largest conurbations, Medellin and Cali."

Source: The Andes
The mountain region consists of three ranges of the Andes: Cordillera Occidental, Cordillera Central, and Cordillera Oriental, all of which have a general south-north orientation. The Cordillera Oriental has a complex and varied structure. It consists of short, noncountinuous ridges that follow a north-south direction, with some ridges running nearly parallel. This is particularly so in the middle part of the range, from the vecinity of Bogota northward, where it reaches its maximum width of 140 miles. The Cordillera Oriental rises well above the snow line, and extensive areas are snow-covered the year around. Another feature of the Cordillera Oriental is a number of high basins, three of which are comparatively large, resembling intermont plateaus. The Capital Bogota stands in one of these basins, the gently sloping surface of which is 8,000-9,000 feet high, which places the basin within a cool climatic zone.
The Cordillera Central is the highest and most formidable of the Andean ranges in Colombia, with several peaks rising above the snow line. Pico Cristobal Colon, in the extreme north, is the highest peak at 5,776 meters and among the number of active volcanoes the highest is Tolima, at 5,215 meters; it last erupted in 1829. In the extreme north, in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the Cordillera Central rise again above the snow line with the strong relief characteristic of the high Andes. This range, which is approximately 40 miles wide, has many small, populated valleys at different altitudes; taken as a whole, however, the range is only sparsely inhabited.

The Cordillera Occidental is much lower and narrower. It highest peak is only about 10,000 feet. Even in its high southern part, it has convenient passes. The range decends gently into the Caribbean coastal plain, where it becomes partly sumerged under thick beds of sediment deposited by the rivers draining the Colombian Andes. A deep and mostly narrow valley, drained by the river Cauca, runs between the Occidental and Central ranges. Like the Cordillera Central, the Occidental has only small valleys, in which most of the population lives. The Cauca and some adjoining valleys constitute one of the most densely inhabited parts of the country, with two of Colombia's four largest conurbations, Medellin and Cali."

http://www.ddg.com/LIS/aurelia/colgeo1.htm

Cheers,
Desi

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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caulfield2 says on Apr 3, 2005, 12:47:

Desi,

Do you live in Colombia currently, or are you from Colombia and now living in the U.S., or none of the above, lol?

I do know there was a pretty strong earthquake in Armenia within the last five years or so...but my best friend lives in LA and he manages to deal with it.

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Apr 3, 2005, 13:03:

none of the above, caulfield:) I have lived both in Colombia and the United States, but am neither Colombian nor gringa.
Cheers,
Desi

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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caulfield2 says on Apr 3, 2005, 13:22:

I guess a little history here would help...here is my g/f of two years Russian model/student/waitress (www.irina.s5.com), but I am leaving her for one year to go to Colombia before she joins me again down there. She is actually going to be modelling this summer in NY, although she's still looking into Milan and Paris. Unfortunately, she's only 5'6", so it's not so easy for her, as they're looking for 5'9" and up for runway work.

I know that sounds crazy to leave your g/f, and all the men will definitely say that I'm crazy...but to each his own. We've lived together for almost two years now and are best friends, but she's only 23 and I am 35 and she's not ready to settle down and have children. She wants to travel, start her career, finish school...she also needs to learn how to be independent, and she can only be with me (IMO) once she's dated other Americans, knows she can get by on her own and doesn't NEED someone (especially me) and yet chooses to be with me because she wants to be with me, if that makes any sense at all.

Now I'm not moving to Colombia with the idea of meeting someone, but I am Catholic, and another issue Irina and I have had is over religion...right now, we have the idea in mind she will move down in the summer of 2006 and start an internship (she's a Spanish major) while I am finishing my second year of teaching school.

I think you can meet the right person anywhere in the world, but, as noted today, it's easier if you meet that person in your neigborhood than, say, 5-10,000 miles away, right? However, you should never rule anything out either...but, as a practical matter, long distance relationships between cultures can be a struggle. The divorce rate might be lower, but I know more unhappy couples than successful ones.

I think the fact that I speak Spanish (or I will) fairly fluently will help as well...it shows respect for the culture of others...Russian is an incredibly difficult language and I have never mastered it, or even come close.

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Miguel says on Apr 3, 2005, 18:24:

Andes y Los Rockies Hey Desi, I liked your description of the Andes, but you did not say anything about the Rockies.

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thomas14 says on Apr 5, 2005, 17:22:

Armenia good place to live in. I am Originally from Armenia. I'm actually living in L.A If you have specific questions, i think i can help you. You are going to teach in a very good school. Armenia is a peacefull city, that i'm you are going to like.

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caulfield2 says on Apr 5, 2005, 18:08:

Thanks Thomas, it's nice to know that there are people out there like you and bufalo that have lived there and/or are going to live there.

I remember when I was looking at the original list of possible locations (Cartagena, Armenia, Manizales, Barranquilla and Medellin or Bogota), a Colombian teacher at my school in Kansas City said Armenia would definitely be his 4th choice behind Cartagena and Manizales (a hidden gem he called it), but I've heard lots of nice things and seen quite a few pictures.

I like that it's a little bit smaller town, and not so touristy. I'm going to spend a month in Cartagena this summer to get that out of my system anyways...and I can always fly to San Andres.

The most important thing to me, and this may sound silly, is staying connected to American sports, and it sounds like that will be doable with DirecTV. Granted, I certainly won't spend all my time at home watching baseball, but it "connects" me to America, somehow.

And I think living in Armenia, I will be able to save more money than I would have living on the Caribbean (I met another teacher from Colegio George Washington and he loved it there in Cartagena...and the teaching couple that had my future position left Armenia to teach there...it was meant to be, as the job in Cartagena opened up and was offered about 1 1/2 hours after I accepted Gimnasio Ingles' position)

I'm also looking forward to going back to Catholic masses again and have always enjoyed them in other languages more than English, for some reason.

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carldecolorado says on Apr 6, 2005, 07:49:

Armenia is a great place I think you will enjoy your stay in Armenia. After reading all the posts here I think everyone as given you very good info. Cafe Parque is a sort of History Lesson on coffee and also a small amusement park. I had fun there, but then I was with my friends and their little kids. So needless to say we were running around having a good time. Panaca is more of a pettign farm, so if you are into seeing farm animals up close you will enjoy it. If you decide to go to Nevados, just be careful, I was down there over New Years, and was told by my friends that it is still somewhat dangerous in that area.

As far as churches go, well there are plenty all over Armenia and the surrounding cities. So check them all out and see which one you like best.

I also think you will find the kids to be very respectful in your classes, especially at that age. I know that they will be taking their studies very seriously by the time you get them because they need to prepare for the big college exam.

Carl

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