Arrival in El Carmen

I’ve finally made it to El Carmen! It’s a pretty big switch from Bogotá – hot and humid all the time, less traffic, mostly dirt/mud roads, small town feel, coconut trees, etc. Also no running water, that’s the biggest change. That, and for the first time since I got to Colombia I have no one around with whom I can speak English, meaning I have to struggle along with Spanish until it becomes more comfortable. Really that’s a good thing, I’ve been forced to practice so much during this past weekend since I arrived that I know I’m going to learn a lot quicker. Already I know enough (and have begun to get used to the local accents) to get by reasonably well, though at this point I still can’t always understand normal conversation with native speakers unless people go out of their way talk slowly and use simple vocabulary.

I’m going to be working with a network of asvidas, which are these local, community-run nonprofit groups that do a variety of things related to development, peacebuilding (there’s a long and fairly recent history of violence in the area), education, and health. My actual job right now still seems a little vague and confusing. For the time being I think I’m mostly going to shadow and help my coworkers in the asvidas network, and study Spanish on my own a bit. We’ll see… At the same time I’m also working for SembrandoPaz, a regional organization that works with different local communities and asvidas to provide resources, conduct staff trainings and workshops, and coordinate regional efforts between these local groups. I think I’ll serve kind of as a liaison between SembrandoPaz and the local asvida network. Again, very confusing, but I’m sure it will seem less so given time.

Currently I’m living in the office and sleeping in a hammock, which is kind of a bummer but ok for now. Soon I’m going to live in a nearby apartment with the son of local pastors, Elias, who is my age and will accompany me some as I start work. Already Elias has been showing me around some and introducing me to his friends, so I’ve been grateful for that and for the hospitality of his family. I’m certainly blessed to be in such a welcoming community!

First Month in Bogotá

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.

Tomorrow we head to Colombia, after spending this past week in Nicaragua doing an orientation with MCC staff. I'm enjoying getting to know the others on the team: Juan, Carolina, and Cellia from Colombia, Leonel from Mexico, Anna from Canada, Daniela from Peru, and Erica, Larisa, and Jess from the US. Jess and Larisa I've been friends with through college at Eastern Mennonite University, and I've been glad for their friendship and familiar presence this week. I've also felt immediately comfortable with the others despite a language barrier at times. I am, however, a bit impatient to get to the point where I can converse easily in Spanish.

During orientation this past week we've focused a lot on MCC's mission, organization, and culture, while also visiting MCC projects in Nicaragua. Hearing and seeing what MCC does was helpful to me as I consider the full context of my service term. We had a devotional the other day that further put things in perspective, that talked about how we make decisions for what to do with our lives and figure out how best to live Jesus' command to love one another using the gifts and resources we've been given. We first try to imagine the world as we want it to be, then figure out how to act on our vision to try and fulfill our calling. In the part of Colombia where I'll be working, I see communities that have been displaced and fragmented due to violent conflict eventually returning to sustainable economy and healthy community. I think the Seed program is an effective means of realizing that vision for the people there. I'm glad for the opportunity to help be part of a solution, realizing that this work is being done on faith and may not have clear, tangible results.

 In just one more week, I leave for two years to serve with Mennonite Central Committee's Seed Program in Colombia. From its website (seed.mcc.org),

Seed is a 2 year program of the Mennonite Central Committee that focuses on connecting young adults from a variety of places to Reflect, Serve, and Advocate. 

Participants of the program come together for 2 years to REFLECT on the issues that keep us separated- from economics, politics, and war; to culture, geography, and theology. 

The program connects the reflection on the big issues with community grassroots SERVICE together with communities who are working against significant violence, poverty, and oppression. 

While we seek to connect the macro to the micro, and learn to see how the large structures affect real communities- participants learn to speak as a community to ADVOCATE for peace, justice, and equality with our global partners.

Following a one week orientation in Nicaragua, I'll move to Bogota learning Spanish with the group (there are 10 of us and two leaders, Jes and Alejo) and living with a host family for three months. After that we begin our service assignments in different communities across Colombia.

I hope to use this space to document some of my experiences, as well as reflect on the issues my local community deals with.