ANDAP ACADEMIA NACIONAL DE APRENDIZAJE. Bogota

• ANDAP is a Spanish language school, which offers high quality training services. Our programs are divided in three levels: basic, intermediate and advance. We count with a methodology, which guarantees to live the language and therefore, learn it.
• Our groups are maximun 4 students per class, which lasts 50 minutes, the students carry out different activities such as: interactive material, conversation, reading, writing and grammar with native graduate teachers and specialized in modern languages, which gives you the opportunity to ask questions in a language different from Spanish. Each class is lead by a different teacher, which guarantees different accents, ways of expression, voices and likewise, you will learn idiomatic expressions. Our method consists in a total immersion, includes home stay with friendly families, which had been carefully selected to guarantee your complete satisfaction.
• Classes are from 8 am. To 1 pm. Our facilities, as well as the home stay are located in a sector known as Zona Rosa, with the purpose that you spend the afternoons in the environment of a cosmopolitan city enjoying activities such as: shopping, going to the movies, theaters, museums, gambling, parties etc.
• Our services include city tour and visits to nearest places of tourist interest such as: Guatavita, Villa de Leiva and Zipaquirá. Additionally, our services include pick up at the Airport (US30) and transport to the Airport (US25), transportation from home to school and back, books, internet acces, international calls at special charge. You may also select from different options of courses such as: group or individual
• We have courses available for all ages, we work all year round, for groups we start according to the schedule and for individuals, every Monday.
• You can enroll in our program and fax us the deposit receipt . in Europe, your bank may charge you a fee for the fax. IMPORTANT!! There are not refunds after the program had started.

To learn more about this Spanish School go to ANDAP

Books about Colombia

Below is a list of recommended books about Colombia’s armed conflict, the war on drugs and US intervention.

The Failure of Global Capitalism: From Cape Breton to Colombia and Beyond by Terry Gibbs and Garry Leech (2009)

Beyond Bogotá: Diary of a Drug War Journalist in Colombia by Garry Leech (2009)

Blood and Capital: The Paramilitarization of Colombia by Jasmin Hristov (2009)

Linked Labor Histories: New England, Colombia and the Making of a Global Working Class by Aviva Chomsky (2008)

Colombia: Between the Lines by Jason P. Howe (2008)

Driven By Drugs: U.S. Policy Toward Colombia by Russell Crandall (2008)

Counting the Dead: The Culture and Politics of Human Rights Activism in Colombia by Winifred Tate (2007)

Check out more book about Colombia and other topics on Colombia Journal.

Nueva Lengua Spanish School

Nueva Lengua is an international Spanish school for people from all over the world. We run Spanish courses for students, executives and families, as well as Spanish with purpose (business, medicine, etc.) courses. Our locations are in amazing places, with historical relevance.

We will find a suitable accommodation for you, you will enjoy and get to know the culture and life of the city that you choose and we will even take care of airport transfers, insurance etc. All of this guarantees that you will have an unforgettable experience.

Our school has a Spanish teacher training program which also means that we have the best teachers.

Prices are competitive and if you book in advance or study for more than a month you will enjoy special discounts.

If you are looking forward to getting to know Latin America and at the same time learning Spanish, we encourage you to take the course in any of our schools or, why not, in some or all of them. We offer you the best learning environment, resources and knowledge. You take the first step. We are looking forward to meeting you!

To keep reading about this school, go to Nueva Lengua.

Before you go, check out these pics.

To see more pics, go to Flickr.

To keep practising your Spanish, watch this movie!

By Helda Martínez

The latest film out of Colombia is based on the true story of a priest in a rural town whose passions include a search for justice in an area that, like so many in this civil war-torn country, is hemmed in by armed groups, whether far-right paramilitaries, leftist guerrillas or state security forces.

Gabriel is an idealistic 33-year-old priest who stands up to inept local officials as well as the heads of the armed group that holds real power in the town.

Once an irregular armed group, on the left or the right, has gained control over an area, it begins to interfere with government decisions to forward its own interests – an all-too common scenario that forms the backdrop for the film "La pasión de Gabriel" (Gabriel's Passion), whose star, Andrés Parra, has already won a Best Actor award for his performance as Father Gabriel, at the 2009 Guadalajara International Film Festival in Mexico.

As believing in God as he is ingenuous about earthly matters, he believes he can bring about equality, peace and respect for decisions reached by the local community, and ignores warnings to stay out of things.

The warnings become more pointed as Gabriel insists on the need to repair a bridge linking the town with another town. But the armed group that controls the area is opposed because it knows that as soon as the bridge is built, the army will come in, and fighting will break out.

In effect, once the bridge is repaired, thanks to the efforts of the priest and the community, the army arrives, asserts its authority, asks barbed questions, issues threats and warnings, and finally leaves.

Read more comments on the movie at IPS News.

COLOMBIA: Would you take the risk? video

WATCH THE WHOLE VIDEO, it's worth it!!!
Would you take the risk to travel to Colombia? Have you been informed certainly? Watch this video till the end and know what Colombia means...

