San Gil
We spent the last couple of afternoons of our time in San Gil watching football games (international football, so soccer to us norteamericanos) in a cozy little coffee shop that we found on the square. This was a wonderful way to slow life down a little bit and enjoy being in a Colombian city, surrounded by Colombians. It gave us a great opportunity to observe and appreciate how Colombians interact with each other (and with us) while watching the country´s favorite sport. One of our most memorable moments was close to the end of one of the games we were watching; there were quite a few of us gathered around the TV, watching an exciting end to the game. At one point, there was a phenomenal shot on goal that just barely missed. We all exclaimed (rather loudly) at the shot, so much so that a dog that was hanging out in the shop with us started barking excitedly. We all shared a good laugh at that.
Apart from the football, we also enjoyed the best arepas we´ve had thus far (absolutely delicious), as well as probably the strangest snack we´ve ever had, which is the regional delicacy: fried ants. While we weren´t the biggest fans, I´m sure they grow on you....
During one of our first days in San Gil we noticed a building that had a large words painted on it: ¨Inversiones y Planes de la Paz.¨ With my poor Spanish, I (Krista) thought, sweet, it must be some kind of peace-building organization. I thought it roughly meant ¨visions (like ideas) and plans for peace.¨ We didn´t have any contacts in San Gil to teach us about the conflict situation locally, so I was really excited. Josh was a little skeptical that it was what I thought it was, but I insisted that it was at least worth asking. Days went by and every time we passed the building I would say that we needed to check it out sometime. Finally we did. As we approached the building, we read a sign outside. I couldn´t understand all of it, but it did sound suspiciously like something to do with caring for the dead. Still stubborn and hopeful, we walked inside. There were pictures of coffins on the wall. Not a good sign. I asked the woman at the desk what they do, and sure enough they were a funeral home. It was disappointing that it wasn´t an organization working for peace in Colombia, but made for a good laugh.
We also had a bit of a change of plans in San Gil. Our original plan was to go to Sincelego for a week, where our main SEED contact lives, and see her city, as well as visit the campo and get a picture of more rural Colombian life. Unfortunately, things did not quite work out as planned. Sincelego ended up not working out, and we ended up going straight to Cartagena, which ended up working out great. We got to connect with a SEEDer (Larisa Zehr) and spend the afternoon with her gaining insight about what she does in a rural Colombian setting (more on that later). Just another reminder of the necessity of a little flexibility in life.
Cartagena
After a 15 hour bus ride overnight through the foothills of the Andes, we arrived in the coastal town of Cartagena, where I´m sure the first thing we noticed was the heat. It was SO hot. After sweating out all of our body water on the bus into the city, we arrived at our hostel. To orient you a little bit, Cartagena is an old Spanish colonial town, known for it´s historic Spanish forts and the Spanish Old City on the peninsula, which is where the vast majority of the tourism is located. Just outside of the old city is a neighborhood called Getsamani, where there is a huge number of hostels. We were staying in Getsamani, about 5 minute walk from the Old City.
Some highs and lows of Cartagena:
After a 15 hour bus ride overnight through the foothills of the Andes, we arrived in the coastal town of Cartagena, where I´m sure the first thing we noticed was the heat. It was SO hot. After sweating out all of our body water on the bus into the city, we arrived at our hostel. To orient you a little bit, Cartagena is an old Spanish colonial town, known for it´s historic Spanish forts and the Spanish Old City on the peninsula, which is where the vast majority of the tourism is located. Just outside of the old city is a neighborhood called Getsamani, where there is a huge number of hostels. We were staying in Getsamani, about 5 minute walk from the Old City.
Some highs and lows of Cartagena:
-Heat: To reiterate, it was SO hot. Our first night in our hostel, the electricity stopped working in our room, so we had one meager fan to get us through the night. It didn´t go very well. We went through a lot of water in our two days there.
-Vendors: Being a popular international tourist city, there were plenty of people there trying to sell us things (mostly stuff we didn´t really want). And for those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of interacting with vendors abroad, it is an entirely different experience from what we know in the US. In Cartagena especially, vendors do not hesistate to call out to you, follow you, shove their wares in your face, and then try again later, even after you´ve clearly expressed disinterest. Suddenly, we had a lot of new ¨amigos¨ all wanting us to buy their stuff.
-Beauty: For as terrible an institution as colonial was and is today, the architectural legacy left behind in Cartagena is simply astounding. The Old City is a beautiful collection of Spanish-style buildings and narrow streets full of Venician houses, all surrounded by fortified stone walls. We walked along the stone walls and checked out some churches in the Old City.
