One Year After the Escalators in Comuna 13 Medellin Were Built

After one year of being constructed the escalators in Comuna 13 have proven to be a big help for the citizens living in Comuna 13. 624,000 people have used the escalators in Comuna 13 since it’s inauguration on May 6th, 2012.  Last year the city invested twelve billion pesos (roughly six and a half million U.S. dollars) into the project. The escalators convey about 12,000 people a week, 4,000 being children; the escalators replaced 350 steps up the hillside of Comuna 13.

The most charming story comes to be the story of a 14 year old girl that has become the most famous guide on the escalators. Estéfany Jiménez Restrepo, a 14 year old girl from neighborhood La Independencia Uno, became a self-appointed guide on the escalators as soon as they were inaugurated. She has shown her piece of Medellin with pride to President Juan Manuel Santos; French designer Francois Girbaud; Río de Janeiro’s governor, Sérgio Cabral; and Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo president, Luis Alberto Moreno.

Glossary

Proven: is the past tense of the verb prove. To prove means to show or validate something through evidence or argument.
Invested: is the past tense of the verb to invest.  To invest means to put money into a project or a business with the hope of a return.
Convey: is a verb and is synonymous with transport.
Charming: is an adjective synonymous with lovely, nice, polite, attractive, pleasant, and fascinating.
Self-appointed: is an adjective meaning to be selected by oneself.
Pride: in this case is used as a noun.  It’s the feeling of pleasure for your neighborhood or country.  Paisas have a lot of regional pride.

About the Medellin Buzz

The Medellin Buzz is for English as a Second Language students to practice and learn with.  The Medellin Buzz is written in a way that is easy to understand.  The difficult vocabulary words are in bold, these words are defined in the Glossary.

Estéfany Jiménez Restrepo

Estéfany Jiménez Restrepo

Escalators in Comuna 13 Medellin

Escalators in Comuna 13 Medellin

Escalators in Comuna 13 Medellin

Girls going up the escalators in Comuna 13 Medellin

Escaleras Comuna 13 Medellin 3

Workers on the escalators in Comuna 13 Medellin