Corporación Condor is an organization based in Bogotá, Colombia that travels to marginalized areas all around the country to provide free medical care. In this essay, the group of volunteer doctors and members of the Colombian Air Force traveled to Providencia Island for a marathon of surgeries and check-ups, helping a total of 1,280 people over a single weekend.

ngo profile no. 01 ::: corporación condor from leah on Vimeo.

Leah is currently living in Bogotá, Colombia working with various nonprofit organizations and taking photographs of everyday stuff. This multimedia is the first of a year-long series telling stories for 25 NGO’s all across South America. To see more photos from South America and learn more about the 25twenty-five project, visit her bilingual blog or join the Facebook page.

Manuel, my roommate in Colombia, happens to be an accomplished freelance journalist and offered to let me tag along to an important interview he had downtown today. Turns out the Colombian House and Senate elections that happen every four years will be held in just two short weeks and Manuel was on a hunt to get perspective from one of the underdog candidates. So I wiped the sleep out of my eyes, threw a camera in my bag, and ran out the door behind Manuel. I had only been awake in the country for one hour but I was ready to hit the streets, searching for stories. Why, hello Colombia! Very nice to meet you.

I came to Bogotá because I am a photographer who decided the best way to see South America would be to invent my own project. I’d known for two years that Suramerica would be my next continent of choice, and so I nibbled away at research and reasons to come down. For months I scoured through volunteer organizations and instead of getting excited, I grew frustrated. There were so many organizations and companies and on top of that, many wanted *me* to pay them to come and give my time. I didn’t know whom to trust nor did I really have the type of funds they were asking for. I realized I would need another approach to reaching the southern hemisphere…

Now, I was certain of a few things: 1. I am a good photographer 2. I want to do good things for people who actually need it and 3. I want to be in South America for a full year. I figured all I would need are organizations I care about and an audience to listen to my stories. And so the 25twenty-five project was born.

The purpose of 25twenty-five is to travel through South America, photographing and telling stories for 25 NGO’s while I’m 25 years old. I am blogging my way over the Andes and across the Amazon with the possibility of teaching and informing a larger, interested audience as I myself learn about these people and places.

When I told most people I was leaving for South America, the initial reaction usually consisted of “Why the @#$% would you wanna do that?!”

My response was…please let me show you.

To see more of Leah Giesler’s work, check out her personal blog.

Being objective, before you make the trip, cocaine cartels and violence will pop into your head to some extent. You may not mention this and opt for a more pleasant, roundabout answer that doesn’t say much, like “Well I don’t know, I thought it would be cool, heard good things about the people, I want to learn about the culture, just came to check it out .. and I’m here.”

The media portrays Colombia as a war zone. Watch Law + Order, gangster movies, or even Modern Family on ABC and you will get that impression. There is some truth behind the stereotype. Colombia supplies more cocaine than any country in the world and a lot of violence takes place. But the vast majority of  the 50 million Colombians are friendly and peaceful; they have nothing to do with the illegal narcotics trade. This is what causes ire in a lot of Colombians when they see their portrayal in the media only addressing the worst citizens of their country.

On the reverse side, how do Colombians view Americans? Could some of them come to a wrong impression about us? One of the first channels on TelMex cable is MTV. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who has never visited the U.S. and watch My Super Sweet 16. It would be pretty tough not to feel a sense of contempt for the girls complaining about receiving an Acura instead of the Mercedes they wanted. The reality is, while the U.S is the wealthiest country in the world, most teenagers in the United States don’t act like that. But this is all they see, if they haven’t had the chance to visit.

I have seen a lot of foreigners get worked up in purchases of food or other nominal items when they paid a little more than they thought. In a lot of cases, it was a gringo price. In others, it was an honest mistake. Most of these foreigners care about making a good impression of their culture to the people here in Colombia. However, they don’t want to get ripped off. Plus, there can be an ego/pride win/loss attachment to the negotiations.

