IB

1. Colombia: The Only Risk is Wanting to
Stay
April 2, 2013
Author
Gavin Laughlin
Project
Junior Year Abroad Network 2012/2013
For the Holy Week, the vast majority of my friends went to either the
Galapagos Islands or Machu Picchu. Both sites, to me, look
breathtakinglybeautiful, and I want to visit them when I return to the
Andes. Despite these compelling destinations, my fascination with
traveling to Colombiastarted when I met a friend climbing Pichincha
Mountain near Quito. My friend, Juan, told us that he would show us
aroundMedellinif we visited him. In a last minutedecision,my friend

2. and I decided to bookour flights. Tourists usually go to Cartagena or
Bogotá, but we decided to take a risk.
The internet offered us little positive information about the city. The
tourism websites were old and ugly, and I read an outdated article
about drug lords kidnapping tourists. My family and friends were a
little on-edge about my trip to Colombia given its violent history.
Medellin wasonceranked themost dangerouscity in theworld. Pablo
Escobarcontrolledpoliceofficers orhad thepoliceagainst him killed.
At one point, Escobar even put a $2,000 mark on the head of each
police officer. The FARC [Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia], the government, the Cali Cartel, and the Medellin Cartel
were enveloped in an all-out war. We had no idea what we were
getting ourselves into and knew very little about modern Medellin.
When leaving the airport to get into central Medellin, our taxi driver
asked us about all the stereotypes we had about Colombia. We
responded with the typical stereotypes of widespread violence and
drugs. The taxi driver laughed and lamented the poor global
reputation Colombia has suffered. However, he assured us that “El
unicoriesgoes que te quierasquedar.” Translation:“The only risk is
wanting to stay.” He couldn't have been more right.
Los paisas, thename for peoplefrom the region of Antioquia, are the
warmest, most open, friendliest, and happiest people I've had the
pleasureto meet in my life. At the airport, I was biting my nails and a
local mother came up to me and gave me a sharp command “No te
muerdas las uñas” ("Don't bite your nails"). Then she gave me a
motherly smile and walked away. People in Medellin and the

3. surrounding villages we visited went out of their way to tell us how
proud oftheir countrytheyare and tried to speak broken English with
us.
In Guatapé, whereI saw themost beautiful view of my life, we stayed
in a hostel run by a paisa family. They invited us enthusiastically to
join in on a party they were hosting, and we ended up talking with
them until 4 a.m. about politics, literature, and life in general. My
friend Juan, who we only met twice before our trip, invited us to
his finca home in the countryside. He introduced us to his childhood
friends, and they all dropped everything to make sure we had a
phenomenal time in Colombia. Everywhere we went, we received a
barrage of welcoming and kindness.
We left Colombia with our minds blown. At every corner, we found
something we loved about Antioquia. The difference between
American stereotypes and paisa reality was striking. My expectation
was to drink phenomenal coffee, go up the cable car, and take the
Pablo Escobartour. In fact, thosewere ourleast memorable moments
of Medellin. Instead, we found a vibrant, clean, safe city developing
new social programs, education,and sustainability initiatives. People
in Medellin were proud of their ranking as the “World´s Most
Innovative City,” a well-deserved title.
When I came back this past week, I could not stop talking about
Colombia. My friend asked me “What's up with this Colombia
obsession?” I told her she needed to visit in order to understand.
Anyone who visits will fall victim to the only risk: wanting to stay.

4. Taken from: http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/letters/colombia-the-only-risk-is-wanting-to-
stay--2