Bank Holiday Monday. Due to work committments Ana Lu had to return to Cali but having come this far, I wasnt going to return after only 1 full day.
As Ive mentioned previously, Colombia is famous for its beautiful people; be it a natural or surgically enhanced phenomena. Whilst I think this reputation is slightly overblown, the size of the gene pool here is extraordinary and every now and again you do see a breathtakingly beautiful person; more often than not a mestiza of mixed race. In Medellin the beautiful and the wealthy tend to congregate in the fashionable bars and restaurants of Lleras Park, a locale my host Nora laughingly refers to as El Parque de las Siliconas, a description that surely requires no explanation. So when my hosts proposed that we go and have a look, I thought in the name of research (a better understanding of the Colombian culture and psyche) that I should accept the offer. Unfortunately for all the hype and expectation, it was a holiday weekend and few people were about but such is the significance of this investigation that I feel I have a duty to return and try again in the near future.
Whilst in Medellin, I have been talking loosely with my hosts about my return to Colombia and the outlook for work in the city. In this context, Armando kindly took me to the university to meet a few friends who could be useful contacts for the future. Amongst the many people to whom I was introduced, I met Victoria who works in the education department and has designed pedagogies for poor and remote communities. Whilst we didnt have long to talk about her work, she was very interested in my research and insisted that I get in touch upon my return to Colombia. Although I cant see much beyond my thesis right now, I am very attracted to this cool and organised city in spite of my commitment to Cali and any future choice between the two could be very difficult.
Wednesday is little more than a travel day and whilst its 10 hours back to Cali by bus, this time I have the consolation of scenery. This part of Colombia (Antioquia) has an extraordinary natural beauty and as many of the roads pass over high ridges, the traveller is blessed with an outrageous birds eye view. As you would expect the further you pentrate into the countryside the more isolated the roadside communites become raising the question of how education in such areas is delivered. My research has suggested that in the absence of willing teachers, Colombia has developed a sophicated and successful pedogogy (referred to as Escuela Neuva – New School) in order to manage individual classes of different ages and levels. As a tired teacher myself, I cant get my head around this principle and it will certainly be worth investigating further sometime in the future.
Whilst I am very cautious about glib comparisons of foreign culture to that of the UK, I openly admit that Im an incorrigible music snob and have no problem slagging off others shortcomings. In this context, Colombia falls well short of our proud heritage. In Cali for example, Salsa is the predominant music style and the few that dont like it opt for the commercial rock scene instead; Kiss, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, nuff said. My bus driver quite literally sat (and even bounced up & down in his spring loaded chair) in the first camp and played salsa music for the entire journey. Irritatingly, salsa is designed to get you on your feet with an insistent and piercing trumpet and drum rhythm that can penetrate even the dullest consciousness, hardly the first choice of tune for a tried traveller. Needlesstosay by the time we reached our destination I was climbing the walls; the next trumpet I come across will have a few more bends in its pipework that were originally specified.

Friday morning and were back in Poblado2 for a parents meeting at Colegio Richard Bach. The director Diana greeted us warmly and introduced us to the parents whilst promoting the aims of educational research. We got an excellent return of nearly 30 parental and 6 teacher completions although ironically, we will have to return later to pick up Dianas own response.
Later that afternoon, we returned to El Diamante (public) where the whole process started to attend the parents meeting that had been postponed from the previous week. Unfortunately, it was postponed once more and whilst El Diamante is now lost to the study I have enough data from other public institutions not be be overly concerned by this rare failure.

And so the penultimate working week comes to a close and little remains of the data collection process but to pick up the odd questionnaire from the few stragglers on the list. In order to tie off the research period in an objective manner, I designed a further tool validation exercise requiring the assistance of 3 or 4 random parents. The idea is to place these parents into a select number of schools, have them ask questions of the DoS and Teachers and to score (in a genuinely viseral manner) the climate of the schools. Their opinions will then be compared to the questionnaire results as a course means of instrument validation. To implement this task, we have asked Gerardo if he could get a few volunteers but unfortunately work committments have not made this task possible too date. Joni said he would chat with Gerardo over the weekend in one final attempt to complete the task but I not overly optimistic.

As this is my last weekend, I wanted to say hasta luego (until later) to Leonor and the children at the Foundation Autonoma in Poblado2. Although the institution hasnt been involved in my research directly, I have probably learnt more about the real problems facing Aguablanca in this locale than anywhere else. This learning process now includes a video of a young offender rehab session during which Leonor described a number of harrowing murder and rape cases involving the principal protagonists. Besides this, the joy that this environment stimulates in the children is more than enough incentive to return. On this visit I am accompanied by Lydia, a friend of Ana Lucia who has been very animated by my experiences in Aguablanca. Once the group of young maestros were assembled Lydia was asked to introduce herself and immediately choked as she tried to explain her motivations for being involved, it was very touching expression and received a round of applause from the youngsters. By the end of the day she had also received more Leonor bonus points than Id accumulated over 3 visits. Development can be a very completive business.

