Simply different

In my last report, I mentioned the idea of keeping things simple. It is increasingly becoming clear that it is not so easy in Colombia either. When trying to figure out what is truly important in life, things like manicured nails, high-heeled shoes, and glittery dresses quickly fall off the radar. Giving up on such things in Colombia is difficult. I don't even know how it happened, but there are 5 (!!!) new dresses and a pair of golden high-heeled shoes in my closet. We'll postpone simplicity to the next stage of the journey. After all, I'm still the only one with unpainted nails on hands and feet. A silent protest. A lot of importance is placed on clothing and jewelry, where cost-effectiveness matters more than quality. Well, at least you didn't lose much if the 3 Euro dress falls apart after two washes.
The first authentic experience right after our arrival in Cartagena was a 'Quinceañero'. The 15th birthday of a distant cousin of Camilo's. What an event. Most of us wouldn't even celebrate our own wedding in such a grand manner. There was a PowerPoint presentation illustrating the past 15 years of the birthday girl's life, a shoe exchange from ballerinas to 15 cm high heels (and then back after the photos and the first three songs), a father-daughter dance with all male relatives, including a performance, followed by the party and the buffet. The beautiful thing is that Colombians truly value family. 3-4 generations come together, eat and dance together, and nobody is annoyed by the extended family. With around 100 people, you can always find someone you can get along with. And the warmth and naturalness with which I am accepted makes it quite easy for me to feel at home. If only they would stop asking 'when are you getting married?' and 'children, when?' Everything in its own time.

The next authentic experience: Christmas. We spent the morning relaxing by the pool and watching TV. In the evening, we got dressed up for the family celebration. We were invited to Cami's aunt's house at 7 PM, but we arrived at 9 PM. We were the first ones there. Even the hosts were not ready yet, but nobody minded. The festivities took place on the street, with two other neighboring families. Latin Christmas music blared from oversized sound systems from at least 2-3 different houses. By 10 PM, everyone had arrived, and the evening kicked off with champagne for the ladies and whiskey on ice for the men, with non-alcoholic options having to be specifically requested. We were about 30 people, a small gathering, and the Christmas buffet consisted of two different types of rice, pork in sauce, and roast turkey, with cake for dessert. At midnight, Grandma pushed us towards the nativity scene and handed me a prayer booklet, and I had the honor of thanking Mary and Joseph for the sacrifice they made and asking God for the same virtues, with everyone watching. In the meantime, the baby Jesus was placed in the crib, and applause followed. It was truly touching. The rest of the evening was mostly calm, more or less talkative, and included a little bit of dancing.

Family life is much less formal, more flexible, and more relaxed than in most German families. When I mention that large family gatherings are practically nonexistent in Germany, I receive pitying looks and Colombians feel that their belief that the Germans are a little 'frio' (cold) is confirmed. I have to think a lot about why we are generally seen as cold in the world. After all, we have a strong social safety net, unemployment benefits, parental leave, health insurance, pensions, minimum wage, free schools and universities; the state at least tries to take care of everyone. Of course, there is a lot of room for improvement, but overall, and especially compared to other countries, we do try to achieve a fair system. Maybe we Germans are just less flexible, we prefer things the way we like them and we don't like to adapt to others as much. We prefer to move in small circles, maybe with close relatives and self-chosen, good friends. We take very good care of these people. Or maybe we are just not as dependent on each other anymore. Who knows, and I can't say what is better or worse. Ultimately, it's simply different. No more, no less.