Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [18]
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Because most Colombians tend to live at home until they are married, ‘love motels’ are a part of most Colombians’ sex lives – you can’t really take the boyfriend home when your parents are in the next room, now can you?
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LIFESTYLE
Although it’s becoming an increasingly urbanized nation, Colombians continue to value and live by their traditions. The purpose of life is not to get rich, but to live. The Colombian is bound by strong family ties, not just to immediate blood relatives but to their extended family as well. There is nothing more important than family. While notionally a Catholic nation, only a small percentage of the country regularly attend mass, yet Colombians remain a deeply spiritual people.
Colombians live by tiempo colombiano (Colombian time). On the surface, tiempo colombiano refers to the Colombian’s lack of punctuality, but it is also deeply indicative of the country’s state of mind. If someone is late to meet you, don’t take it personally; rather it’s a recognition that there are few things worth rushing for, and things will sort themselves out one way or another.
The greatest cultural divide in Colombia is the divide between the central mountains and the Caribbean coast; the second greatest divide, and perhaps more fundamental, is the divide between the city and the country. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the war against cocaine production. It is a war led by city politicians, who have little sympathy for the farmers who grow coca leaf for no other reason than that they are poor, and the reality for the farmers is that the crop is profitable, well-suited to the region and much in demand. It is a war the city politicians are winning, and in the process farmers caught up in this conflict (both innocent and guilty) are being driven from their land. Some move to the city; many have crossed the border in to Ecuador as refugees. According to the UNHCR, up to half a million Colombian refugees live in neighboring countries. An untold number have been killed by land mines, paramilitary death squads, or the Colombian military itself; the US State Department catalogs these numerous tragedies in report after report on their website. The UNHCR estimates that more than 2.5 million Colombians have been displaced at some point in the last 15 years.
The minimum wage per month in Colombia is COP$481,500 (US$207), and fluctuates annually. The Colombian earning COP$800,000 to COP$1 million (US$345 to US$430) per month has arrived in the middle class; COP$5 million (US$2150) a month and you are definitely upper crust. The cost of living varies between the regions; Bogotá is the most expensive. A family of four can live well on COP$1 million a month pretty much anywhere.
Despite Colombia’s infamy as a drug exporter, Colombians as a rule do not use drugs. Cocaine production has funded the ongoing civil war for decades, and although La Violencia may have ebbed, consuming cocaine is perceived as supporting that conflict.
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ECONOMY
In Colombia security and economy are one. Since President Uribe took power in 2002 (Click here), the dramatically improved security situation has given both local businesses and foreign investors confidence to invest in Colombia. As a result, the economy has grown at an annual rate of 5% under Uribe; the average Colombian is much better off now.
In fact, Colombia boasts one of the largest middle-class populations in Latin America. Where many of its neighbors suffer great disparity in wealth, with virtually nothing between the very rich and very poor, Colombia’s well-educated, substantial middle class gives poorer Colombians hope that they can go to school, get a degree and maybe one day own their own home, with a car, a washing machine and the lot. The country’s free-market policies and relatively low level of corruption have helped the middle class to flourish.
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For some dry and dusty statistics, check out the Departmento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (the national statistics bureau)