Teaching Technology: La Chiva

I was going to tell you about my day but it was blown away by the night. Dave our Aussie Maths teacher had his Birthday today. A nicer guy you'd be hard pressed to meet. To celebrate his Birthday Diana had organised a Chiva run followed by a meal and dancing. A Chiva is a very colourful open air (No Windows) bus but thats really underplaying it, this isnt ours its a stock image but it gives you the idea Exactly.

A chiva is as basic as it comes but with flashing lights and loud pumping music it becomes a mobile dance floor - dancing on a bus that is bouncing around Bogotas roads is best left to those who are young and fit and have very good reactions. The run starts with a city tour and everywhere you drive past people they also start to dance or sway in time to the music its like an infection of happiness that spreads as the bus passes. I took a lot of pictures on the bus the trouble is that with 20 odd people dancing and drinking on a bouncing and moving bus some of the photo's didn't quite come out as planned. Some you will see here. Others I will upload later as there are simply too many. The bus winds its way up into the mountains as it did so I could look out over the north of Bogota at night it was a sea of flickering lights, which stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions it was simply breath taking and it becomes more so when you are told that what your looking at is only the North and there is an equally large area to the South. After about an hours drive we arrived at the Chiva stop it resembles a large barn type structure with Live music as we went in - very heavy powerful latin beats.
Almost instantly other parties arrived and soon the dance floor was a mass of writhing bodies some very expert dancers showing off their salsa skills. Danielle and her Boyfriend showed such enthusiasm and knowledge that they left me feeling breathless just watching them. I was happy watching but Valerie who is a Primary Teacher decided I should learn some basic Salsa - I felt so sorry for her as my rythm is not what it used to be ( ok ok it was never that good) However it was an experience that I enjoyed a lot and I dont think I stood on Valeries toes once. We had a lovely meal followed by watching some more dancing on the dance floor I was quite relaxed even though I could feel the beat pounding inside my chest as well as around me - then my greatest fear of the night Danielle took me up to dance... Now Daniele is young, beautiful, lithesome and incredibly fit and just watching her earlier with her boyfriend had tired me out fortunately she took some pity on me and slowed right down but again I felt like I had 3 left feet and the rythm of a croaky frog with a bad stutter. It was an experience, the whole night was an experience watching the small shops at the sides of the road, realising there is a life in Bogota that lives and breathes while I remain somewhat unaware, right up to the end of the night journey back down in a mini chiva - think nissan vanette decked out like its big brother chivas without the dance floor. We really are fortunate in having Diana around her knowledge and ability to organise things allows myself and others to experience parts of Bogota we might not otherwise be able to take advantage of.
It was a great night and an experience.

From Left to Right Dan (Dianas Boyfriend who had spent the previous night in Hospital with food poisoning but fortunately was a lot better though still suffering a little) Diana and Dave