So I’ve been in Bogotá for about a month now, living with a host family, participating in sessions led by MCC and Seed staff, learning Spanish, and getting to know the rest of the Seed team better. I’m not quite sure where to begin, to be honest… it’s really a pretty big transition from my life a month ago. While I’m blessed to be surrounded by a caring community and feel a strong sense of purpose in what I’m doing, it’s still a bit difficult to adjust to a new place where I don’t speak the language well (and know I have to learn) and know that I’m not leaving for a while. Overall though I am enjoying my time here, and learning a lot!
I live with a host family in the ‘Mennonite Barrio’, Bogotá’s Park View. Alix, my host mom, knows little English which forces me to practice Spanish more. My host brother Andrés recently returned from a theology conference in the Netherlands so I haven’t gotten to know him very well yet. My other host brother, Juan, is part of the Seed Program as well and it’s been fun hanging out with him some. They also have a cocker spaniel, Taicún, who is very friendly and wears a funny cone around his head.
Most of our sessions have centered on Colombian history, culture, and society. While it all only scratches the surface, I’m glad to receive this context before I leave for my service assignment, and as a result I do feel somewhat prepared for the issues I might face. This past week especially we received lectures on Colombian history from a professor, a community leader, and a nun who used to be part of the ELN (National Liberation Army, a leftist guerrilla group). We also researched and gave presentations on different parts of Colombian history ourselves. Covering so much material in so little time inevitably leaves out a lot of details and information; but on the other hand, immersing ourselves in Colombia’s history all at once allows a holistic perspective from which we can easily identify trends and patterns that have led to the issues of the present. Seeing how Colombia’s story is told as a perpetual struggle between poor, landless campesiños, minorities, and the indigenous against landowners, urban elite, and the Catholic Church establishment lets us understand why leftist guerrilla groups formed and continue to survive, why a black market economy has flourished, and why the same elite families have continued to control Colombian government and society for generations. In truth, much of what we’ve discussed raises more questions than answers, but at least I feel like I have enough background to understand what I see.
I guess that’s the gist of what I’m doing these days… over the next month and a half I’ll continue studying, and soon enough be on my way to El Carmen! Also, I do plan to write more often. Really.
