The contents of this blog are mine alone and in no way do they reflect the viewpoints or opinions of the Peace Corps nor the government of the United States of America.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

What happens in Cartagena...

If you've never heard of Cartagena, Colombia you have now, thanks to the Secret Service scandal.  Just the other day, I found myself still reading about the debacle in the news.  The latest morsel of media buzz made reference to an indirect excuse that the Secret Service agents' behavior was part of the "culture" here. Scoff-worthy, right?  


The obvious answer is yes, yet... whoever used this weak defense does have a bit of point.  The Secret Service agents did nothing that multitudes of gringos aren't doing here everyday.  ("Gringo," by the way, is a term used to refer to anyone who is "white" and is not an offensive term here.) Clearly though, the behavior expectations for US Government representatives are a bit higher, or one would think.  However, prostitution is rampant and legal here.  Case in point, several of my male gringo acquaintances report that when riding solo in a cab, the driver nearly always offers to help with arranging for a prostitute, and when I'm strolling the streets with gringo male friends at night, the offers they receive are plentiful.  The point is you don't have to look very hard for a prostitute if that's what you've come to Colombia for.


Also, as I've reported in other blog entries, the Colombian coast is a highly sexually-charged culture.  Even police officers have whistled at me as I walk with head-down and eyes averted through the city during daylight hours.  And stories like this could go on for pages and pages.  The male volunteers are actually a bit exhausted listening to all of the lady volunteers rant their unbelievable stories of unwanted attention.  It is slowly though becoming just a fact of life for me now.  As my girl Lola Cash says, "It is so hard being sexy." 


Lastly, Colombian women are BEAUTIFUL, both naturally and surgically.  They dress to the nines-- I really don't know what that means, but many dress in terribly high heels, nine inches maybe, tight jeans, with very flashy and very revealing tops.  It is hot, after all, and even I find myself loathe to wear anything with a sleeve.  Weather.com now reports that the "feels like" temperature is at 106, and we are just entering the hot season... and with air conditioners being rare if not non-existent, it makes sense to wear as little as possible.  


Yet with all the culture one can muster as an excuse, it is still a terrible embarrassment to also be here representing the US of A with associates like the Secret Service.  What I think the worst of all of this ignominy though is the one agent who refused to pay his prostitute the agreed upon price.  It reeks of colonialist history with the "white man," or in this case the more powerful government, coming to the Americas and taking what they want without the duty of earning or paying for the riches, pleasures of a less powerful people.  It is really quite tragic actually that Americans, or norteamericanos, still behave in this superior and shameless way.  


To the Colombians reading my blog, please know that many Americans are terribly ashamed by the behavior of the Secret Service.  It is my hope that I can, along with the other Peace Corps volunteers here, show Colombians a different type of gringo.  As Representative Tom Petri of Wisconsin says of the 1961 founding of the Peace Corps: 


"The Peace Corps put another side of America forward, not one motivated by the realpolitik of the Cold War, but one motivated by the genuine and optimistic belief that the world can be improved through service and understanding and that our nation, blessed by prosperity and strength, has an obligation to help uplift those outside our borders."

And may it be so.  God bless Colombia.