Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Actressestaking Thyroxine

A bailar! Buy minutes


As expected, one of the things I enjoyed most in my short stay in Colombia was the music (and dance, of course). Taking as a reference only to Shakira, Juanes, Carlos Vives and reggaeton was a pleasure to discover new rhythms and sounds. As in all the musical diversity of this country is overwhelming. In taxis and buses themselves dominated cumbia, vallenato and reggaeton, but we had the opportunity to meet other genres that fascinated me. Moreover, the good thing about music is that you can take it to your home. I bought three albums and listen to them day and night. Let's start

The Revolt, a group of young merger had the pleasure to see in concert (pictured) in the essential Quiebracanto room, located in the bohemian neighborhood of La Candelaria, Bogotá. The Revolt combines a very cool music on the Colombian Pacific, whose roots are largely African. The base is a specific kind of marimba marimba chonta: it adds a lot of African percussion, two powerful voices of women, a mixture of traditional letters of complaint, the scheme that the chorus repeating a phrase (do not know what it's called) , clarinet and bass, and the result is spectacular. The album sounds great, but 30 women journalists live dancing together was unforgettable.


The next day the organizers of the meeting, we prepared another concert, this time private music from the other coast, the Caribbean. In this case, the three fundamental elements are the big drums, a wind instrument called bagpipes (nothing to do with Galicia) and the peculiar way of singing of the pipers. Total catharsis. I put a video of The Pipers of San Jacinto , a frenzied pace oldies that have been awarded a Latin Grammy.


My third purchase was a disc musical Toto La Momposina . I am guided by the sonorous name and the recommendation of the clerk, who defined it as the most representative folk singer in Colombia, which picks up the different traditional rhythms and sounds throughout the country.


I'm eager to teach traditional dance La Guajira, unlike what we mean by Latin dance. It is danced in couples but not caught or Pegaditas. It is a kind of courtship, in which the man round to the woman while walking to small baby steps, swagger. Grace is, among other things, that we must look at each other all the time, which gave rise at least in my more embarrassing than the wildest reggaeton. Well, I've been through, but it is a challenge. A fellow of the meetings, a native of La Guajira, and one of the musicians made a demo, and loved it. If anyone knows the dance and we can pass your name or a video, you'll be very grateful.

Let's start the New Year to the sound of drums!

Friday, December 18, 2009

Deposit Was Given For Car But Was




One of the things that struck us upon arrival to Bogota was that the streets were plagued of fruit and sweets stalls where there was gaudy placards reading "SOLD MINUTES" or simply "MINUTES". What would that be? Could buy the time in Colombia? The answer was more prosaic but no little quaint.

original This is a call service that has emerged with success does not spoil or need to buy cards like the cabins, do not run the risk that your call is cut for lack of credit, as I did in a visiting and is especially useful for people without the resources or desire to have your cell phone. For every 20 meters, both in big cities and in the medium and even in the villages, you're either with posts like those described or even a person who sells advertising minutes. The situation is as follows:

June: Hi, I make a call to a cellular Comcel
Seller of minutes: A mobile or fixed?
J: A cell
V: What carrier?
J: Ummmm
V: Tell me how it starts
J: 313
V: Comcel. Tome.

The seller out of his pocket a chained cell and I offer it. It takes three or four. I call as my own phone, chat, and I charged for minutes, between 100 and 300 pesos per minute. International calls can be found minutes from 250 pesos up 500. Recall that 300 pesos is 10 cents. It is much cheaper than a booth where a call will easily spend more than 10,000 pesos.

All right then? Obviously, the other side of the coin is that it is extremely precarious work underwater, royalty and under police harassment. We carry all kinds of people, but include three groups: young males, middle-aged women and their children. Competition among vendors is wild. There are no established rates and prices shooting everything they can. To my surprise, now I was looking I found information about a job offer on the Internet that shows you can work persons:

"I worked as a salesman of minutes on the street, you manage your working time and where you want to locate a single must meet weekly goals in the sale of minutes, more minutes equally between band, the greater will be revenue for you, the person should be responsible, hardworking and accomplished. income between 400,000 and 600,000 per month "

who is not quoted the advertiser or talk at any time of the contract. 600,000 pesos are about 200 euros. The minimum monthly wage established by law is less than 500,000 pesos.
What is not clear to me is whether this activity is still sought by police, at the request of the Ministry of Communications, as I read a report in 2007. In later news gathering not only harass them and confiscate the phones, but the government would criminalize speeches accusing them of unfair competition to make a legal and business booths. Any Colombian Colombian or we can explain the current situation?

PD: In the photo, I bought minutes
Pereira

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Sore Breast Post Period

The driver Uribe


The driver is young, brown, her hair slicked back and his tight white shirt tattoos suggests rudimentary. Driving recklessly (as all taxi drivers, on the other hand) and its radio is blaring reggaeton. After the two free questions ("Where are they? What do you think Colombia?") Uribe begins to praise. "Colombia is that it has nothing to do with what was before, thanks to our President Uribe.'s been a great president. He is finishing with the guerrillas and now, Bogotá is a safe city" says enthusiastically. Anyone

takes the opposite. Especially since, after a week surrounded by university professors, journalists, musicians, social workers, we first met at a somewhat more representative of the bulk of the Colombian population.

do not ask your name. Let Jairo called. Interrupted, not by a long time, Uribe fervor to tell he was a professional soldier and that the army gave the guerrillas hard.

