Life from Canada to Latin America, one word at a time.
The mood in the Bogota plaza was more sombre than excited during the ceremony marking the FARC’s final disarmament. There were a few balloons, flags, and the vegetable mandala folks, but everything felt muted in the face of uncertainty. Recent judicial decisions have challenged the government’s ability to rapidly implement the accords. Social leaders continue
This has been a week of hope and despair. On Wednesday, the ELN and the government announced the start of formal, public, peace talks and I got to call various spokespeople and ask them for statements on our radio show. On Thursday, I spent a couple of hours frantically trying to translate a public letter
I can’t stop thinking about a story Larisa told me at the end of November. I was about to leave on a work trip and the conflict in the Montes de Maria in the early 2000s was furthest thing from my mind, but I ended up carrying it with me through Central America and back.
I used to love motorcycles. When I first got to Sincelejo, every trip to the store felt like an adventure. I would stand on the street, wave down the first moto that came around the corner, and hop on board. As we raced down the street, I relished the feel of wind in my hair,
I always resort to cliques when I am asked the question of what I like most about Colombia. I can’t help it because it is true. Whether a taxi driver, a coworker or someone from Canada asks, the answer is always the same: people. I do not mean this in any sort of romantic, nostalgic,
The community of El Garzal, in the south of Colombia’s Bolívar province, is one of resistance. Not only are community members refusing to leave their land due to armed threats, they have also never give in to pressure to cultivate coca. This history, along with the community’s continued nonviolent struggle for their land, is emblematic
“What I want to say is that the past is the past, and the present is what your life is, and you are capable of choosing what that will be, darling citizen.” -Mary Oliver I got off a plane in Tel Aviv during the height of the second Intifada in 2001. I was turning 19,
I have the gift of vacations. Unlike many people I know, I am very good at doing nothing for long extended periods of time. Ever since I graduated from high school and realized that real life involved working forever, early retirement has become my goal. And what a fabulous vacation I had! Here are some
Español I was talking to two old friends during a recent visit to Mampuján when a horn honked down the street. Ana Felicia sat up with a start, yelled something about her garbage and ran out the door, leaving me confused. During my two years in the community, the streets were full of garbage: candy
I was invited to share with Langley Mennonite Fellowship for Peace Sunday. Here are some of my thoughts. Forgiveness and kindness are political acts of peace, which I have had the privilege to witness in Colombia over the past two years. For many, especially in Colombia, the Montes de Maria region of the Caribbean coast
Anna L. Vogt 