Rio's Angels

 Just finished watching the Women's Volleyball final and surprise, surprise, Brazil gets the Gold. Though obviously built like Amazons, the Brazilian team also happens to be drop-dead gorgeous, prompting me to wonder aloud: "do looks have anything to do with Brazil's selection process?" Every single man (and many women) in the Coliseum were in awe of not only the beauty of these divas, but their poise during warm ups and friendliness in signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. It makes me wonder if this is intentional Public Diplomacy AND  how anyone can resist visiting Rio de Janiero after seeing these angels in action.

Chilean Heartbreaker

Everyone loves rivalries. And in Latin America, nothing quite trumps the Argentina-Chile rivalry that permeates every interaction between the two. Granted, relations aren't as chilly between as during 19th century territorial disputes or the Falklands War, but mention the fact that Chile's World Cup selection finished 2nd in South America this year to an Argentine and you'll get an earful, if not a black eye.

For this very reason I made sure to get good seats for the Chile/Argentina basketball preliminary. Just watching them warm up looked like high school versus a college team; the Argentines clearly had the height (and weight) advantage and during the game, were unstoppable on the inside. Still, Chile maintained a substantial lead for most of the first half simply by hustling down the court to pressure and play great defense. This was a real joy for the 10,000 or so in attendance who were primarily cheering for Chile. Through most events, Chile has gotten the "fan favorite" treatment, but the fact that they were playing the not-so-humble Argentines made the flag waving chants that much louder.

The 2nd half was back and forth, but with 2 minutes left in the game, Argentina had regained their poise with a 8-point lead. After missing consecutive shots, Chile's point guard threw up a hail mary shot from nearly half court and banked it in. After getting a defensive stop, the same point guard hit another 3 pointer from the exact same spot ("he's heating up" I yelled to the bewildered Chilean fans around me). Chile's hero of a power forward drove to the basket on the next play and lo and behold, Chile had come back with only 30 seconds left to play. Argentina did what they do best by kicking it down low and dunking it, leaving 6 seconds for Chile to tie the game. Chile kept consistent with giving it to their hero for the last play, who penetrated the lane with a good look at a reverse layup, but blew the delivery, losing the game. As Argentina celebrated their near-embarrasment at the hands of a country that doesn't even have Pro B-ball leauges, Chile's would-be savior wept on the floor. Despite the outcome, Chile graciously came to center court to receive a standing ovation for one of the best basketball games I've had the pleasure of viewing.

Jonrón! South American Games Dispatch #2

I'm learning which of the Games are most popular by the wait time to get into each event. Yesterday, I showed up to the preliminaries for Men's Volleyball and ended up waiting 3 hours without even getting in. Today, preparing for the worst, Federico and I arrived an hour and half before the Colombian baseball game to find no one there. This was perplexing. Baseball is popular in Latin America, especially around the Caribbean, where it is often favored over soccer. Inland, only Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia and Venezuela have Professional Baseball Leagues. Colombia has sent 7 different players in MLB in the United States, while Venezuela has sent over 200, three of which are currently on my Seattle Mariners.  Fede explained to me that the lack of spectators was likely related to the fact that Colombian Baseball is a Coastal thing, we were in Baranquilla, it would have been packed.

We got to watch Venezuela destroy Argentina 16-4,  if it gets to the 7th inning and a team is 10 runs up, they just call the game. Next up was Colombia vs. Dutch Antilles. The vocabulary of the stadium announcer was great. He called the game for Colombia in Spanish and Dutch Antilles in English. So when Colombia was up to bat, it was "Carlos Villalobos, jardiniera isqiuerda (left fielder)" and "Johan Gorgian, leff FEEL" for Dutch Antilles. Other vocab was a bit more similar for some: cacher (catcher), bolas (balls), estraíc (strike), and JONRÓN (home run) and different for others: lanzador (pitcher), carraras (runs), capitulo (inning), and corre-corre (pickle).

The Antilles were a better rated team, they had beaten Venezuela previously and were the tournament favorites. The first few innings were  sloppy: lots of runners left on base, 4 or 5 errors; it made me realize how good American baseball is and why all of these players want to be in the MLB (aside from the cash). Once the teams started to settle down we got a good game, starting with a lead-off Jonrón shot from Juan Carlos Llamas. By the 7th, you could see visible frustration among the Antilles players, angry that things were not unfolding how they expected, but they managed to rally back, almost tying the score before Colombia was able to put them away 4-3. My favorite part of the whole experience was the field we were on had a crowd capacity of about 1,000, and it finally filled up. Youngsters in grade school (who had no idea about the rules) happily clapped along to the organ and shrieked in delight whenever a foul ball bounced off the fence in front of them. There were a few die-hard baseball fanatics there, (probably Costeños), I could tell because they were the only ones who knew to yell "Charge!" after the organ count-up.

