Category Society
The happiest place on earth
The 35 year-old annual ‘Global Barometer of Hope and Happiness’ survey (I know, it’s ridiculous how many different kinds of surveys are out there! You name it, you get it!) recently determined that Colombia was the happiest country on the planet in 2012. Colombians appear to be at least twice as happy as the rest of […]
Scary Colombian TV commercials
I have previously written that mobile phone theft is one of the most common petty offences in the country. Well, when it comes to Colombia, it’s no longer ‘petty’. With a rate of 4,000 phones stolen everyday and a total number of 440,000 phones reported stolen in the last three months of 2011, it seriously threatens the […]
Colombian terrorists
Many of you may have heard of the FARC – the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. For those who haven’t, they are the biggest guerrilla group that is made up of a bunch of 9,000 rural peasants who have terrorised Colombia in the past 50 years. Their Marxist hatred of bourgeois is their excuse for their prolonged […]
DOS in garages!
The other day I went to the garage for a car check. The garage looked organised and had clearly labeled stations for cars with different problems. We parked the car in the middle of the garage so that the technician can check the car. He brought out a rod that appeared to have […]
Yeah! Baby hit me one more time!!!
After taking lessons on ‘how to get a taxi in Bogotá without getting blackmailed’, I was finally confident enough to get a taxi yesterday. On my own. I wasn’t planning to take a taxi but circumstances dictate that I had to go for the quickest option. You may be glad to know that I did […]
Now, what’s wrong with English names?!
Colombians always get puzzled when they found out that I have an English name.. After informing them that my name is Jessica, the response I get is always, ‘But this is an English name!’, or ‘Do you have Chinese names?’, and worse ‘er, so is this your “real” name?’. To them, it’s totally strange to have […]
Colombian work ethics
If Bogotános can represent their country, then Colombians work really hard. They work their asses off. It may be because they really need the money to send their children to private international schools, or it may just be pure survival. Working hours in the capital can be as long as twelve – by that I […]
Sweaty Chicken?
Pollo Sudado, one of the 6 components of a typical big Colombian lunch Most Colombian dishes are home grown version of Spanish legacy (not surprising right?) x some mountain practices x Caribbean influence. Meat is usually grilled, fried, or stewed (mountain style) with simple seasoning. Nothing in particular imaginative.. Take Sweaty Chicken as an example. […]
Colombian shopping malls
Continues from article Colombian town planning – One may hope that rental arrangement at shopping malls would work better. Because shopping malls are Bogotános’ second homes, only the crème de la crème gets to live in these spaces. However, walking into a shopping mall is yet again puzzling. The shop layout just seems to be in […]
Colombian town planning
Well, to be more accurate, there is no town planning in Bogotá! Residential buildings are built right next to major roads that have 4-6 lanes. If you live in one of those buildings that would mean that you are living right above the busiest, noisiest and most chaotic streets in the city. Yet some of […]
onechineseincolombia.com 