As I have previously mentioned in order to get a better grasp on local context, Im reading Las Venas Abiertas de America Latina (The Open Veins of Latin America) as written by a local historian and recently presented to Barack Obama by populist revolutionary Hugo Chavez.
Whilst many of its problems can be traced back to its colonial past, for once it seemed the British hadnt soiled their hands with the blood of the indigenous population, that particular infamy belonged to the Spanish and the conquistadores, didnt it? Unfortunately, this isnt the whole story for having expelled the Spanish from its territory in the early 18th century, the British (having commenced our industrial revolution) saw an excellent free trade opportunity and the possibility to extend the reach of its own growing empire. Whilst its true that we didnt invade South America directly, we controlled many individual nations by proxy e.g. Brazil through the Portuguese, flooding the local markets with British products and using our warships to blow away trade barriers where ever they were encountered. At the height of British imperialism, we aggravated and then sponsored a proxy war on Paraguay carried out on our behalf by Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. Up to this point, Paraguay had remained the only country on the continent that operated successfully and independently beyond the control of colonial powers. Such insolence was a bad example for the rest and had to be stopped, hence a 10 year conflict that ultimately reduced Paraguay to the poverty stricken nation we recognise today. As imperial fortune would have it, the conflict also bankrupted the 3 proxy nations, leaving them equally exposed to increased colonial control. The British used similar techniques across the globe, nurturing the local elite who then turned their expanded powers on all forms of local resistance, enriching themselves whilst betraying and eliminating countless numbers of their own countrymen. Latin America was thereby reduced to little more than a collection of dependent nations characterised by gross inequality. The continent was exploited as an endless source of cheap raw material rather than a trading block in its own right and here is where much of it remains. Although my nationality doesnt embarrass me, the actions of my predesessors across the globe have been notably destructive and stubbornly enduring.

Friday once again and Joni and myself are in Poblado1 for a parents meeting at a small, private primary school; Los Triunfos. We arrived on schedule at 8.00am however the meeting was delayed until 9.30 so we made ourselves comfortable in the cafeteria opposite and watched the world go by or more accurately, watched the world watching us. Whilst neither the DoS nor the teachers have completely their own questionnaires in the period since our last visit, that didnt stop them being extremely helpful and supportive. Having introduced the subject matter, the DoS asked a couple of questions, promoted the role of educational research and encouraged the parents to get involved themselves. We collected a grand total of 17 questionnaires from Los Triunfos which is a very good return for a relatively small institution. As we were preparing to leave we got chatting to one of the mothers about the significance and causes of violence in Aguablanca and its relationship to the education system. She indicated that public schools are at a significant disadvantage, their size tends to attract the attention of the gangs leading to increased problems of drug trafficking and violence. In addition our interviewee believed that the public institutions didn’t give enough homework, consequently the children didnt have enough to occupy themselves and out of boredom would go looking for trouble. Her reasoning may or may not provide an accurate reflection of reality but parental concern for security in local schools is undeniable. A parent meeting at El Diamante (Public) for that afternoon was postponed and so the working week ended on an anticlimax.
No time to get all irritable about El Diamante however, its the holiday weekend and Ana-Lu (my landlady) is taking me to Medellin to meet her friends. Medellin holds a bit of a fascination for me, its desperately exotic and unknown and the Paisas (locals) have a reputation for being friendly and very beautiful people.
Whilst the national coaches are plush modern affairs, I dont enjoy travelling for any longer than 6 hours at a time and its even worse at night when theres no scenery to distract you from the discomfort. Despite rural Colombias dodgy reputation, the only event of note was being stopped by army/police at half-distance, naturally I was just dropping off as the lights went up for the security check. The officer went the length of the bus frisking the men and unpacking all of the luggage which of course seems to be a gross infringement of personal liberty but I dont live here. I prepared myself for examination (feeling relieved that I had packed my passport) only for the officer to take one look at me and pass me by. Now I felt irritated that I had been given some kind of preferential treatment not extended to the locals. I was tempted to accuse the officer of discrimination but why go looking for trouble.
The discomfort lasted for 10 hours and we drew into Medellin at 7.00am. We were met by Ana Lus friends, Armando and Nora who were resident in Cali but moved to Medellin 5 years ago. I believe first impressions count for a lot and as we drove through the plush southern neighbourhoods of Medellin these impressions were very positive. Medellin is the city of eternal spring, around 27-30 degrees all year round, a blessed relief compared to the oppressive humidity of Cali. As opposed to the cliched spaghetti western appearance/ambience Id anticipated, Medellin is clean and well-organised, a confident and relaxed city blending attractive high rise blocks with plenty of lively plazas and lush green vegetation. After a few hours rest we all went for a closer look, using the spanking new metro system to get to the centre of town. From here you also get a better idea of Medellins social problems.
The city is built in a narrow valley and whilst the smart areas dominate the spaces along the length of the river, the surrounding hills are a crush of slum dwellings. Contrast this with Cali which is built on a broad expanse of flat land and whilst Aguablanca is a large slum district, it cant be readily seen and can therefore be largely ignored. The slums of Medellin dont afford such a luxury, look up from any part of the city and there they are an oppressive and ever-present symbol of the inequalities that characterise this city and this country. If you want to get closer, you can even take the smart new cable car system; you float above all the chaos take a few tourist shots and return without ever having to lay a foot in bandit country.
We strolled around the centre of town for a few hours and you couldnt help but marvel at its self confidence, theres a strong sense of safety and normality here despite the immense burden on its shoulders. Cali is far more chaotic by comparison. Whilst Ive been here for a matter of no time at all, the paisas are living up to their reputation, they are friendly, service is very good and are very attractive. I may just have fallen in love with Medellin and its certainly gonna take a lot to convince me not to return here. We spend the evening in the Sabaneta neighbourhood close to home, a vibrant district with many typical paisa restaurants and bars. Of course not everything is perfect and as we settled down to dinner you couldnt help but notice the array of religious iconography that filled this particular restaurant, including a large sculpted head of an agonising Christ; not exactly the preferred appetiser with my chorizo sausage. These kinds of images remind me of the negative side of Seville, the fake piety and the conservative insularity. I just hope Los Paisas are a little more open minded than Los Sevillanos.

On Sunday, we left the Medellin for the village of Guatapec about 2 hours from the city. My hosts told me that we would be visiting a popular landmark in the form of a sacred stone, a notably understated description. El Penol is indeed a stone but one that rises more 200m above the surrounding countryside and lakes, the rural equivalent of Sugar Loaf. Whilst I dont suffer from vertigo in its extreme form, I do have a strong aversion to heights but like any tall structure, it demands that up go to the top. The climb isnt especially strenuous however the builders definitely lacked the kind of craftsmanship youd want to see upon leaving terra firma; the supporting concrete had been simply poured over the surface of the stone and the staircase laid on top, akin to the role of sticky back plastic and any Blue Peter model. Fortunately, the views of the surrounding area werent subject to the same human shortcomings.