A Legend, A Velodrome & A Boludo

Over at the Velódromo Martin E. Cochise, the Colombians really cleaned up on the track bike finals, winning 95% of the overall medals. This was especially pleasing to world champion cyclist Martin E. Cochise, who just so happened to be sitting two seats away from me during the finals. There was a moment of tenseness, when it seemed one of the cyclists might break his world record time trial from 1970, but the 67-year old saw his legacy remain intact. For being the best known figure in Colombian cycling, he was a very outgoing, yet humble character, continuing to sign autographs and encourage "the wave" inside the Velódromo.


The last event, the 'Americana,' paired 7 teams of two bikers for 140 rotations around the Velodromo. The most exciting part of this event is how each team grabs and “slingshots” their teammate around the curves, attempting to score every 20 laps. After 100 laps, the positioning for the last scoring lap got a bit fierce, with Argentina, Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia all within grasp of the Gold. As the Argentine cyclist crossed the finish line in first place, he turned to taunt the Colombian cyclist behind him with a closed fist. This didn’t sit well with the crowd, or the Colombian cyclists, who exchanged unpleasantries with the Argentine while still riding around. I (regrettably) made the decision to yell BOLUDO! (jerk) at the pompous jerk. As the quarreling trio came by our side, some of the younger Colombians in the stands picked up on my Argentine-centric insult and started a BO-LU-DO! chant.

Hold on, let me find my soapbox. While I hate the stereotype that Argentines are arrogant, self-absorbed, wannabe-Europeans who could care less about the rest of South America, this is more or less how they are viewed in Colombia and throughout the continent. Having lived some months in Argentina, I’ll gladly stick my neck out for all my coworkers, friends and acquaintances whom have shown me what great people they are. But ¡Carajo! You guys have to learn something about Public Diplomacy! I was in Argentina when World Cup soccer coach Diego Maradona made the infamous “keep on sucking” comment that bounced around worldwide sports networks, making all Argentines look like arrogant jerks. To have more athletes reinforcing this stereotype is just terrible. Some advice for any Argentine athletes (or travelers) outside of Argentina: If you don’t want to be a BOLUDO in the eyes of other countries, please, just leave the attitude and “boludez” at home.  Take it from a gringo who managed to the humility to befriend a cycling legend from Colombia without bringing up Lance Armstrong once.

South American Games 2010 Dispatch #1

Colombia has started off dominating the South American games this year. Suprising, considering Argentina and Brazil are generally the top contenders (Colombia is 5th in all-time medal count). Cycling has been the main source of their medal production, winning big golds early on in time trials, track and long distance courses. Track & Field and Archery have also contributed to Colombia's early lead.

One thing I left out from the last post was at the inauguration of the Games on Friday, President Uribe also announced Colombia's desire to host the 2026 Soccer World Cup, citing the South American games as evidence Colombia is ready for one of the most prestigious honors in international sporting.

Applause for Le Cirque, Uribe & Venezuela

For those not in the know, the South American Games (like the Olympics just for S. America) began tonight with a HUGE inaugural celebration in the stadium a few blocks from my house. The inauguration featured director Franco Dragone, the master behind Cirque du Soleil, which meant we got some amazing choreography, costumes, cocepts and of course, Le Cirque:

So much excitement had been in the air for all the folks here in Medellín, intent on showing all the beauty their city has to offer for the first time on an international level. After the Cirque spectacle, all the athletes from each country proudly marched around the stadium to massive applause from their warm Paisa hosts. Given the recent diplomatic tensions (and war games) between Venezuela and Colombia, I thought that the crowd might reflect this by booing the Venezuelan athletes. Boy was I wrong, the cheers Venezuela received boomed louder than any of the other teams (save the home team, Colombia). It's like my Paisa buddy Federico says, "we like Venezuelans, it's just their president we have a problem with" (which might sound similar to anyone who traveled abroad during the Bush era). After the Olympic torch was presented, President Alvaro Uribe addressed thousands of Paisas who chanting at the top of their lungs. To have an outgoing president so well-liked and respected is just something I'm not used to and for what it's worth, he's got some decent charisma. Afterwards, the Paisas celebrated in the streets, content that their city earned the confidence to host the most presigious games in the continent and content to be able to show off all of the wonderful things their city has to offer. Here's some great video from the show:

With an inauguration like this, how can you not be at least a little excited?

Repping the Region

Colombian superstars, Juanes (aka Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez) and Shakira (Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll) have been selected to sing at the inauguration of the 2010 World Cup this year. The only singers chosen from Latin America will accompany Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas and Amadou & Miriam. While this gives Colombia an excellent opportunity to showcase it's cultural diplomacy on a world stage, I also think that it may have come as a consolation prize due to the fact that Colombia did not make the qualifying rounds for World Cup this year.

