As you get older, one notices that your resistance to alcohol diminishes at a rather alarming rate. This is particularly significant when you have made a previous arrangement to meet new friends and explore the local countryside. And so it was that after a night of salsa dancing, Im up again after little more than 3 hours sleep to meet Rodrigo, his sister, Mona and her husband Fernando for a ride to Pance (pronounced pansay), a village in the hills surrounding Cali. After a short but very claustrophobic journey on one of the local micro-buses, we arrive in Pance to be surrounded by towering green hills separated by a fast running fresh water river. The jungle starts here but we could have been thousands of miles from civilisation, in fact Fernando pointed out that it was only a matter of a few hills before you reach the villages of some of the tribes that retain their ancient and so called primitive existence. We had a paddle in the river before trying some of the local delicacies including a milk based drink known as Kumis. It had the texture of yogurt and tabs of sugar and cinnamon are added to remove some of its natural bitterness. As hangover cures go it was certainly better than paracetamol. Other than the natural splendor the most prominent feature of Pance was unfortunately, the number of the military personnel. Fernando told me that control of the village by the government has only been secured in the last few years and whilst I didnt feel threatened by their presence, it was yet another indication of the how violence or at least its associated symbols have a ubiquitous presence. On the other hand, the local people forever rise above such negativity, even my polite refusal of dinner with the family was met with consternation. However, by the time we returned to the apartments I was desparate for some shut-eye.

It seems that I have made a slight miscalulation in my research planning. Whilst I was very much hoping that this week I would have my first opportunity to enter Aguablanca and contact some of the schools, I had overlooked the fact that this week is also Semana Santa or Holy Week across the entire Catholic world. The significance of this event is that all of the schools in the area are closed until Monday week while the adults do their penitence by carrying or following church icons around the city. As a secular liberal, this is more of an inconvenience than a planning disaster as there is plenty to be getting on with in the meantime not least the preparation of the mini research and assignment papers. Whilst it will be interesting to compare the processions with those of Seville, this week will in all likelihood be dominanted by more reading with the intention of starting the documents in terms of a framework and the introductory statements.

Im reading an excellent book that Joni has recommended detailing the specifics surrounding poverty and inequality in Colombia; Las Piezas del Rompecabezas (The Pieces of the Jigsaw). Its written by a pair of Spanish economists and relates specifically to the principle issues surrounding the Colombian education system. I have read a number of chapters and theres no doubt that it will provide a valuable source of contextual and statistical information.
On Friday afternoon, myself, Joni and Rodrigo went to a local private university (La Autonoma de Occidente) in order that Joni could present the results of his dissertation to a group of local academics. Once again, it is worth noting the high quality and modernity of these private institutions, though how much resource is set aside for the poor remains to be seen. Whilst it was largely a repetition of his Newcastle presentation, it is to his enormous credit that Joni did the whole thing in Spanish, which given the context was very intimidating. I say this having had to respond in Spanish to a few questions regarding my own presence in Cali and the extent of my own research. Ultimately, the whole event passed off extremely well, the group was friendly, positive and very interested in the scope of the research and the results. Locals contacts such as these will be invaluable for promoting our work in Colombia in the future.
One such contact is Teresita, a PhD student researching educational exclusion who spent 3 years studying in Belfast. After the presentations, we spoke about our backgrounds, particular areas of interest and the possibility of working together in the future. I left the university with a very real sense of purpose and optimism as I think todays events represented a whole new world of opportunity.
Having taken a siesta to recharge the batteries after a very demanding few hours myself, Joni and Letitia met up with Maria Jose and a few friends for an evening at a Salsa bar. Whilst I have forgotten almost all the moves I learned in Spain, it seems the Colombians dont take themselves too seriously and simply enjoy a good dance, as such the few basic steps that I remember were no impediment to a good time. We finally got home at 5 oclock in the morning.

