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A life in Colombia
Browsing All posts tagged under »Bogota«
To Bogotá, Colombia: A Love Letter
I don’t know why I love you, It’s very hard to explain, You can be so grumpy in the mornings, When all you do is rain. I don’t know why I love you, With that huge gap ‘twixt rich and poor, The Ferrari showroom on seventh avenue, A refugee sleeping at its door. I don’t […]
Bother boots and angry faces: Is it really possible to avoid street robbery?
September 13, 2012
You know those people who over-think everything, assessing and planning and sorting and worrying about problems that may never happen? Yes, I’m guilty as charged. One dim and drizzly evening in Bogotá, as the darkness drifted towards 9pm, I was being typically indecisive. Should I spend a fortune on a taxi or jump on a […]
The Bogotá District Phenomenon: Yes, it’s weird
September 7, 2012
There’s a reason why I’ve never discussed the District Phenomenon in Bogotá – you know, the strange way this city concentrates all of the shops selling one item in just one place – because I’ve come to accept it. And it’s never previously caused me any emotional distress. Of course, when I needed a lamp, […]
How to negotiate Bogotá etiquette
September 1, 2012
I have just returned from a month in England with a mountain of new cotton leggings, a rapidly diminishing supply of decent chocolate and a new found respect for the importance of etiquette. During my month there I attended one wedding, one funeral, met two new babies, numerous new husbands and negotiated the delicate business […]
Colombian Relationships: It’s Complicated
July 7, 2012
Those of you who deign to read this blog regularly will know that I am a terrible combination of both idealistic, Jane Austen-style dreamer and complicated, risk-avoiding control freak – neither of which could destine a person towards any kind of romantic harmony. Considering marriage, even co-habitation, represent possibly life’s greatest risks of all – […]
Why I’m flying naked to England
June 14, 2012
Two weeks ago I pressed a button on my computer keypad and three million – yes, three million – pesos disappeared from my current account. In return, I have a ticket home to England and will be disappearing to my home country for one whole month. I’ve already started compiling a list of things I […]
Ten things South America has taught me
June 10, 2012
Tears are a weapon in South America, but unfortunately not a weapon I am willing to employ. I may flirt, cajole, feign ignorance and flatter to get what I need, but sob in the face of Colombian officaldom? Urgh, no thank you. So when I left Bogotá’s Chamber of Commerce almost in tears – having […]
Once upon a time in Bogotá…
June 5, 2012
I am being assaulted by the blazing sun and staring at a young woman. She is tottering in huge heels and grasping a white umbrella that is clearly far too big – trying to avoid both burning her nose and arriving at work in a sweaty mess. We’re not used to summer in Bogotá, you […]
Lost gardens, rowing in circles and doing away with mañana
June 3, 2012
My good Venezuelan friend Jon likes to joke about the great Liberator, Simon Bolivar – his countryman and fellow Caraqueño. “He was just so small,” he exclaims, shaking his head. “How did he liberate five countries? How did he command all those people?” Standing at the foot of Señor Bolivar’s old bed, or a replica […]
September 16, 2012
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