Assimilating

            We often romanticize travel. Most often we will get away for a weeklong holiday or a weekend trip and will feel inspired and refreshed. A quick change of environment is just the cure to take us out of our normal routine. 

            Trying to live in another culture however, more often than not comes with a wealth of emotions. A permanent change from "normal" is a bit of an adjustment. In all of my travel experiences it has always been a roller coaster of highs and lows with a lot of misunderstanding, uncomfortable situations and frustrations along the way.  It is not easy to change environment, language, and culture all at once.

            When this happens it can become easy to get frustrated in the little things.  My short list right now would include the heat, the chicken head in my soup at lunch, cold showers, and mosquito’s. But honestly these things aren’t what really bother me they are minor adjustments.

            The feeling of being misunderstood, receiving blank stares after just constructing a sentence I swore used correct grammar. The inability to fully express oneself, this is a lonely place to be.

So why you ask with all of these difficulties do I continue to travel???

Because it is worth it. More important than my own personal comfort I am concerned with my personal growth. I like to be challenged. I like to overcome obstacles. I like to do things I originally thought I could not. Yes assimilating is hard, especially when you are on your own. But having been through this before, now I know that it is part of the process and in the end I would not trade the lessons I learn along the journey for any fading comfort.

So as there are frustrations and differences to get used to, if I focus on the positive changes it makes the process a lot more fun.

Positives such as the things that I enjoy: for example how I can hop on the back of any passing motorcycle and get anywhere in town for around 50 cents.  Or whenever I am riding a bus somewhere and start to become hungry or thirsty, no doubt in about five minutes someone will come aboard selling drinks and snacks.

Or the things that make me laugh:  like today as I walked down a dirt road, which contained houses barely standing with pieced together walls, I was glad to see that the essentials were still met. When I say essentials I mean a big ass stereo. And how generous those people are, because instead of pointing the speakers inside to listen to their own music they point them outward for the rest of the community to enjoy. Gotta love it, but that doesn’t beat yesterday when I saw a women on the back of a motorcycle holding an entire washer and dryer. 

There are also the “wow, that just happened” moments to be thankful for.  Like the times when I have agreed to tag along with someone and suddenly found myself at a Colombian wedding or at the deathbed of their dying uncle (true stories).

 I can simply be thankful to be alive another day. Which Friday, as I sat on the backseat of a motorcycle speeding down a dirt road I seriously doubted that would be a reality. For some reason my driver thought that we were in a race against all the other bikes and he needed to come out victorious. We did.

            Yes, when assimilating you have to appreciate the changes and be willing to go with the flow. But more importantly you must use the difficulties as learning experiences. I am learning more and more that although there are differences between us we as humans have a lot more in common than we think. I am also becoming aware of the ways in which we try to make ourselves seem very different.

            We do many things to distance ourselves from our fellow man. Sometimes it is because of competition, we look to be better and therefore see the other as an opponent. We define our life by what we can accomplish and we need to continue meeting those standards to feel good about ourselves. When we live like this our identity is in what we can give, produce, and achieve. That sounds exhausting. It is not wrong to want to produce good outcomes but when they become the source of our self-esteem, it is destructive. Henri Nouwen writes “ In short, we are worthwhile because we have successes. And the more we allow our accomplishments-the result of our actions-to become the criteria of our self-esteem, the more we are going to walk on our mental and spiritual toes, never sure if we will be able to live up to the expectations which we have created by our last successes. In many people’s lives, there is a nearly diabolic chain in which their anxieties grow according to their successes. This dark power has driven many of the greatest artists into self-destruction.”  It was not until I had felt like I had completely failed until I understood this and realized where my identity and fulfillment was coming from.

He goes on to say “When we cling to the results of our actions as our only way of self identification, then we become possessive and defensive and tend to look at our fellow human beings more as enemies to be kept at a distance than as friends with whom we share the gifts of life.” (Out of Solitude)

            Sometimes we distance ourselves from others because of our perceived sanctity. I know that this has been a particular vice for me. I have thought of myself as a good person who makes good choices, thinking that my good actions save me. This is the biggest most detrimental lie we can tell ourselves. The moment we start believing we are good or better than someone else because of our actions or choices is the moment we become elitist and begin to elevate ourselves and segregate from others. That is not radical love that is piety. Real love is realizing that my sin is equally as bad as any other persons. If I claim to follow a guy who would hang out with thieves and prostitutes and I consider myself to accomplished or moral to befriend someone, then somewhere along the way I have missed the message.

            Therefore I am thankful for the difficulty that comes with assimilation because it helps me not to become too confident in my own accomplishments. As I struggle to speak the language and fit in, I am kept humble and enlightened to not consider myself as better or more important than any other.

