and so it happens around the world this last weekend something happened that took me by complete surprise.
We were out walking around the centre of Bogotá, most of my team plus Sämi and Abhinash, enjoying the sights and specialities. Before entering the crowded café "Puerta Falsa" (crowded and humid from heating up Tamales, chocolate and agua panela all day, and famously 190 years in operation) we were joking and laughing about how many delegates at IC asked Pipe about his "international experience in Colombia"... and how a girl told him that she only figured out that he is Colombian when she saw him dance. People let me tell you: not all Colombians are dark and short.

Searching for space in "Puerta Falsa", however, we ended up on a long table mounted against the wall on little stools, close to a table where four 25-(or-so)year-olds were waiting for their food. Meanwhile Pipe explained the menu to Abhinash in English, and that attracted the four waiting patrons' attention. They started laughing, and calling out: "aja, gringo, gringo, gringo!" to Pipe, and on the background of our previous conversation, we all burst out giggling.
This continued for a while, with the quartett trying out their not-so-polite vocabulary in English, mixed with internal jokes in Spanish that turned sour quite quickly. We realised they were drunk. Louder and louder, the girl among them then blurted out: "blancos de mierda!"

Stunned and hurt, Jenn and I jumped up immediately (jeje, we must be sisters after all), she telling them furiously that we all do understand Spanish, while I could just repeat what she had just said with the strong urge to use more than just words. Quickly the others pulled us back on our seats, and we decided to be very quiet. And shocked. This was the first time this kind of thing ever happened to me, and I could see the shame on the faces of my beloved Colombian friends that I have felt so many times when seeing similar scenes in Germany, Switzerland, or the UK. I realised that this is not just something that happens in Europe, but all over the world.
While we quietly sipped our hot chocolate and agua panela with cheese, the group behind us rambled on, only to be stopped for a bit by another patron of "Puerta Falsa" who came upstairs, the face red in shame for the behaviour of his countrymen.
As the group left, they were loud enough to let us know that they would "wait for us in the street", at which point Pipe called the police. Of course they arrived way after they had left, but at least we felt like we had done something...

Walking through La Candelaria we then tried to analyse the behaviour... did they feel threatened by the presence of "white people" who are fortunate enough to be able to travel freely around the world? (she assumed we were from the USA, and probably would not get a visa if she tried, not to speak of the costs of traveling) Did they feel that we were taking something away from them, something that belongs to them, something that should not be touched by anyone?

A lot has to be done. Not just us "nomading around". Opportunities for everyone to move freely all around the world, education, dialogue. But how? and will this be enough?
Start with ensuring that everyone can develop her or himself, and feel content with what they have? That way they would not feel threatened at the sight of someone "different"...  ¶ 2:51 PM