Still felt a little queazy at the start of the week but Im slowly getting my strength and my appetite back. Fortunately, we only had a couple of appointments on Monday and they werent until the afternoon. We arrived at the austentaciously namely Loboguerrero/Wolf Warrior school (public) to retrieve the teacher/DoS questionnaires and whilst Joni kept the headman occupied, I waited outside to accost the parents as they arrived to collect their childen. Their was a general reluctance to complete the exercise on the spot but many agreed to take the paper home and return a completed version the following day. Im fairly sceptacle about this option but as this was the original delivery strategy, it will be interesting to measure the return rate. I managed to convince 9 parents to take a questionnaire before Joni returned and we continued.
We arrived on time at the Ivan Dario Lopez school though it was quiet enough to assume that I had made a mistake regarding schedules. We were kept waiting a little while as the diminutive DoS occupied herself with some paperwork before giving us her undivided attention and confirming that we were working on the Latin schedule (add 20 minutes). Shes a very cooperative lady and more cheerful than on previous occasions though she did look completely exhausted, a fact exaggerated by her slight frame and pale complexion. We waited patiently and chatted randomly with a few of the teachers about our investigation as the parents started to arrive. Attendance at these meetings has been consistently good because parents at all schools are obliged to pick up reports rather than rely on their child for delivery. This occasion was no different as one of the school managers kicked off the meeting, welcoming the parents and eulogising about the benefits of the goverment subside programme (PAC). Having delivered the good news, he then chastised everyone for misplaced pessisism (regarding the possibility of university entry) and for failing to exert sufficient discipline in the home. He was right of course and its certainly something Im going to have to work-on when I return to Newcastle.
It was quite an intimidating act to follow and Joni had considered making a joke of it but wisely changed his mind, after all not since a certain chef left The Muppets have the Swedes been known for their comedy timing. As always, the parents listened politely and even gave us a round of applause once the introductions and explanations were complete. Due to time constraints, the DoS once again asked the parents not to complete the questionnaires on the spot but to do them at home and drop them off the following day.
Having walked and talked our way around comuna 13 for 8 very intense weeks (in the sun) Im tired and in need of a break, however there remains the final and most significant (collection) phase of the investigation which is hardly the time to start losing your will. To make things easier, I thought it was high time we took the weight off our feet and let someone else carry the load. For a fare of 10 quid, I hired a taxi for the entire morning and we visited a host of schools, picking up as many teacher/DoS questionnaires as possible. We got great responses from El Poblado parents (private) and Loboguerrero teachers (public) though a decidely mute response from Humberto and their less than enthusiastic deputy head. There was also disappointment at Ivan Dario Lopez, the parents it appears do indeed lack discipline at home and we recieved less than 10% of responses. During this time, we also had the opportunity to drop-in on the Santa Lucia school (private) and leave questionnaires at the parents meeting. Once again, we would have to return the following day for collection and hope the parents would do the right thing.

Wednesday. In view of the relatively sweatless and odourless success of the previous day, I once again hired a cab and we did the rounds. Despite being on a grid system, the local neighbourhoods are often set at angles to one another requiring subtle changes in addressing and actually making driving and direction finding more difficult. First we popped into Santa Lucia and were initially disappointed having obtained only 2 from 20 responses however, once our presence in the school was known, a gang of children appeared in reception with their completed copies. We left with a total of 11 which is most certainly a success. Next we went to Moderno Los Robles (private) and whilst Joni waited inside to assist participants I waited outside to verbally wrestle them into submission. There was a certain tension in the air today as the area has recently seen the arrival of a new slum settlement (or invasion) and apparently there had been some shooting the previous day. I kept back in the shadows and without wishing to startle anybody (a no-no under such curcumstances) managed to convince 6 parents to commit 15 minutes of their time to the cause. We thanked the DoS for her time and headed for the final destination of the day at Luz Haydee (public) to collect questionnaires, not from the DoS this time but from the rebel teacher that we had spoken to the previous week. S/he had done the business and handed over the completed papers in an appropriately clandestine manner as we discussed his/her work. Ironically it was today of all days that the disinterested DoS decided that he wanted more information about our work. Joni kept the DoS occupied whilst I chatted to the insider. S/He said that he would like more exposure for his talented childern from abroad and naturally I would like to help but exactly how this can be achieved is difficult to know.
The tour is complete for the day but the day itself is a long way short of complete. My tourist visa only allows me to stay for 2 months and whilst getting an extension is apparently no problem, Joni and myself have to travel to the north of the city to the Directorate of Security Administration in order to complete the process. When we arrive, there is a huge back log of people waiting but fortunately for us these were Colombians with their own issues, foreigners have a seperate area which at the time of arrival was almost completed deserted. For Joni its all very easy, hes been through the process before and simply has to pay the extension fee of 15 pounds. I, on the other hand have to get multiple photocopies of everything in my possession, including body parts and return the following day before Im even considered worthy of a stamp. Even a Swede would have trouble finding the funny side.