COLOMBIA IS PASSION!!!! BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, BRIGHT CULTURE AND AMAZING LANDSCAPES.






And search for more videos of Colombia in Youtube.

Vibe won a trip to Argentina thru a Bueno Entonces contest. Check out her experience and reviews

The Provinces

That’s how they call the rest of the country here. My winning a trip from Bueno Entonces to Buenos Aires happily coincided with the 70th birthday of my father-in-law so my husband and kids also came to Argentina and have been spending time with my husbands family in Parana, eagerly awaiting me being fluent in Spanish. The birthday party will mainly involve eating a lot of nice meat, and nieces and nephews running around causing mayhem and some live music as Francisco's dad is a big music lover. I’m so happy to see my kids after weeks of Buenos Aires, I’m not used to being without them for that time. I’ve taken a bus up north, one of those big coaches with reclining seats and terrible sandwiches.

Before the big birthday however my husband Francisco has organised for us to visit the town where he was born in Corrientes. This is real gaucho country and it’s an amazing roadtrip, seeing the gauchos resting with their horses and cattle along the road. After stopping in his birthplace we go all the way up north to the Esteros de Ibera, a lake with a beautiful nature reserve where you can get real up close to the animals.

Read full text at beadventuresinba.blogspot

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To learn more about Bueno, entonces, go to General Linguistics.

Useful info you need to know before you visit Colombia

Costs

Colombia is a reasonably cheap country to travel in, provided you are traveling overland. Backpackers should be prepared to shell out US$15 to US$25 per day on average. If you want a more comfy trip, with midrange hotels, some better restaurants and a flight from time to time, you'll average somewhere between US$25 and US$45 daily. Some resort areas, especially along the Caribbean coast, have all-inclusive resort packages that cost US$100 to US$150 for two people, a good value anywhere. You can save money by going to free days at museums (often the last Sunday of the month), or using a student card when buying plane and museum tickets. Also remember that bus ticket fares are always negotiable. A little haggling can usually knock off around 20% to 30% of the cost, though you may need to shop around at the various bus company windows.

Money

Credit and debit cards are the safest and easiest way to access money in Colombia. Traveler's checks (Amex are by far the easiest to change) are safer than cash, though some US dollar bills may be useful.

Large amounts of counterfeit US dollars 'made in Cali' circulate on the market. According to rough estimates, about a quarter of all fake US dollars, virtually indistinguishable from the genuine article, circulating worldwide are printed in Colombia.

Generally, Bancolombia and the Banco Unión Colombiano are the banks to visit if you need to change money or do any over-the-counter transactions. However, you will find half-a-dozen other banks in most medium-sized towns that have ATMs.

Read more practical info about Colombia at Lonely Planet.

Country profile: Colombia

Colombia has significant natural resources and its diverse culture reflects the indigenous Indian, Spanish and African origins of its people.

But it has also been ravaged by a decades-long violent conflict involving outlawed armed groups, drug cartels and gross violations of human rights.

The fourth largest country in South America and one of the continent's most populous nations, Colombia has substantial oil reserves and is a major producer of gold, silver, emeralds, platinum and coal.

Overview

It also has a highly stratified society where the traditionally rich families of Spanish descent have benefited from this wealth to a far greater degree than the majority, mixed-race population. With few avenues for social mobility, this provided a natural constituency for left-wing insurgents.

But the lucrative returns from drugs and kidnapping now dominate the rebels' agenda, and have largely replaced ideological motivations. Peace talks with the main left-wing rebel group, the Farc, collapsed in 2002.

At the other end of the political spectrum are illegal right-wing paramilitary groups, who are sometimes in the pay of drug cartels and landowners, and backed by elements in the army and the police.

Efforts are under way to demobilise the groups, which have been particularly active in the north-west where they have targeted human rights workers, peasants suspected of helping left-wing guerrillas, street children and other marginal groups.

Read more at BBC News

Introducing Bogotá

Bogotá is on the move. Once considered a place to avoid, the capital has cleaned up its act and is fast becoming one of Latin America's urban highlights. Improved security, infrastructure projects and a clean-up campaign have helped bring a new face to the metropolis.

Home to more than seven million people, Colombians still flock to Bogotá in search of opportunities. Many find that the streets are not exactly paved with gold and end up eking out an existence in one of the vast shantytowns that line the southern portion of the city.

Graceful churches, excellent museums, cultural events and a thriving nightlife can keep you busy for several days. Bogotá is also the political, financial and service center for the country, and its geographic heart, making it a useful base from which to explore the country. Despite its massive sprawl, Bogotá is a dotted with parks and leisure spots. Cool air and almost daily rain sweep away residual pollution, and there are several high peaks to the east of town that help you to keep your perspective on the ground.

Most travelers spend their time in or around historic La Candelaria, a pleasant quarter of cafés, churches and museums. Northern Bogotá stands in great contrast to the south, turning up its nose to history and moving forward as a modern district of brash capitalist values.

