On one of the first days I was in Colombia, I read the headline "This will be the congress of the peace." I thought this was a lovely sentiment (especially given the nasty state of politics in the U.S.); however, it wasn't until I spent a few more weeks learning and absorbing, talking with expats and Peace Corps volunteers, reading, and most importantly, getting to know everyday Colombians, that I began to appreciate the headline's significance.
In the year leading up to my TGC experience, my friends and family in the U.S. were, of course, excited for my adventure and proud of me for receiving such a prestigious fellowship. However, not many of us, myself included, really had a good understanding of Colombia or its history outside of rudimentary stereotypes based on the 1980's movie "Romancing the Stone."* We knew the coffee would be good, the jungle thick, and Spanish the language. My mother worried, my brother in law made lots of Che Guevara jokes, the Food Network was recommended to me more than once. I re-read "100 Years of Solitude." Beyond that, Colombia was a mystery to me and mine.
That Colombia has had a particularly volatile political history is no secret. Complicated and convoluted relationships between paramilitary organizations, drug cartels, the federal government, and Marxists convulsed the lives of the citizenry for nearly the whole of the history of a nation; most notably over the last seventy years. A ten year period (1948-1958) is famously referred to simply as "La Violencia." This is a significantly polite and understated way of putting it, as seems to be the Colombian way.
However, over the last 15 years, Bogota has made significant inroads towards stabilizing her country. I read at least four articles in the three weeks I was there about former drug kingpins, murderers and kidnappers who were collared by the Colombian feds for their crimes both recent and distant. (One bandito had even been tracked down in Madrid after over ten years of searching.) This stability has brought a bit of economic prosperity to Colombia and the sun appears to be rising. Officially, at least, there is an air of optimism and several large government initiatives have set out to keep this new peace-- la paz, in Spanish.
This word seemed to hover around my experience. In Bogota, it threaded through the newspaper articles and news stations, whether they were reporting on an intricate bit of Colombian politics (I had no context in which to understand these articles, so they were a bit like entering your mom's favorite telenovela), a recent drug bust or, my favorite, an Independence Day bit which included a list of of reasons to be proud to be Colombian, a few for each month of the year. Even the historical sites and museums referred to "la paz" repeatedly in their placards.
The schools in Cartagena, though, is where I noticed it most acutely. All students take an Ethics and Values course as part of the core curriculum. I sat in on a lecture in a tenth grade classroom where the students were in involved in a discussion about how to keep the peace within one self, within their family and therefore, within their community. In a private school, this manifested as a written Life Mission, where students identify their short and long range goals, as well as the morals and values that will guide them through their life. This coursework is a direct response to the troubled past and an endearing effort on Colombia's part to change the course forever.
Again, this is not to say that life in Colombia is some kind of sunny coffee commercial. There are very real problems and hurdles to long term stability and prosperity for everyday Colombians. The public/private school divide, equity of services and infrastructure between rural and urban communities, efficiency of government, even general things like access for people with disabilities will have to be addressed for Colombia to realize the true potential of her people. (Negotiating the sidewalks and entrances to buildings in Colombia in a wheelchair would be challenge, to say the least.)
However, Colombia seems poised and willing to keep this hard won peace. The people deserve it and Bogota has a duty to create and protect it. As an American living in a especially cranky and disappointing era, it was inspiring and comforting to see a country have an optimistic tone, to be creating large, positive social initiatives, for a politician to come forward and boldly say "This will be the Congress of the peace." I hope to someday return to Colombia and get to witness these friendly, good people enjoying the fruits of their long overdue paz.
In the year leading up to my TGC experience, my friends and family in the U.S. were, of course, excited for my adventure and proud of me for receiving such a prestigious fellowship. However, not many of us, myself included, really had a good understanding of Colombia or its history outside of rudimentary stereotypes based on the 1980's movie "Romancing the Stone."* We knew the coffee would be good, the jungle thick, and Spanish the language. My mother worried, my brother in law made lots of Che Guevara jokes, the Food Network was recommended to me more than once. I re-read "100 Years of Solitude." Beyond that, Colombia was a mystery to me and mine.
That Colombia has had a particularly volatile political history is no secret. Complicated and convoluted relationships between paramilitary organizations, drug cartels, the federal government, and Marxists convulsed the lives of the citizenry for nearly the whole of the history of a nation; most notably over the last seventy years. A ten year period (1948-1958) is famously referred to simply as "La Violencia." This is a significantly polite and understated way of putting it, as seems to be the Colombian way.
However, over the last 15 years, Bogota has made significant inroads towards stabilizing her country. I read at least four articles in the three weeks I was there about former drug kingpins, murderers and kidnappers who were collared by the Colombian feds for their crimes both recent and distant. (One bandito had even been tracked down in Madrid after over ten years of searching.) This stability has brought a bit of economic prosperity to Colombia and the sun appears to be rising. Officially, at least, there is an air of optimism and several large government initiatives have set out to keep this new peace-- la paz, in Spanish.
This word seemed to hover around my experience. In Bogota, it threaded through the newspaper articles and news stations, whether they were reporting on an intricate bit of Colombian politics (I had no context in which to understand these articles, so they were a bit like entering your mom's favorite telenovela), a recent drug bust or, my favorite, an Independence Day bit which included a list of of reasons to be proud to be Colombian, a few for each month of the year. Even the historical sites and museums referred to "la paz" repeatedly in their placards.
The schools in Cartagena, though, is where I noticed it most acutely. All students take an Ethics and Values course as part of the core curriculum. I sat in on a lecture in a tenth grade classroom where the students were in involved in a discussion about how to keep the peace within one self, within their family and therefore, within their community. In a private school, this manifested as a written Life Mission, where students identify their short and long range goals, as well as the morals and values that will guide them through their life. This coursework is a direct response to the troubled past and an endearing effort on Colombia's part to change the course forever.
Again, this is not to say that life in Colombia is some kind of sunny coffee commercial. There are very real problems and hurdles to long term stability and prosperity for everyday Colombians. The public/private school divide, equity of services and infrastructure between rural and urban communities, efficiency of government, even general things like access for people with disabilities will have to be addressed for Colombia to realize the true potential of her people. (Negotiating the sidewalks and entrances to buildings in Colombia in a wheelchair would be challenge, to say the least.)
However, Colombia seems poised and willing to keep this hard won peace. The people deserve it and Bogota has a duty to create and protect it. As an American living in a especially cranky and disappointing era, it was inspiring and comforting to see a country have an optimistic tone, to be creating large, positive social initiatives, for a politician to come forward and boldly say "This will be the Congress of the peace." I hope to someday return to Colombia and get to witness these friendly, good people enjoying the fruits of their long overdue paz.