You do have a point, but... I perfectly understand your point of view, actually I am very much aware of that, but I am sure it`s not that "low of a price to pay in exchange ", as you put it, bills skyrocket and there is a great deal of people who can`t afford to pay food and basic utilities.
You missed one point... You missed a very important point: In spite of the high electricity bill (Colombia is the largest electricity exporter in South America), los Alumbrados represent a huge income for a large part of the population. It does generate a lot of seasonal employment; local associations, restaurants, hotels and thousands of families take a large part of their year’s income from this festivity. The city itself receives thousands of tourists. The electricity bill is a very low price to pay in exchange.
Don't worry I exrience the same post-colombia depression every time i leave the country, and i promise to myself not going back again so i don't feel like you are right now. But i cannot avoid going back... Amzing people not always fun but most of the time REAL and easy going.
Once you get into a dayly routine you'll feel better. then you're gonna look at those pics without that melancholic feeling. You'll be back then leave again and feel it all over again... you'll see.
Planning to move there in two years after i'm done here (Finland) with some stuff and save money to survive for a few months with no worries.
Miss you tooooooo Hey girl. I miss you too. I've being going out a lot, but as you said, partying is not the same without you. Try not to be depressed, and enjoy the cold weather because as ridiculous as it might sound, I miss European winter.
Miss you Hola reinita. I am already missing you a lot. I've spent the most amazing time with you in my home city . Thank you for teaching me to love my country. I'll miss our long conversations about men which never reached an agreement.
hola de la costa :) Hey Mona...great post! ahhhh, for better or worse, we have all come to love Colombia, haven't we? When are you leaving the country? Will you still be here for Christmas? I am coming down to Medellin...hope to see you if you are still there! If not, keep in touch, I'm so glad that I got to meet you! besitos de Barranquilla, Sarah
You've got it!!! There's a big difference bet. rural and urban areas. I'll give you that one. Anyway... i'm happy you are enjoying such a beautiful country. Don't tell too many people about it or tourism might spoile it!!
Enjooy your last weeks!!!
Cheers
just a short comment to say hi and "yeah, somebody is still reading your blog entries and finding them interesting" :-)
kisses from denmark (unfortunately not on a cool holiday, but just for a week of work...)
Te vamos a extranar Mona:
Yo no te conozco en persona..soy un Colombiano que vive en el exterior y que ha venido siguiento tu blog...he tocado tu foto con ternura pues me has sabido sacar lagrimas con este post...hablo en nombre de los mios cuando te digo...vos siempre seras bienvenida en mi pais...has venido a dar lo que sabes y mos compatriotas te han correspondido como usualmente lo hacemos con los que se toman la molestia de ir y descubrirnos.
Tenes un amigo Colombiano mas, y dejame contarte lo que dice un amigo mio que nacio en inglaterra pero que vive en Colombia.."Yo soy Colombiano...este pais me adopto y yo tengo claro que los Colombianos nacemos donde nos de la gana"
Donde quiera que vayas a ir...recuerda que en Colombia se te va a extranar.
pcolmenares@clarinmail.com
k, have it your way :). My statistics are actually based on what Colombian people around me tell me so I just take their word for it. Maybe they exaggerate. But the poverty in the rural areas does exceed 80%! Mybe it is better in the big cities, like Cartagena, Medellin and Bogota.
I four months in Colombia every single year working with NGO's. I know what the statistics are. There is povery, yes i'm not denying that but is not. 90%-5. I know what i'm talking about. Trust me. :)
Colombia es passion Nice to hear those words, I love Medellin my city i'm doing an internship here in the U.S and i missed it every day more and more, but see you enjoying it like you do.... makes me feel proud...because ,you know what???? now you know what we feel inside as PAISAS...nowyou know HOW nd WHY DO WE FEEL THIS WAY about our place???Now you have the answers to the questions that most of the people around the world have (HOW CAN YOU BE HAPPY IN COLOMBIA???) and that sometimes we don't even know how to answer because words are to small to explain that feeling......It has been very kool to listen your stories for this past months and I think I'm going to Miss them....Good luck!!!!!! and never forget Colombia!!!!
You really got it!
Hi,
I'm really amazed by all you wrote about Colombia. I was born there and I left the country to work in Canada. It is good to hear such a wonderfull toughts about my country... things that you don't realize untill you have to go somewhere else. I don't have any complain about here, but you just don't feel that magnetism that attarck you to the people, the food, the vibe and all the good thing I miss everyday from Colombia. I'm glad you experienced all this things and I hope it helps you to talk better about Colombia everywhere you go, and let people know that we're not just cocaine, guerrillas, violence and problems... we are nice people living in a real paradise...Good luck with your "Despedidas" down there!
continua me gusta leer sobre tus experiencias en un pais como Colombia, pues me interesa en esto mucho, de viaje y fiesta y todo... ahora quiero ir a Colombia tambien, parece muy bien e increible, esto ano yo fui a salamanca en espana por dos semanas y tu blog me recuerda mucho sobre mi experiencia! me hace falta viajar!
y tambien, quise decir que yo puedo dar cuenta a los ratos altos de pobreza en Colombia.... que mal
sorry to bring that to you, but you are misinformed! you should come down here and see it with your own eyes. Even worse, the real statistics are 95%-5%.
your statistics are wrong. hey there, i have been reading your blog for a while. i'm a new yorker in love with colombia. you keep saying that the poverty rate is 90%. You are wrong! last time i checked, i guess it was a few months ago, the poverty rate was 49%. i'm sure i could have changed since but not that much!
Eafit Student!! WOW!! we live in a very small world, i just was checking out the website (searchin' for information 'bout Cambodia!) n i found this, it turns that i study in Eafit :s mindblowing, isn't it? but that's not the only thing: it turns that one of my friends knows you: her name is María Lucía, she was/is one of your students in language center, add me to your messenger if you wanna have a new cyberfriend! :D alejoherre@hotmail.com
Quote: "with huge sky-scrapers which as I lived only in Santa Marta so far I didn°t imagine they could actually exist in Colombia" So you didn't thought that colombia would have skyscrapers, it shows the lack of knowledge and reputation the country has in front of the world; well enjoy and meet the other parts of the country that have to offer so much if you have time.
looks may deceive
This blog is an account of my travels, my experience living abroad, starting with Turkey in 2004, straight after graduating from university, my teaching internship in Colombia for a whole year and my 2 years spent in London where I signed up for several Teacher Training Development Courses and even tried a little bit of Marketing.
I'm back in Romania where I set up a small language center which is now (2014) a Cambridge Exams Authorised Preparation Centre. I literally invested every penny I had in this project, putting all of my energy, dedication, passion for languages and know-how into pr... full info
pink mona
Mona
You do have a point, but...
I perfectly understand your point of view, actually I am very much aware of that, but I am sure it`s not that "low of a price to pay in exchange ", as you put it, bills skyrocket and there is a great deal of people who can`t afford to pay food and basic utilities.