Today marks the 200th Independence Day of Colombia. Since Jo Schüftan was born and raised in Colombia, he decided to pay tribute to Colombia by telling you his personal story about growing up in Colombia in the 80's and the 90's. As many of you know, Colombia has gone through some really hard times because of the never-ending armed conflict between the government and the rebels. This unfortunately changes the image that people have about Colombians in general. Many ignorant people think that all Colombians do drugs or that all Colombians are criminals. What many keep ignoring are the hard working Colombians like Jo, who keep the name and the image of their country high up in the air.
Colombia is a country with a population of over 45 million people, and there are millions of Colombians living outside of the country. Many like Jo, decided to leave because of the armed conflict that exploded in the mid 90's. Around that time people were living in constant fear, bombs were exploding on a weekly basis and the news was always bad. When Jo was only 7 years old, his best friends father was shot at point blank and even though he survived, the family was forced to leave the country the next day. As a result Jo never got to see his friend again.
One of the scariest things that Jo experienced was when a bomb exploded feet away from his families home in Bogota. Thankfully nobody got hurt. Another episode Jo experienced was when the guerrilla took over a nearby town, and Army tanks started taking over the streets. You could here the exchange of fire in the distance and you could see flashes in the sky.
What caused the most impact on Jo, was when soccer player Andres Escobar was shot dead in Medellin. As many of you know, Andres Escobar scored an own goal when Colombia played against the US team in the 1994 World Cup. That goal meant that Colombia, who was the tournament's favorite, had to pack their bags and return to Colombia. What many people don't know, is that before the game the coach received a death threat against the entire team. Once Escobar returned to Medellin to face the press, he decided to go out with some friends and clear his mind. Towards the end of the night, as he is getting ready to leave, he started getting harassed by some angry fans. Andres responded by standing up for himself and trying to reason with those people. As soon as he got in his car, they shot him 6 times in the chest. Colombian soccer would never be the same. The next morning Jo's father gave him the sad news, and Jo was devastated. Andres Escobar to this day is Jo's favorite soccer player.
Today, Colombia offers more opportunities than ever before. And ever since the government eliminated narco giants such as Pablo Escobar, the armed conflict has decreased notoriously. While there are still violent episodes, life is a lot more predictable in Colombia. Add that to the amazing culture, the food, the 3 oceans, all the weather types, the beautiful people, and you get heaven within one corner of the world. As Anthony Bourdain said on his TV show called "No Reservations": "Colombia, many times you have to travel to a place that you are not that thrilled to visit, but then get surprised with the warmth of a culture that is on the rise. This is a place that is unforgettable and you end up not wanting to leave."Here is Jo Schüftan telling you about his life as a Colombian (Explicit Language):
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