tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80493593810862198312024-02-07T06:12:27.283-08:00South America LogPhotos and updates from our adventures in Colombia as well as travels elsewhere in South America.Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-53409353802783178492008-09-15T20:04:00.000-07:002009-07-14T19:26:55.893-07:00South America Log #13<div dir="ltr"><span lang="EN-US">Dear Friends and Family,</span> <p><span lang="EN-US">"<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzZe0gcc0eY">Colombia: the only risk is wanting to stay</a>." A billboard with these words greeted us at the Bogotá airport on a recent flight back from a vacation that ended in Quito, Ecuador. After two years in Colombia accompanying human rights workers and community organizers whose lives are very much at risk, we recognized that for many Colombians this slogan is hollow propaganda. At the same time, as we returned from a fantastic vacation that included visiting waterfalls, rivers and mountains of southern Colombia, we could partially identify with the message.<span> </span>Colombia is a beautiful country, and it will be hard for us to leave.<br /></span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">We are writing to you just 3 weeks before we move back to Minneapolis. You can imagine that our hearts and minds are full as we consider all we have learned and experienced in the past two years and we anticipate sad good-byes here and warm reunions in the United States. To sum up our experience, and pass time at the airport, we came up with the following lists:</span></p> <p><b><span lang="EN-US">What we will <u>not</u> miss about Colombia:</span></b></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Military check points, common on roads and river ways.<span> </span>Usually all the men in the bus or boat are asked to leave the vehicle, show their ID cards, and get patted down. </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Death threats to social organizations, including the 4 new threats received in August by organizations here in Barranca, all signed by the paramilitaries. Although we plan to continue to draw attention to these issues from the U.S.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">The heat, although it did dip down below 80 degrees in our bedroom once, and we had a heavy breeze last week that everyone is still talking about.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">The smell of the oil refinery that sends us to check for the hundredth time whether something in the house is actually on fire.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Meat- and starch-heavy meals.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Knee-deep mud.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Mosquitoes, chiggers, ticks, and all kinds of other biting insects we've encountered in the rural areas.<span> </span>The relatively innocuous dengue- and malaria-free mosquitoes of Minnesota will be a welcome change!</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Dengue fever, fondly known as "break bone" fever by those who have experienced it.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Staying in touch with friends and family via email.</span></p><p><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p><span lang="EN-US"></span><b><span lang="EN-US">What we <u>will</u> miss about Colombia:</span></b></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Tropical fruits; we are eating big bowls of fresh pineapple, papaya and mango each day just to store up for the long, apple-filled winter in Minnesota.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Travel by river, the best way to commute to meetings that we can think of!</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Cooling nightly downpours during the rainy season.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Opportunities to experience and learn from another culture, although we still cannot figure out how to navigate the traffic.<span> </span>We have learned that the lights go from red to yellow to green, and that yellow can most easily be defined as "start your engines" and is not at all related to the "time to slow down" in the U.S.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Opportunities to learn Spanish, although we will not miss having to worry if a slightly mispronounced word might easily become a swear word, like the other day when Michele attempted to say the word for "bald" and a gracious listener kindly corrected the pronunciation and advised against the ill-spoken word.<span> </span>By the color in her friend's cheeks, Michele knew never to try to say "bald" again.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p> <p><b><span lang="EN-US">Things we will take with us:</span></b></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">The courage and commitment of our many partners, including the women's organization that boldly states, "It is better to live in fear than to stop living because of fear." </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Living in a community that does not emphasize material possessions, capitalism or individual capital gain. Like the young barefoot boy that helped Michele with her backpack at a river port and then refused the offer of a few pesos, Michele thinking that he must be one of the many people at the port making their living by transporting goods. </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">A more profound understanding of our global connectedness and our impact on the lives and economies and communities of people living thousands of miles from us. We have seen how our choices in the U.S. can lead to deforestation, violence and displacement, or to sustainable development, secure communities and fairer employment.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">The anticipation we feel thinking about our return home is mixed with the angst of job searching. Your job leads and job search hints are still welcome.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">For photos of our recent vacation to southern Colombia and Ecuador see our <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/SouthToEcuador#">photo album</a>.<br /></span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">We've also particpated in a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GxBmK441JA">short video interview</a> about the accompaniment work we've been doing.<span> </span>The video was created for the website of <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.newtactics.org/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1226635407_1">New Tactics in Human Rights</span></a>, a web community of human rights workers created by The Center for Victims of Torture in Minneapolis. </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">To read more about CPT or make a donation in our name, go to <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.cpt.org/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1226635407_2">www.cpt.org</span></a>.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">In Gratitude,</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Michele and Nils</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">P.S. More stories about daily life in Colombia.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">It was brought to our attention (thanks, Tony) that we omitted Flora and Fauna in our last update so here it is, along with a few other odds and ends.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Flora and Fauna: - With temperatures in the 80's to 100's all year around you can imagine that we enjoy beautiful flowering trees and plants all year as well, including the bougainvillea on our patio, and an amazing variety of heliconias. Colombia also has the most diversity of orchids in the world, with thousands of varieties.<span> </span>For the most spectacular tree we have seen, check out our <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/Garzal#5149798966316576098"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1226635407_3">Garzal photos</span></a> from Christmas.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US">Our best fauna stories are already included in our Food section of the last email but we have met some animals we have not, yet, had the opportunity to eat. A favorite memory is when a falling monkey almost hit Nils. Nils was standing almost directly below a family of monkeys who were traveling in trees 70 feet tall. One particularly clumsy monkey hesitated and then leapt for a branch and missed, falling right towards Nils.<span> </span>Nils scrambled to get out of the way, but fortunately the monkey caught itself in a 15-foot tall cacao tree that was growing beneath the taller trees, and it quickly clambered back up to a higher perch. We're not sure who was more frightened, the monkey or Nils. </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Other animals we have enjoyed are the mules that have transported us long distances to meetings. Sometimes this travel becomes quite treacherous due to roads covered in several feet of mud.<span> </span>One time Michele was on a two-hour mule trip with a teammate and the mule driver. Michele watched in surprise as the mule driver jumped off of his mule just as the mule lost its balance when one leg sunk into belly-deep mud. Thankfully, this lessened the surprise for Michele when her mule toppled over a few minutes later. Luckily, the soft mud that had caused the fall also created a nice pillow for Michele's leg that was now trapped under the mule. The mule driver reached Michele in record time, and with a few quick pushes the mule was back on its feet and Michele and her muddy pants got back up on the mule.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">On our river trips we see hundreds of birds including egrets, herons, cormorants, ducks, and kingfishers, as well as a lot of birds we can't identify.