After 3 days of travel, I have arrived in Cali, Colombia, my first experience of South America. The journey itself passed without a hitch, in fact the longest leg between London and New York was the easiest, having found myself sat next to a couple from my hometown of Plymouth. I spent a short and uneventful night in a hotel in Queens, NY, getting up at the ungodly hour of 4.30am to catch the hotel shuttle back to JFK airport. Although my flight wasnt until 9.00am, I was very conscious of the potential security delays now apparent at US international airports and in view of the long queue of Colombians at the check-in desk, I was relieved to have arrived nice and early. Once again the onward flight to Cali was straightforward and uneventful, to the obvious relief of many of the passengers who gave a round of applause to the pilot upon safe landing, an act that seems very quaint to the sophisticated air-mile collecting, Ryanair customer.
Despite my concerns regarding Colombian immigration, I passed through the first phase of passport stamping without so much as a word in Spanish and pleased with my progress, collected my rucksack. However a further queue had now formed for a second phase of immigration checks based on a chat with an official and the seemingly random preferences of a security doorway equipped with green and red lights. My anxiety was raised as having completed a conversation, the official and the passenger alike waited for illumination, a green indicating safe passage whilst an interviewee greeted by a red light was led away to who knows where. On confronting the official myself, he took my paperwork and immediately zeroed in on a problem, I didnt have a specified destination having forgotten to ask Joni for his address. Fortunately, the airport is very small and I was able to point to the masses and explain that I was staying with a friend who was waiting amongst the crowd. Without so much as an acknowledgment from the sinister traffic light I was ushered through to the exit and there was my host Joni and his friends to greet me. Had they not been there, life could have become a little more complicated.
Joni, Leticia and Maria Jose were the perfect hosts keeping me occupied and filling me with coffee, as the effects of jet lag and humid conditions began to enter my system. We initially stopped at one of the seemingly numerous modern shopping malls for which the Colombians appear particularly proud, presumably because of its modernity and the locals love of shopping. Certainly they are busy, modern, well maintained and have many of the popular brands so common on the western high street, however like all Malls everywhere these too suffer from a high degree of superficiality. Whilst my hosts indicated that Cali does lack a meaningful cultural life, the central neighbourhood of Granada is blessed with trendy bars, cafes and upmarket restaurants, all set to a backdrop of salsa music for which Cali is most renown. Late evening and we arrive back at Jonis apartment, a gated community in the south of the city. I never liked the idea of barriers around your home however Joni explained that these security arrangements are common in Cali, a symbolic and powerful indication of the role of violence in Colombian communities. I am strongly advised to take a taxi for any all journeys beyond this compound after nightfall and avoid carrying any valuables. Naturally, violence in the developing world is a persistent and endemic problem and its no different here in Cali, where its implicit if not actual presence is suggested most prominantly by armed security guards and few pedestrians. All this despite the friendly reputation of its people.
Having spent a day recovering and relaxing, myself and Joni went to a local university in order to discuss the scope of my dissertation and a subsequent plan of action. The location itself was a modern and very attractive private university, one of several in the city and will provide at least one location for quiet, private study during my placement period. With reference to an action plan, it is my intention to integrate the mini-research project (philanthropy) and assignment questions (private education for the poor) into the main data gathering process however I have yet to complete the necessary instruments. Consequently, it was agreed that the first week would be a useful period of orientation and meeting some of Joni connections whilst in parallel, I continue to develop my questionnaires.
That evening I had the pleasure of meeting the first and probably most important local contact, Rodrigo Ramos Sanchez a professor at the Cali University and somewhat conveniently, a close neighbour of Joni. Rodrigo has contacts within the local authorities and the Aguablanca area itself and is also extremely enthusiastic to promote the cause of education for the poor and Jonis research into private schools specifically. It soon becomes apparent that we are both very fortunate to know him as within hours he has reviewed and corrected the errors in my questionnaires and invited me to a university meeting on Friday, one in which Joni will present his dissertation paper and Ill have the chance to make some more local contacts. This clearly represents a good opportunity to promote the cause amongst a broader range of local educators.
In the meantime I have to read a couple of papers on the subject of philanthropy and further develop my questionnaires in order to fulfil all the placement and dissertation requirements in a single piece of work. Myself, Joni and Rodrigo agree to arrange my first visit to Aguablanca for the following week.

This is my first entry not only for this blog but a blog of any kind. An Engineer with an inherent mistrust of technology, hence I’m not an Engineer any longer. Since the realization back in 2005, give or take a few days, that my time in Seville had a expiry date, I have been looking for the next destination of interest, the only clear criteria being that the country be part of the Hispanic world. Having passed through the existential angst associated with language acquisition, I’ll be damned if I’m gonna watch what Spanish I have fade away in an altogether different foreign clime.

My interest in Colombia was initially peaked in conversations some years ago with Juan and Rebecca, both teachers at the same language institute as myself in Seville. They had lived in Bogota for a while and were both very effusive in its praise, a country of vast environmental contrasts, combined with an open and generous people enthusiastic to present their country in a more favorable light. Of course, Colombia has a dark side symbolised most vividly by Cocaine wars, Pablo Escobar, FARC and the occasional kidnapping. However, to define a country by a few isolated incidents and personalities would be as misplaced as to assume London was off limits during the IRA years. Without wishing to sound flippant, in the reality that I can recall most people simply got on with their lives, the conflict representing little more than the minor frustration of delay as disposal experts vaporised the latest abandoned rucksack. The reticence of people to visit a country because of its poor public image seems, with a few notable exceptions, more than a good enough reason to go there and find out for yourself. Just don’t go trekking in the jungle..

So anyway, there I was in my first week of Uni and who should turn up but Joni and Patrick from Sweden. No, I’d never heard of them either but they’d come specially to describe their research on education in developing countries, their particular location of interest being, you guessed it……. Colombia. Now I’m not one to get all esoteric and make cliched references to the twisted finger of fate, however it did seem remarkably provident given my aforementioned dilemma. Needless to say as Pauline proffered the opportunity to do my research in Cali (the 3rd City), I cut her off in mid sentence. The tickets have been purchased and I’m gonna have to sharpen up on my Salsa moves and naturally my Spanish for what promises to be a most excellent adventure.