In 2013, a teacher from the Escuela de Artes y Oficios Santo Domingo in Bogotá (Colombia) contacted me. This prestigious school, belonging to one of Colombia’s most important families, was looking for a high-level embroidery teacher Someone who spoke Spanish. Step by step, my contact details were passed on to the school, which invited me to teach there in 2014.
Preparing lessons for an audience on the other side of the world is no easy task. Fortunately, there’s Skype—and I already spoke Spanish quite well! In July 2014, I took a flight from Geneva and landed in Bogotá about fifteen hours later, with a definite jet lag that lasted a good week. The cultural shock was quite significant: the food was completely different, and it wasn’t easy for me to understand the menus in restaurants. The Spanish spoken there, although very pure, included many words I didn’t know, and we often laughed at my mistakes and some very funny misunderstandings! And the fact that I worked, ate, and slept at the school didn’t allow me to enjoy my stay as much as I had hoped. Moreover, as a tourist, it’s sometimes not very wise to go out alone at night in certain neighbourhoods… Luckily, the school staff and my students were by my side to explain and show me all the beautiful things that exist in this wonderful country.
After a few surprises regarding the course materials and a classroom that was insufficiently lit, I was able to start working with learners from all walks of life: fashion designers, haute couture workshop tailors, experienced embroiderers, and embroidery teachers. The two techniques taught were Goldwork embroidery and Crewel embroidery, with two classes each morning and afternoon for four weeks. What a joy to work with people eager to learn and highly talented! I also learned all the embroidery terminology in Spanish, thanks to my students. This first experience was a tremendous success. As a result, the school asked me if I could return the following year, which I did. I also spent four days in Cartagena, on the country’s northern coast. The climate was humid and almost tropical, which suited me very little.
In Autumn 2015, I returned to teach three new embroidery techniques as well as a course on how to plan an embroidery, how to work and finish it, and finally how to market the final product. The techniques taught were Silk Shading (needle painting) combined with Goldwork, Appliqué, and re-embroidered machine lace. Six weeks of embroidery teaching go by quickly, and the end of the courses always comes too soon!
A heartfelt thank you to my students and all the staff at EAOSD for supporting me during my two stays. The kindness and generosity shown to me knew no bounds, and I left with a heavy heart, without hope of seeing all those wonderful people again. These two stays in Colombia will remain etched in my memory forever!