However, I should add that Colombia's Women's Selection recently qualified for the World Cup in Germany, to be later this year, congrats ladies!

Colombian Congress: early returns, vote buying & corruption

Election day came and passed without any major incident, in fact, Colombia's Defense Minister has stated that these have been the "calmest elections in 25 years." That doesn't mean there weren't "irregularities," after all, this is democracy. The biggest taint that is beginning to unravel about these elections is the "Parapolitics" card. Al-Jazeera reported that Paramilitaries in rural areas had been intimidating voters and the Mission for Electoral Observation (electoral NGO) reported that the controversial Party for National Integration (PIN) had been involved in "vote-buying." The reason PIN is so controversial is that it is a coalition of relatives and spouses of other conservative parties that disbanded after many of its members were imprisoned for their direct ties to paramilitaries.

The PIN won 8 Senate seats and will join National Unity (27 seats), Conservative (23) and Radical Change (8) to form a dominant majority to support Uribe's pick for President in the coming months. For the opposition, the Liberal Party held 18 seats, followed by Polo (8) and Green Party (5). Votes for the house are still slowly being counted but seem to reflect a similar trend as the Senate. This overwhelming support for Pro-Uribe parties will no doubt play a large role in the upcoming presidential elections on May 30th. Everyone is expecting this Congressional bellweather to whisk in presidential hopeful (and Uribista favorite) Juan Manuel Santos. Though Uribe has not specifically endorsed a candidate AND the OAS and other independent electoral comissions have not finished with their reports. It's possible these electoral corruption charges could pan out and provide more support for the Opposition. Only time will tell.

Tiger who?

Last week, you could walk by virtually any sports bar and see people glued to the Phoenix Open golf tournament, somewhat surprising in a nation of futbolistas. The only Colombian in the tournament was Camilo Villegas (among a sea of Argentines)who is from Medellín. Maybe not as well known in the U.S. as Edgar Renteria from Major League Baseball or Juan Pablo Montoya from NASCAR, he's inspired a new generation of golf fanatics here in Colombia, as well as established himself as a leading sports figure internationally.

And safe to say, his off-the-field conduct casts his country in a positive light, important in rebranding Colombia and in contrast to the affairs of some *ahem* other popular golf celebrities:

Colombians find their ambassador on the golf course  Miami Herald

Matchmaking at Hill of the Flyer

I got a number from a mom today; well, not hers, but her daughter's. I hiked up to the Ecopark at Cerro El Volador (hill of the flyer), the big brother of the much more popular Cerro Nutibara. At the top, I stopped by a concession stand for some fresh juice. As I chatted with the three older women who were working there, I ended up breaking out my Spanish workbook to show them what I had been working on: putting together a scrambled Pablo Neruda poem. One of them, Dora, asked why I had come to the Cerro alone. I told her all of my friends work during the day and I like exploring the city on my own. I thought maybe she was referring to the safety on the hill to which I pointed out the obvious police presence in the park. "No no," she replied, "you can't really sit back and enjoy the views here without a companera, you know?" Ah, to which she suggested I give her daughter a call as she passed me her number, very slick.

This isn't the first time an older Paisa has tried to set me up with their daughter. I think they are excited to talk to a gringo who can actually hold a conversation, but it's also this fascination with the "other;" much like the gringos who are coming here and end up dating Paisas. As many jokes as I hear about Colombian women looking for green cards or goldigging, this hasn't really been my experience. I've never taken a mom up on her offer (maybe this time I should), but the daughters have sounded quite independent; for example, Dora's daughter is a lawyer (27) and works for the Mayor's office. I don't know, either my Spanish is becoming more charming or maybe the older Paisas just swoon for Neruda. Back to the Cerro:

 The views are amazing, you can see the whole span of the valley, city sprawling through it with eagles and birds hanging high on the thermal winds. It reminded me a lot of Griffith Observatory in LA minus the observatory, mainly for its location. Almost directly in the center of Medellín, there are trails winding all around the hill, allowing you to descend to virtually any side of the city. There's also a big jogging scene here, on the weekends crowds flock around the scenic loop, stopping at the hydration stations or "park style" gym equipment for sit-ups.

