Greetings from Colombia (original pictures)
Medellin, where my wife’s family is from in Colombia, is known as The City of Eternal Spring:
Born and raised in Egypt, the tropics is, probably, the polar opposite of my dry, desert experience.
Here, in this lush land with its ambitious soil, it seems that the volume of life is turned up a few notches: fruits are like flowers, flowers are like trees, and frogs... the size of small chickens!
In fact, most of the flowers that we buy, in the USA —for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day & other Special Occasions— are grown here, in Colombia.
Not neglecting to mention, of course, their justly-famous coffee. Below, are a few pictures from a field trip to Eje Cafetero — the coffee zone where The Bean, pride & joy of Colombia, is grown :)
These life-loving people celebrate every chance they get — salsa music is never far and if you’re invited to one of their ‘fincas’ (farms) you’re doin offered a glass or two of the local drink, known as fire water
It’s a real pity that negative news travels first and fast, with unfortunate stereotypes overshadowing the richness of this culture.
I will say that, over time, all the facile jokes regarding Colombia, about drugs and violence has begun to pain me—since I've seen, first hand, how much this place has to offer, and how this perception shortchanges both the people and culture.
I might also add, I’ve been to Colombia for (extended) visits 11 or more times in the past dozen years, always without incident.
My 1st trip, over a decade ago, I was fortunate to attend a city-wide poetry festival.
What impressed me was not only the massive turnout (larger than any I'd see elsewhere) but also how poetry belonged to the people - not just the academy or special few.
Subsequent trips I was marked by how well they knew how to live, fully & share what they have (little or much).
Parallels to my (Egyptian) culture began to emerge: they love to eat, dance and family is paramount.
Even by night, Colombia has its secret charms. Here’s a short poem I wrote:
Colombia
Here, in Medellin, what night lights--
like a resplendent necklace, glittering
against the bare throat of the mountains
Softly, coming in and out of focus
as though the mountains were breathing
between sharing a tender memory
of the city, with the valley and themselves.
Thank you, for joining me on this virtual tour. If you’re curious to learn more about what Colombia has to offer, don’t just take my word for it, check out this video and see why it is referred to as Heaven on Earth
Shared on Twitter