After four years and five successful trips to La Guajira, Middle School students will travel to San Agustin and Desierto de la Tatacoa in the Huila Department in February 2020.

Students will arrive on an airplane to Neiva, Huila and immediately travel on a bus to San Agustin. There they will stay one day and will go back to Desierto De La Tatacoa on a bus. Then on day five they will go back to Neiva on the bus and return to Medellin on an airplane. This will happen in two groups of 50-60 students with their respective Kajuyali logistic groups and teachers. The change of destination is happening for security reasons and to help a different community. 

“This trip will have a cultural heritage with social and environmental aspects. In the environmental, students will learn about biodiversity, and in the social one, they will join with a school of the art of the Joropo because it is the traditional music of this region, Huila.” Luz Myrian Arango, TCS Sociales teacher, said.

Students and parents are really excited about this trip, they feel really comfortable with this new destination and have a lot of high expectations.

“On the same Friday after the first meeting of this trip, 85 students, signed up with the company Kajuyali.” La Mona said.

This trip’s destination changed mostly for security aspects, but also to encourage the students to be open-minded and get to know another place in Colombia that most students won’t go on their own.

“I like it better because, in La Guajira, there were some problems with Venezuela, it was not so safe, and for this trip, the school is collaborating with Kajuyali, good company of trips” Juan Esteban Perez, eighth-grade student, said.

This cultural exchange that will happen in this trip is extremely important and eighth-grade students will be starting to prepare for this in about two to three weeks to arrive to San Agustin ready to teach and learn.

“Students from Huila will teach us a bit of joropo that its Huila ́s typical dance and we are going to teach them how to make saddles which are a very typical Paisa culture. Professionals from Santa Elena will come to teach how to make the saddles. ” La Mona said.

Although most students are glad about this trip and about this new destination, La Guajira is a unique destiny and it won´t be the same but for most of the students, the place is important but what´s crucial is the environment you create with your friends.

“In my personal opinion, the place doesn’t make a big change, the most important part is to enjoy with friends and classmates. I would ́ve definitely prefer to go to la Guajira but because of Venezuela’s problems, the school needed to change location, and this new location will be perfect destinations for this year.” Ambar Alvarez, eighth-grade student, and STUCO said.

 La Guajira was a really special place for many generations throughout the school, this has impacted students since its first trip in 2016 and will be missed.  

“I really liked going to La Guajira, it was a very special trip, especially because we got to visit many communities and saw how our help impacted them, I think the trip to the Tatacoa will be really fun but without the humanitarian part of the trip is not going to be the same.” Valeria Sierra, 11th-grade student, the older sister of Amalia Sierra, eighth-grade student, said.