Having reached all bar one of the schools, we have now entered the final stage of the data collection process. Gerardo was unavailable for a couple of days, so I had the opportunity to catch up with some more data entry and continue eating away at my placement tasks. On Thursday afternoon I went to local restaurant for lunch, one that I have used on a number of occasions previously. Within a few hours, I was doubled over as every single antibody in my system repelled my choice of chicken (in a sauce that forensics are still trying to identify). Ironically, I thought I was doing the right thing by avoiding the pork. Whilst I returned to Aguablanca (metaphorical speaking), Ana Lucia was very sympathic and made me feel as comfortable as is possible under such circumstances. I went to bed with antibiotics and rehydration fluid but I barely slept and felt completely drained the next morning. Unfortunately, we had parents meetings at 2 schools and I wouldnt have a second opportunity to get their opinions.
First up then was Sur Oriental (private) and its exuberant DoS, Fernando. Today of all days the entire process was somewhat protracted as initially at least, no-one seemed quite sure what was happening. However for all the procrastination, we still collected a significant haul of questionnaires and also had the opportunity to talk to a couple of teachers. One in particular was very interested in our investigation but his name hadnt appeared in our random sample so he didnt receive a questionnaire. He indicated that he had some very strong views about the way this particular school was being run and would be very pleased to be involved. He took a further 4 questionaires for his colleagues and I await with interest for their responses.
The next parents meeting wasnt due to commence until 3pm so I agreed to pick up Joni later that afternoon and in the meantime I went home and straight to bed where I slept solidly for the next 3 hours. By the time we returned to Aguablanca, there was already a long queue of parents waiting outside of El Poblado school (public). I say parents, there was actually not a single father to be seen.
We spoke to the secretary who we had met on a number of occasions in the previous few weeks. She indicated that while are questionnaires were welcome, this gathering was a bit of a celebration for the school and she would prefer it if we didnt distract the ladies with our presence. Im not exactly sure what she meant by that after all we didnt suggest a live show but she did agree to take 22 questionnaires and asked us to return on Tuesday to pick up a completed set. Given my physical condition, I was more than happy to hand over the paperwork and responsibility to the school and within 30 minutes I was back in bed. Whilst a meeting with Montezuma is always unpleasant, I met him on his own turf and I can take some consolation from the fact that much of the work has already been completed so couple of days off would probably do me some good.

Monday. The Bolivariano school (private) was having a parents meeting, providing another perfect opportunity to hand out some questionnaires. The one complaint; the meeting started at 6.30am. Whilst I picked up Joni in good time, we didnt have the benefit of Gerardos guidance this morning as he had other things to do, so it was up to us to find our own way. Whilst the Aguablanca design is based on a grid system and supposedly easy to follow, addresses remain long and complicated even for taxi drivers, consequently we arrive 20 minutes late for our appointment. The meeting culture in Colombia is however different and delays are part of the process, hence whilst most Europeans would have drifted away by now our audience was still waiting patiently. We gratefully received 15 completed questionnaires and then relaxed in conversation with the school owner, a cheerful lady on the edge of retirement. She has been on the edge for sometime it seems but feels so committed to the school that she is unable to let go. Whilst she is optimistic about the future she has many concerns, finance being the most prominent among them. Testimony from other private institutions has indicated that whilst many are within the government subside programme(PAC) payments are often less than anticipated and/or delayed leaving the school and teachers in particular feeling the pinch.
The next school on the list is another small private institution, Gran Colombia which is just around the corner. We had already visited the school the previous week but once again were unable to make introductions as the DoS was unavailable. We took a phone number and promised to make a call before trying again at some point in the future.
Next on the list was Los Robles (private) to retrieve completed DoS and teacher questionnaires. No problems here and we were welcome to return any day at around 12.00pm to interview the parents. Finally we visited El Poblado (private) to confirm the date of the parents meeting. The secretary told us that there were 2 meetings this Friday, a day that will require careful planning as it coincides with parents meetings at El Diamante (Public) and Sur Oriental (private). It promises to be a very busy day.
Tuesday. We met Gerardo at 10am and headed for Santa Rosa (Public) in Poblado2. Victor wasnt available until mid-day so we headed towards Morales Pino (Private) promising to return in the early afternoon. Once again a group of parents were available and willing to consume a little of their time on our behalf. No problems have been identified with the principle part of the questionnaire but once again explanations were required to manage the supplementary attachment regarding school choice. In order to avoid confusion and frustration therefore, I asked the parents simply to mark the 3 most important factors in school choice from the list provided. Obviously this is not ideal but I believe I can still derive useful information without radical change which hardly seems appropriate 6 weeks into the process.

We returned to Santa Rosa for our meeting with the DoS, Victor. He certainly seems a very committed individual and had a number of points to make regarding the questionnaires. One of the principle issues he highlighted was student turnover and its effect on budgetary planning. A significant percentage of the students in the school are from displaced families many of whom dont have a permenant home and the stability that comes with it. Consequently, students come and go at a disturbing rate making the process of education particularly difficult. Victor indicated that local government do have management strategies but neither the will nor the finances to fulfil their commitments. However according to Victor, there is light at the end of the tunnel as he showed us glossies for a number of new, large scale, educational centres planned for Aguablanca. It all looked very impressive and there can be little doubt that the existing public establishments are old, tired and well beyond their sell-by dates. However, will these plans be considered in view of the broader question; whether the public sector is indeed the best provider of education in poor regions and would a raft of good private schools be forced to close in the presence of a pubic monopoly. Would the money be better spent supporting the private infrastructure and helping them increaase access for the poor?
After Santa Rosa we head toward Luz Haydee (public), a appointment Id been greatly anticipating given the notable enthusiasm of the deputy DoS and his staff to our investigations. Were we in for a disappointment!! At the gate we met the DoS himself who once again pleaded ignorance, politely fobbed us off and pointing us in the direction of his deputy. Ive not been impressed with him but it didnt represent a problem as the deputy head had always been our primary contact at this institution. From the beginning however it was clear that the deputy was irritated by our presence and our requests, indicating that none of the teachers had returned their paperwork and if we wanted a reply then we should go directly to each classroom and approach the staff individually. Chastened, we walked around the school collecting just 2 of the 12 questionnaires we had originally distributed. We returned to the deputys office to politely indicate the shortfall only to be confronted by a barrage of excuses and an added dash of venom. We sympathised with his predicaments and indicated that there was never any obligation associated with our research. As we prepared to leave, he became a little more conciliatory and asked us to return on Monday by which time he promised to have everything completed. We had already left the premises when a single teacher who witnessed the deputys diatribe called our attention. I recognised this individual but Ill keep his/her identity secret for reasons that will become clear. Our contact asked what the research was about and queried why s/he hadnt received a copy of the questionnaire. In view of the number of children in the area and the lack of resources, many schools operate on 2 shifts and unfortunalely none of his/her shift were notified of our work. Our teacher dismissed the selected group of teachers as predominantly apathetic and asked me for copies of the questionnaires for his/her colleagues promising a more realistic response. What did s/he mean?
Our contacts principle complaints concerned school management who s/he accused of lack of support and unwilling to address the real issues surrounding the school, particularly violence and drugs. Next, s/he complained of a profound lack of resources and how his/her children lacked both books and materials. Finally and most insistently, s/he accused the management of spin more interested in presenting a positive image of the school than actually concentrating on real and sustainable improvement. It was certainly a kick in the teeth for Luz Haydee but in view of the insecure and superficial behaviour of the deputy head, perhaps we shouldnt have been too surprised. Before departing, our contact took a fist full of questionnaires and promised to deliver a more realistic impression of the institution by the time we returned. It will certainly make for interesting reading.

