Living in the perfect, chaotic, dirty and crazy city that Bogota is, I still have managed to fall in love with it.
I have probably gone through my four stages of culture shock and feel I have adapted relatively well considering our differences. **Read about my living with a traditional and conservative Colombian family.
However, one thing I cannot overcome is the lack of civil education in Bogota.
I don’t understand how people can be so careless about their community and the people around them. This just reinforces the fact that Bogota is a concrete jungle and everyone must stand on their own.
The irony of all this is that when you actually sit down and meet these Colombians face to face, they are some of the nicest and most helpful people you will ever meet.
Last night in my building, I saw spit on the floor outside the elevator door. Who was this perpetrator? Was it a delivery guy? Or could it be one of my neighbors?
Who would do such a thing?!!!
This morning, the guard of my building asked me if I was the one that threw a potted plant out the window. I looked at him in disbelief and couldn’t believe someone would actually do that. After all, it would land in the parking lot and would have to be cleaned up by the cleaning ladies. Even worse, the potted plant that fell off the balcony landed on someone’s car, causing a dent on the roof.
I would like to believe that it was just an accident, however, I’m skeptical…
This is the type of thing that happens all the time here. People have no respect for each other and their surroundings. You would think that this is a class thing, but even the most educated people behave like savages and are the ones that break the most rules. (I won’t talk about the time I saw a woman with a pearl necklace and fancy updo in her Mercedes, driving like a truck driver.)
What’s funny is that the people that behave the worst tend to be well-educated and well-traveled. When they travel abroad to more organized and developed countries, they admire and abide by the rules. However in their own country, even those that describe themselves as proud patriotic Colombians break all the rules. Why? Simply because other people are doing it. What a f*** up mindset.
People don’t care about doing their part to make their community a better place because as no one else is doing the right thing, one single person won’t make a difference, right?
These are just a few examples. The list could go on and on, but it would probably turn into a nasty rambling.
Generally speaking, Government should make it a priority to educate this city and make everyone more aware and respectful of their neighbors. Enough said.
What is your take on the issue?
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Hi. You're absolutely right about it all, and as others have said, "la costa" is much, much worse. Yes, there are some nice cities like Medellin, Ibague, and Pereira with a lot of nice people, but they are small and you have to travel to Bog, Med, or Cali fir many services or merchandise.
Combians as a whole suffer some collective behaviors like total lack of trust and obliviousness. Too many do not care about anything or anyone. It is a "Me, me, me" society. Their not caring is what makes it virtually impossible for them to change... they don't care to see it, much less recognize it, and even less to try to fix it. The "if no one else tries, why should I" mentality brings the slightest possibility of improvement to its knees. Yes, there are external reasons like corruption (in general), high criminality by way too many citizens, guerrillas, economy, "lazy" gov't, but several generations of this mentality and behavior makes it very hard to show them why they are as such and have them understand and accept the possible changes. And there are sooo many things to change!! Comformism, THE biggest killer of betterment and progress get used by all, especially gov't, to their advantage. Poor Simon Bolivar fought and sacrificed many of his friends and country(wo)men for this to be the end result.
To Wally, about them not taking responsibiliyy for their actions, however minkr or inconsequential they might be, a Colombian wrote a book entitled, "It's the cow's fault" ("La culpa es de la vaca") That says it all.
This post speaks volumes. I saw a comment about Colombians refusing to take responsibility for themselves. This is absolutely true. The behaviour is abhorrent. Also, they only reason that they are “nice” to us face-to-face is that we’re foreigners, AND Colombians are terrified of any type of confrontation. Plus they are incredibly passive aggressive. When on the streets, witnessing or being subject to their disgusting behaviour, it’s a glimpse into how Colombians treat themselves.
perhaps if the people stopped reproducing with members of their own families, the progress would be more evident.
The average IQ in Colombia is 82, I’m sure with less incestuously produced members of the population, this low IQ could be increased
You are scarring me! I’ve lived in NYC, San Francisco, and Texas. I wanted to retire in Bogota or Medellin but you are all painting a nasty picture of Columbia as a whole. I may need to reconsider my destination
Hi Joe. I wouldn't make a decision based on one opinion as there are many great things this country has to offer. The positive definitely outweigh the negative!
You are all painting a pretty ugly picture of Columbia as a whole. I lived in NYC, San Fran, and Texas. We have our crime and gangs which are very dangerous. You don’t flash jewelry or watches because they attract the bad element.
I wanted to retire in Medellin but if it as bad as you say,”living fear”, maybe I should consider somewhere else.
You should go to Barranquilla if you think Bogotanos are rude. You'll come running back in about 2 seconds...
I have yet to go;)
Hi - based on my own ongoing experiences I have some theories on this that may help to explain but, of course, not excuse any of this. There is deep seated historical mistrust running through every level of society in Colombia, not just of other people but of authority, exemplified by 60 years of civil conflict in this country where even the tiniest bits of information or knowledge could lead to your own death or to the death of a loved one. Colombians often seen driven to air their disgust or refute these issues through their stubbornness and willingness to break even the tiniest of rules in some act of pseudo-rebellion or rudeness in the direction of anyone unknown to them. You should try la costa, seriously - if you think Bogotá is bad!
Thanks for the deep insights! Some serious food for thought
I hate this People so much, and i hate most they think that they are in the position to descriminate people
Well with your English...
Hahahahahahaha
I hate this People so much, and i hate most they think that they are in the position to descriminate people
People do many of these things in many cities, such as in NYC. It's not just Bogota. In fact, some of my friends from NYC, who have been here, do not wait for the light to change to red, and just cross. I tell them not to do it, and they still do! I know that something must be done, BUT NOT ONLY IN BOGOTA!
I absolutely agree. But for some reason I seem to see a lot more people doing things they shouldn’t be doing here compared to other big cities.