My experience of Colombia

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