With Gerardo having to work for his NGO on Thursdays and Fridays, I have a couple of days free from the intensity of Aguablanca to work on other things. Being as Ive spent so much of the last year in one bedroom or another (not quite as glamourous as it sounds), its good to escape these confines periodically and change the study environment. To my great disappointment, Cali doesnt have a thriving coffee bar scene despite producing some of the worlds best beans. Rather than a quaint collection of independent bars, you have to go to one of the superficial shopping centres and even then youre forced to buy from the national equivalent of Starbucks (in this case Juan Valdez). I ended up at the Los Palmettos Mall purchased my 2 hour coffee and continued reviewing and updating my Philanthropy paper.
Whilst preparing my contextual description, I have focussed on what makes Aguablanca a slum; principally violence and social instabililty. The statistics speak for themselves and those of a nervous disposition should probably turn away now (that means you Mum and you to Pauline). According to UN statistics (2003), the average number of urban homicides (globally) stood at 7 per 100,000 inhabitants. Colombia Im afraid to say, is at the top of the list with a shocking 80 homocides/100,000. Now before you dispatch the marines, these figures must be placed in some kind of context. There is no doubt that compared to the average Colombia is a dangerous place, however these dangers are localised to very specific areas and invariably involve gang/drug related incidents. Beyond these neighbourhoods, people are getting on with their lives as they do everywhere else, in fact one of the principle local complaints is the absence of any good news stories from the international headlines.
Not withstanding the psychological impact of violence (particularly on the children), there remains one particular conundrun that no-one has answered to my complete satifaction; why is it that Colombia suffers out of all proportion to its neighbours, all of whom have similar histories and resources while many have far worse economic and/or social problems .i.e. Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru etc. Gerardo, a qualified psychologist himself has suggested that Colombians are fundamentally more volatile and less law abiding when compared to other South American countries. Whilst Gerardo may have a point, I have acquired a copy of Las Venas Abiertas de America Latina in order to provide a different perspective. Although the symptoms are clear, the seeds of such behaviour are lodged deep in the national psyche and its going to require a PhD style study to clearly define the problem and develop a strategy/educational pedagogy to affect this national tragedy. By the time Im finished for the day, darkness has fallen and whilst my flat is no great distance from Los Palmettos, Im carrying my laptop on my shoulder and a number of disturbing statistics in my head so I choose to take a taxi home rather than invite any trouble.

Saturday and Im up at 4.45am once again for another visit to the Fundacion Autonoma and this time Joni has decided to tag along. Leonor is very clear about rules/norms and consistency and the day passed off much as it had done the previous week though no less enjoyable. Having discussed the work of the foundation with my landlady, Ana Lucia and her friend from the bank, Lydia both are very keen to visit next week, neither having been to Aguablanca before and both wanting something constructive to do once they retire next year. Fortunately, Leonor was very positive about the idea and it will be an interesting to measure their reaction.
After the children had gone and Leonor had conducted 3 hours of review with the young maestros, it was time to head home myself. It turned out to be quite an eventful journey; firstly, a couple of motorbikes crashed right in front of our vehicle. Fortunately, both riders appeared to be OK however it was symbolic of another Colombian trait, road chaos. As Gerardo suggested Colombians are volatile and have absolutely no patience or lane discipline, in contraction to convention the horn is used as a warning to other road users that the driver is about to do something really stupid. Ive always considered myself a confident driver but theres no way on earth Id get behind the wheel on these roads, its a total lottery. Secondly and far more surprising than the RTA to our left, a game of rugby was in progress on our right. Naturally my interest was sparked and I asked Leonor to drop me off so I could take a closer look.

After a conversation with one of the reserve players, it turns out that I was witnessing a local tournament between four university teams and whilst I saw nothing that would convince me to dig out my gumshield and jockstrap, there is an apparent shortage of qualified referees. The official for this event actually had to be shipped in from Medellin and Ill admit that a part of me was hoping hed suffer a little injury and I could have a go. One of the teams present had been trained by a couple of French immigrants working in Cali and as a roast beef, I couldnt resist a harmless little dig in light of a resounding English victory over Les Bleus in the recent Six Nations. The standard was actually better than expected and its nice to know that if I do return to Colombia, my rugby experience wont go rotten on the vine. The French guys kindly invited me for the customary night out but after a full day at the foundation Id seen enough childlike behaviour for one day and so politely declined. There will be other opportunities and in the meantime it was good to see Colombian volatility being expressed in a more positive way than is usually associated with this paradoxically welcoming yet tragic country.
Looking at the plan for next week, we only have to introduce ourselves to one more school. We regards to the others, we are either returning to pick up DoS and teacher questionnaires and/or performing a parental study. If all goes well the data collection process could be 2/3 complete by Wednesday so at the risk of tempting fate, heres hoping for another successful week.

