Adults Programs:
Dance Class:  Colombian Folklore Dancing is being taught every Friday at 6:00 pm in a private home in the San Diego Area.

Colombian Cuisine:
Part of the fun to travel to far off countries is the experience of tasting their food.  It has been said you have really never been to a country until you have experienced the taste of their wine, the fruits of their soil and their hospitality. In Colombia you will not be shortchanged to either one of these experiences.

The basic cuisine consists mainly of chicken, pork, potato, rice beans and soup. There are dozens of different ways to prepare these dishes. A regional specialty for Bogota is ajiaco, a soup made with chicken and potato.  Hormiga culona is a sophisticateddish unique to Santander, consisting mainly of fried ants, (Bon appetite).  In the Tolima region you can find lechona, it is a whole suckling pig, spit-roasted and stuffed with rice.  The fruits are of an astounding variety, tree ripened and freshly picked, and the coffee, beer and wine will complement any cuisine.

Lawn program:
The yearly lawn program is held in July every year. The entertainment comes from a hired professional dance and ballet group, who are dancing the colorful beautiful folklore dances of Colombia, in their native costumes. A group of musicians playing instrumental music and vocal entertainment provide songs in the Colombian tradition.  Some of them are talents of the House of Colombia.

Foods served are: Colombian Tamales, arepas (plum cake), plantanos (fried bananas) empanadas (meat filled turnovers) fried pudding, natilla, a desert and salpicon (fruit).

Foods served at the Ethnic Food Fair:  same as above, plus carne asada.

Foods served at December Holidays:  same as above, plus hot apple cider, more deserts, flan, buñuellas and ajiaco soup ( potato soup)

Geographically, the western half of Colombia is dominated by the Andes Mountains, which become the three great mountain ranges, the Western, the Central and Eastern Cordillera. The landscape of Colombia is a variety of snowcapped mountains, equatorial rainforests and jungles which can record the highest rainfall in South America, plus beautiful beaches on the Pacific as well as the Caribbean Sea, lowlands with forests and many rivers and lakes.

Colombia has the most diverse numbers of plants and animal species in the world.  They claim to have 1900 recorded species of birds alone, which would make it more than you will find in Europe and North America combined.  Ground animals and marine life are abundant as well.  There is a water lily plant that is strong enough to support a child.

The population of Colombia is diverse, a mixture from ancient to colonial to modern times. About 58% are mestizos, a mixture of European and Native Americans, 14% are mulattos, a mixture of black and Europeans, and 20% are of unmixed European decent.  Three fourth of the population live in towns and cities, it is an urbanized country.

Due to the ethnic background, Colombia has a variety of music.  The music that Colombians like the most is called murga, it is played by wandering street musicians using string instruments. The folk and dance music of the country in influenced by the history of the native Americans and the Africans.  Bambuco is the national dance, but Salsa is equally popular.

Farmers raise the world ‘s  renowned coffee.  Fruit, flower and textile industries have prospered.  Colombia sells half of the world’s emeralds and considerable amounts of gold, silver and platinum.  

Land Area: 1,138,910 sq km                               
Population:  44,379,598 (July 2007 est.)
Capital City: Bogota                                        
Language:  Spanish
Religion:  Roman Catholic 90%, other 10%
Form of Government: republic; executive branch dominates government structure
Economy:Colombia's economy has experienced positive growth over the past three years despite a serious armed conflict. The economy continues to improve in part because of austere government budgets, focused efforts to reduce public debt levels, an export-oriented growth strategy, an improved security situation in the country, and high commodity prices.
Export: petroleum, coffee, coal, nickel, emeralds, apparel, bananas, cut flowers

Source: The World Factbook - Colombia