<span> </span>When a birdwatcher, armed with her bird book joined our team she was thrilled to see dozens of birds she had never seen before, on her first trip on the river!<span> </span>Insects (the biting kind) were mentioned earlier in this letter, but Colombia also has an amazing variety of butterflies, and some really cool beetles.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">We have also seen small crocodiles, iguanas as big as cats and twice as long, small lizards that can run across the surface of the water, and several small rodents that seem to not have names in English.<span> </span>When one teammate asked a farmer for the difference between a 'tiger', a 'lion' and a 'puma' (small wild cats that live in the region and are not the cats we know by this name), he responded, "A tiger is a tiger, and a lion is a lion, and a puma is a puma."<span> </span>We felt this summed it up pretty well. </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Nils has added to his list of "strange foods" recently when he insisted on <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/SouthToEcuador#5243327598189075362"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1226635407_4">eating a guinea pig</span></a> (cuy) for his birthday. It was so big that he was able to split it with a friend. Nils got the head since it was his birthday, and our friend got the butt. Michele took the tiniest bite possible that would still qualify for "I ate guinea pig".</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">"Mud" could have its own section. Like the time the roads were too muddy for a truck to provide transport and motorcycles were sent, in the rain, to collect Michele and a teammate. With a shrug and a "what can you do?" they put on their raincoats and each got on the back of a motorcycle. A short time later one of the motorcycles broke down and the trip ended with Michele, the teammate, the driver and a large back pack all on one motorcycle, in the pouring rain, arriving in town covered in mud and unrecognizable to people that knew us. Luckily, our driver shared our "what can you do?" attitude and when the rain picked up he chimed in saying, "Oh, nothing like a downpour to make everything fresher."</span></p> </div>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-90510540000453635022008-09-11T19:13:00.000-07:002008-11-16T12:14:58.425-08:00Short video about our workIn January, our CPT Colombia team participated in a <a href="http://www.newtactics.org/en/blog/new-tactics/unarmed-accompaniment">on-line dialogue</a><a href="http://www.newtactics.org/en/blog/new-tactics/unarmed-accompaniment"> about Unarmed Accompaniment</a> on the <a href="http://www.newtactics.org/">New Tactics for Human Rights</a> website. When the two of us were back in Minnesota in April, the folks for New Tactics asked us if we would be willing to be interviewed by them for a short video about Colombia and the use of accompaniment as a tactic to protect communities at risk of violence. Below is a nine-minute video they made, based on the interview with us.<br /><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-GxBmK441JA&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-GxBmK441JA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><span style="font-size:78%;"><br />Special thanks to our friends Tim and Kevin for the use of their lovely sunporch.</span><span style="font-size:78%;"></span>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-12671247673525963882008-09-11T18:47:00.000-07:002008-09-11T18:48:13.062-07:00Take Action for ColombiaAt the end of July, the State Department again certified that the Colombian military has been meeting the basic benchmarks set forth by Congress on respecting human rights and breaking ties to paramilitaries.<br /><br />While progress has indeed been made in a few high-profile human rights cases, and some important arrests have been made, <b>the sad truth is that the Colombian military continues to commit human rights abuses with near total impunity.</b><br /><br />The Latin American Working Group (LAWG) is asking people to send a simple, but strong, message to the State Department - <b>wrong decision, wrong time, wrong message.</b><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=DZ9Wn8hE7hqFr538x4QMHBW5bVgrLNWB"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1221181863_0">Click here</span></a> for an on-line form to take action and make sure your voice is heard!<br /><br />A big human rights concern that we have seen in our work is extrajudicial killings by the Colombian military. We wrote in an <a href="http://nilsandmichele.blogspot.com/2008/06/extrajudicial-killings.html">earlier blog post</a> about this phenomena, and The LA Times recently published an <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2008/08/colombia-milita.html">updated story</a> on these illegal killings by the military which are common (329 last year), but rarely result in prosecutions, or even thorough investigations of the soldiers involved. There are also some <a href="http://cpt.org/gallery/CommisiontoinvestigatethedeathofAicardoAntonioOrtiz">photos on the CPT website</a> from a recent accompaniment CPT did to support the investigation of one of these extrajudicial killings.Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-43897725546366784592008-09-07T11:11:00.000-07:002008-09-07T11:30:17.695-07:00Our recent trip to southern Colombia and EcuadorIn August there were a bunch of other people on team with us so we were able to take a two-week vacation to see a little more of Colombia (the south this time) and to visit Ecuador. See below for pictures.<br /><br /><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 15px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-01658416257444868 visible ontop" href="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf"></a><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fnilsdybvig%2Falbumid%2F5243323931076746753%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="400" height="267"></embed><br /><br />We went to stay with our friend Karen that Michele met at a workshop last year, and and visited the Tatacoa desert near Neiva with her. Then we continued on to San Agustin, where archeologists have discovered hundreds of tombs and funerary sculptures dating from between 900 BC and 1200 AD. We continued on to Popayan, Pasto and Ipiales, and then crossed the border to Ecuador. We spent several days in Otavalo, Ecuador hiking and visiting the indigenous market, and then went on to spend a day in Quito and to visit a monument at the Equator, which runs just outside of Quito.Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-19263817819053730282008-06-29T12:53:00.000-07:002008-06-29T13:03:41.678-07:00Recent AccompanimentsHere are a few photos we have taken on recent accompaniments.<br /><br /><table style="width: 194px;"><tbody><tr><td style="background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/RecentAccompanimentsJune2008"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/nilsdybvig/SGflKETvyiE/AAAAAAAABeI/7Y4dj5y716Y/s160-c/RecentAccompanimentsJune2008.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" height="160" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/RecentAccompanimentsJune2008" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Recent accompanim<wbr>ents - June 2008</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-2570842861528950312008-06-29T12:51:00.000-07:002008-06-29T13:02:17.090-07:00Photos of BarrancaHere are some photos of life in Barrancabermeja, our home for the last year and a half.<br /><br /><table style="width: 194px;"><tbody><tr><td style="background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/Barranca"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/nilsdybvig/SGfm9kTvynE/AAAAAAAABfc/sHJueU_yCCo/s160-c/Barranca.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" height="160" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/Barranca" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Barranca</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-81084825573410104862008-06-22T11:59:00.000-07:002008-09-02T12:01:26.051-07:00South America Log # 12<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Dear Family and Friends and Assorted Peacemakers,<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">It took us a few months to notice the trend. Last September, the military arrested four leaders from a farmer's organization, and issued arrest warrants for 18 more of the organization's leaders. The leaders went into hiding, leaving the organization essentially dismantled. In January, armed men broke into the apartment of the director of a women's organization and threatened her life. She left Barrancabermeja for her own safety. In March the director of a local human rights organization moved his family to Bogotá for their safety. When we returned to Barranca in May, after 6 weeks of vacation in Minnesota, we learned that several development workers and priests from a rural area CPT accompanies had received written threats and had displaced from their communities.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">As the media will report, and Colombian President Uribe and President Bush will boast, violence is down in Colombia. But, any human rights or development worker will tell you the threats continue, one by one, one by one. And, soon, numerous human rights workers are gone or threatened and the news media and global community hardly even noticed.