Wednesday. Our first appointment was at the Instituto Santa Rosa where we were planning to ambush a few unsuspecting parents . Whilst this approach represented a partial form of random sampling, we are limited to the group of parents that choose to collect their children from school as opposed to selection of all parents. This isnt perfect but as Gerardo indicated, we would almost certainly be wasting our time expecting children to take the questionnaires home returning at some future date with a completed version. To visit each household would also be impractical, afterall were having enough trouble finding the schools nevermind individual homes. This improbable task would also require that each of the DoS provide an up to date list of names and addresses. All things considered its not gonna happen, not on this trip anyway.
Whilst I performed the introductions, Joni sat with the parents and helped them complete the questionnaires. In the confined space provided, it wasnt long before we were surrounded by inquisitive children wondering what their parents were doing. As always, Joni is remarkably unflustered by the apparent chaos whilst I did my best to distract the children as they attempted to discover my nationality. Lots of gold stars for enthusiam, not so many for geography. This was the first opporunity Ive had to enquire about parental choice and the reasons underpinning a preference for private institutions. The supplementary questionnaire requires the parents to prioritise a list of related factors however, this model would appear to be overly complicated with many parents having difficulty understanding the task. Whilst we were able to talk them through the format, Im going to have to rationalise it in order to avoid any further confusion and/or time wasting.
We leave Santa Rosa with seven parental, one DoS and six teacher responses which is more than I had allowed for in my original plan. Gerardo conveniently arrived just as we were saying our goodbyes and we headed off in the direction of Poblado neighbourhood and the Providencia school for another meeting with the parents. Gerardo was walking his scooter for this leg of the trip and this seems to have attracted the attention of a couple of passing police officers. They pull us over and immediately start questioning Gerardo about the nature of this unlikely group (one local, one Swede and one Englishman carrying a raft of paperwork into Poblado 2). The officers themselves dont bother me, what Im more concerned about is my visa status. Whilst we have a perfectly reasonable set of explanations for our presence and even an authorising letter (from Jairo), I dont know if my tourist visa actually covers me to carry out research in Colombia. Added to that, I only have my Spanish residency card as proof of identity as opposed to the requisite passport. Whilst one officer performs the oligatory frisking, the other calls into base to make his checks. Whatever it was that passed between him and his radio, our man is satisfied that we are operating within the rules and allows us to continue on our way. I didnt think at any point that we were in any real trouble but no one wants to spend time in a Colombian police station answering trick questions in a foreign language. There was a deep and collective sigh of relief as we headed toward the Nuestra Senora de la Providencia private school.
Once the administrator of the institution had acknowledged our presence, she immediately conscripted all unsuspecting parents loitering outside of the premises. By the time we had finished, we had amassed 20 responses which is an excellent return for a relatively small school. Once again, the supplementary questionnaire proved to be unwieldy but with a little patience I think we got a reasonably intelligible response. One further question that will require resolution before drawing any conclusions is bias. Whilst I am delighted with 20 completions, the final results will lean towards individual institutions if response bias is not considered.
With Gerardo leading the way, we head toward the neighbourhoods of Los Lagos and Poblado2 to visit the small private institutions that remain on the list. Once again, the schools we visited were nothing if not welcoming, interested and supportive and whilst the investigation is going this well, Ill never tire of saying so. The outstanding institution from a personal perspective was the Richard Bach school, set in the heart of the neighbourhood and run by another remarkable lady, Diana. The school was named after the author of the inspirational short story, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull and started as nothing more than a wooden shack. Today its modern, colourful, welcoming building (see photo) and an inspiration in and of itself. Diana and her deputy designed the school and have managed its growth throughout the last 15 years which will soon include a third floor. As someone who spent nearly as much career time going to meetings and writing documents that no-one read, Im humbled by such an achievement. After the introductions and explanations, she takes us around the school and interrupts a couple of classes. The youngest children welcome us but are little confused by foreign faces. The older children have no such reservations and we are mobbed as we enter the playground, I even recognise some of the children from my weekend visit to the Leonors Foundation Autonoma. Before leaving I promise to return and do at least one English class for them, though I had better start organising my diary as I’ve now made this promise to a number of other institutions. Its gone 4 oclock and we still havent had lunch, so we cross the river and into a bustling market place in comuna 14. Over some oven-baked chicken, we discuss a plan for the following week which includes a rugby training session for the youngsters of the Juan Bosco foundation where Gerardo works. He thinks it would be a fantastic way for his charges to divest themselves of much pent up frustration, whilst I am just delighted to have the opportunity to return more than a few favours.

