CV-19 Update

Well, this blog post is very late indeed… The political climate caused by a little known virus has meant that I have been otherwise occupied for the past two months. I am safe and well but still in Colombia due to the borders around the country closing. No more flights are leaving to Europe and I will need to stay put until at least the beginning of July. That being said I’m happy, well and have enough of the life necessities. Colombia is an interesting place to be during this time and the quarantine is currently until the 25th May. I still have to update my travels from Filadelfia to Cali but that will be done in due course as I will dedicate this post to life in Colombia during this strange period of world events.

On the 18th March we were cycling between Cali and Popayan hearing about the horrors occurring in Europe and knowing that we had to find somewhere to place ourselves where we would be safe and where we would have enough to eat. The risk of a country wide quarantine coming into place was high which would force us to stop wherever we were. We wanted to beat the gun and find somewhere interesting where we could keep learning and be able to do something physical. Luckily we cycled past a Finca named “Madre Tierra”. The owner Abeiro Sarria welcomed us into his project and allowed us to work in exchange for food and a bed. Although we were no longer completing our cycling project this seemed like the best possible situation for us during this time and we took up his offer.

The finca was a couple of acres in size and produced a range of vegetables as well as honey, jam, eggs and more. In addition it was a cultural centre that produced art. I started off building vegetable patches where I learnt how to grow potatoes, maíz, tomatoes all of which were organical and on a relatively small scale. Over the course of the nearly two months I was there I built composts, buildings, wooden art work and much more. My Spanish improved immensely as I worked with Colombian labourers and gardeners and as a life experience I count it as one of my richest. We did daily yoga sessions and regularly meditated which helped release stress and stretch out my body after so much time on the bike.

We cooked and ate together like a family, mainly vegetarian food but also the occasional chicken taken from the farm (and even the odd rabbit).

On the farm with us were a Swiss couple that added a social aspect to the confinement. We played cards, watched some adventure documentaries and generally opened up to each other. We shared this bizarre and scary moment together and I hope we will remain in contact in the future.

I learnt a range of Colombian dishes from “mesas” to “pandebonos” and more and felt as if I really lived like a Colombian. The humility and openness shown to me is something I will take forward with me into the future.

However, this period was not all rainbows and butterflies. Being a foreigner in a country like Colombia during an event like this isn’t easy. We faced certain instances of xenophobia against Europeans and the “European disease”. People here think of CV-19 as coming from Europe and during instances of panic people in general close up, become more insular and protect those they love over strangers. This is heightened against foreigners; all understandable things and not really for blame. I know that I myself would act in the same way in the UK. Especially during an event like a pandemic where social contact is illegalised.

I am very thankful for my safety over these past two months and owe a lot to those Colombians who welcomed me into their home during this very unsure time. The virus is not gone and this will continue for some time but I know that I am safe and well and will continue to be due to the generosity of those around me. Stay safe to all of you.

Matt