<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Sometimes the threat comes from the Colombian government itself. The government will arrest community leaders for "rebellion". Often the evidence is flimsy and the courts eventually release the person, but during their detention, the government has kept this person from organizing. Four of the leaders of the small farmers organization mentioned above were released after almost 6 months in prison when the government could not produce evidence against them. The leader of the small gold miners' organization was held for rebellion for over a week and then released for lack of evidence. An advocate for political prisoners was himself held for 18 months and then released before his trial date, again for lack of evidence. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">When CPT first arrived in Barrancabermeja 7 years ago the physical violence of the conflict was evident. Our teammates attended funerals of people they had accompanied, they were present moments after people were killed, and they encountered dead bodies floating in the rivers where we frequently travel. Thankfully, it's been over a year since the physical violence of the conflict has touched our team that closely. The type of violence experienced by our partners has changed but the effects on human rights are not any less damaging.<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">So, the need for accompaniment continues in Barrancabermeja.<span> </span>This week Nils spent a day accompanying local elections in a nearby town where there are concerns that paramilitaries will intimidate people from voting.<span> </span>Michele spent 3 days with development workers who were leading a workshop on cooperative projects including buffalo and coffee.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Thank you to everyone who reads our writings, checks out our <a href="http://nilsandmichele.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>, takes action on an issue impacting Colombia, sends us an email, or donates to <a href="http://www.cpt.org/" target="_blank">CPT</a> in our name!<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">In hope,</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Michele and Nils</span></p><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">You can read more about the tactics used against human rights workers in the Amnesty International report, <a href="http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR23/033/2006/en/dom-AMR230332006en.pdf" target="_blank">Colombia: Fear and Intimidation: The dangers of human rights work</a>.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">To read about one aspect of economic oppression facing rural Colombians, Nils recently wrote a <a href="http://www.cpt.org/cptnet/2008/06/05/colombia-how-quotfreequot-trade-agreements-threaten-family-farms" target="_blank">short essay</a> on the likely impacts of the U.S. Free Trade Agreement with Colombia.<span> </span>Go to our <a href="http://nilsandmichele.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> (<a href="http://nilsandmichele.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://nilsandmichele.<wbr>blogspot.com/</a>) for a link to the article and to see photos of Barrancabermeja.<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">If you have read this far, you might be one of our friends who has asked to hear some more of the personal details of our life in Colombia. <span></span>Here they are: </span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Spanish – Nils came to Colombia with a decent level of Spanish having spent one year of high school in Venezuela. I had taken lots of evening Spanish classes but felt stuck at the intermediate level. When I came to Colombia I had high hopes of becoming fluent. In our 18 months in Colombia, the work of CPT has taken precedence over Spanish learning and at times it has been more important to get the work done than to do the work in Spanish. Our co-workers are from Canada, the U.S. and Colombia and the Colombians want to practice English as much as I want to practice Spanish. So, some days meetings are in Spanish, some days in English.<span> </span>When we go out to visit communities, I almost always travel with a teammate with stronger Spanish than me.<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">With less than 4 months left here I have decided to spend some more focused time on Spanish learning. I will go to Medellín (about 8 hours away) in July for 3 weeks of language classes in the morning, volunteering at a school in the afternoon and living with a family. I hope the time of traveling on my own and relying on my Spanish will do a lot for my Spanish skills and my confidence in my Spanish.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Friends – It has been difficult to make friends here for several reasons. The culture in Barranca is very much centered on family, so time outside of work and on holidays is usually spent with family. People have said so many hellos and good-byes to CPTers that they often do not want to take the risk again to get close to one of us.<span> </span>We often feel the same way, having made friends again and again with other international accompaniers only to learn on our second or third meeting that they will be leaving Barranca.<span> </span>I (Michele) did make a friend about a year ago on an accompaniment. Gladis is a grade school teacher who has to learn English because her school is going bilingual. Gladis and I get together almost every week. I enjoy the time spent talking with her family, sharing a meal and practicing Spanish. When she pulls out her English textbooks I also get to review my irregular verbs and the difference between a past and present participle.<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Free time – Barranca is an industrial, working class city of about 300,000 people that offers few cultural activities. We ride bikes, swim at a hotel pool, do laps at an Olympic sized pool, rent movies, go out for pizza, walk downtown for ice cream or a beer, play board games and go dancing if we can stay awake until 11pm when people start going out.<span> </span>Only once have we ventured out for a game of minitejo. It's similar to horseshoes except you throw a small metal disk or tejo across the court and if it lands in the center it will explode a small packet of gunpowder. When our group of foreigners finished playing, the court owner got a real laugh when he discovered we had only managed to finish one game in the 3 hours we were there.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Food – tropical fruits would best define the cuisine here, along with cassava, plantain, rice, meat or fish, and arepas (round, flat bread made from corn flour). The only tortillas are imported from the U.S. <span> </span>and food is never spicy.<span> </span>Fresh fruit juice of every variety is commonplace – we will miss the passion fruit juice the most! We were told once that you could eat a different fruit every day for a year in Colombia. We began to believe this when our 28-year-old Colombia housemate was asked the name of a fruit and he said he had never seen it before. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Strange foods – although we still both prefer to eat vegetarian food we quickly realized that would not be realistic here, especially when we travel in rural areas and much of the food is brought in from a long distance. We eat what is served to us. We have eaten turtle (not recommended), every internal organ of a cow (especially not recommended, intestines – they might look like pasta but do not be fooled!) and several large rodents (Nils thinks the ponche is good with coconut milk).<span> </span>We hope to travel to southern Colombia and Ecuador before we leave, which might mean trying guinea pig.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">In turn, Colombians tell us that our strange (and detestable) foods include peanut butter, olives, pickles and cranberry juice.<br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Now, if you have read this far, you owe us an <a href="mailto:michelebraley@gmail.com?subject=Hi%20Nils%20and%20Michele%21" target="_blank">email</a>, even a short one, to tell us what you are up to!!</span></p>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327143246544870393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-90476765594112084102008-06-15T16:41:00.000-07:002008-06-27T10:07:04.449-07:00Free trade and small farmersRecently Colombia has been in the news a lot in discussions about the proposed "free" trade agreement (FTA) being proposed between the U.S. and Colombia. I recently wrote a <a href="http://www.cpt.org/cptnet/2008/06/05/colombia-how-quotfreequot-trade-agreements-threaten-family-farms">short article for CPT's e-mail list</a> about the FTA and the effects it would have on small farmers. A lot of Colombians oppose the FTA, but in trying to write about it I've discovered that the issue is complicated - its easy for multinational companies to see how it benefits them, but it's hard for family farmers, factory workers, and ordinary citizens to understand the economic impacts it will have on them, and on the Colombian civil conflict. <a href="http://www.cpt.org/cptnet/2008/06/05/colombia-how-quotfreequot-trade-agreements-threaten-family-farms">My article</a> attempts to explain some of these impacts, without getting too technical.<br /><br />Unfortunately, although the U.S. congress has refused to vote on the FTA this year, I'm pessimistic that this is more than a short-term victory. There was a great <a href="http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=12091">article recently in the Globe and Mail</a> talking about a proposed Canadian FTA with Colombia, and how when that passes - now seen by most observers as almost assured - the U.S. will follow suit.Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-15590014917442772152008-06-08T11:20:00.000-07:002008-06-15T16:41:29.504-07:00Extrajudicial killingsThe end of March, there were articles in both the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/29/AR2008032901118.html">Washington Post</a> and the <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2008/mar/21/world/fg-colombia21">LA Times</a> about Colombian civilians killed by the military. <span style="font-size:100%;">In our work here in the Middle Magdalena, we frequently hear about people, often civilians, who are killed by the Colombian military outside of combat. </span>The <span style="font-size:100%;">LA Times article in particular, </span><span style="font-size:100%;">titled "<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2008/mar/21/world/fg-colombia21">Extrajudicial slayings on rise in Colombia</a>", did a</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> good job of describing the underlying incentives for these extrajudicial murders.<br /><br /><br /></span>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-74669933541769658672008-05-25T09:27:00.000-07:002008-05-25T09:48:20.233-07:00118 daysAnother book to recommend, although having to do with CPT, not Colombia. Christian Peacemaker Teams is pub<span style="font-family: georgia;">lishing </span>a book "<a href="http://www.cpt.org/118days"><span style="font-style: italic;">118 Days: Christian Peacemaker Teams Held Hostage in Iraq</span></a>", about the hostage crisis involving four CPTers in late 2005 and early 2006. The book includes reflections by the surviving hostages, but also talks about the experiences of CPT staff, friends and family who worked for their release while trying to maintain hope. <br /><br />CPT is <a href="http://www.cpt.org/118days/launch">launching</a> the book with a June 5th potluck in Chicago. See the <a href="http://www.cpt.org/118days"><span style="font-style: italic;">118 Days</span> website</a> for more information about the book.Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-53480651266839613502008-03-08T20:08:00.000-08:002008-05-01T08:12:11.637-07:00South America Log - No. 11<div id="yiv945462761">March 8, 2008<br /><br /><span lang="EN-US">Greetings friends and family,</span> <p><span lang="EN-US">Happy International Women's Day! After receiving numerous worried emails about the crisis between Colombia and its bordering countries we decided to write about that situation. Our team in Barrancabermeja is a long ways from all of Colombia's borders, so there has never been direct danger related to these tensions to CPTers or to our partners here.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">As of yesterday, March 7, we are thankful to report that tensions between Colombia and Venezuela and Ecuador have eased due to diplomatic conversations at the 10<sup>th</sup> annual Rio Summit of leaders of Latin American countries. The Rio Summit was scheduled prior to the events that sparked tensions between Colombia and its border nations. The agenda of the Rio Summit was quickly changed to focus on the crisis between these countries.<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Here is a summary of events over the past week for those who have been trying to get a handle on the situation here:</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">On February 27, through negotiations facilitated by the government of Venezuela, there was another step forward in a peaceful end to the armed conflict when the guerrilla group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) released four more of the approximately 700 hostages they have kidnapped and held for years.<span style=""> </span>Three days later on March 1, Colombian governmental forces crossed into Ecuador and, through aerial bombardment and an on-ground military raid, killed a key FARC leader, 'Raúl Reyes', as well as twenty others identified in the press as FARC members.<span style=""> </span>Some reports suggest this attack on a FARC base inside of Ecuador was aided by U.S. intelligence. According to Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, at the time of his death Reyes was in negotiations with the Ecuadorian government regarding a further release of hostages.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">On March 2 Ecuador and Venezuela withdrew their ambassadors from Colombia and both countries moved troops and tanks to their borders with Colombia. On March 6 Nicaragua also withdrew its ambassadors from Colombia. On March 7 at the Rio Summit the four countries reached a diplomatic agreement to this conflict.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">We recommend Adam Isaacson's blog at the Center for International Policy <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.cipcol.org/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1209654457_0">www.cipcol.org</span></a> for ongoing concise analysis of events in Colombia, and links to recommended news sources. </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">*******</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">In celebration of International Women's Day, the Women's Popular Organization (OFP) hung posters throughout Barrancabermeja opposing the armed conflict. They asked CPT if we would spend time at each of their community centers, as they were concerned about reprisals for the hanging of the posters.<span style=""> </span>Yesterday we went out in pairs to eat lunch at the soup kitchens operated at each of the OFP's community centers. As Nils and I enjoyed our lunch of soup, rice and beans, salad, plantains and fresh lemonade, everyone in the dining room sat silently watching the television news.<span style=""> </span>The media was announcing that the Colombian Army had killed 'Iván Ríos', another member of the FARC's seven-person secretariat or leadership council.<span style=""> </span>The murder the week before of 'Raúl Reyes' was the first death of a FARC secretariat member in their almost 50-year existence. </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">As I listened to the news of 'Iván Ríos' death, I felt sad to realize that many people will hear the news of the death of two FARC leaders as proof that a military solution to the armed conflict is working. Thankfully, there are also many people who believe non-violent responses and a negotiated solution to the armed conflict is not only possible but necessary. Near our lunch table at the soup kitchen was one of the posters created in celebration of International Women's Day with the slogan, "We do not want a peace that oppresses or a war that kills." The killing of the FARC leaders by the Colombian Army is certainly, "the peace that oppresses." The hanging of these posters is just one of the many courageous acts of resistance to this war that we witness every day.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">International Women's Day will be a more somber one for the OFP this year as it will be the first celebration they have held in 30 years without their President, Yolanda Becerra, in attendance. Ms. Becerra was assaulted in her home the night of November 4, 2007 and members of her family have been harassed and threatened. Ms. Becerra has left the city but the women of OFP are as determined as ever to work for women's rights.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">In other news, Michele recently returned to Garzal, the community where we spent Christmas. We are organizing a delegation of 11 Colombians to visit Garzal next week to see first hand their struggle for land titles.<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Nils recently spent 4 days with the mining community in meetings to hold the Colombian government accountable to agreements they made after the Army killed mining leader, Alejandro Uribe in September 2006.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />We also enjoyed two weeks at the Caribbean Coast in February, where highlights included a visit to where the desert meets the ocean in the northernmost tip of Colombia and a morning spent scuba diving.<span style=""> </span>You can see photos of our vacation below in this blog.<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://nilsandmichele.blogspot.com/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1209654457_1"></span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />We will be back in Minnesota from March 26 to May 6. Then we will return to Colombia where we plan to stay until September 2008. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />In Peace,</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Michele and Nils</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">To learn more about the work of CPT or to make a donation in our names please visit <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.cpt.org/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1209654457_2">www.cpt.org</span></a></span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span>CPT MISSION STATEMENT: Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) Colombia is a<br />community made up of trained volunteers from different cultures that forms part of the international, ecumenical organization, CPT. Our work is based in, though not limited to, the Middle Magdalena region of Colombia. We work together on grassroots initiatives to expose and transform structures of domination and oppression through active nonviolence in order to make possible a world grounded in respect, justice and love, even of enemies.</span></p> </div>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327143246544870393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-25090300943051004892008-03-08T13:04:00.000-08:002008-03-08T13:07:20.510-08:00Our trip to the CaribbeanHi everybody,<br /><br />We're back form two weeks of relaxing along Colombia's Caribbean coast. It was great. Here are some photos from our trip.