The cycle is over, my students have passed! I'm looking back on an intensive period in which I taught and learned. I've met new people and faced new experiences. I found out that teaching isn't that easy, but at the same time I was very excited to see my students making progress through the cycle. I've made new friends with which I shared moments of laughter and fun. But at the same time we had our hard times: the culture shock, the continuous hard work and the inevitable sadness of friends leaving. I've found myself several times at different border crossings, though not always passed them.

I said goodbye to my students. Though not forever, as most will continue on the next level. We spent the last day of class having pizza and drinks. My students were happy to discover that their never-Spanish-speaking teacher turns out to understand most of their chats. We had a lot of fun. That evening, I said goodbye to my friends Craig and Megan from Britain. They'll return next week and are planning to get married next fall. So I'll go and visit them for sure!

Right now, being in between two cycles, I'm about to cross my next frontier. Today I'm embarking on a two-week voyage to Colombia: the land of coffee, passion and salsa! During my stay here in Ecuador many people have convinced me that Colombia is truly worth a visit. Contradictory to all negative reports in the media, Colombia is no longer just a country of crime and drugs. It's been shrugging off its notorious image for several years and has opened its borders to foreigners and tourists to enjoy its beautiness.

In Colombia I'm willing to experience just another flavour of South American lifestyle. Although I haven't completely planned my trip yet, I'll first head Medellín and then go to Manizales. This city is located in the Zona Cafetera, which exactlymeans something like: coffee paradise. In Manizales I'll meet Taeke, a friend whom I know from my university and fraternity back home in Delft, the Netherlands. We'll do some great excursions here and enjoy the great taste of Colombian coffee. So don't worry, I'll come back. There is only one risk. As Colombians tend to say: the only risk in Colombia is wanting to stay...

Colombia: aquí vengo!