To read more go to Lonely Planet

Wind Journey. Movie

Wind Journey, one of the movies of the season in Colombia, has been presented in the 7th Film Festival Medellín City. It was awarded with “City of Rome” in Cannes 2009 . The film of young Colombian director Ciro Guerra shows an original story set in the northern plains of the Caribbean region. It explores unusual views and corners of the country around the coastline people from the Sucre State to La Guajira Peninsula.

In an Andean nation usually presented as a mountainous region, Wind Journey explores the Colombia of the Vallenatos, Wayuus, Tierra Adentro and the splendid desserts of the northern Peninsula.

The traditional mistral (juglar), the same that originated the Colombian musician emblem (Vallenato), is represented by Ignacio Carillo, going from town to town and region to region with his accordion.

He decided to take a last trip throughout the northern region of Colombia, to give back the accordion to his elderly master. He was committed to stop playing after that.

Read complete article at Colombia Passport

Map of Colombia

View Larger Map

Colombia, going nowhere, beats Mexico, going to the World Cup

Ten observations in the wake of watching Colombia defeat Mexico, 2-1, in an international soccer friendly in Dallas on Wednesday night:

1. Colombia deserved to win. The headed goal by Giovanni Moreno off a corner kick was excellent. The second goal, by Darwin Quintero off an innovative cross from Yulian Anchico, was even better.

2. Mexico backup goalkeeper Jesus Corona will not be ousting starter Guillermo "Memo" Ochoa anytime soon, but he did manage some decent saves, including a stop on a poorly struck penalty kick by Jackson Martinez.

3. The fan in the Cotton Bowl crowd who sported a turkey on his head deserved his 15 seconds of fame. Or perhaps it was that snake-eating bird on the Mexican flag. Difficult to tell.

4. Javier Aguirre, losing for the first time in 13 games in his second stint as Mexico's coach, can get through a 90-minute game without kicking an opposing player.

5. Vladimir Marin looks like a useful player. Pity he and Colombia will not be going to the World Cup in South Africa next year. Pity Marin turned 30 last week. Pity he plays for Toluca in Mexico and not in MLS.

Read all observations at Los Angeles Times.

Bueno, entonces... Spanish Classes

Check out this video with fun Spanish Classes!



To watch more of this video go to Youtube

Colombian group Angele Phase to open for Depeche Mode

Husband and wife duo Peter Salmang and Mónica Pardo and their band will open for Depeche Mode at their October 10 concert in Bogota.

Until recently, Angele Phase has received more recognition in Europe than in Colombia, perhaps due to their relationship with Factory Records and their subsequent British sound. No surprise, since Factory Records is the home of such artists as Joy Division and Ladytron.

Now, not only have they been nominated for the 2009 Shock Awards for Best Electroshock Artist, but they have also been chosen as the supporting act for legendary Depeche Mode's Bogota Concert, reports Colombian news site Vive In.

The Butterfly is Angele Phase's first single. Their album, Magnetophonband, was released worldwide in April.

Keep reading at Colombia Report

About Colombia

Colombia officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish: República de Colombia), is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Colombia also shares maritime borders with Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Colombia is the 26th largest nation in the world and the fourth largest in South America. It has the 29th largest population in the world and the second largest in South America, after Brazil. Colombia has the third largest Spanish-speaking population in the world after Mexico and the United States.

The territory of what is now Colombia was originally inhabited by indigenous nations including the Muisca, Quimbaya, and Tairona. The Spanish arrived in 1499 and initiated a period of conquest and colonisation which ultimately led to the creation of the Viceroyalty of New Granada (comprising modern-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama) with its capital at Bogotá.^[12] Independence from Spain was won in 1819, but by 1830 "Gran Colombia" had collapsed with the secession of Venezuela and Ecuador. What is now Colombia and Panama emerged as the Republic of New Granada. The new nation experimented with federalism as the Granadine Confederation (1858), and then the United States of Colombia (1863), before the Republic of Colombia was finally declared in 1886.^[2] Panama seceded in 1903.

Colombia has a long tradition of constitutional government. The Liberal and Conservative parties, founded in 1848 and 1849 respectively, are two of the oldest surviving political parties in the Americas. However, tensions between the two have frequently erupted into violence, most notably in the Thousand Days War (1899-1902) and La Violencia, beginning in 1948. Since the 1960s, government forces, left-wing insurgents and right-wing paramilitaries have been engaged in the continent's longest-running armed conflict. Fuelled by the cocaine trade, this escalated dramatically in the 1990s. However, the insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and in recent years the violence has been decreasing.

Finish reading about Colombia at Wikipedia.

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Learning Spanish doesn’t have to be boring and monotonous. Bueno, entonces… infuses a witty, engaging storyline into the learning process - and by following along you absorb more Spanish, morequickly than you ever thought possible. By the end of the 5-week, 30-class series, you
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If you are not engaged, you are not going to learn or remember anything. Learning doesn’t have to be boring — remember your favorite teachers? Well, wait until you meet David & Jimena…

Read more about the Method at buenoentonces.com/blog.

One semester of Spanish

This is so much fun. Check it out!