<br /><br /><table style="width: 194px;"><tbody><tr><td style="background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/CaribbeanCoastFeb2008"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/nilsdybvig/R8GBJn_iTIE/AAAAAAAABOk/kb6pCsxwoNk/s160-c/CaribbeanCoastFeb2008.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" height="160" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/CaribbeanCoastFeb2008" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Caribbean Coast Feb 2008</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-19519929236712818132008-03-08T12:54:00.000-08:002008-03-08T12:59:45.947-08:00Women's Mobilization in NariñoLast November when Nils was in Nariño he got to attend an amazing women's march for Peace, bringing together over 4,000 women from all over the country. (He also got to travel 30 hours across Colombia with 40 exultant but sleep-deprived women returning from the march.) Here are some photos of the march that I should have posted a long time ago.<br /><br /><table style="width: 194px;"><tbody><tr><td style="background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/NationalWomenSMobilization"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/nilsdybvig/R9L7oI5HInE/AAAAAAAABRE/ZOZ9mWpJTaw/s160-c/NationalWomenSMobilization.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" height="160" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/NationalWomenSMobilization" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">National Women's Mobilizati<wbr>on</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-23272350781257109632007-12-30T09:19:00.000-08:002008-03-08T16:05:34.007-08:00South America Log - No. 10<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Dear Friends and Family,<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">We are back from our trip to Garzal where we enjoyed experiencing a rural Christmas.</span> Click the picture below to see some of our photos from the trip:<br /></p><table style="width: 194px;"><tbody><tr><td style="background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/Garzal"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/nilsdybvig/R3fAAAP5LPE/AAAAAAAAA7A/JzHBbJ6YBZo/s160-c/Garzal.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" height="160" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/Garzal" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Garzal</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="">We were relieved that it was a quiet week given the communities concerns about increased violence during the holidays.<span style=""> </span>Since we have only recently started working with this community, we spent much of our time visiting families to introduce ourselves and CPT, and to learn a little about their life and experiences.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">We found many of the Christmas traditions to be familiar. Families were enjoying out of town guests. A common meal was prepared and shared by many families before going to Christmas Eve church services. Some families gave small gifts to their children. We enjoyed special foods that are usually only prepared at Christmas, including tamales and a spice cake baked over a wood fire. And, some in the community celebrated with drinking beer all through the night and into the next day.<o:p></o:p> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">A memorable part of our stay in Garzal was the Christmas Eve vigil at a small evangelical church in the community.<span style=""> </span>(The pastor’s family was our main host for the week so our decision about whether to spend Christmas Eve with the church-goers or beer drinkers was clear.) The pastor, perhaps running short on music to keep the 4-hour vigil going until midnight asked us if we would sing a song.<span style=""> </span>We agreed and sang ‘Joy to the World’ and ‘Silent Night’, explaining that in many churches in the US on Christmas Eve, the lights are extinguished and Silent Night is sung by candlelight.<span style=""> </span>The pastor decided to end their vigil in the same way, so they passed out candles, turned off the generator, and we all sang ‘Noche de Paz’ at midnight.<span style=""> </span>It made us both a little teary to enjoy a tradition from home and to think of many of you singing the same song that night.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">We also enjoyed swimming in the Magdalena River, which is the color of chocolate milk, with our host’s family.<span style=""> </span>And, on our last night with the family, we sat around joking and singing before going to bed.<span style=""> </span>They asked us to sing for them and said they would sing for us in return.<span style=""> </span>We sang Jingle Bells and then taught them the chorus. Several people caught on quite quickly while some of the grandchildren got the tune but used the typical “shwah, shwah” sounds to imitate the English words.<span style=""> </span>I imagine we will still be hearing the grandchildren sing “Jingle shwah, Jingle shwah, Jingle shwah, shwah, shwah” to the tune of Jingle Bells when we return to their home.<o:p></o:p> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">While this Christmas was free from violence for the people of Garzal, our many conversations with families reminded us that the threats they are facing continue to be very real. Although many have farmed the land for 40 years, they are in the midst of a 6-year-long struggle to gain titles to their land, titles they have a right to under Colombian law.<span style=""> </span>In the past few months the struggle has intensified with increased pressure from illegal armed groups for the families to abandon their farms.<span style=""> </span>Fortunately, more human rights workers and a lawyer have joined with the community to work on their behalf.<span style=""> </span>As we listened to the worry of so many farmers about the possibility of losing their land and their livelihood we were reminded of the words of a Colombian mother we met on our first visit to Colombia. She described peace as “going to bed at night with a roof over your head, food for your family, and freedom from fear”.<span style=""> </span>We pray that 2008 will be the year the families of Garzal receive the titles to their land, and we all can rejoice with them in being just a little closer to Peace on Earth.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">May you and your community have a roof over your head, food for your family and freedom from fear in 2008.<o:p></o:p> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">In Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Michele and<span style=""> </span>Nils<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Bonus Christmas Song - <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">People who live in rural communities have access to an abundance of fresh food and are happy to share, but by the end of our time we were beginning to feel like we were in a food-themed ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’, which inspired the following:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span style="font-weight: bold;">Seven Days of Christmas in Garzal</span><o:p style="font-weight: bold;"></o:p><span style="font-weight: bold;">:</span> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">On the seventh day in Garzal, a neighbor gave to me<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Seven cups of coffee<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Six coconuts<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Five kilos of oranges<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Four cups of tamarind pulp<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Three sour guavas<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Two ripe bananas<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">And a chicken tamale wrapped in banana leaves!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">CPT MISSION STATEMENT: Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) Colombia is a<br />community made up of trained volunteers from different cultures that forms part of the international, ecumenical organization, CPT. Our work is based in, though not limited to, the Middle Magdalena region of Colombia. We work together on grassroots initiatives to expose and transform structures of domination and oppression through active nonviolence in order to make possible a world grounded in respect, justice and love, even of enemies.<o:p></o:p> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Read more or make a donation at </span><span lang="ES"><a href="http://www.cpt.org/"><span style="" lang="EN-US">www.cpt.org</span></a></span><span style="">. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-47594453771047257812007-12-19T13:00:00.000-08:002008-03-08T13:08:58.618-08:00South America Log - No. 9<span style="font-weight: normal;"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoBodyText"> </p><h4 style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">December 19, 2007</span></h4> <p class="MsoBodyText">Dear Family and Friends:</p> <h4 style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The season of Advent is one of anticipation, as we look forward to celebrations together with family, and think about our hopes for the coming New Year.<span style=""> </span>This year in Barrancabermeja we also wait in anticipation, or perhaps trepidation, for news from the community of Garzal.<span style=""> </span>This pastoral farming community along the banks of the Magdalena River is named for the many herons and egrets (“garzas” in Spanish) that populate the riverbanks. There’s no electricity or running water in Garzal, but there’s a strong sense of community among the 136 families that live there; many of them have farmed this same land for 40 years.<o:p></o:p></span></h4> <h4 style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The peaceful life of the families in Garzal is under threat.