A life in Colombia
People always ask me why I chose Colombia. Well, if there is one thing you can say about Colombia; it’s always interesting. A Colombian fable: “When God was creating the world, he put gold into South Africa. But there was some was left over, so he threw it into Colombia. “Then he put coal into […]
MoreA piece I wrote after meeting the former world’s smallest man, 70-cm high Edward Niño Hernandez: “THE remark was almost casual. “Your baby is going to be a little small,” the doctor told a worried Nohemi Hernández when she was pregnant with her first child. He didn’t tell the nervous expectant mother her unborn child […]
MoreThe immigration officer was tall and burly. “So are you planning to be here a while?” he barked, as he closed the door of his interrogation room. “Yes, please,” I squeaked. I was trying and failing to mask an internal scream of desperation. “Well… everything looks fine with your application,” he began. Thank. Goodness. I […]
MoreAnyone who has ever spent time applying for a visa will know the process does not put you in the best of moods. Still, I was feeling reasonably cheery this morning. Yes, I had a 5am alarm call. Yes, I was standing in the wet, bedraggled queue outside the office at 7am. But, by 8am, […]
More“You know, it’s funny,” I remarked to my friend Leonardo. “I’ve met people from all over the rest of South America, but I’ve never met anyone from Guyana, Suriname or French Guiana. “Maybe they don’t travel outside their countries.” Leonardo looked at me and smiled. “That’s because those countries are not in South America,” he […]
MoreThe police officer looked apologetic. “It’s no longer here,” she said quietly. The room was suddenly very still. “The pigeon,” she repeated, raising a sorrowful smile. “We don’t have it any more.” She was referring to a young homing pigeon, used by enterprising criminals trying to smuggle 40g of marijuana (and five grams of cocaine) […]
More“Where are we going to have lunch?” I asked my housemate Julian, as we stepped off the bus. The question was framed in my usual schoolgirl Spanish. “Um, I need to tell you something about the way you speak Spanish,” he replied, ignoring what was clearly an important question. “Okay,” I groaned. Julian is adept […]
MoreI’ll admit it. I was feeling a bit guilty when our plane skidded to a halt at Bogota airport. It’s not that I like to take advantage of the average Colombian customs’ official and his weakness for women. But I’ve been through customs a few times in Colombia now and this time I actually wanted […]
More“Where are you girls going?” a woman asked. The bus was packed and rattling along in the velvet darkness of the Sacred Valley. “Chinchero,” Isabel replied confidently. There was a loud cry and the bus lurched to a halt. “We’ve just passed it,” the woman said, looking worried. “You’re the only people going there. The […]
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