Willamette World News

I’m so glad that in my first post for World News I thanked in advance those people who would transform my life. At the end, many did it and in a great way. Here in the quiet Salem, I got to know a chunk of what the world is like because of them.

The city I am from is getting more touristic every day. So, on my way to university it is not unusual to find people wearing these safari looks in the middle of what seems to  be a normally dressed crowd. Beige outfits, shorts, sandals. They just pop out: Hi, dear misinformed foreigners! 🙂

In Colombia, food equals variety. As I told you on one of the previous issues, Colombian food is very rich and you can find an endless list of dishes in each region. Also, you should know our cuisine does not have much to do with the world renown Mexican or Spanish ones. Most of our […]

Oh, how distant we used to think we are from each other (I mean, people in Colombia and the US), but how similar we behave.  That’s what I thought when, in the middle of October, I heard this peal of bells on the radio. Then I realized I was not that far, you also had […]

Thinking of 10 specific things I want to tell Willamette about my country seemed an easy task at first. But now, hands on the keyboard, trying to come up with a list that makes sense doesn’t seem that easy. Also, I’ve been thinking that even when our reality is constantly permeated by sad or violent […]

Social life in Colombia is not very different from the way it is here. I mean, most of the activities I do back home with my friends and family are pretty much the same I can do here except for a couple of things. Among other differences, I would say the schedules for the food […]

Did you know that while Colombia has only 0.8% of the planet’s terrestrial surface, yet it is still the country with the third greatest biodiversity in the world? That’s right! So, when thinking of Colombia, make sure you always picture a geographically and natural privileged territory, full of contrast.

If I ask who is ‘America’s sweetheart’, I know I would probably hear Marilyn Monroe, Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, or even Monica Lewinsky! You have had many women under this title, over 2,000, did you know? So today, I want to introduce you to our Colombian male version, and not exactly of a sweetheart, but […]

Hi Willamette! My name is Catalina Vélez and I happen to be one of the two Spanish language assistants for this year. You should know this is my first time living abroad, and it is challenging but also exciting. I come from Medellín, and I started to teach English after getting my BA in translation […]