FUTURITY: Teachers on the move

If you are an active LinkedIn user involved in ELT, you have most likely come across Silvina Mascitti’s posts. Since the beginning of the year, this experienced English teacher has been sharing amazing lesson plans on her website EFL Creative Ideas, which I highly recommend visiting. When Silvina approached me with a few questions for an article on teachers living abroad, I was very happy to share my story. You can find her text in the following magazine:

As we know, people involved in ELT love all kinds of abbreviations, so let me briefly explain what this is about. IATEFL stands for International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language, which is a prominent organisation involved in various activities, including hosting a huge international conference. SIG refers to a special interest group that focuses on a specific area. You can find a list of 16 SIGs associated with IATEFL here.

FUTURITY is an e-zine published by Global Issues SIG. Silvina Mascitti’s article titled Teachers on the move appears in the latest issue (#3) of the magazine. It features stories of several professionals who decided to teach English abroad. It was really nice to read about other teachers’ experiences with adapting to working in a new country. I was also happy to see that the TEFL in Colombia blog was mentioned in the article. If you wish to find out more about topics related to living in Colombia, you can read my posts on learning Spanish, travelling, and obtaining necessary documents.

Most of my recent blog posts have been on professional development, so let me tell you a little bit about what has been going on in Colombia. You may have noticed that you can now enter the country without proof of a negative PCR test, so basically anyone can travel to Colombia without any restrictions. That sounds like positive news, but the actual situation in the country isn’t that rosy.

Colombia was supposed to co-host this year’s edition of Copa América, but CONMEBOL decided to move the tournament to Brazil, which is a clear sign that something isn’t right. COVID-19 still isn’t under control and several regions of Colombia have been heavily affected in recent weeks. There have also been strong countrywide protests taking place for more than six weeks. I understand that many people are keen on moving to Colombia to teach English, but I’d recommend postponing those plans because relocating to a new country when the local environment isn’t very stable wouldn’t be without its risks.

The good news is that more and more people in Colombia are getting vaccinated, so there is hope that things will improve in the foreseeable future. In the meantime, I am still teaching online and spending most of my time at home. It isn’t the most interesting experience ever, especially when you are an avid traveller, but I prefer not to get frustrated by stuff that is outside of my control. I decided to focus on taking courses, reading books, and trying to develop as a teacher. Even though it doesn’t make for very exciting blog content, I hope to benefit from that in the future.

I believe that it’s important to stay positive and have something to aim for, and I’d like to end this post with a quotation from Silvina’s article:

Sometimes the beginning of the journey can be tough: language barriers, employment difficulties, bureaucratic obstacles and homesickness can make migrants doubt whether they took the right decision or not. It is true that reality can hit you hard in the face, but being patient and learning from good and bad experiences will make them stronger and resilient, as long as they firmly believe in what they are doing.

► If you enjoyed this blog post, I recommend that you read More Than a Gap Year Adventure, a collaborative book aimed at those who wish to have a long-term career in our profession.

Recinto del Pensamiento is a great place to visit

I have mentioned the city of Manizales several times on this blog. The capital of Caldas is one of the best places to live in Colombia, and I really enjoyed my two years there. Even if you are a tourist, it’s worth spending some time in the city because there are plenty of things to do there. I highly recommend visiting the centre and going to the top of the cathedral via the Polish corridor. This activity is not for the fainthearted since it’s amazing and scary in equal measure.

Manizales is a great starting point for various trips because it is located close to Los Nevados national park with its impressive volcano Nevado del Ruiz. You can also stay at Hostal La Laguna and hike to a huge waterfall. Rio Blanco natural reserve is famous among birdwatchers. There are some amazing places within the city limits as well: I enjoyed visiting Ecoparque Los Alcázares, which is close to the city centre, and I was lucky to have a nice view of Los Yarumos from my apartment.

Recinto del Pensamiento, Manizales, Colombia

Living in a Colombian city is usually a noisy experience, so it’s nice to have the option of going somewhere to unwind. As its name suggests, Recinto del Pensamiento is a place that is supposed to make you think. It sounds like a remote retreat, but it is in fact easily accessible and there are numerous facilities that include even a hotel. Recinto del Pensamiento’s allure lies in its beautiful natural setting.

Even though it is located just over ten kilometres from the city centre, Recinto del Pensamiento offers amazing sights that you would expect to see somewhere far away. You can go on a two-hour hike that will show you the beauty of Colombian nature. It is mandatory to go with a guide and an adult ticket costs 35,000 pesos (or 26,000 if you are a Colombian citizen). You can pay extra money for a chairlift, which is very slow and looks rather creaky, so walking represents a better option. The first part of the hike is a little steep, but it isn’t really challenging.

The first stop takes place at a house where you can relax and watch birds. There are countless hummingbirds flying around and making brief stops to drink sugary liquid from plastic water feeders. In the meantime, your guide will tell you mind-blowing facts about this species. Hummingbirds are incredible animals, and the way they move their little bodies will never cease to amaze me. While hummingbirds attract everybody’s attention, there are in fact more than 150 species of birds in the area. If you want to spend more time observing them, you can also book a birdwatching tour.

The hike continues past a fish-filled pond, and then you walk up a path lined with bonsai trees until you reach another highlight of the trip. You will enter a large glasshouse which is a home to beautiful butterflies. Seeing various colourful species of these insects is an amazing experience. There are plenty of plants too, and if you get lucky, you can spot some of the butterflies in their chrysalis stage. After exiting the glasshouse, you will descend back to the main area through a forest in which beautiful orchids grow. The guides are knowledgeable and they are always happy to provide relevant information and answer your questions. You can find photos from the hike on Recinto del Pensamiento’s Facebook page.

As you can see, Recinto del Pensamiento is a great place to visit and you definitely won’t get bored there. I recommend going there in the morning because that’s when the weather is usually quite nice. Fortunately, going to Recinto del Pensamiento from Manizales is pretty easy; you can check this map for its exact location. Taxis are affordable and reliable, and you can also get there by bus from El Cable. Look for a bus going to Maltería and make sure to ask the driver if you are going the direction. You will get to the main entrance after a short ride. Enjoy your trip!