-Vendors: Being a popular international tourist city, there were plenty of people there trying to sell us things (mostly stuff we didn´t really want). And for those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of interacting with vendors abroad, it is an entirely different experience from what we know in the US. In Cartagena especially, vendors do not hesistate to call out to you, follow you, shove their wares in your face, and then try again later, even after you´ve clearly expressed disinterest. Suddenly, we had a lot of new ¨amigos¨ all wanting us to buy their stuff.
-Beauty: For as terrible an institution as colonial was and is today, the architectural legacy left behind in Cartagena is simply astounding. The Old City is a beautiful collection of Spanish-style buildings and narrow streets full of Venician houses, all surrounded by fortified stone walls. We walked along the stone walls and checked out some churches in the Old City.
Food: The coastal fruit has been delicious as well. Fresh mango, watermelon and bananas just don´t compare with what you get in the States, mainly because it´s usually picked that day. We also had the best ice cream we´ve had in Colombia thus far: arequipe (sort of like caramel, or dulce de leche) and coffee, a wonderful combination of flavors.
As we mentioned earlier, we met with Larisa, a SEED participant, while in Cartagena. Over coffee, she gave us an overview of some of the conflict issues going on under the surface in Colombia, as well as some things more specifically related to Berruguita, the small village she lives in. We learned a great deal from Larisa and we won´t try to share all of it with you now, but here are some pieces...
-30% of Sincelejo´s population are displaced people. They are campesinos (people from the rural villages) who were kicked off their land by guerillas and/or paramilitary groups. With such a fast influx of people, Sincelejo´s infrastructure has not been able to keep up. Already an underdeveloped city (as is most of the coast), water shortages are an issue. The displaced people live in the slums on the outskirts of the city, and along with water shortages, live with lack of electricity and poor housing.
-Villages are invaded for different reasons including regional control, drug trafficking, and land grabs.
-There is no state presence in these villages. No police and no health care.
-The violence seems arbitrary. Campesinos do not know why they or their neighbors are threatened, attacked, or told they must leave their homes. They do not even always know if the attackers are from a guerilla or a paramilitary group. They are vulnerable to violence from both sides.
-There is a lot of injustice in the mining business throughout Colombia. The government recently passed a law that gives foreign mining companies more power than domestic mining companies. There are land grabs, particularly along the Magdalena river, to aquire land that has oil (Christian Peacemaker Team is doing accompaniment work to protect farmers in this area). In Choco, the gold mining is run by internationals and people from Medellin. Regional racism is at work, with wealthy white people running the business and poor black people working the mines.
There is so much more to share, but that is all for now. Talking with Larisa definitely made us excited to join the SEED delegation during the end of our trip and learn more about the conflict and efforts being made to help create peace. Until next time, buenas noches.
-Krista and Josh
As we mentioned earlier, we met with Larisa, a SEED participant, while in Cartagena. Over coffee, she gave us an overview of some of the conflict issues going on under the surface in Colombia, as well as some things more specifically related to Berruguita, the small village she lives in. We learned a great deal from Larisa and we won´t try to share all of it with you now, but here are some pieces...
-30% of Sincelejo´s population are displaced people. They are campesinos (people from the rural villages) who were kicked off their land by guerillas and/or paramilitary groups. With such a fast influx of people, Sincelejo´s infrastructure has not been able to keep up. Already an underdeveloped city (as is most of the coast), water shortages are an issue. The displaced people live in the slums on the outskirts of the city, and along with water shortages, live with lack of electricity and poor housing.
-Villages are invaded for different reasons including regional control, drug trafficking, and land grabs.
-There is no state presence in these villages. No police and no health care.
-The violence seems arbitrary. Campesinos do not know why they or their neighbors are threatened, attacked, or told they must leave their homes. They do not even always know if the attackers are from a guerilla or a paramilitary group. They are vulnerable to violence from both sides.
-There is a lot of injustice in the mining business throughout Colombia. The government recently passed a law that gives foreign mining companies more power than domestic mining companies. There are land grabs, particularly along the Magdalena river, to aquire land that has oil (Christian Peacemaker Team is doing accompaniment work to protect farmers in this area). In Choco, the gold mining is run by internationals and people from Medellin. Regional racism is at work, with wealthy white people running the business and poor black people working the mines.
There is so much more to share, but that is all for now. Talking with Larisa definitely made us excited to join the SEED delegation during the end of our trip and learn more about the conflict and efforts being made to help create peace. Until next time, buenas noches.
-Krista and Josh
I can't get past you being in Cartegena and the movie Romancing the Stone!:) So...stay safe and be sure to check where your buses are taking you!haha:)
ReplyDeletehahaha. hosh looks way too excited to eat that friend ant. also i love the picture of krista (with what i assume is a cannon??)!
ReplyDelete