Why Colombia?

Whenever I tell people that I am going to study public health in Colombia for a year as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, they raise their eyebrows, narrow their eyes, and ask in a suspecting voice: "But why there?"

It's not to involve myself in a drug cartel, get insider information about FARC while being held hostage, or ensure that my parents don't get a full night's sleep. Believe me, none of those would be beneficial facets in my current life plan. Although you might be familiar with my penchant for adventure and a history of crazy trips through Latin America, I hope you believe me when I say that my decision to study in Medellin was mostly based on academic opportunity. The Universidad de Antioquia has one of the best schools of Public Health in South America, and the connections that Rotary has with my field of study are absurdly coincidental --and beneficial to my purpose: (the dean of the Facultad Nacional de Salud Publica just so happens to be the president of my host Rotary club in Medellin).

Of course there are other reasons why Colombia is appealing, but those are just icing on the cake. While I was traveling through Colombia two years ago, I would stop to ask directions from a random person on the street and either have them walk with me the twenty minutes to my destination or wind up in her home for a cup of coffee. Never was anyone able to guess that I was American, and when I told them of my nationality they would exclaim "Oh, we love Americans in Colombia! Please go home and tell your friends and family how not all Colombians are drug lords and dangerous like they see on TV. We would love to have them come and visit our beautiful country for themselves!" Nowhere else that I visited were the people so friendly and so apt to redefine themselves in a different light than how they are portrayed by the international media. Taking their request to heart, I view part of my responsibility as an Ambassadorial Scholar promoting peace and goodwill to be learning as much as I can about my host country and people through my everyday experiences. Hopefully when I return to the US I can either dispell, or in some cases confirm, the stereotypes that plague Colombians and offer everyone a more accurate representation of their culture.

While in Medellin I will be taking graduate and doctorate classes in Public Health which will hopefully better inform the research that I plan on carrying out. As a research scholar, I am participating in a project conducted by the university that evaluates the health conditions in various districts throughout the city based on economic, political, environmental, educational, (etc. etc.) factors and train community health leaders in the best way to implement health services. I will also be conducting my own ethnographical research, and although I am not exactly sure what my research question will be I am very interested in looking at how populations displaced from political violence are impacted by extreme levels of stress. Although my scholarship year is not enough time for me to complete a master's degree, I do hope to publish my research findings as a precursor to future PhD work.

Anthropology aside, what I am most excited about is participating in the Rotarian community. Medellin has eight different Rotary clubs, and my goal is to become as involved in each of them as time allows--participating in their community projects and fundraisers whenever possible. As I have been traveling around Southern California presenting my proposed plans to different Rotary clubs and attending the Rotary International Convention held in Los Angeles, what has struck me as most impressive about Rotary is the incredible network of people around the world dedicated to improving the conditions of those in need and fomenting a sense of community anywhere and everywhere. Their mission of "Service Above Self" has now become the subliminal force behind my daily decisions.

As I sit here and pack on the 4th of July, preparing myself materialistically and mentally for my next adventure, I am thinking about the privileges and traditions that are part of being a US citizen and how I can share them with my Colombian hosts. My how the world has changed in the past 232 years since our nation's independence.