Wanderlust is a Hereditary Disease
For those of you interested in more issues of international development and human rights, I’d highly recommended checking out the website of my sister, Rachel Ernst. She is currently working in Barranquilla, Columbia as an international accompanier. She left for Bogota the same week that I headed to Buenos Aires.
Columbia is a country in constant turmoil, with power divided between the government and guerrilla groups. This instability has constant skirmishes between government paramilitaries and the guerrillas, heavily impacting the civilians who live there. One result of this lack of governance is that Columbia is the source of nearly all the world’s cocaine, and has become the focus of much of the United States’ attention in the so-called “War of Drugs.”
As I understand it, the role of the accompanier is to be an international presence to monitor and observe the actions of both the military and the guerrilla groups. The hope is to have less of the gross human rights violations that are the hallmark of this conflict.
It’s a great read, a mix of the personal and the political:
After being used to construct the jetty, the train tracks that connect Barranquilla to Bocas de Ceniza had been closed for almost 30 years. In 2003, Colombia’s president ordered them open again in order to boost the economy of the area. As a tourist trap, Bocas de Ceniza is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Multiple small trains (trencitas) share the single track, so at three times during our 10 kilometer trip we had to step off and wait as the conductors lifted the train off the track to allow another to pass. Close to the end of the jetty, the tracks had been so jostled by the water and rocks that the wooden planks lie scattered at severe angles.
Along the way, we passed several small clusters of houses built between the tracks and the sea, where residents sell snacks, water, and beer from coolers. We bought four waters for 1200 pesos, or just over 50 cents total. In addition to tourists, the train tracks also service the fisherman by allowing them to transport their fish into town and collect fresh water. One fisherman and his giant, two-foot-long catch rode the train back with us. We learned that he would make approximately 70,000 Colombian pesos selling it, probably to a local restaurant at the end of the tracks. This should be enough money to take care of his needs for a few weeks.
The Ernst clan is fairly ambitious when we go abroad, no? Best of luck, Rachel!
Link to her website
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