As I sit down to write this blog entry, there seems to be a lot on my heart.
Reflecting on “Life in Colombia” over the last 6 months takes my mind many places. Yet, the truth is: I just spent the better part of this beautiful morning writing about the first thing that seems to always come to mind in a moment like this. Something that I was scared to write about but as I did it was like felt more peace with each letter. While I talk in a manner that sometimes appears like I have no real train of thought, my writing is more methodical. One day in the moment I feel my heart is adequately represented with consideration to others involved, I will post it. Until than…you get the locker-room halftime report!
Half-Time Key Points
1. Keep the Weight On!
If I never see another plate of beans or lentils, white rice, and fried plantains, I will not be crying. Colombian cuisine is kind of a like a Plymouth Voyager Minivan. Its big in size, not too flashy or colorful, leaves plenty to be desired, but gets the job done! So while I’m not whining like a baby about it, I will state that Bobby Flay does not have to worry about anyone from this country trying to dethrone his Iron Chef status.
The Plan: Continue to be creative with my fellow American teachers. Take Colombian food like the empanada and make it American (thicken the dough, add a hotdog, you have Pigs in a Blanket!). Beg friends and family to send seasonings! Eat Crepes and Waffles Ice-cream every chance I get in Cartagena! Dream of BBQ and countdown the days I can stick a big fatty piece of meat in my smoker for 7 hours! And above all else…amazing breakfast foods like the pancake and delicious Western omelet will always do the trick and help me remember good old America!
2. Learn Spanish!
While many at home probably think it’s very easy to do so when you live where I do, I would have to agree! But I will add that I live with 5 other English speakers and there are days that I don’t speak a lick of Espanol! If I were in another situation, I am sure I would be far more fluent by now, but it’s just how my cookie crumbled. The reality is that we have plenty of opportunity to learn, we just need to make them happen, and continue to push ourselves to learn (I should be a motivational speaker...Chris Farley style though).
The Plan: Get back in my books! Remember I have a few friends in the pueblo to whom know zero English! This is nice because often my Colombian friends who know some English want to practice their Ingles, which doesn’t help me much! And lastly, quit being lazy! I am Colombian, dang it Seguin, learn the language like you ought to!
3. Re-evaluate Ministry
I did an earlier study on legalism in the Bible starting with Abraham and into Galatians. It was something I desired very much to share with my Colombians friends here. That by His Grace we are saved, it is a free gift for all those who believe in Jesus, and when we get caught up in thinking we actually can do things ourselves, we are being set up to fail and fall on our face. We’ll while I was able to teach this to the church I am working with; I think God had me study it because I needed to learn it! I will not lie, when I say that I have struggled here in Colombia, it is an understatement. While I have come to know God in a way that would have been very difficult in the States, I have also faced amazing adversity and have not always walked away victorious. My faith has been under attack and in this storm I have reached out for other things than Him! The solution I have seen time and time again, is that when you’re stuck in quick sand and going down, you would rather hold on to a nearby rock than a blade of grass. But the problem is that sometimes the grass is all you see? So needless to say, it’s been a struggle. One that has discouraged me in some remarkable ways! Yet, I have friends praying for me and I know that He is near!
The Plan: To Know God deeper and deeper in the face of this adversity. To bring all of me, the good and the bad, to the Cross and humbly ask Him to change me, a sinner! To ask my friends, to keep me accountable, and to be honest about these struggles! I know He is leading me, preparing me, for things I will not be able to do on my own, and I want that! I want that kind of dependence! It’s a huge reason I am here, so I pray I quit reaching for grass and finally learn there is a huge rock that never moves and was designed for me to stand tall upon it. And in each and every victory may He be glorified.
4. Understand Life in the slums of Santa Ana
Don’t get me wrong, we are blessed as we live in the nicest place in Santa Ana. We are housed within the private school here and truly have little to complain about. We have water, food, shelter, electricity, and even internet! Yet, all of us will admit, living among this very poor pueblo has been both hard and challenging. The poverty is immense and while the kids and their families appear happy, you have to wonder what it’s like for some of them who live in a small hut, with a leaky roof, and dirt floors. However, being among this community has given us all an amazing insight to how the majority of the world lives like. Did you know that more than 3 billion people live on less than 2 dollars a day in this world? 1 Billion of them live in desperate poverty! And as I have stated before, 30,000 children will die today from lack of food or preventable disease. We are a blessed nation! So while I have seen a bit about what it’s like for the poor and oppressed, I want to learn more. I want to gain more insight on how we help such a community like this. While no one is dying here of hunger, all are well fed, but this poor community is still running a course to remain poor, under-resourced, and possibly displaced by more educated Colombians!
The Plan: To make every effort to see the whole story. It’s easy to take an educated approach and cite X, Y and Z for these problems. But it’s another thing to use your improved Spanish and enter people’s worlds! To hear from them about what it is like? How things in this community have improved and where they believe it hasn’t. I am not trying to take my ideals of the American Dream and impose it on them, but meeting them on their level and seeing what is the next step that could mean better water, education, less disease, job opportunity, and transportation! I am not sure there is much I can do, but this type of knowledge will go a long way into possibly helping someone else in the future or possibly coming back with a real game plan and resources to aid in these problems.
We’ll this is the half-time report on “Life in Colombia.” These are 4 things that I will be focusing on in the months ahead. 4 things I will address at the end of my journey here as well. Looking at the calendar, I really don’t have that much time left, so it’s truly time to take advantage of the amazing opportunity and not waste a day.
Thanks for tuning in! You are a missed so much!
