Looking into a Mirror

I think the title of this post is self-explanatory. My Colombian War, as far as I have read, tells the audience what it is like to be Colombian. That is the reason I say reading this book is like looking into a mirror. I find it very interesting how the author is projecting what it is to be Colombians, but explained in such a way so that it is easy to understand by any foreigner that has never visited or knows nothing about Colombia. 

I always felt identified with many of the things the author mentions in the daily life of being Colombian. Things such as always being suspiciously questioned in airports of the US and Europe just for holding a Colombian passport and doing long lines at embassies to get visas are things that I myself have experienced, so its very easy for me to understand what the author is trying to say. The author mentions the impact Pablo Escobar had in Colombian society. She mentions he blew up an Avianca plane going from Bogota to Cali. My grandfather was supposed to be on that flight but he missed the plane. He was very lucky. I also liked how she "Americanized" some Colombian elements, such as saying that the River Magdalena is the Mississippi of Colombia and that the departamentos are the states of Colombia. She also mentions the characteristics of different Colombian people which I totally felt identified with, such as the lazy costeños, the proud paisas, the agressive santanderianos, and the well-dressed and haughty cachacos. Myself being a chachaco, I understood the stereotypes my city has in the country, like being the nevera (the fridge) and for being overly haughty. Something very important about being Colombian that I liked that the author emphasized was political ideology. It sounds strange, but in Colombia, politics run in through your veins, you are born with it. You are what your family is. It is considered rebellious to be a of a different political ideology than the rest of your family. This quote from page 15 pretty much sums up what it's like growing up in this complicated country:

"Growing up Colombian, one soon learns that identity is defined by two things: region and political orientation."