Hola a todos!
Marcela here again after a busy week of working and promoting my beautiful Colombia. This week my interest has been piqued by a number of questions coming in from 1st and 2nd generation emigrants from Colombia. This is a topic that’s very close to my heart having spent years abroad and eventually being drawn back to my home country. The difference is that for me I left for adventure, whereas others that may have left 40 or 50 years ago have left to seek peace and refuge in countries like the United States and England.
It’s interesting also because part of my (self-appointed) job is to help change perceptions of Colombia. Typically we think of this as changing the minds of people that have watched too many films or believed too much of what they’ve read, but often it’s Colombians themselves who have left the country and not returned for decades. In their head the country remains dangerous and these attitudes are harder to counter since they know the country and its politics intimately.
However, I had the pleasure this week of speaking with a client that is the daughter of two emigrants from Colombia. She herself lived in Colombia for only a few months before the family sought to leave. Now, my dear client is looking to come back to Colombia to help her children rediscover their roots and see exactly where they came from. What a beautiful thought!!
When she announced this plan to her family there was two different responses: excitement from her family from the States who expressed a desire to join her, and trepidation from her parents; the ones that left Colombia in the first place. I think their caution is understandable, but I was so pleased to be able to talk with my client and, through her, her family, in order to reassure them. They knew about our wonderful destinations such asZipaquira and Villa de Leyva, but expressed concern about the security of traveling between other destinations, such as Bogotá to Colombia’s Coffee Triangle.
Travel was, I assured them, safe on all the trails that are popular with travelers. Sure, there’s activity in areas that must be avoided, but on their trip they’d be absolutely safe, and be able to enjoy trips through the beautiful Andes mountains. Again there was more doubts here; the (mis)perception is that guerillas are in the mountains in Colombia but Colombia’s mountains are some of the main draws of the country, surrounding as they do so many cities and towns in dramatic style. They should be enjoyed, not feared!!
After our conversation I believe the family is excited for their trip back home to Colombia. I just know they’ll be surprised, touched and so happy to see what giant strides our beloved country has made in so many good directions. I’m sure they’ll find, as so many do, that the only risk is wanting to stay.
As for me? As always, I’m just happy to help and spread the word!
Abrazos,
Marcela
Jess Barofsky on
Hello Marcela, You report has just gone straight to my heart. I’m not a colombian but like you feel this is Colombias time to shine. The potential of Colombia is off the charts as they say here in America. When I married my Paisa wife back in 1985 I had not a clue about your country but what I learned from the ignorant and movies. Fast forward 26 years and there is no place I would rather be. Just so your readers don’t get the idea that my experiences have been as a tourist but have been by living with the wife’s family and doing things like everyone else does in the daily routine of things. Why would a kid like me brought up in a different culture and religion then most colombians feel these things ? The PEOPLE is my response when trying to undo the negative images in the minds of people over here. The warmth of the culture is something that words to not do justice in trying to explain here. One must travel and see a people who so want to counted on the world stage for who they really are. That’s hard working, educated , family orientated and full of life after all they have been through. I’m not the expert on politics in Colombia and speak only of my encounters with the paisa people over the years. With 26 years of stories to write about one that sticks out is the arepa man that I met on the street in Barrio Boston. So curious that he said to me in broken english to come to his house for dinner and the next day there was my wife and I having dinner with his family and years later we still remain friends. Here I am right now feeling so happy because some of my family members are going to accompany me on my trip in June and they will also discover what too few know and that is the only risk is wanting to stay. God bless Colombia…Jess
Paul on
Thanks Jess for your passionate response to Marcela’s post. I haven’t been here nearly as long as you (I haven’t even been alive as long as you’ve been in Colombia!) but I’ve spent a good deal of time here finding out the truth in everything you say. Things are changing, and I don’t mean here in Colombia, I mean around the world as the perception of Colombia changes in the eyes of countries that have had only newspaper reports to rely on. Now with the help of expats like yourself, and giddy tourists, the word is spreading and the potential of Colombia is gradually becoming clear to all. All the best to you and the family, please stop by and let us know how your visitors like the country!
Stephanie Sadler on
Great post, Marcela. I lived in London for a while before coming to Colombia and I was continually amazed by all of the Colombians I met there who just really wanted to come home. More than people from other nationalities, Colombians seemed to have this strong attachment to their home countries. Maybe because of strong family culture? I don’t know. My boyfriend, for example, was there for three years but he always wanted to come back. At the end of last year, he finished his Masters in London, paid £550 for a post-study work visa and got it for two years. Then a month later, he decided he didn’t want to stay afterall and came back to Colombia….