As you will by now have noted dear reader, life in Aguablanca is arduous and often very dangerous. Allowing for pockets of tranquility, the atmosphere here is a reflection of a collective psyche that seems forever dominated the very real fear of attack. Consequently, Joni and I are very much indebted to Gerardo, a local NGO worker who has given up much of his free time to guide us safely between the schools and the various neighbours in comuna 13. Without his support this particular investigation would have required 6 months rather than 2 and an inordinate number of taxi rides, assuming you could find a cabbie willing to entre Poblado2 et al. I hope that I am able to return his generosity sometime in the not to distant future.
Monday, and just as I was taking his presence for granted, Gerardo was unable to find the time to take us to the next selection of schools (mid-size private). In order to avoid any lost time, I went round to Jonis to plan the week and print off all the questionnaires for the remaining research period. If all are completed, I will have in excess of 200 questionnaires from assorted teachers, parents and DoS. This would have been beyond my greatest expectations before arrival and would represent a very large debt of gratitude to both Gerardo and Joni. It a bit of load though so I wonder if theyd mind taking it all back to Newcastle for me.
On Tuesday, Joni was busy for the entire morning so for the first time it would be just myself and Gerardo doing the work. I arrived early for our morning appointment at the Santa Rosa Private school in the neighbourhood of El Pondaje. As is the routine, the taxi driver asked me who I was and why I wanted to go to Aguablanca of all places and not for the first time I raised my camera and pretended to be an American tourist looking for a pretty wife. Disconcertingly, the drivers seem more interested in my taste in women than my personal safety. Still, if some stupid gringo is intent on looking for trouble, why should my cabbie ignore a half decent fare.
Its 8am and Im waiting for Geraldo in a cafe at the entrance to the El Pondaje neghbourhood. Whilst Im enjoying the coffee (Colombia is famous for it afterall), Im undeniably tense. The plan is to introduce myself and the research topic to 6 untested private schools today and without the support of Joni Im gonna have to concentrate really hard. Gerardo arrives at 8.30 and we take the short trip to Santa Rosa, a school we have previously visited although the DoS was too busy to entertain us at the time. Once again she greeted us warmly and thanks to Gerardos latin charm, agreed to give us a few minutes of her time. Fortunately, Maria is just one more example of the many friendly and totally comitted DoSs that I have had the pleasure to meet. We discussed the scope of the research, the broader work of Newcastle University and my first impressions of Colombia. She accepted the questionnaires without hesistation and invited us to return at 11.30am the following day to interview the parents as they collected their children. This was the opening round of an intense day of introductions, explanations, discussions and scheduling as we trekked around the communa in the midday sun between the various schools. Whilst I am of course a totally impartial investigator, what struck me most about these private institutions was the viseral feeling of positivity they exude, the precise phenomena my instruments are designed to measure. Most of these schools are colourful, light and airy places when compared to the somewhat forlorn appearance of the public equivilent; cinderellas to the big, ugly sisters if you will. However, it remains to be seen if the opinions of the teachers and the parents confirm this perception. We had completed the round by mid-afternoon, leaving questionnaires and/or making future appointments at each of the institutions, I even have at least 1 parents meeting at 6.30am for goodness sake. Isnt sleep every bit as important as education! Apart from that its been another successful day and only 5 schools remain outstanding from an original list of 20. None of this would realistically have been possible without the totally voluntary and invaluable assistance of Gerardo and I dedicate this entry to him.

I went to the yesterdays meeting for 2 principal reasons; firstly to get an understanding of the violence in the context of Aguablanca and secondly, to catch up with Leonor of the Fundacion Autonoma and invite myself to her school to meet the children. As I have already indicated in many entries, it is the way of Colombians to start the day very early though Leonor takes this characteristic to a different level entirely. I got up at 4.45am to meet her on the opposite side of town and I was still fighting the irritation and nausea as she described her own routine; rising at 3.30am six days a week and allowing herself the luxury of a lie-in on Sunday when she gets up at 4.30am. I only presumed this hour existed because it says so on the clock not because I have actually been around to witness it. By 6.00am most of the group have arrived and Im summoned to the classroom to meet them. Im greeted politely by around 30 teenagers dressed in pristine yellow tee-shirts and with small wooden crucifixes hanging around their necks. Ive never thought that crosses sat comfortably on the shoulders of rebellious teenagers and ordinarily this kind of overt religious symbolism would bother me but these are not ordinary circumstances and for many people their faith is all they have.

Leonor introduces me and Im asked to talk about my life and experiences. I dont have a stock answer to this question, one that I think would be meaningful to my audience anyway, so instead I invite the group to ask me some direct questions. After a few whats, whos and whys, Im asked to say something in English. Fortunately, I have some experience at this and instead reverse the process and teach one of the group how to introduce herself. We repeat sequential lines of a typical introduction and by the time shes told everyone who she is, her nationality and where she lives (all in a clipped home-counties accent) everyone is in fits of laughter.

The session then moved in different direction as Leonor takes control once more and directs a meditation session. Everyone is asked to relax, close their eyes and direct attention to their breathing. Once she had their complete attention, Leonor read extracts from the bible focussing on the principles of forgiveness, peace, self respect and happiness. This was not just a simple bible class along the lines of Sunday school but part of a premeditated pedagogy used to instill the positive virtues associated with Christian faith. All of these children come from poor homes, many of these children come from violent and abusive homes, some have even committed murder, for them the school may represent the only order and purpose in their entire world.

I had been under the notion that the day was organised for these young people but actually that was only part of the story. Leonor read through a roster and then we moved outside to find a 100 or so very young children waiting for their teachers (or maestros as the pedagogy refers to them). Tiny Leonor stepped up onto a table and led a round of songs with the same Christian themes and human values. Next the teenagers helped the children with their manualidades (practical activities) and in the design of their own song and dance routine for the parents. Throughout it all Leonor remained on stage directing proceedings and issuing points and penalties for behaviour, I thought it was just for effect but actually her assistant Marjory had been keeping score throughout the entire day. The atmosphere was energetic and enthusiastic, noisy and chaotic but above all the abiding feeling was one of love and kindness. To watch these children protect and care for one another in such place as Poblado 2 is intensely moving, it cant but leave an indelible mark on the soul and I loved every minute of it. After 6 inspiring hours, the parents departed with the youngsters but for the young maestros they still had to endure the Leonor review. The teenagers were asked to describe their experiences in terms of positives/negatives and identify what it is they think have learned from the day. During this session Leonor showed her tougher side, demanding respect for the speaker and meaningful answers from everybody. Whilst there was the occasional teenage sulk (inevitably resulting in a points deduction) this conclusion to the day represented an extremely important process of self awareness. The speakers are required to overcome their fear of public speaking and in the process develop confidence and a emotional language that promotes healthy self-expression as opposed to the repression of strong and potentially dangerous thoughts and feelings.

