Colombia, the country so well known for its production of drugs, so well known for the so-called “Plan Colombia” (fall 2000), so well known as the country with the highest yearly rate of kidnappings.
All these reasons are for most people reasons for not going to this country located in the north of South America, named after the founder of America, Chistofer Colombus.
For me, in the chase for adventure and new experiences the choice of this country was not that hard. On the other hand I knew, I should not wonder and think that much about the actual and political situation in Colombia. I knew the situation was more unstable than usually, I knew there was a risk.
Colombia is the country of contrasts, the country where the goods are not divided equally among people. The differences between the rich and the poor are enormous, this social structure creates problems as opinions will contradict. This is the underlying reason for finding two different worlds in one country. On the one hand you find a peaceful ordinary Colombia where things work, you see shopping malls, companies, metro…. etc., the bright side. On the other hand when turning on the TV, the local news show the actual state of Colombia, you see war, damage, soldiers, drugs…etc., the dark side.
This, are two worlds totally apart. Neither the one nor the other part makes a better representative of the country. In order to understand the country, you need to understand the two worlds and the link between those two.
As for me this connection is very artificial. It is as if I hear so much about the violence and unstable situation of the country at the writing moment. Though, I do not personally have a sense of the dark side of Colombia as I have not had any bad experiences.
In general, the people in the bright side have a great sense of fear and respect to the dark side. People avoid mixing up the different social classes. Therefore you find places with totally different people, though the places are very next to each other. |
