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Published: October 22nd 2006
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me and Sara
the sweetest kid on Earth I have been asking myself lately why I just don't feel like leaving..I just DON'T WANT TO LEAVE COLOMBIA...why the thought of leaving is affecting me more than I would have ever expected...it is much more than just scary ...it is painful....so, after wracking my brains out, I reached a conclusion... I am going to share it with all of you out there , wondering why Colombia has such a strange, almost mystical power, overwhelming, that once you get here you fall madly in love with her and there is no way back, you simply don't want to leave her! And what is even stranger is that it is an acquired taste, it catches you by surprise and it overwhelms you step by step, it ain't love at first sight, no,not at all! You LEARN to love this culture....at the beginning the feelings might be confusing.... until you get it! There just isn't anything that can come close to the amazement that Colombia possesses!! By far SHE IS UNIQUE!!
The thought that I will be leaving in less than two months...it is so painful...almost like a physical pain...I will not try to explain it, words are not enough, I am
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pictures just for the sake of posting pictures, so maybe someone will bother to read this entry :p sure some of you can get exactly what I mean....probably the ones that got the chance to see Colombia, to smell Colombia, to taste Colombia...
I feel so inspired here, by everything around me, everything surrounding me..I feel inspired to write, to share precious moments with precious friends, to enjoy little things, to appreciate every second and every beat of my heart in this country... I feel inspired to learn every day something new, to have fun talking to people I don't know, strangers that make me feel like family, and these aren't just words I just say... to have Spanish classes and smile when I hear accents, so different, trying so passionately to speak this sweet language.. I think I can honestly say that I have never been happier...I have been trying to put 2 and 2 together and well...I came up with this quite simple theory....
Ok, now...señorita, get to the point! What discovery have you made? Give us the breaking news!! 😊
Shakira speaks loud and clear in her lyrics, she tells us the secret, it is actually amazingly easy to get it:
¨I'm ready for the good times
I'm ready for the
Santa Marta
doing what I love most...having a good time !!! good times
Ready to get it on
Cause everyday there's a war to fight
And if I win or lose never mind
As long as you're my shelter every night
I used to cry against a wall
But now I've got a shoulder that I can lean on
Swear to me you won't be gone¨ ( quote Ready for the Good times, SHAKIRA)
It is so much better to actually listen to her lyrics than just read them....they make you shiver, they make you think...the rhythm and the lyrics take you to the best moments of your life and give you wings to go on, to live your dreams, to make them come true, courageously, proudly, with no looking back and no regrets....they make you see every day as unique, live every day fully aware that you have so much to give and so much to receive, that you can yourself make every single moment special, that you will not have a second chance to repeat certain things, that you have to take the opportunity the second it appears, bravely, fearlessly, to fight for every little thing you believe in, to never, ever say 'I can't'. All
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:)I love it! we need is will power and drive, and Colombia helps you find all this within yourself. Yes, she does!
Colombia makes you feel free, there are absolutely no laws, you will never be criticized in Colombia, you will never have to ask yourself if you said something wrong or did something inappropriate, nobody judges you here, yes, I am talking about equality. Equality in the deepest, most profound meaning of the word. It means, and these are examples taken from my life here, it means drinking bear shoulder to shoulder with the dean of the university- students and teachers, feeling equal, having casual conversations while enjoying a life concert in the university campus on a Friday evening.
And the meetings here, oh my God, a staff meeting here does not, by any means mean the boss talking and the staff listening obediently, the tone is so relaxed, it is like being out having a beer with friends, you just wouldn't believe it. I know I couldn't believe it at the beginning!!, being used to the rigid long reunions in Turkey, boring to death, where the principal would bore us with reports and stupid uninteresting things...here the meeting are supposed
my tattoo
:)I love it! to be constructive, to really get something out of them, to have results, to build things, to change things, to improve things. Everybody has a word to say, nobody is afraid to speak up their mind! Nobody, be it a 50 y.o. teacher with plenty of experience, the coordinator or a 22 new-comer. All ideas are carefully listened to, everybody's opinion matters.
Here the idea of criticizing is not in the dictionary. Everything they do, the way they speak, the way they say things, everything is laid back, so as not to hurt anybody, not even with a word.... people are amazingly, stunningly open about everything, it cannot be put into words. I feel free to express my opinion, to take initiative, without having to think: What if I say something completely stupid or idiotic? What if they might think that I act like an overconfident European giving them lessons? No way, they love it when people get involved and want to participate, to work, to share ideas, even if something might sound strange to them, they are so willing to listen and to try, are so very not afraid to say ´´I donºt know´´, which for me at
my tattoo
:)I love it! the beginning seemed so strange! They so casually ask about what they donºt know, even in their own field of expertize,it is just human not to know everything and to learn every day something new!
I went to Cartagena and I spent almost a week in a Colombian friendºs house, honest to God I felt so much at ease and like in my own home.. we would go out and come home God knows when , the minute we would walk in, the hosts would ask us if we were hungry and what we wanted to eat. In 5 minutes dinner would be ready! And deliciously cooked! They wouldnºt expect anything at all, just to see you happy and having a good time. I remember the day I left, I felt so embarrassed, they asked me when I was going to visit them again and me, with my European thinking, I said ´´I donºt know´´, imagining that they wouldnºt be that keen to see me back very soon. They were actually offended by my answer, which in their opinion sounded rather like ¨Well, i didn't like it that much, so honestly I donºt think Iºll be dropping by any time soon. ¨Yes, the differences never cease to amaze me!
Do you get it? Do you get me? ok, for the ones that have the slightes clue what I have been talking about, please, do drop a line! Especially if you know Colombia, if you love Colombia.
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Alejandro
non-member comment
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!