Therefore as you encounter life’s hardship I encourage you to learn through the difficulty, have and adventurous spirit, laugh at yourself, focus on the positive and in the end it will be “vale la pena”

In the words of the band Rebelution: “you can gain the world for the price of your soul but I hope you take the road less traveled and I hope you find the courage to grow.”

 -Chad

First Impressions

Oh, Colombia…what a place. The past week and a half has really flown by. I have met some incredible people who are doing some very inspiring work. There is a lot I could talk about but I will start by giving you a glimpse of the two cities I have been in.

            At first entering the city center of Medellín, I experienced a bit of sensory overload. It is a bustling city, with hordes of people all passing in different directions. As you walk through the streets you see an array of bright colors in the advertisements up above. People pass by in every direction. Motorcycles skillfully weave in and out of traffic, while taxis and buses honk and yell. Your eyes constantly shift between the people passing around on every side and the upcoming obstacles and potholes. Vendors boldly broadcast their goods “arepa  arepa  arepa” and the smell of fried food fills the air.  It is a city full of life and it is a city with an incredible history.

            Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, Medellín was considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world for its size. It was the home of the drug lord Pablo Escobar and the Medellín Cartel, who virtually controlled the city during that time. Since his demise in the mid-1990's, the cartel was disbanded and the city rebounded tremendously. In 1991 there were 6500 murders in the city, by 2009 the murder rate decreased to 2900.

            For those interested in development and social change, Medellin is a textbook example. The local government has implemented many initiatives aimed toward the most poverty stricken and vulnerable parts of their city. Thanks to those efforts there has been a dramatic restoration within a short time. There are banners throughout the city that say, “Tú eres parte de la transformación” (you are part of the transformation). This message gives the power to each person, reminding them of their ability to make change possible in their city. This allows everyone to claim ownership and pride in their environment.

            One of the most impressive initiatives is a metro system with cable cars that extend to the outer impoverished communities. These areas bred violence and gang control due to their isolation and vulnerability. Now there is more regulation, accountability and employment options for the people of these communities. The cable provides cheap and quick transportation to the commerce centers of the city. The major changes have created a new reality for many people because city officials have chosen to invest resources into the most impoverished and violent areas of their city. However, the city is still one of major contrast. In a different section you have “el poblado” where the Colombian elite live. There are luxury shopping malls, fine dining and booming nightlife. Although nice, this area also looses the identity of the greater city as this is the only district where you will find foreign influence such as McDonalds, Quicksilver, or Armani, which can all be found here.  This is the reality of the double-edged sword of globalization. However, this section fits into a piece of the diverse puzzle, which this city portrays.

            Not only has Medellín seen many changes, but the country as a whole has experienced internal conflict since the colonial days. Colombians say that every single person in the country has been affected by the “civil war” throughout the last few decades between guerillas and paramilitary. It is an unknown war, which has killed tens of thousands, and displaced millions. It is a war that still continues today.

            A quick plane ride away I am now in the coastal city of Cartagena on the northern Caribbean side of Colombia. This is practically a different country in itself, with a unique less comprehensible style of Spanish (sigh).  This city also has a rich history. Nicknamed “Gateway to the Americas” Cartagena served as the most influential port during colonial days. Most of the gold that left Latin America during colonization came out of Cartagena. It was also a trade center for slaves and natural resources.

            The city has a unique blend of Spanish and Carribean flare. The city center is built in beautiful colonial Spanish architecture, with cobblestone streets, vibrant colors, great restaurants and outdoor plazas. The city is a fortress protected by a sea wall armed with canons on top. It is a beautiful relaxing place. In fact, as I write this I am overlooking the ocean from my hotel balcony. Cartagena is now a developed tourist destination. Come on a weekend and you will see groups of Europeans flood the city as a cruise ship pulls into port. However if you talk to any local cartagenero you will quickly see that this is a city with two faces. The city center and boca grande (think Miami in the 80’s) make up only about 20% of the population. The outskirts are a much different reality. Just like in its colonial era Cartagena still serves as a slave port. Some statistics place Cartagena as the second biggest destination in the world for human trafficking after Bangkok. Prostitutes walk the streets and hustlers offer us “Whatever we need”. This is a daily reality.

 

            In the midst of all of this I have seen a lot of hope. I have had the privilege of meeting some incredible people who are really making a change. I have been traveling with various co- workers but tomorrow they will return home and I will leave for a town called Sincelejo. I am sad to part with my crew, especially since I now have to fully immerse in Spanish, which is a slow frustrating process. However it will force me to learn. I am also excited because I have an incredible opportunity to learn from a man who was described to me as the Gandhi of Colombia. He works to restore peace in communities that have been displaced by guerilla control. I will stay there for a month to study and document his methodology in community development.  Not a bad assignment. Stay tuned.

-Chad

life simplified

That's it. After much anticipation I am finally off to Medellín!!