Spoiled rotten in Cali

fugdis says on May 20, 2006, 17:04:

UH OH Get ready for a nasty case of the post colombia blues.
Did you get all the work done on your house?

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 20, 2006, 17:18:

most of it got done, fugdis. I left some work for the next time just to have a reason to return soon.

Cheers,
Desi
Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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platano says on May 20, 2006, 19:15:

Desi, do you think you'll ever retire in Colombia? Or are you now rooted in Sweden?

plátano

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 21, 2006, 04:00:

both yes and no, platanin I'm planning to retire in Colombia but only half of the year. My family seems to be well-rooted in Sweden and I´m not going to live apart from them all the time; it's just too big a sacrifice. I'm getting the house repaired little by little; next visit will be to change the floors and the piping and have new closets made for the bedrooms. Only after that can I think living in the house myself, or receiving guests if that's what I decide to do when the time comes.

I still have several years left to work before I can start thinking about retiring and my pension won't be large due to the fact that I don´t qualify for retirement in Colombia or in USA either (not enough time) and my pension from Sweden will be smaller than normal because I moved here so late in life.

Cheers,
Desi

Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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Gomezman5 says on May 21, 2006, 09:41:

You moved there late.....ok I was having a hard time understanding how you could not get a decent pension in Sweden. That country, being the bastion of socialism that it is, I would have been shocked to hear that they don't take care fo their retirees. So with the pension money you will recieve, it will surely go a lot further in Colombia than Sweden. I do hear that despite the socialism, Sweden is not a cheap country to live in.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 21, 2006, 11:39:

no need to get shocked gomezman, we do take care of our retirees, but our average pensions are smaller than the ones from your country. The elderly parents of many immigrants have not earned any work pension here and yet they get a basic old age pension plus a subsidy for housing that guarantees a decent level of income to live in this country. It might be, however, that what we consider "decent" is very little in USA. Different strokes...

Cheers,
Desi



Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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dwmte says on May 21, 2006, 18:46:

maarit... how wonderful to 'read' your voice. havent seen a 'peep' for what seems ages. i'm so happy to hear you had time at the old stomping grounds and got to see old places/faces/friends, etc.

we're finally getting back home the 6th of june and can't wait. my wife, daughter and i are all so excited to get to go home and 'hang' a bit with family and dear friends. actually get to spend the night in our own home... beats a poke in the eye with a stick...si o no?

we only get to stay for a month and a half, as our other children in california are yelling for us to come visit them, so we're splitting our time during the summer months between calif and colombia. both will be just wonderful for us.

again. so happy for you. did the children go with you?

love and peace,

douglas

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 22, 2006, 02:33:

Douglas, no, the kids stayed in Sweden. I've had the hardest time convincing them to put a little money aside for a trip to Colombia; they prefer to travel to other European countries because it´s cheaper and there are so many places and so much to see at short distance.

Yes, Cali was wonderful, except that the streets were all torn up for the massive transportation system work, MIO (similar to Bogota´s Transmilenio) and otherwise in terrible disrepair. I've said this many times before, the greatest danger for anybody in a Colombian city is not the guerrilla, not the common criminals but the deadly traffic!

Cali has grown a lot, especially towards the south, with new neighbourhoods reaching Jamundí. Too bad all that lovely, lush area in Pance is full of ugly condominiums and high rises. I felt a little nostalgic for the old times when we used to go picnicking in that area...

Has Cali progressed? Most people would say yes, but I´m not so sure. I drove around a lot with my friend (the one I was staying at), she sells real estate and went with her to look at houses and apartments in different areas of the city. I saw a lot new apartment buildings with low roofs, tiny rooms and cheap fixings if any. I also saw lots of expensive and luxurious flats with marble floors and imported furnishings. With so many new deluxe apartment buildings in the south I was asking myself how many, what percentage of the population can afford to buy one of those. Where's the poverty? Well, just around the corner.

