On my final day in Colombia, we drove down from the mountain to check out the city. Medellín is a city of contrasts. There are the beautiful yellow Guayacan trees, the ritzy Poblado neighborhood, newly constructed parks and green spaces, posh eateries, and cool bars... all right next to developing nation poverty. People living on top of each other in patched together homes, selling arepas on the street to make enough to get by. The colonial iglesias remind one of the strong Spanish influence in this country, while the handicrafts and corn and potato based foods speak of something more indigenous. It is this diversity that makes Medellín so rich a city. Different cultures, peoples, and ideas have made this place into a thriving economic center.
Translation for photo 4:
ReplyDelete"Happiness, as much as we do not believe it, is not outside, is within ourselves, is in the soul, the gut or whatever one may want to call it. Lets be still so we don't scare it away, as it is like a timid bird easily scared by noises. Leave it alone that it will arise when we least expect it. Its true that happiness does not always nest in no soul, but souls have their summers, and the swallows always come back, they have their spring, and the roses bloom."