Here are two scenarios…

1. The streets of Colombia are run by cocaine and drug cartels and it is beyond dangerous.

2. Everybody in the US carries guns and the streets are run by road-racing mobsters.

If you’re an American and you read this, my guess is that you weren’t even phased by the first scenario and probably got a little laugh out of the second. But why was there little to no reaction to the Colombia scenario? It’s likely a side effect of the unfortunate fact that we’ve been educated on Colombia by the media and Netflix over the last decade or two. Quite frankly, the first scenario is every bit as laughable and false as the second. Spend any amount of time in Colombia and this reality will hit you almost immediately. Colombia is Latin America at its finest; packed with beautiful art, culture, dancing, and people. Stop listening to the media and getting your view of the country from a Netflix series and add Colombia to the top of your list of travel destinations!

ART

I arrived in the capital city of Bogotá and immediately after leaving the airport I began to notice all of the graffiti. ‘Woah, this city has some out-of-control vandals,’ is what I thought to myself while my taxi driver headed to my hostel. But then there was more… and more… and more… It was everywhere! On bridges, on buildings, on temporary fences, and pretty much everything with a semblance of a flat surface. I quickly realized that this wasn’t just graffiti, it was art! There were murals the lasted for several blocks, paintings that were multiple stories high, and so much detail that it was apparent this was thoughtfully intended and not vandalism. 

On the suggestion of another traveler I met at my hostel, I eventually took the Bogotá Graffiti Tour to learn more. The free tour was led by an English speaking Colombian who had intimate knowledge of the graffiti artists, as well as their causes, backgrounds, and the meanings behind nearly everything we saw. (For anybody in Bogotá, this tour is a must!) 

As you can see, these artists aren’t just reckless, street vandals. They are truly artists. Many of them have full time jobs as professors, businessmen, teachers, and one is even a policeman! Up until a few years ago, there was a bit of a struggle between the artists and the law enforcement. However, after several events/protests and such, Colombia (later this year I believe) is about to be the first country in the world to protect the street artists by law. Honestly, I don’t remember the exact extent of the protection, but it’s such a unique issue because of how important art is to the country. 

Before you start judging these street artists and screaming “HOW CAN THEY DO THAT TO SOMEBODY’S BUSINESS?!”, let me fill you in! All over the city there are flat walls on buildings – pretty standard right? If an artist sees a wall that he/she (hereafter referred to as he, I flipped a coin) wants to paint, he will go to the owner of the building and ask if he can paint on it. It’s pretty simple. Other times, the business owner will actually seek out the expertise of a street artist to essentially decorate the building! This is such a different relationship than what we have in the states with anybody who spray paints a building, and rightfully so. But it’s such a good illustration of how important art is to the country. 

DANCING

If you’ve ever been to a Latin American country, you know dancing is a staple of everyday life. Colombia is no different. Whether it’s in clubs, on the street, or at home, everybody seems to be dancing at some point during the day. Honestly, it’s refreshing. There’s such a zest for life, whether rich or poor, that seems to make American life seem rigid, regulated, and routine. 

The more I thought about it and saw it, the more I realized that there’s probably a takeaway for us. Like many African and Oceanic cultures, Latin culture seems to be able to separate the mundane from the fun; the uncontrollable negative from the controllable positive. I’m often amazed when I’m immersed in these cultures at how fluidly they go between the two, because it’s simply not how our American culture does things. 

No pics of me dancing. But I can assure you it was bad. But also fun. So much fun.

So not only do I encourage you to visit this incredible culture, but WHEN you go, find a salsa, rumba, or bachata class and then go to a club or bar to dance with a Colombian crowd! You won’t regret the experience! 

PEOPLE

I’m not sure I’d be lying if I said Colombians are pretty much like us Americans. Before you get your feathers all ruffled thinking that nobody is like us Americans, hear me out. I think we often see other cultures, the Colombias of the world, the Kenyas, the Chinas and think that life must be so miserable and so hard and that we are so blessed. Yes, we’re blessed, but not at the cost of those other places. Colombians run lives that are very similar to what ours look like here in the states, but with a Colombian twist. They go to work in the city, they own their houses and apartments, they are proud of their country and want to show it off, they own pets, and they desire to see the world. 

I had an awesome chance to talk with several Colombians just about life and see the way they lived and the biggest eye-opener to me and my preconceived notions was that they are just like us. They dream for the same things we dream for, they work for the same things we work for, they hurt for the same things we hurt for, and they celebrate the same things we celebrate in life. 

It’s amazing how much the media or Hollywood has corrupted our views of other people and other cultures. I encourage you to take a trip to somewhere new, stay in a neighborhood rather than a ritzy resort, and learn about the people and who they are. Ask them questions rather than just assuming what life is like. You may just come away with an entirely new perspective.