left to study with only 9 years to start work that came out: shoeshine boy, street vendor ... He joined in the army as he could. Did not say at what age but his military salary was twice the national minimum wage. Is proud of his work in the military. In addition to serving his country, said he enjoyed. However, his mother was worried about having a job so dangerous. She, a widow, got a few years ago to emigrate to America, where he had another child. "I have a little black brother, I know this for the first time this Christmas," says Jairo excited. His mother was able to thrive in the U.S. and buy the licensed taxi and he left the Army.

is 23 years and this economic stability has been released resume their studies. Is very interested in our property, and how is life in Spain, how much you earn. Still, every little bit boasts of patriotism: "I so love this land to have tattooed on your chest Made in Colombia."

santafereño
As well, I love Christmas, but bothered that have banned the use of fireworks during the celebrations. And for the record I believe in the Christmas spirit when you give a ticket to 20,000 pesos to pay for the trip (which costs 11,000) he charged 1,000 of tip. "It's Christmas" is justified mischievously.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Cant Bend Knee All The Way

Armenia, Colombia Colombia


Since I learned that in Colombia there is a town called Armenia an enormous curiosity overwhelmed me I got quench by chance. We were in Pereira, in the heart of the coffee, giving a workshop at the university. Thought after spending a couple of days doing a tour around the city. Our plans changed when he meets Claudia, mother of Maria Teresa, the organizer of the workshop. Claudia lives in

Salento, a beautiful town, very touristy due to its colorful houses full of craft shops located in the neighboring department of Quindio, also in the coffee. She has a farm that grows herbs, an activity that combines with various social work projects aimed at promoting the empowerment of rural women in the region through the arts. We said we could not stop going to Salento and convinced us. We caught the bus, the vallenato are sweet, eager to detox from all the noise and pollution of Bogota and Pereira. We found a charming traveling companion, an Indian musician and mystic, but that story I reserve it for another time. Total

that after meet in Salento Claudia told us: "What do you think an interview at the college radio of Armenia? Is for the only program with a gender perspective in the department. "How do you say no to a request like that? We hardly had time to leave your luggage in the guesthouse and have a coffee before getting back into another van heading to another city.

"Why is it called Armenia?", as we had occasion to ask. For those who inhabited this region were considerably enlightened. So, to found the capital of Quindio in 1889, far from resorting to the name of a virgin , wanted to pay tribute to victims of the war that was happening in Armenia.

The Armenia Colombia is known as "the city miracle." We were told it was because of how well they recovered after the earthquake of 6.2 magnitude on the Richter scale that hit in 1999. It amazes me now read on Wikipedia that killed 1230 people. I suppose that given the magnitude of the disaster, the figure is much lower than expected.

actually just saw the city, but we went to the University of Quindio to conduct the interview. Was for an environmental program led by environmentalist Nestor Jaime Ocampo, which Xatlí Murillo, journalist and close friend of Claudia, has a space that incorporates a gender perspective. We had to record on recorder and a drop in blood suspended the program. The good thing is that during the wait we chat with Jaime and Nestor Xatlí, two university professors charming, passionate about environmentalism, we spoke of the evils suffered by the region, as desertification due to the massive cultivation of exotic species of pine. Nestor Jaime

told a feat, so please check now traced (I love Google) has become popular. He bought shares of the multinational Smurfit paper to stand on its shareholders' meeting in Dublin and report that they were profiting at the expense of committing two separate crimes ecological Quindío. Meeting

a report that tells the whole story. I copied an excerpt: "The fact [the intervention of Nestor Jaime in the shareholders'] recorded in profusion on the radio, newspapers and the Irish television, was unexpected achievements and the famous rock band U2, led by Bono, was involved in the debate, when it was discovered by the multinational bad habits inserted a group photo in their publications, making it appear as guarantor for the management of the multinational. Néstor Jaime wrote to Bono and the group condemned the action of Smurfit. To conclude this part, say that the demand established by the powerful Smurfit against Nestor Jaime Ocampo succeeded: environmentalists demonstrated against the Colombian justice system that claims were backed by proven facts. "

a luxury for hearing this story in the voice of its protagonist, and to know him and to Xatlí, a pioneer report on the nexus that unites feminism and environmentalism. Thank you both.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Clothing Racks Brampton




As I do not know where to start, I think I'll tell little stories and anecdotes from our trip in installments. In end has been a wonderful experience, both games as the days touring Bogotá and the coffee (Pereira, Armenia, Salento, Cocora ...)

No tourists have gone too. The trouble is that we may have been essential to see things: monuments, museums, landscapes ... The good news, we have embedded more than I thought in Colombian society. More than geographical landscapes human interest me, and I believe to have been only a week we could discern at least a few elements characteristic of the people paisas.

A week has only been enough to get used to the idea of \u200b\u200bthe possibilities offered by the country: its overwhelming social diversity, ethnic, cultural, political and social, with hundreds of features, stories and conduct interviews, dozens of dance rhythms, millions of people peculiar to know ... García Márquez say more than a great novelist, is a great photographer. That is, Colombia is pure magic realism. From what little I've seen, attest. I'm all enmorriñada

, but globalization has its advantages: Today I ate chicken arepas rate of calf, and I bought a chocolate dessert peanut. Tomorrow I soursop juice breakfast in the Plaza Nueva, and tell you my adventures as the owner of those premises as the Cali girl in the parlor I frequent. While you can not go back, get the most juice to those segments of cold blanking Colombia Bilbao.

In the picture: the family photo of the meetings