The whole District of Aguablanca is like a city within a city, a festering sore in the side of the progress-minded caleños. There hasn't been any progress in Aguablanca, ever. People wish it would just disappear and Cali would be fine. The areas next to Rio Cauca (Villa Moscas) is another pocket of poverty and there are many more of them. It´s just so blatant, so obvious, so offensive to see the kids juggling at traffic lights, selling fruit, chewing gum, begging even late at night while my friends with dedo parado sit in their fine apartments and discuss the best places to buy their Capo Di Monte porcelains and think the maids that work cleaning their houses and ironing their clothes are asking outrageous salaries for their work.

The sweetness, the spontaneity, the caring and the courtesy I was met with this time and every other time I was there make me long for that place, fill me with nostalgia and regret of not being able to live there. On the other hand, I love the North too, the snowfall, the ice, the seasons. It'll have to be half and half for me to be able be whole.

Another thing I noticed after the first couple of weeks there was that Cali suits me well. I gain self-confidence, become much more sociable, happier, more relaxed person down there. My self-discipline starts failing...I plan less and less and get out more and more. I start being late and laughing more. My small everyday problems seem even smaller and there's always time to chat with friends or go out for a bite to eat. It's ok to have a glass of wine or a shot of aguardiente on a Monday night.

I think I'm going to like the time I can finally stop working and strat living my life...but I still have many years left before I can start planning my half-year residency in Cali.

Good to hear from you too, Douglas. I'm in a similar situation: splitting my time between the place where I want to be and the family that's not in that place.

Cheers,
Desi (Maarit)






Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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utopiacowboy says on May 22, 2006, 06:45:

I enjoyed your last post, Desi, with its candid assessment of your visit and current situation.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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dwmte says on May 22, 2006, 07:06:

thanks, desi... it was nice to hear about the distruction that disguises itself as development. it's the same in medellin. although there are countless folks who would disagree with me. they somehow think that the looming condo towers, like bosques of cement represent progress?? for me, give me that old casa fincas that used to line the mountain sides which have been replaced by soul-less cement tombstones that most think of as habitation. not to deny progress, i just lament that which has been lost and not replaced with something better.

all the chagrin aside, none of this will really matter as we spend our time with family and friends, both in town and up country in the finca. our hearts and minds will relax from the dull and ordinary that fills our lives here in florida. there will be much eating, a bit of drinking and a whole lot of hugs and visiting.

all the best to you and your family.

ps beat those kids and remind them that what they find in europe is bleak compared to what they experience in colombia...

douglas

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Gomezman5 says on May 22, 2006, 10:52:

I concur.....a very informative post. Your detailed description of the reality that you saw first hand, means a lot more to me than many here who just pontificate. This is especially so in light of the fact that you do indeed know Cali, almost like it is your second home.

Let me caution you about something. You illuminated the class differences, and how one class exploits the other. There is nothing new there. But let me tell you something, visiting there as you do, and living there are two different things.....very different. Now I visit, but I used to live there, spending as long as 9 months there. When you are there for just a little time, you can see how Colombians think. To those that can afford one,that over paid maid, was over paid 10 years ago, and will be overpaid 10 years from now. My point is, when you finally live there, you are going to somehow have to decide where you will want to hang your hat. In Bogota, there is very little middle ground. Those that hire maids, don't like to socialize with those who have maids as part of their peer group. Bogota, has always had this North Side/South Side divide. The conflict will be subtle at first. But, as you spend more time there, decisions will have to be made. I'm not saying its impossible to socialize with both classes. There will just be a not so subtle conflict that takes place. I think you know that.

Secondly.

About this well described state of being:

"Another thing I noticed after the first couple of weeks there was that Cali suits me well. I gain self-confidence, become much more sociable, happier, more relaxed person down there. My self-discipline starts failing...I plan less and less and get out more and more. I start being late and laughing more. My small everyday problems seem even smaller and there's always time to chat with friends or go out for a bite to eat. "

It's called being on vacation. It has nothing to do with Cali per se. If you lived and worked in Cali, and you went to Sweden, for a vacation, you would feel the same way.

