It sounds like you're starting to share a personal story or experience. Growing up in Colombia must have been a unique and enriching experience, with the country's rich culture, diverse landscapes, and vibrant cities. What was it like for you growing up there? Did you have a favorite childhood memory or experience that stands out to you?
The Rhythm of Childhood: Growing Up as a Girl in Colombia as a little girl growing up in colombia
To understand what it is like to grow up as a girl in Colombia is to understand a childhood lived in vibrant color, set to an incessant rhythm, and framed by a landscape that shifts from Andean peaks to Caribbean shores. It is a childhood defined by contradictions: the quiet safety of the family home versus the chaotic joy of the street; the deep seriousness of tradition versus the unbridled hilarity of daily life. It sounds like you're starting to share a
Here is an informative look at the traditions, values, and daily rhythms that shape a Colombian girl's upbringing. The Feria of the Senses Let me walk you through one Sunday
Let me walk you through one Sunday.
At 7:00 AM: The church bells ring, but half the town is already at the market. I hold my father’s calloused hand. We walk past pyramids of lulos, marañones, and curuba. A woman with gold front teeth yells, “Mamey, mamey, pa’l amor de Dios!” At 10:00 AM: My cousin steps on my white zapatos escolares during a game of escondidas (hide and seek) behind the church. I cry. She offers me a bocadillo (guava paste) wrapped in a dried leaf. I stop crying. At 2:00 PM: The whole family gathers for bandeja paisa—beans, rice, chicharrón, morcilla, plantain, avocado, and a fried egg looking up at the sky. The adults drink club Colombia beer. The children drink Colombiana soda. There is no such thing as “kid food.” At 7:00 PM: My great-uncle pulls out a worn tiple (small Andean guitar). My great-aunt yells, “Ay, no otra vez el mismo vals!” But she sings anyway. We all do.
As a little girl growing up in Colombia, I didn’t have a phone, an iPad, or even a color TV for most of those years. But I had that. And that was everything.