My name is Johannys Mejia. I am 26 years old. I am Latina. I am Hispanic. I am Colombian and American. I am from Riohacha, Colombia. It’s a middle-sized city in the north of Colombia Guajira. Half of the population is indigenous. This is a department of Colombia [departments are similar to states in the US]. It is very beautiful because you can see the sea and the desert. I arrived here in Fairmont just two months ago. I love the lakes. I call my husband home because he is my home. Home, to me, is my safe place.
I have a degree in technology and business administration from Corporación Tecnológica Industrial Colombiana. I am still looking for work here. I am fluent in Spanish.
In my free time, I like to sleep, read, and cook in my free time. I like to make a little of everything in general. Cooking is something that I am always passionate about.
I don’t feel there is a religion that represents my spirituality. I am more spiritual by myself. Most of the time I am alone. My spirituality is always with God. God will get me.
Similarities: Some similar things are… the greenery. In the summer here, there is a lot of green in Colombia all the time. There are many bumps in the roads here and in Colombia! I don’t know if there are many other similarities.
Differences: There are many differences. Here there is more tranquility and safety. It is so much safer here than there. There is more responsibility with driving here. In Colombia, we drive crazy like in California or New Jersey. It is very crowded. The food is really really different. Of course, we prefer Colombian food. In the summer, we have many more hours of light in Colombia. That’s the difference.
Colombia has a really sexist culture. This is changing, but where I am from, the sexism and machismo is coming from the root of the culture. They always say the knowledge of the woman built the home, but it means that you are supposed to resist everything bad from the man. The sexism and infidelity is really bad. There is a lot of physical abuse and conflict between couples.
An important holiday to us is December 7. It is a Colombian tradition. We call it Siete de velitas. Have you seen the movie Encanto? It is a spiritual and traditional day for us. January 6 is when the 3 kings visit. Many times, we make a barbecue. We would go to a restaurant or travel somewhere.
My favorite food is salchipapa. It is fries, sausage, chicken, meat, lettuce, salted cheese, tartar sauce, butifarra (a Colombian/Caribbean sausage made of pork and beef).
I have experienced discrimination – not much – but yes. Not as much here in Fairmont…I mean people will stare and watch me more, but I haven’t experienced as much here. I think applying the equality and letting people be can eliminate racism
A hard challenge that I have faced is that somebody killed my dad. Paramilitares is a war group in Colombia. They killed my dad. We have found help here from my sister. We have also found help from the food shelf.
My mom inspires me because she is very strong and resilient. My values are loyalty, respect to whoever respects me, love, sorority. When I was six years old, I took care of my sister who was one year old. One of my dreams is to be a mom. My childhood was difficult. My dream is to have a good life with my family. “Salir adelante”. Family is really important. For me, family is everything. I can do everything by myself, but it is so much better with the family.
My hope is that this community is respectful. That’s all.