My experience of Colombia
I started learning Spanish 5 years ago after
travelling to Mexico. I saw my English is not enough to get in touch with
people of Latin America as the majority does not speak English. When learning I
started watching La Pola, a TV serial. I was fascinated by the beauty of the
country shown there and also by the history. The fight for independence and
especially the inequality of people that spurred the uprising against the
Spanish touched me. I searched on the internet and saw that most facts from the
film did really happen at the beginning of the 19th century. I wanted to see
that country!
This summer I made reservations through an
agency, but in the last moment the travel to Colombia was cancelled. Luckily I
had some contacts by Couchsurfing, mainly my skype friend Luzdary from Bogota,
and I decided to travel on my own. Without these friends I would not dare to go
alone. I heard lots of stories about this country, it's dangerous, they can rob
you in the street or even kidnap you. They offer you drugs or plant drugs onto
your luggage… On the other hand I also read some blogs from Slovenians who
visited Colombia that it is not like this and how they enjoyed the country and
the people. I could also notice the difference between those who could speak
Spanish and those who didn't. The second were scared because they did not
understand some things and they explained them to themselves in the wrong way.
Bogota was my first target. It's the city as
big as five Slovenias together. My hostess Luzdary was as if she was my sister,
so loving and caring and protecting. I felt at her home as if I was in my home.
Only it was more lively, as my two children are grown up and don't live at home
any more. I'm used to going around big cities as long as I have a map of it.
But the traffic in Bogota is really very heavy. And dangerous for foot passengers, as there are not enough
traffic lights. (In Europe there are many, too many traffic lights and cars are
stopping every few meters, and in this way pollute the air even more.) I
admired the speed of TransMilenio. It' s possible only through overpasses for
the walkers, which at the same time are very safe even though they demand some
effort from the walkers.
Also the traffic in Medellin is excellently
organized. Even people on the hills in the suburbs have good connection with
the centre by cable metro, which is very efficient and fast. It doesn't pollute
the environment and the city is green and clean. I enjoyed the many parks and
libraries. I think it is a good way to bring equality to people by offering them knowledge and healthy environment to live in.
The only thing I disliked in Colombia was climate
in some parts: Cali, Cartagena and Leticia. During the mid day it is too hot to
be outside, but without air conditioning also inside. I can understand why
people in those regions are lazy ( as I heard some Colombians to say). If you
want to survive, you should not strain
yourself too much in such heat. And also, it's not necessary. The nature works
for them, it gives them fruits in abundance all the year round. In Europe we
have cold winter months when nothing grows and everybody is looking forward to
summer and autumn that bring crops.
I think Colombia is very fortunate with its
position on the globe, that gives crops all the year round, has a great number of plants and animals, rich
soil and natural resources. But also lots of young peole eager to learn and to
work. I look as a foreigner and I was
surprised how many people approached to
me and wanted to talk to me and help me, giving advice. I was fortunate I could
speak Spanish and we could exchange opinions. But I was also surprised that
most of them were not able to communicate in English after having studied this
language for many years. In Slovenia 90 % of people can speak English, younger
generation even better, as some of the older learned German and Italian as a
second language, Slovenian being our mother tongue). In my opinion the teachers of a foreign language should be
able to improve the language of their profession in the country where the
language is spoken. Without a real communication there one can not gain the
fluency and teach their students well. An exception was Luzdary. She practices
her English daily by listening to the radio channels, internet podcast and
communicating by skype and the results are obvious! She has got fluent in
English in just 5 years!
Before my trip I did not have much information
about Colombia. Of the countries of Latin America we heard a lot about
Venezuela or Kuba and their leaders, or the mine accident in Chile, about
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and
other natural disasters,… but not much more. When in Colombia, I was looking for some information about
Europe on your TV and the only news I caught was about German football players
or Spain. So it's normal that people in Colombia do not know where the small Slovenia is. My grandchildren knew all the
Colombian football players by name and when and how they played in Brasil. And
there were some articles and news about the Nobel writer Marquez who died a few
months ago and is popular with Slovene readers.
As about food, I must say I liked everything
that was made by Luzdary who is an excellent cook. I also liked'caldos' very
much and 'bandeja paisa', even if it is too much for one go. But most of all I
liked fresh natural juices: lulo, mango, panella and some others that I forgot
the names. I could drink them all days. They are not available in my country,
only mango but is very expensive. It surprised me how much fried food is eaten
in Colombia. Even for breakfast! I liked drinking 'tinto', but I missed
wholewheat bread, which I normally eat at home with butter and jam.
I didn't see many people smoking, and I think
it's good that smoking is not allowed in restaurants. I didn't expect that in
South America. And also I didn't see any drunk people anywhere. Sadly, in my
town that is a problem as people drink too much. From my experience in Peru I
thought I would see more beggars or people pushing me to buy suvenirs or
something else. But I didn't. Even in the shops they let me choose what I
wanted without bothering me.
I must say that in
Colombia live the most beautiful women. They also take a good care of their
body, face and clothes. Their nails on their hands and feet
colourfully varnished. Wonderful clothes to the latest fashion, high heels
beautiful, but very uncomfortable, so they need a male support next to them.
Also the homes I could visit are wonderful and
spacious, beautifully decorated, cosy. The main difference compared to ours is
that even in the town our houses always have some yard or garden around if they
are not blocks of flats, and there is no or little (in the basement) protection
on the windows and doors against burglary.
I did not notice any air pollution in Bogota or Medellin, but I smelled
the traffic in Cali. Maybe because of
the heat.
Prices of food and clothes are higher than in
Asia or even in some countries of Latin America. Compared to Europe they are
lower than in England or Germany,
sometimes the same as in Slovenia. Regarding accommodation, I would say that
the price of hostels is similar as in Slovenia, but hotels are overpriced
everywhere.
I enjoyed visiting museumseg.: de Oro, Botero,
de arte moderno, archeologico, etnografico…,botanical gardens and parks. And there is something that older people
should appreciate: all over Colombia people over 60 have reduced or free
admission to museums and galleries, parks, etc.
And sometimes they even wanted to see my ID, which was really flattering!
To sum it up: I enjoyed my month in Colombia
very much. I saw a lot of interesting places and met so many wonderful people!
All the time I felt safe. Of course we have to take care of our luggage while
travelling no matter which country. I would be happy to come back again and see
some more. And for now, I am happy to be telling my friends and my students about my
experiences in your country. My photos and articles will be published in some
Slovene papers and magazines to make people see my view of your beautiful
country.
I am very grateful for the help from my
Couchsurfing friends in Bogota, Medellin and Cali that enabled me to see
Colombia even closer and I hope we can stay friends for ever. I would be very
happy if they could come to my country and be my guests.
Nusa Javornik,
Ljubljana, Slovenia, EU, 8 September 2014
