Today we talk about the experience of our student Markus, he is a boy from Switzerland and his work is focused on organizational development. Through an interview, he shares his experience in Colombia and in Nueva Lengua Bogota. Says Markus: I don't need Spanish for my job, but I like languages, that's why I wanted to learn Spanish many years ago because my ex-girlfriend was from Spain and I thought that now in my holidays it was possible to have a lot of time.

I took seven weeks of vacation and the truth is that time in Spain is very boring, that's why I chose Latin America. It's more exotic! says our student between laughs. My first choice was Mexico, but I have a friend who lives in Bogotá and she told me that it is a very beautiful place and Spanish in Colombia is easier and a bit slower, that's why I chose Colombia.

Markus tells us that before his trip he didn't know much about Colombia and his image of the country was what he saw on the news, “Colombia was famous for drugs, it was dangerous in the past and I didn't know much else, but I think if my friend is here and tells me that it is a beautiful country could give me the opportunity to know"

We asked Markus: And now, what do you think about Colombia, having been here for several weeks, after getting to know the food, the different places, the gastronomy, what is your opinion of Colombia now?

He tells us that he thinks that Colombia is a country of very kind people, although he has only been to Medellín and Bogotá, he found the history of Comuna 13 in Medellín very interesting. “I think Colombia has the potential to grow, to be a strong country,” adds Markus.

I heard that in Bogotá there are problems with corruption and it's a bit difficult to find a mayor like in Medellín who does similar things, Bogotá would be much better, says our student.

Learning Spanish added to the cultural experience of being immersed in Colombia has seemed very useful to him, since he likes to travel through Latin America and Spain. Even though you don't need to use Spanish in your work, if you find it fun to be able to speak with your Hispanic colleagues in Spanish, also the contrast between the Colombian culture and the Swiss culture is very strong because the Swiss are very serious but the Colombians smile frequently. "That's something I want to learn for my life," reflects Markus. “enjoy things more, dance, smile, be more fun and I think it is possible to learn to live that way”

I really like the Christmas customs in Colombia, traditions like the doll of the old year, the twelve grapes and the omens, are things that I would like to do in Switzerland, teach them to my family and friends. Playing shuffleboard is a lot of fun, the experience at school with cultural activities has been very good. Usually, I don't have much patience, but in the classes at school I have been able to learn many things because the teachers teach from the heart. Going to school is difficult if you are on vacation, but every day I really like going to school because of the teachers. Definitely, what I liked the most was playing shuffleboard and going to the fruit market (the plaza de paloquemao) my favorite fruit is the cape gooseberry.

As I said before, the best thing about Colombia is the friendliness of the people. However, something that is not very different from Switzerland is the issue of security, Switzerland is very safe so you can walk at night without any problem, but you cannot do it in Bogotá; Now the Colombian saying “NO DAR PAPAYA” makes a lot of sense. My advice to other people is that the time you invest in learning Spanish during the holidays is time well spent, go to Nueva Lengua and learn spanish here is fun, useful and I think it's very cool.