<span style=""> </span>The community has been engaged in a decade-long bureaucratic process to register the titles to their land; they are legally entitled to the land under Colombian law due to their long residence.<span style=""> </span>In recent years, members of the illegal paramilitaries have tried to take control of the land for drug trafficking or cattle-ranching.<span style=""> </span>Most recently they have threatened to evict the community or make them sign over their land titles, by armed force if necessary.<span style=""> </span>The community is particularly worried about the holiday season; they feel more alone over the Christmas and New Year's holiday when many government and human rights offices will be on vacation, allowing the illegal armed groups to move through their communities with few repercussions.<o:p></o:p></span></h4> <p class="MsoBodyText">Michele and our teammate Rachel recently spent two days with the residents of Garzal as they met with Colombian government, United Nations and human rights organizations to develop a plan to fight for their land rights and to ask the government to fulfill their obligation to prevent displacement. As one leader of the community stated, “A farmer without land is like a fish without water.”</p> <h4 style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Displacement is not a new problem in Colombia or in the world. Displacement has been going on for decades in the area surrounding Barrancabermeja, and a recent report by the government Human Rights Defender's office indicates that displacement in the region has increased by 89% in the last year.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></h4> <p class="MsoBodyText">2000 years ago, after Jesus’ birth, instead of returning home, Mary and Joseph were forced to flee to Egypt with their newborn son:</p> <p class="BlockText" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;"><i><span style=""> </span>When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt. (Matthew 2: 13-14)<o:p></o:p></i></p> <h4 style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Joseph, Mary and Jesus knew what it was like to live as displaced people, fleeing violence and leaving behind their family, friends, jobs and possessions in order to start a new life in a strange place that, hopefully, would offer safety.<span style=""> </span>This experience of being displaced by violence is one shared by more than three million Colombians.<span style=""> </span>Our hope is that the families of Garzal can avoid this fate and continue to farm the land they have peacefully lived on for generations.<o:p></o:p></span></h4> <p class="MsoBodyText">This Christmas the two of us will experience a glimpse of the rural lifestyle that the families of Garzal are fighting for. In a few days, we will load up our backpacks and travel three hours by boat to Garzal to spend a week with the community.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, we won't be able to call or respond to e-mails in the days around Christmas, although we will be in daily cell phone contact with our teammates.<span style=""> </span>However, we are always glad when we get the opportunity to work together, and by the warm reception we've received in the past in Garzal, we are confident that spending Christmas with the families there will be a rich experience.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText">This Advent season please keep the people of Garzal in your prayers as they attempt to hold on to their homes and livelihood. And, may we all find small ways to build peace in our homes, communities and the world in the coming year.</p> <p class="MsoBodyText">Love and Peace,</p> <p class="MsoBodyText">Nils and Michele</p> <p class="MsoBodyText">P.S. We’ve put some more photos up on our blog – dancing salsa with our teammates, as well as pictures from our vacation to San Gil in November.<span style=""> </span>Check them out at <a href="http://nilsandmichele.blogspot.com/">http://nilsandmichele.blogspot.com/</a> <span style="font-size:9;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-25471760002768750952007-12-18T16:42:00.000-08:002008-03-08T16:06:46.811-08:00Salsa dancing!<span style="">I (Nils) am back from Nariño. My stay there ended up being just three weeks, but I had to turn right around for another five-day accompaniment almost as soon as I arrived back here. Now at last Michele and I have been able to spend some time together.<br /><br />Click on the photo below for some pictures from a recent evening of dancing with some of our teammates at Las Cotorras, a favorite salsa bar.<span style=""> </span>It was a supremely fun night, and a reminder that we need to get out more and enjoy Barrancabermeja’s nightlife.<br /></span><br /><table style="width: 194px;"><tbody><tr><td style="background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/SalsaDancing"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/nilsdybvig/R2m90AP5LJE/AAAAAAAAA4U/Y0PGDCdCDq0/s160-c/SalsaDancing.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" height="160" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/SalsaDancing" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Salsa Dancing</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-36537720302539754932007-11-12T14:26:00.000-08:002007-11-13T10:30:42.100-08:00Update from Nils<span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span>Michele and I are spending a few weeks apart as I take part in an accompaniment in Nariño, in the far southwestern corner of <st1:country-region st="on">Colombia</st1:country-region>, 30 hours from <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Barrancabermeja</st1:city></st1:place> by bus.<span style=""> </span>Nariño is beautiful, it’s very mountainous and also has a lot of rainforests.<span style=""> </span>Right now I’m in <st1:city st="on">Pasto</st1:city>, the capitol of Nariño, but we’ll mostly be working in the town of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ricaurte</st1:place></st1:city>, about four hours from here. The newspaper ‘Diario del Sur’ has a bunch of <a href="http://www.diariodelsur.com.co/rgrafico/ricaurte/">photos of Ricuarte on their website (click here)</a>. <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The photos do a pretty good job of telling the story of Ricaurte: beautiful mountainous rainforests, and lots of soldiers.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">We’ll be in Ricaurte to accompany a community of Awá indigenous people that have been suffering in the armed conflict recently.<span style=""> </span>Hundreds of families have had to flee their homes due to ongoing battles between the army and the FARC guerrilla, and many civilians have been killed, either caught in the crossfire or killed by landmines, which are prevalent in the rural areas.<span style=""> </span>My teammate and I are <b style="">not</b> going to be visiting the rural areas for our own safety, but our accompaniment from Ricaurte can be helpful to the community leadership as they go about their work. We’re also hoping to write some articles to make the struggles of the Awá people more visible. I was here in Nariño last year in November, and it feels good to be back doing this valuable work.<br /></span></p>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-1602177351691346632007-11-12T08:51:00.000-08:002007-11-13T10:31:58.062-08:00Vacation in San GilWe recently took a few days off team for a 4-day vacation in and near San Gil. Nils is leaving for an accompaniment in Nariño (the far southwestern corner of Colombia) so we wanted a vacation together before he left. San Gil is about 5 hours away from Barranca by bus, and the area around there is known for it's natural beauty, and it's beautiful colonial towns, as well as being a center for extreme sports such as whitewater rafting, hang gliding, and spelunking. We didn't do any extreme sports, but we did have a nice getaway, and went on some great hikes together.<br /><br />In addition to San Gil, we visited the nearby village of Barichara, a beautifully-preserved colonial town. From there we hiked to a waterfall and to Guané, an even smaller village. Here are some pictures from our trip:<br /><br /><table style="width: 194px;"><tbody><tr><td style="background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/SanGil"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/nilsdybvig/RziEBZc4kCE/AAAAAAAAA1U/QvAZzpNT1Fw/s160-c/SanGil.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" height="160" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/SanGil" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">San Gil</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-7524706148496699392007-10-13T14:36:00.000-07:002007-11-12T08:12:19.389-08:00Video about Small Miners on the webThe British non-profit organization <a href="http://www.waronwant.org/?lid=1">War on Want</a> has produced a short <a href="http://www.waronwant.org/Profiting%20from%20Conflict%20-%20Anglo%20American%20in%20Colombia%2014782.twl">video</a> about mining issues in southern Bolivar province in Colombia. This area is close to Barranacabermeja, and we do a lot of work in the region, including accompanying the miners federation mentioned in the video. Michele and I have met José Uribe, the man interviewed in the film, several times, and accompanied him at times when he felt his life was under threat.<br /><br />The film does a good job of underlining the issues the small-scale miners are dealing with in the face of development interest by multinational mining companies.<br /><a href="http://www.waronwant.org/Profiting%20from%20Conflict%20-%20Anglo%20American%20in%20Colombia%2014782.twl">Click here for the video.</a><br />It's worth watching.Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327143246544870393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-21523807676072017362007-10-12T10:36:00.000-07:002007-11-13T11:15:54.905-08:00South America Log - No. 8<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Greetings Friends and Family,</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">After spending two months on vacation and giving presentations about <st1:country-region st="on">Colombia</st1:country-region> in <st1:city st="on">Minneapolis</st1:city>, we are writing once again from <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Barrancabermeja</st1:city>, <st1:country-region st="on">Colombia</st1:country-region></st1:place>. We returned to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Barrancabermeja</st1:place></st1:city> in September and we are excited to be spending another year here working with Christian Peacemaker Teams. (Your memory does serve you correctly if you thought we would only be here another 6 months –<span style=""> </span>we made the decision over the summer to return for another year.)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><o:p></o:p>We arrived to the news that the Colombian Army had begun a campaign of forced recruitment of young men to serve in the Army.<span style=""> </span>Men are required to serve one year in the armed services unless they meet various conditions including being a student or caring for elderly parents. Legally, the Colombian Army can notify a young man that he is not in compliance with the law and order him to appear for his service. Instead, the Army has been driving around neighborhoods in a truck conducting sweeps, stopping every young man in sight and hauling him into the army base if he is not carrying a card verifying his military service. </p><span lang="EN-US"></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">One afternoon our teammate <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Pierre</st1:place></st1:city> was walking when he saw two soldiers pointing at a young man on the sidewalk saying, "get that one there.". Coincidentally, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Pierre</st1:place></st1:city> knew the man, "Rafael", who is the 24-year-old leader of the local conscientious objector movement. Before being taken away, Rafael gave his cell phone number to <st1:city st="on">Pierre</st1:city> and <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Pierre</st1:place></st1:city> kept in contact with Rafael while he was detained. Rafael and the men detained with him were some of the lucky ones hauled off the street that day.<span style=""> </span>As a conscientious objector, Rafael knows his rights regarding military service and he educated the other young men who were being detained with him. The Army realized they were worse off with Rafael in their detention area and they let him go the same day.<span style=""> </span>But not before he had educated the other men that they had the right to refuse to sign any paperwork that day. The Army was unable to forcibly recruit anyone in Rafael's group.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">A few days later Pierre and Michele met with the sergeant in charge of recruitment to express concerns about men being held, sometimes for days, without notification of their families and without the ability to fulfill work and family obligations. The sergeant admitted, "yes, it is irregular”, which is the official way to acknowledge that a practice violates their own standards without calling it “illegal” which would allow for action against them.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">A recent CPT delegation from <st1:place st="on">North America</st1:place> decided to design a public action to educate youth in Barranca about their rights regarding military service.<span style=""> </span>The delegates constructed a large cardboard Army truck and painted it with the words, "NO to recruitment for the war, YES to recruitment for life."</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The delegation and their Army truck walked through downtown Barranca passing out pamphlets notifying people of their rights under the recruitment laws. When they stopped in front of the Army battalion they enacted a scene of a person being forcibly recruited who then breaks away from the military to join a joyous celebration of life. Needless to say, this activity brought many soldiers out to the gate and the Commander watched for a few minutes before sending a soldier to get a video camera.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Rafael was with us that day and turned his head at first to avoid being filmed but then resumed his participation with his usual resolve to act on his convictions despite the potential consequences. For Rafael, who is an openly gay, conscientious objector in a city where paramilitaries regularly practice social cleansing by killing anyone they decide does not fit their ideal citizen, Rafael's every move is one of resolve.<span style=""> </span>Instead of hiding in fear after the paramilitaries recently published a death list of young people involved in social movements, Rafael's participation in our recent public action conveys his unwavering determination.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">When we gathered after the public action to share our thoughts and feelings about the day's activities Rafael was part of our circle.<span style=""> </span>He tearfully talked about his need to continue to work for peace in honor of his many friends who have been killed in this 40 year old conflict. When we expressed concern that Rafael may be at greater risk now that the Army videotaped him, he told us not to worry and said, "when we do things from our heart then good things will come from them."<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">There is a saying here, "It is better to live in fear than to stop living because of fear."<span style=""> </span>Every day Rafael and all Colombian peacemakers courageously choose to live and we are so honored to be able to continue for another year to share in peacemaking with them.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In Peace,</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Michele and Nils</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">P.S. Four times per year delegations come to Colombia from North America to spend two weeks learning about the history and politics of Colombia, getting to know numerous human rights and peace organizations and visiting one of the rural areas where CPT works.<span style=""> </span>To learn about future delegations go to <a href="http://www.cpt.org/">www.cpt.org</a> and click on “Delegations” on the left side of the page. We would love to host you and show you our work!</span></p>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327143246544870393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-85763565952408575802007-09-20T14:21:00.000-07:002007-11-13T11:20:24.387-08:00Back to ColombiaHi Everyone,<br /><br />After a lot of thought, we've decided to return to Colombia for a full year (not just 6 months as we previously discussed). We really love the work with CPT, and feel like our first year here we devoted a lot of energy to learning the context, and getting to know the people and organizations we work with; a second year will allow us to build on that experience, as well as continue to improve our Spanish.<br /><br />Some of you have asked about our old fashioned snail mail address. You can send stuff to us at the following address:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Equipos Cristianos de Acción por la Paz</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Apartado 280</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Barrancabermeja, Santander, COLOMBIA</span><br /><br />We've actually had pretty good luck receiving things in the mail from family, but I wouldn't advise sending anything too valuable or perishable.<br /><br />We hope to resume our e-mail updates pretty soon.<br />Peace,<br />Nils & MicheleMichelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327143246544870393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-76930239522770645672007-07-18T12:24:00.000-07:002007-07-18T12:33:41.952-07:00Back in MinnesotaAfter a fairly uneventful return trip, Michele and I are back in Minnesota. So far we've only been here a few days, but it's been great to see family and friends again and cathc up on what we've been missing out on. I hope we'll have a chance to see many of you before we return to Colombia in early September.<br /><br />We're staying with Michele's parents until the end of July. The phone number here is (651) 633-4451. As of August 1st we'll be back in our house in Minneapolis, and back at our old phone number - (612) 822-6653. <br /><br />We've arranged a number of presentations over the next few months to show our photos and talk about Colombia. Please let us know if you'd like to come to one and we can make sure you receive an invitation.<br /><br />We're also still looking for a renter. If you know anyone who needs a short-term (probably September through March), furnished rental in Minneapolis, please have them call us or e-mail us (my address is nilsdybvig(at)yahoo.com)Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-34402491679653848482007-06-20T20:22:00.000-07:002007-08-06T07:41:47.133-07:00Books about ColombiaA while ago my Dad was asking me about a book on Colombia, and I (Nils) realized that he might not be the only one interested in reading about Colombia. Here are some books about Colombia I've read or had recommended to me; if you have other suggestions let me know.<br /><br />NONFICTION:<br /><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/63-9781586482077-0"><span style="font-style: italic;">More Terrible than Death: Massacres, Drugs, and America's War in Colombia </span>by Robin Kirk.