That's what vacations are all about...being able to leave the world where day after day, you are saddled with obligations, and duties...to yourself and others, and then plant yourself in a place where it seems that everyone is there to serve you and provide you with amusement.....or provide yourself with amusement for that matter.

If life were one big vacation, nobody would have to take anti depressives.

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caslug says on May 22, 2006, 11:53:

good post desi.. aguablanca is a sad commentary on Cali, lots of hard working, dirt poor people, stuck between a rock and hard place with no future. I remember doing volunteer teaching at the YMCA in Cali, many student WALKED(remember it cost 1100 peso PER trip for bus) from aguablanca to class(near the bull ring) on sat to get their free english lesson! Hearing that definetely motivated me to do a good job!

PLUG: anyone interested in helping out less fortunate people should donate time or money to the Cali YMCA. They provide free english lesson AND lunch to kids every SAT. The kids are really attentive and motivated to learn. Anything thing you give is return many times.

Many of the reason you stated desi are partly why I cannot recommend Cali as a tourist destination, esp because of traffic problems. That why i caution people that want to come to cali for school or vacation UNLESS they had friends or family in Cali.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 22, 2006, 12:38:

No, Cali is not
primarily a tourist city, I agree and I'm sure the caleños agree with me also. There´s still many lovely places to see and enjoy in Cali for anybody who will look beyond the customary tourist attractions. I've uploaded some pictures I took in Cali in a sub-album in my photobucket page and will be adding more for those who want to take a look how this infamous place looks like.
http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h279/Desi_Deria/Cali/?sc=1&multi=1&addtype=local&media=image
password: calirules2

Cheers,
Desi


Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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dwmte says on May 22, 2006, 13:27:

nice photos... you might want to fill-flash next time or get the sun behind you to front light the subjects. looks good to me. especially the food. but gluttony always was a friend of mine.

dw

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 22, 2006, 13:36:

gomezman. I'm making a good use of my prerrogative of being a gringa to socialize with people over the class distinctions in Cali. I celebrated Mother's Day in Cali eating tamales at the humble apartment of the woman who was my in-law's maid for forty years. I don´t believe I'd ever abandon my friends that have been born to poorer homes even if I lived in Cali permanently. Just remember that I have lived in Cali, for 12 years, and had friends from all walks of life already then. So, my hat will hang sometimes here, sometimes there.

Yes, vacations are wonderful, so is a six-month sabbatical. I think everybody needs a break from daily routines and obligations every once in while. The added bonus for me was this three-month stay in Cali, where the very climate and the laid-back, sweet speech of the caleños added greatly to my well-being.

Take a look at my Cali pictures, especially if it has been a while since you last visited La Sultana del Valle, El Sucursal del Cielo,

Cheers,
Desi



Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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Tinto (Moderator) says on May 22, 2006, 13:52:

So now we have "Almost Heaven, West Virginia" (a bumper sticker and part of an old song by John Denver), and



Cali, El Sucursal del Cielo



;-)

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Gomezman5 says on May 22, 2006, 14:36:

Desi..........terrific photos They were most impressie and.....nostalgic of course. When I see things like this it always makes me want to go back......and soon.

BTW, I did not know that you live there for 12 years.....wow.!!!
Ok, than you understand. And your explanation in your above post tells me you understand the system well. Probably even better than I do. I know your Spanish is better than mine.......Much better than mine.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 23, 2006, 13:56:

thank you gomezman for your kind words. Another added bonus that I forgot to mention was that after the first couple of weeks I didn´t have to make any effort to speak Spanish. It was almost like I had never spoken any other language...in my own mind. People still ask me where I'm from; I won't ever lose my accent totally, I can live with that. Most often I was asked if I was Argentinian (I wonder why) or Spanish. I guess they had never heard a Finnish accent before:)

Cheers,
Desi


Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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