Colombia

Colombia has definitely found its way into my heart. I have visited Colombia multiple times and have created some wonderful, long-lasting friendships as a result. In the next 15 weeks, I hope to create a blog series to learn even more about the people, cultural influences, and perspective of Colombians. And, as a result, be able to relate better to the friends I have made, better understand their perspectives on life, and communicate better in the future. 

Colombia is just south of Panama and has shores along both the Caribbean and Pacific oceans. Most people live in the north and western parts of the country, with the biggest cities being Bogota, Medellin, and Cali. There are about 49.6 million people living in Colombia and the main language spoken is Spanish.

In my experience, the Colombian people are very outgoing and are very community centered in their approach to life. Using physical contact while talking with other people is also normal and an expected part of life. I remember the first time this was explained to me it was as if a lightbulb illuminated above my head. So many interactions I had had before made so much more sense!

Another of my favorite aspects of Colombian culture is the food! Every meal I had, I loved. Even the everyday staple, arroz con pollo, is amazingly delicious. Some of my favorite dishes include arepas, a Colombian style fried fish called “Pescado Frito Colombiano”, and coconut rice (“Arroz con Coco”). During these next few weeks, I will definitely write a post solely dedicated to the amazing food!

While preparing for these posts I want to keep in mind the statement, “in studying other cultures, we do so very often from the perspective of our own culture.” It is so hard to separate our personal experiences and culture from how we view the outside world. And when you are communicating with different cultures, it is so easy to forget that others see the world differently than we do. I want these posts to be as unbiased and portray the Colombian culture from their perspective as best as possible. For this reason, I will do my best to properly research everything I post, try to find sources that are specifically Colombian, and ask for feedback from my Colombian friends. 

I am so excited to go on this journey with all of you and cannot wait to get started!!