He's back!

For those with a spare minute to kill, I appreciate you killing it here with me. I, myself, found a rare handful of extra time and realized I am beyond due for a brief update / meandering of thoughts for all of my family, friends, and what-ever-happened-to-that-guy acquaintances.

If you have not otherwise been updated on the life and times of yours truly, I moved to Bogota, Colombia in June 2016. For those of you keeping score at home who may have lost track along the way, here is a quick update to get us all up to speed:

2011: Antigua, Guatemala

Jan-July 2012: Lima, Peru

July 2012 – February 2013: San Salvador, El Salvador

February 2013 – June 2016: Washington DC

June 2016 – Present: Bogota, Colombia

Now, after four months of making this city my new home, I feel inspired to share a sliver of this life with those of you who have ever wondered, “What is it like for a 30-something, white, single guy from the mean streets of Grand Blanc, Michigan living in Colombia?” Especially after the numerous conversations keeping in touch with many of you via email, WhatsApp, FaceTime, etc. (thank science and modern technology), I thought it’d be interesting to share some of my musings on my Andean experience thus far for all to feast upon. Looking ahead, I hope to share some more thoughts more frequently, so check back often.

Narcos

Plata o plomo

Let’s cut right to it: it is almost guaranteed that the first thing most Americans think of when they hear “Colombia” is cocaine, or a related topic like Pablo Escobar and narcotraficantes. Especially amidst the popularity of Netflix’s original series, Narcos, Americans back home are being taught this history (albeit, in all its Hollywood fabrication), and it comes as no surprise that this is STILL the Colombia that Americans picture today. Hell, I love that show – no knock on that – but it’s a bit silly that people haven’t bothered to look in a book or do a basic Google search to update their Colombian stereotypes beyond the year 1994. I mean, give me some Shakira, a Sofia Vergara / Modern Family reference, or even some Juan Valdez coffee talk.

My kind of Colombia

In all seriousness though, the Pablo Escobar / shoot-the-captain-of-your-national-soccer-team-upon-returning-home-to-Colombia-because-he-scored-on-his-own-goal-in-the-1994-World-Cup era is a very important part of Colombia’s history. However, it is only a small part of an otherwise rich history and culture, and today Colombians proudly proclaim that this era is behind them and you really feel that when they tell you this. As infamous as Pablo Escobar may be, it’s really quite remarkable how much of a name the guy made for himself and what a place in history he holds. I, and most normal people, by no means respect or admire what he did, but it is an interesting exercise to ask yourself, “How many people throughout history can you identify that, in a way (good or bad) put their country and an era on the map?” That just by mentioning that person’s name, most everyone can say where they hail from and most everyone has at least a basic understanding of why they are known.

Gandhi, Hitler, Lincoln, Mao, Elvis, Mandela, Lennon, Lenin…

Kitler

Maybe Pablo Escobar doesn’t belong among this group of titans, but I’d argue he is close.

Anyhow, anyone who has been to Colombia since the 1990s can tell you that a lot has changed, and has changed for the better. Of course, the internal conflict with the FARC rebels is still, technically, ongoing, but the terrorist reign of Escobar and bombs in the streets is a time that Colombians proudly proclaim has passed. Crazy enough, a small mall one block around the corner from my office – one that I walk by every day – was the site of a car bomb set off by Escobar in the 90s. Hearing that from a friend of mine one day as we strolled by after eating lunch really blew my mind. This is a place that I go into once a month to exchange my pesos and to pay my phone bill, and it by no means screams “I once played a role in the craziness that was Colombia in the 90s.” Yet, here it was – a relic of such a defined era, but invisible and unknown  to people like me and, most likely, tons of young Colombians who were lucky enough to be born after such an era.

Like any place on Earth, Colombia still faces its challenges (e.g. recently voting down a peace treaty to end the civil war with the FARC), but I would say – in my humble opinion – that Colombia is a thriving country with lots of beauty, hope, and opportunity to offer; NOT a “third world country” (yet another outdated term, so please stop living in the 1980s Cold War). While I am by no means an expert on Colombia and would not dare to speak on behalf of other Colombians, my four months here has afforded me a brief glimpse of what life is like here. And I will say that in those four short months, it has become clear to me that the stereotypes of cocaine, Pablo Escobar, and drug dealers are not taken in jest by Colombians.

That is definitely something I have very quickly come to love and respect about the Colombian people. They may be divided over which beer is the best or what local soccer team is better, but they are uniformly resolute on reshaping and polishing their image; and not only for foreigners and their perceptions of Colombia, but for themselves. To me, that is admirable and inspiring. When people can otherwise be divisive and bitter over challenges that face their country (read the 2016 US presidential campaign), it is relieving to see so many different people united to do what is best for their homeland.

The weather

I hate to squander the opportunity this forum presents to drone on about something as mundane as the weather when I could instead crack into more interesting topics like $3 lunch menus, beautiful women, or the ridiculousness of Bogota traffic. However, the weather is something that – although not drastically different from other climates I have lived in – sticks out to me. When asked to describe Colombia, most people will rattle off adjectives fit for a tropical paradise: palm trees, beaches, blue oceans, a scorching sun. All of these things can certainly be found in Colombia, but you will not find them in Bogota.

Bogota, founded 1538

Most are surprised to hear that Bogota is found in the mountains and valleys of the Andes Mountains, at over 8,000 feet of elevation (the “Mile High City” of Denver, for example, is only about 5,500 feet). This not only places Bogota among the highest cities in the Americas, but makes it the third highest capital city in the world (behind La Paz and Quito, which are –surprise, surprise – also located in the Andes). Given the elevation, Bogota is a pretty cool city with average temperatures hovering around 65 degrees year round.

Mastication

The weather here is a perpetual fall. So far, this has excited me since – being from Michigan – I love a beautiful autumn day when I can carb load on powdered donuts at the apple orchard and watch American (i.e. real) football. Bogota has that same vibe: crisp air, but not cold enough to warrant more than jeans and a light jacket, a nice grey overcast sky, and a slight breeze. The sun will often peek out during the morning hours, which warms things up quite a bit given the high altitude, but the afternoons often bring heavy, tropical rains. During a typical day during the rainy season It truly is like getting 3 seasons (spring, summer, and fall) all in one day around here.

Greyest of blue skies

All that said, Bogota – in regards to its climate – is not on the top of my list of recommended places to visit in Colombia. It is a huge, vibrant city with exciting things going on (perhaps a topic for another post), but I sense most people would be let down without this dose of reality from yours truly when their plane lands and they find that shorts and flip flops were not the appropriate wardrobe choice.