</a><br />A good overview of the Colombian conflict, but because the focus is on political violence, I think it makes the conflict in Colombia seem more intensely violent than it really is. Mom, please don't read this book.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/2-9781567513226-0"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Profits of Extermination: Big Mining in Colombia</span> by Francisco Ramirez Cuellar.</a><br />Michele is reading this book, which uncovers the way foreign corporations have manipulated the law and worked hand in hand with right-wing death squads and the US and Colombian government to ensure profits at the cost of the rights and lives of workers, peasants and miners. Ramirez Cuellar is president of the Colombian mining union Sintraminercol, and has been a speaker for CPT past delegations.<br />This book is especially relevant to CPT's work in the Sur de Bolivar, where small-scale gold miners are being pressured to displace from their land at the same time that multinational mining companies are moving into the region.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/2-9781903809488-0"><span style="font-style: italic;">Killing Pablo: the Hunt for Pablo Escobar</span> by Mark Bowden.<br /></a>This book charts the rise and fall of Colombian drugs baron Pablo Escobar, exposing the massive operation by covert US Special Forces and intelligence services to hunt down and assassinate him in 1993.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780853459910-0"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Open Veins of Latin America: five centuries of the Pillage of a Continent</span> by Eduardo Galeano</a><br />I am currently reading this analysis of the effects and causes of capitalist underdevelopment in Latin America. It was written in 1973, so it's a little dated, but Galeano is an engaging writer and an excellent analyst, and the dynamics of underdevelopment he describes are even more evident today. He's written some more recent books too, such as <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780312420314-0">Upside Down</a> (2001).<br /><br />FICTION:<br /><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-9780060531041-0"><span style="font-style: italic;">One Hundred Years of Solitude</span> by Gabriel Garcia Marquez<br /></a>Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez is considered one of this century's greatest authors (he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1982), and this tale of life in a small Colombian town is seen as his greatest work. How can you go wrong?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/17-9780060088941-0"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Dark Bride</span> by Laura Restrepo</a><br />Restrepo is one of Colombia's most acclaimed contemporary writers, and this book is set in the oilfields and slums of a fictional town modeled on Barrancabermeja, where we're living this year. I loved this one, and her other books are also supposed to be excellent.<br /><br />Read one. Read them all. Propose them to your book club. Happy reading!Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-27663233280565301852007-06-16T11:51:00.000-07:002007-07-18T12:23:19.885-07:00South America Log - No. 7Dear friends and family,<br /><br />We are just finishing up a 10 day trip visiting the Peace Sanctuary Churches we got to know when we first visited Colombia with a delegation in February 2006. The pastors of all 3 churches have also been guests in our home in Minneapolis so it's been a real blessing to get to connect again. Who could have guessed all the turns our life would take since that trip just 16 months ago.<br /><br />We arrived in the first peace community after spending 13 hours traveling by bus from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Barrancabermeja</span>. Our hosts wanted us to visit one of their new development projects. We went by bicycle taxi to a small farm on the edge of town where several families are collectively raising chickens. We sat talking with a small group under a thatched roof porch as we waited for our lunch to finishing cooking over a small fire.<br /><br />The talk made the usual twists and turns from weather and farming to politics, and specifically, US foreign policy in Colombia. Just two days earlier in the US House of Representatives, the foreign aid appropriations subcommittee had proposed a new approach to Bush's Plan Colombia by requesting a decrease in military aid to Colombia and an increase in development spending. The increased development aid will help the victims of the conflict, strengthen the judicial system, invest in rural development, and help farmers turn away from growing coca, the raw material for cocaine. We were surprised to discover that these small farmers in rural Colombia had already heard this news about a possible change in funding and they were feeling very encouraged.<br /><br />This was the first of many similar conversations as we continued our trip. And, each time, the Colombians already knew of the proposed changes to Plan Colombia. Just maybe, we told each other, the advocacy we have been doing together is working.<br /><br />These peace churches know the realities of the armed conflict in Colombia. One congregation was started by hundreds of families who were forced to flee their farms after the violence towards them became too great. Each church has members who have been disappeared or killed. The pastors themselves have been threatened. Just last year one of our hosts received a series of phone calls from an armed group demanding money and threatening him and his young family. His church responded with a round-the-clock vigil at his house until the threats subsided. In the midst of these realities these churches have resolutely proclaimed themselves peace sanctuaries and rejected any use of violence to end the conflict. Instead they have promoted economic development for their communities, alternatives to military service, and negotiated solutions in an effort to end the conflict.<br /><br />After we said good-bye to one of our hosts we drove out of their town of 12,000 people in a taxi. Five army tanks and 15 soldiers lined the road. How, we wondered, will these tanks bring peace to this small farming community?<br /><br />These conversations are a stark reminder of the direct impact that decisions made in Washington, DC are having on the people of Colombia, and the ongoing need to bring their stories back to the United States.<br /><br />We are buoyed by the news from Washington that Plan Colombia may be facing significant changes. Still, there is much more work to do. A Free Trade Agreement with Colombia is still up for debate and all of our Colombian associates suggest that while this agreement will benefit the large landowners and big business of the US and Colombia, it will further worsen the economic crisis facing the majority of poor Colombians. This economic crisis fuels the conflict as young men join the illegal armed groups for lack of other economic opportunities, and farmers grow coca because the prices they receive for other crops won't support their families. Also, while positive changes to Plan Colombia have been proposed in the House, there is still a lot of work to do before the proposal becomes law. The full House is expected to vote on the foreign aid bill some time next week, so your calls to congress are needed. Visit <a href="http://www.lawg.org/countries/colombia/alert_06-07-07.htm" target="_blank">http://www.lawg.org/countries/colombia/alert_06-07-07.htm</a> for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">more information</span> on how to call your congressperson and what to say.<br /><br />Within our team in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Barrancabermeja</span> we still have much to learn and, we hope, more to contribute. For this, and so many reasons, we have decided to return to Colombia for another 6 months after spending the summer in Minneapolis. The most difficult part of this decision will be living far from friends and family for 6 more months, but it's the very support and encouragement we have received from so many of you that make it possible to return to Colombia.<br /><br />We hope to see many of you this summer in Minneapolis. We also hope to arrange some presentations so please let us know if you have a group that is interested. After July 11 we can be reached at Michele's parents at 651-633-4451. The month of August we expect to be back at our house with our former phone number, 612-822-6653.<br /><br />Finally, we have a house to rent! If you know anyone who needs <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">a short</span>-term (probably September through March), furnished rental in Minneapolis, please pass on our email addresses to them.<br /><br />In Peace,<br />Michele and NilsNilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049359381086219831.post-55115944576795506862007-05-16T18:53:00.000-07:002007-05-16T18:59:21.802-07:00Trip to Chile, April 2007In April we spent two weeks visiting Santiago and Southern Chile with our neighbors from Minneapolis, Lisa, who is on a sabbatical with her family, Sergio and Camilo.<br /><br /><table style="width: 194px;"><tbody><tr><td style="background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/ChileApril2007"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/nilsdybvig/Rkut6o0Vg-E/AAAAAAAAAg0/eFDFCZH2fAg/s160-c/ChileApril2007.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" height="160" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/nilsdybvig/ChileApril2007" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Chile, April 2007</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172821907775668691noreply@blogger.com0