As I indicated previously, I am not the biggest fan of organised religion but that isnt to the exclusion of individual spirituality and faith. The message of Christ taps into a well of positive human values and is the corner stone of the foundations pedagogy. Now I dont know where the line between spirituality and dogma exists for this school and its all too easy to pour scorn on the perceived weaknesses of religion from the comfort of a middle class British suburb. However, if today has been any indication of its positive influence then I may just be a contextual convert. I asked if I could come back the following week on the precondition that I receive 100 bonus points for having to get up at such an unholy hour. Leonor laughed but I still had to settle for 75.

Wednesday. Its 6.00am and its pouring with rain but we have an appointment at the Humberto Public school and a further opportunity to take advantage of a parent/teacher meeting. By 7.15am myself and Joni are in Poblado2 and cradling cups of hot coffee waiting for our Geraldo who is coming on his scooter. Were not delayed for long but the poor guy is completely soaked. Hes been a real trooper thus far and the least I can do is offer him my condolences and a coffee. Not long after, we have arrived at Humberto and are talking to the DoS, a welcoming lady who remembers Joni from his own research period. Whilst we had already introduced ourselves to the school 2 days previously, her somewhat grumpy deputy hadnt passed on any information. We went through the routine once again and were quickly escorted to the first group of parents. Whilst we found our 5 volunteers, it was soon apparent that there were a few of literacy problems in this group so I chose to stay and help whilst Joni and Geraldo would continue the tour of the remaining classrooms. For most of the time I was assisting this big fella; thick set and tough looking character (in a Lawrence Fishburne kind of way). However, you should never judge people by their appearance as the big man was reduced to the level of a nervous child by his inability to read. I would ask him a question and he would then smile meekly as if he had no right to express his own point of view. It left me wondering how many other parents are hamstrung by illiteracy with neither the confidence nor the language to express their rights and concerns to higher authorities. Despite his apparent uncertainly however we had a laugh and he thanked us all for our efforts.

Whilst we waited for the parents to complete the questionnaires, I went on a quick tour of the building to chat to the ever inquisitive children and have a look at the facilities. As with all public institutions to date, the classrooms are clean and functional with tables, chairs and a blackboard. Can one expect anymore in such as environment? Maybe not but compared to Voluntad de Dios, these institutions look tired, old and a little sad, what could be acheived with a lick of paint and a few pictures on the walls, particularly in schools which are always brimming with artistic potential. In the overall scheme, it may seem like a trivial point but my investigations relate precisely to these issues of climate and too date at least, the private institutions appear far more welcoming and energetic.

As if to confirm the point, we visited Sur Oriental (mid size private) and its notably energetic DoS, Fernando. We chatted and he gave us a tour of the school. It had the feel and dimensions of a large home and whilst the classrooms were cramped, they were also bright and welcoming. The climate was viscerally more upbeat and positive than any public institutions, no matter how effective the DoS. We left Oriental with questionnaires for the DoS and his teachers and arranged to return on the 15th May for a scheduled parents meeting. We finished the day off with an introduction to the Pedro Morales Pino private institution. Once again the DoS was welcoming and helpful, though on this occasion the school did appear somewhat dark and on first impressions a little forbidding. To be fair to the school, the blinds were drawn to keep the place cool, so I will look forward to a future visit before making any judgments. One positive feature that I noted before leaving was a bank of computers provided for the children, a facility conspicuously absent in many of the other schools (private and public) in the comuna. Whilst there was the possibility of visiting Santa Rosa (private) later that afternoon, I am very conscious of the fact that Geraldo is working for me in his free time and I do not want to consume more of it than is absolutely necessary. So rather than hang around on the off chance of further progress, we agreed to call it a day and would get together again the following Monday.

For most of what remained of Wednesday and for the whole of Thursday, I sat at the computer and entered all the data we had received for the week which was dominated by the opinions of the parents. I have now acquired nearly 100 questionnaires from 3 public schools alone which pleases me no end and makes the task of data entry that little more bearable.

I have to be honest and admit that I was not very much looking forward to Friday and the second of the comuna 13 meetings on violence. This of course is no reflection on the theme itself which in terms of its social effects takes prominence over all others in Aguablanca, however the first meeting had been for the most part, a very dry political debate and the second was scheduled to last nearly 9 hours. Even before the meeting started Joni and myself had agreed to bail out at lunch time. Fortunately, someone had obviously thought very careful about the real purpose of the meeting and whilst the day was indeed long, we all had a lot of fun. Although I had met many of the participants at the previous meeting, there were a number of new faces, principal among them Diego a management consultant who would drive the proceedings. He was very entertaining character and had prepared a whole tranche of activities to help us get to know each other and build a coherent team, this included having to stand up and state precisely what skills or knowledge you think you bring to the party. Given the context this exercise in public relations is not easy to fulfil, even allowing for my Spanish which at this level is no more than passable, it is these people (qualifications or not) who are the experts, it is they that have the knowledge, the experience and the expertise at ground level. By comparison Im no more than a humble beginner who is here to learn. Add this humility to my teaching experience and an alternative point of view and I may have delivered an acceptable case. Fortunately, Colombians are nothing if not generous and if they were unconvinced by my monologue they certainly didnt show it.

Most of the day was spent playing games which included untying knots and building bridges, quite literally in this case. We would then have to describe the experience and extract the lessons in the context of the team, fairly standard stuff but it was lot of fun and I got to meet a lot of the important players in the comuna. The last few hours were the most tiring as we discussed the final version of the constitution and made arrangements for a very public signing ceremony which to my great disappointment will be performed a week after I return home. The meeting over, I headed in the direction of Roosevelt and 39th with Jorge, an environmentalist working in the comuna. As a consequence of the weather, we were forced to take shelter in a shopping centre and 4 hours later we were still talking. He was well travelled and totally committed to his work in poor communities, to the point where a few years back he very nearly entered the holy order as a priest. What changed his mind? He was based in Medellin, home to the most beautiful women in Latin America. Who could blame him, it would surely test the fortitude of a saint.