Eric Seguin
Reflecting on “Life in Colombia” over the last 6 months takes my mind many places. Yet, the truth is: I just spent the better part of this beautiful morning writing about the first thing that seems to always come to mind in a moment like this. Something that I was scared to write about but as I did it was like felt more peace with each letter. While I talk in a manner that sometimes appears like I have no real train of thought, my writing is more methodical. One day in the moment I feel my heart is adequately represented with consideration to others involved, I will post it. Until than…you get the locker-room halftime report!
Half-Time Key Points
1. Keep the Weight On!
If I never see another plate of beans or lentils, white rice, and fried plantains, I will not be crying. Colombian cuisine is kind of a like a Plymouth Voyager Minivan. Its big in size, not too flashy or colorful, leaves plenty to be desired, but gets the job done! So while I’m not whining like a baby about it, I will state that Bobby Flay does not have to worry about anyone from this country trying to dethrone his Iron Chef status.
The Plan: Continue to be creative with my fellow American teachers. Take Colombian food like the empanada and make it American (thicken the dough, add a hotdog, you have Pigs in a Blanket!). Beg friends and family to send seasonings! Eat Crepes and Waffles Ice-cream every chance I get in Cartagena! Dream of BBQ and countdown the days I can stick a big fatty piece of meat in my smoker for 7 hours! And above all else…amazing breakfast foods like the pancake and delicious Western omelet will always do the trick and help me remember good old America!
2. Learn Spanish!
While many at home probably think it’s very easy to do so when you live where I do, I would have to agree! But I will add that I live with 5 other English speakers and there are days that I don’t speak a lick of Espanol! If I were in another situation, I am sure I would be far more fluent by now, but it’s just how my cookie crumbled. The reality is that we have plenty of opportunity to learn, we just need to make them happen, and continue to push ourselves to learn (I should be a motivational speaker...Chris Farley style though).
The Plan: Get back in my books! Remember I have a few friends in the pueblo to whom know zero English! This is nice because often my Colombian friends who know some English want to practice their Ingles, which doesn’t help me much! And lastly, quit being lazy! I am Colombian, dang it Seguin, learn the language like you ought to!
3. Re-evaluate Ministry
I did an earlier study on legalism in the Bible starting with Abraham and into Galatians. It was something I desired very much to share with my Colombians friends here. That by His Grace we are saved, it is a free gift for all those who believe in Jesus, and when we get caught up in thinking we actually can do things ourselves, we are being set up to fail and fall on our face. We’ll while I was able to teach this to the church I am working with; I think God had me study it because I needed to learn it! I will not lie, when I say that I have struggled here in Colombia, it is an understatement. While I have come to know God in a way that would have been very difficult in the States, I have also faced amazing adversity and have not always walked away victorious. My faith has been under attack and in this storm I have reached out for other things than Him! The solution I have seen time and time again, is that when you’re stuck in quick sand and going down, you would rather hold on to a nearby rock than a blade of grass. But the problem is that sometimes the grass is all you see? So needless to say, it’s been a struggle. One that has discouraged me in some remarkable ways! Yet, I have friends praying for me and I know that He is near!
The Plan: To Know God deeper and deeper in the face of this adversity. To bring all of me, the good and the bad, to the Cross and humbly ask Him to change me, a sinner! To ask my friends, to keep me accountable, and to be honest about these struggles! I know He is leading me, preparing me, for things I will not be able to do on my own, and I want that! I want that kind of dependence! It’s a huge reason I am here, so I pray I quit reaching for grass and finally learn there is a huge rock that never moves and was designed for me to stand tall upon it. And in each and every victory may He be glorified.
4. Understand Life in the slums of Santa Ana
Don’t get me wrong, we are blessed as we live in the nicest place in Santa Ana. We are housed within the private school here and truly have little to complain about. We have water, food, shelter, electricity, and even internet! Yet, all of us will admit, living among this very poor pueblo has been both hard and challenging. The poverty is immense and while the kids and their families appear happy, you have to wonder what it’s like for some of them who live in a small hut, with a leaky roof, and dirt floors. However, being among this community has given us all an amazing insight to how the majority of the world lives like. Did you know that more than 3 billion people live on less than 2 dollars a day in this world? 1 Billion of them live in desperate poverty! And as I have stated before, 30,000 children will die today from lack of food or preventable disease. We are a blessed nation! So while I have seen a bit about what it’s like for the poor and oppressed, I want to learn more. I want to gain more insight on how we help such a community like this. While no one is dying here of hunger, all are well fed, but this poor community is still running a course to remain poor, under-resourced, and possibly displaced by more educated Colombians!
The Plan: To make every effort to see the whole story. It’s easy to take an educated approach and cite X, Y and Z for these problems. But it’s another thing to use your improved Spanish and enter people’s worlds! To hear from them about what it is like? How things in this community have improved and where they believe it hasn’t. I am not trying to take my ideals of the American Dream and impose it on them, but meeting them on their level and seeing what is the next step that could mean better water, education, less disease, job opportunity, and transportation! I am not sure there is much I can do, but this type of knowledge will go a long way into possibly helping someone else in the future or possibly coming back with a real game plan and resources to aid in these problems.
We’ll this is the half-time report on “Life in Colombia.” These are 4 things that I will be focusing on in the months ahead. 4 things I will address at the end of my journey here as well. Looking at the calendar, I really don’t have that much time left, so it’s truly time to take advantage of the amazing opportunity and not waste a day.
Thanks for tuning in! You are a missed so much!
Eric Seguin
