My journey began on Sunday morning at 2:00am leaving LA for Panama City. The flight was fast because I was asleep the entire time, Disneyland took a lot out of me. I was so stoked to get to see the Panama Canal from the air while landing...yeah its only something I would get excited about. My next flight to Colombia was only 45 minutes. I arrived in Cartagena in the afternoon with only 2 hours to go through customs, check into the hotel, and find the convention center for a meeting/training for volunteers. I was skeptical about finding a cab in Colombia but luckily my buddy Joaquin from Argentina needed one too so we shared. I have to admit that I feel like a fairly independent traveler but the first day/night in Cartagena was, although incredible, kinda overwhelming and had me ask myself what I got myself into coming to Colombia of all places, alone and not knowing anyone for thousands of miles. But that skepticism was short lived. The next morning was the opening ceremonies of the Summit. After an incredible introduction to Colombian dance and music, President Alvaro Uribe spoke to the delegates. He is an incredibly well spoken person and very passionate about supporting microfinance...yes I am retaining most of my excitement about seeing him because everyone already knows how big of a nerd I am for politics. Then Muhammed Yunus, the father of microcredit, spoke. It is no wonder how his bank has been so successful in providing so much help to victims of poverty with enthusiasm like his. I met so many people at the conference which is easy when your around a bunch of people who care about the same issues. I was amazed about how many students there were, American and Latin American. After dinner some new friends and I wandered around the Old City of Cartagena, originally a slave trade city, until we got to the city walls on which we sat and watched the ocean as well as some street dancers preform mapale (an extremely energetic and intense dance). First day and a half = Successful!
