VENEZUELA MIGRANTS - A QUESTION OF SURVIVAL

"CHAOS, TOTAL CHAOS - WE HAD TO LEAVE TO SURVIVE"

For years now we´ve received frequent news from the growing financial crises and collapse of the Venezuelan civil society. Inflation is sky high and has reached a level not seen since Germany´s financial collapse in the early 1920´s. People are struggling to find or pay for their daily needs. Transportation and public services works only partly, hospitals and health clinics are lacking supplies and qualified staff and criminal gangs are a constant threat in many towns and cities. 

Reading news feeds and watching people on television arriving at their first Colombian destination, exhausted after walking for days to reach the the Colombian border is one thing. To be there, and to see all the people sleeping in the parks and on side walks, and to hear their stories is definitely something else. 

THE MEDELLIN TRANSFORMATION

A multi-level success story to learn from

Sometimes I feel almost ashamed and quite ignorant, coming to a new country, or a new city, just to discover that my previous knowledge has been totally inadequate. Arriving in Medellin, Colombia, this was definitely the case. I knew from my travel preparations and a bit of research that the city was pretty safe and the drug-war was something of the past. Little did I know however, that Medellin had been named the world's most innovative city in a competition organised by the non-profit “Urban Land Institute”. 

The Institute compiled a list of 200 cities based on eight criteria ranging from culture and livability to education and infrastructure and said Medellin, once a stronghold for Pablo Escobar and the drug cartels, had seen one of the most remarkable urban transitions in modern history. Exploring the city today it`s hard to imagine this once was the worlds most dangerous city, where 6000 people were murdered annually from 1990 to 1993.

MY FIRST TEN DAYS IN COLOMBIA

The distance from my home country Norway to Colombia is considerable, not only in kilometres but even more so when it comes to culture, politics, how people organize their daily life as well as all kinds of practical activities, transportation etc. It´s a pretty steep learning curve, but thanks to nice helpful people who always seems to be there when I need them, I manage to get around quite well and step by step acquire new knowledge about this fascinating country.

So far I´ve experienced colourful historic Cartagena, Tourist destination Santa Marta and my first morning walk here in Medellin where I arrived late yesterday afternoon. The first ten days has been a mixed bag in many ways, and I have to add it´s impossible to stay untouched by many of the things I´ve seen.

A LATIN AMERICA ROUND TRIP IN FALL 2018

Again, it was time to leave the colourful Norwegian autumn while heavy, rainy October clouds lay heavily above Oslo and the weather forecast alerted the first sleet showers. As always, I´m leaving family and friends with mixed feelings, but keep telling myself this time it is  only for a couple of months. 

The trip goes to Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and possibly El Salvador. And like in the past, it will be a mix of adventure and more serious activities such as visits to NGOs working with Venezuelan refugees and for protection and conservation of rain forest. If you like to join me on the trip you are welcome follow me here on this blog, on smugmug:

 https://terjesphoto.smugmug.com/ and on my Instagram and facebook accounts.