Latest Blog Posts for The Tall Gringo

• An apology, a rant and a revelation
  on May 10, 2011 in graduate record exam GRE United States of America graduate school Arnold Schwarzenegger
  I want to apologize for the lack of updates lately, but I promise I’ve got a good excuse. In just over six weeks, I will be taking the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and have been hunkering down to study. I am going to do my best to continue to add new...
• Staying Safe in Colombia
  on May 6, 2011 in Colombia risks Colombia travel FARC Colombia safety
  Papaya; don't give it. Colombians have a saying, “No dar papaya” which translates as, “to not give papaya.” It has nothing to do with giving tropical fruits and everything to do with staying safe. It means to not put yourself in a situation w...
• The Tall Gringo in USA TODAY
  on Apr 30, 2011
  Hi all. Sorry for interrupting your Saturday night, but just wanted to direct you to an article I wrote for USA Today’s college blog about taking a detour away from the common path to do something to help the world. I am truly honored to have had t...
• Coffee and Colombia
  on Apr 27, 2011
  Starbucks in the SF financial district. If there is one thing San Francisco has plenty of—besides seismic activity—it’s coffee shops. They’re everywhere.  Last year when I worked in the San Francisco financial district, I often spent my...
• Semana Santa in Colombia’s Coffee Region
  on Apr 25, 2011 in Manizales Semana Santa Hot Springs Bogota Hostels Salento Hiking international travel Coffee Americans living in Colombia
  Manizeles is a short flight from Bogotá. Standing on the crowded TransMilenio bus sporting my overstuffed travel pack, I might as well have been dressed up as Uncle Sam with the looks the other passengers were giving me. Normally, I can avoid stares...
• Video: My Time in Colombia So Far
  on Apr 15, 2011 in Bogota Mike Hower Volunteering pictures Americans living in Colombia Colombia
  The other day as I was perusing my laptop for something to occupy my idle gringo mind, I stumbled across Windows Live Movie Maker. After playing around with the program for a bit, I got the novel idea of creating a video about my time in Colombia thu...
• Gringo Origins
  on Apr 14, 2011 in griego gringo history Mexican-American War language
  Gringos in their natural habitat. Have you ever wondered where the word gringo originated? I sure have. After devoting no small measure of my considerable mental resources to solving what could possibly be one of the greatest mysteries of our time,...
• A Tale of Two Bogotás
  on Apr 10, 2011 in Bogota poverty inequality Colombia
  Looking down on the streets near Nueva Esperanza. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, i...
• Three Months In
  on Apr 8, 2011 in homesickness morale international travel personal development
  My school, Nueva Esperanza. When I first arrived in Colombia just over three months ago, I had no idea what to expect. My mind was a maelstrom of hopes and apprehensions, but my desire to make a difference ultimately outweighed my fear of the unknown...
• To Help the Homeless
  on Apr 4, 2011 in Bogota poverty Volunteering homelessness Colombia
  Plaza Los Mártire in Bogotá. Bogotá’s Plaza Los Mártires has seen better days—what was once a center for commerce has since deteriorated into an emblem of the capital city’s pervasive poverty. Today, the homeless wander the plaza in search...

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