Welcome to Medellín Pt. II

A tourist visa in Colombia is only for two months, meaning that if you want to stay longer you have to either reenter the country or take a trip to your nearest DAS office. DAS is Colombia's intelligence agency, however also runs the visa/passport offices. The thought of the CIA managing passport offices in the US might seem rather strange, but when you consider the history of the security situation here in Colombia, it makes sense. I headed there last Tuesday to renew my visa before it expired, but prior had to procure:

-4 Color photos
-2 Copies of my passport's main page
-2 Copies of my passport page where I had received my entrance stamp
-2 Copies of a ticket out of the country
-2 Copies of the visa extension form
-1 Copy (and original) of the extension fee ($30)

For those arriving less prepared, one can obtain photos and copies around the corner, where enterprising families have turned their stoops into mini FedEx's. This may seem like a lot, but Colombia takes who is staying for extended time in their country very seriously. I sat next to a guy from Los Angeles who was being deported for being in the country 2 months after his visa expiry. Apparently, it was cheaper for him to get a flight out of Colombia than pay the fee ($250), though I think he might be blacklisted from reentering until he pays the fine. I had to wait about 2 or so hours after they took my passport, then they asked me some questions and took my fingerprints. As to the typical "why do you want to stay longer?" my response was simply "two months isn't enough to see all that there is in this country." I thought I was all done until they told me I had to come back the following Monday.

I hopped on my bike this morning and headed back to DAS, early to beat the crowds. As I was locking my bike, the security guard informed me that I couldn't enter unless I was wearing "office apparel." I laughed, assuming this was a joke, but he solemnly informed me that my shorts didn't conform with the code. I protested, I was wearing a dress shirt and only had to receive my renewal stamp and would be on my way. He pointed out several other people (in t-shirts), who were wearing slacks and jeans and said that if I wanted to enter today, I had to be wearing pants. We then got into a heated discussion regarding the definition of "office wear," me pointing out that sneakers, jeans and t-shirt are no no's in offices throughout the world. Before I lost my temper, I asked to talk to his supervisor, who came over and gave me the once over. I explained my situation of living far away and only being able to wear shorts when I ride my bike and he let me pass, only after I promised to wear pants the next time. As I walked out with my stamp, I felt good, despite the time consuming process I had been through to renew. After all, what kept me patient and sane was thinking about all of the stories I've heard from Latin Americans traveling to the U.S. and the number of hours they've logged just to get into my country.

Three Months to Run, a (Former) Guerilla in Second

 

 

"The happiest man in Colombia today is Juan Manuel Santos," said fellow presidential candidate Gustavo Petro following the Supreme Court's ruling barring a 3rd term for President Uribe. Who is Juan Manuel Santos? He's Colombia's former Defense Minister and the current favorite for the Presidential Elections on May 30th. One of the first polls conducted after the court ruling placed support for Santos at 23%, with opposition candidate Gustavo Petro at 11% and former Senator German Vargas Lleras and former Medellín mayor Sergio Fajardo both sharing 9%.

Some analysis: Everyone here has regarded Santos as the default frontrunner (if Uribe couldn't stand) since last year. If elected, he would most likely maintain the course that current President Uribe has plotted. However, his elite background and relationship with Big Media threaten to undermine his support with poorer voters in Colombia. Every candidate (except for Petro) has praised and pledged to continue Uribe's security policy, placing social and economic issues as the main differences between the candidates.

However, the only candidate that has outright challenged the competency (and legality) of Uribe's presidency is the Democratic Pole's Gustavo Petro, making him the true opposition candidate. And yes, he has a history of guerilla militancy that nearly barred him from being able to stand for election. After starting a political party influenced by his former history with the April M-19 movement, Petro sought to legitimize his ideals by forming a Left-wing alliance to win a seat in the Chamber of Representatives in Bogota. The guerilla-turned-economist was a wildly popular representative, prompting him to run for Senator of Colombia (twice) and was reelected with the second highest voter turnout in the country in 2006. I won't go much into the details of his sparring with President Uribe, but he has been one of the most vocal critics of the Uribe adminstration, launching probes and public debates into the dark spots of the Uribe presidency, namely about the relationship between paramilitaries and drug trafficking. In addition to receiving several death threats against his family, there have been several incidents in which the Colombian Secret Service has been accused of spying on his family. Petro has also been a vocal critic of the FARC guerilla insurgency, comparing them to Pol Pot and stating: "the FARC aren't revolutionaries, they aren't left but right wing and they are criminals."

What surprises me is that in a country where there are so much anxiety about the future of the security situation, how a candidate clearly opposed to the current state of affairs can get such broad support. Granted, this poll was early, the sample was small and a lot of people are fed up with Uribe; but keep in mind that in less than three months, the next President of the Republic of Colombia will be elected. There is a huge pool of candidates looking to take advantage of this relatively short time and none has really put down all their chips just yet. My guess is that most are waiting to test the waters with the results of the Congressional elections which happen in less than two weeks! Considering both presidential and congressional campaigns have now "officially" started, it's a fascinating time to be following politics in this country.

 
*Above images are from: www.elecciones.com.co, which features a full list of all of the congressional and presidential candidates running and some really cool interactive features.