On the other end, I can feel the justifiable anger of poor street vendors to the rebuttal of a rich tourist. They know you come from a lot more money and the difference of .50 cents is nothing to you, but a lot to them.

I am not arguing that all gringos should accept being ripped off with a smile on their face. But is important to keep in mind how you are perceived and the value of the disputed price to the buyer and to the seller. Or else you may very well fulfill a stereotype that you tried so hard to prevent…

For more about gringoes in Latin America, check out “Day in the Life: To Haggle or Not to Haggle?” and “Let’s Talk About the ‘G-Word’: Gringo” by fellow La Vida Idealist blogger, Dan Malin. For more about Colombia, check out posts by Rob Packer.

Home to beautiful art and high altitude

While not directly related to volunteering, I felt this post could inspire someone feeling a bit overweight to make the trip to Bogotá, volunteer, and lose a few pounds in the process.

The other day I weighed in at the doctor and I was surprised: I lost 9 kilograms, or 20 pounds? I have a thin frame as it is, so that is a lot of weight for me.

I was confused. I exercise no more than I do in the U.S. My diet isn’t drastically different from back home. If anything, the food I eat here has more fat and more carbohydrates.

I began to  consider that the altitude had something to do with it. Bogotá is elevated at 2,640 meters (8,660 feet). I am used to living at sea level.

I looked around the internet, and found some studies on weight loss at high altitude. It turns out, the body absorbs food at a lesser rate in high altitude climates. Also, the body dries out faster, taking away water weight.

There are other high altitude cities in South America. Standing even higher are Quito, Ecuador (10,000 feet) and La Paz, Bolivia (12,120 feet). That gives you three major cities in South America to look at, and there are tons more.

*Disclaimer: I am far from a nutritionist, and there may be other health factors to consider.

The world is a big place!

I try to help out as much as I can. Listed below are the most important things you can do to get them started with a volunteer experience abroad:

1. Be upfront about costs. While not impossible, it can be difficult to find an organization that will pay for your housing and/or cost of living. People say, “Hey, well I want to do it but I don’t have the money.” They need to know this is an obstacle and that saving a lump sum of money beforehand may be required. Not an insurmountable obstacle: there are sites such as CouchSurfing that can help with free lodging.

2. Lend your English skills. A lot of organizations, as well as sites that locate volunteer opportunities, have the majority of their volunteer positions listed in English. Be a translator, and help them articulate what they want and what they can offer an organization via phone and/or email.

3. Assist with researching visa requirements. Getting a visa can be extremely difficult (especially for Colombians). Make sure they can find all the information they need regarding forms, ID’s, etc…

Did I miss anything? If anyone has any additional tips, please post them in the comments.

View from my window

I have been asked by quite a few people regarding safety in Bogotá. Some of the common questions are: “Is it a safe city?” “Will you be kidnapped and made a drug mule?” “Are you crazy?”

That answer to the second question is a definitive “no.” The answer to the third is “probably” but it has nothing to do with my decision to move to Bogotá.

As for the first question, “safe” is a rather ambiguous word. My definition of  “safe”  is any city where the chance of being a victim of crime is unlikely, and 99 times out of 100 the unlikely crime is being mugged, losing your possessions without physical harm.

I would say Bogotá is safe if you do the following two things:

A) Live in the northern parts. There is no cut and dry North/South division, but generally the north is much, much safer.

B) Take cabs late at night.

If you read the travel warning from the U.S. State Department, you would think you were going into a war zone. That is simply not the case. It mentions that this past January, there was one bombing in a warehouse that killed two people. Tragic, yes, but statistically insignificant.

Jens Porup, a former travel writer for Lonely Planet, recently gave a speech to the Bogota tourism board. He pointed out some facts that those who haven’t traveled South America are probably unaware of:

1. Venezuela should have the reputation that Colombia used to rightfully deserve in the 80’s and 90’s. If you go there, be very careful.

2. Contrary to popular perception, you are more likely to be mugged in Peru or Ecuador than in Colombia.

3. Virtually all backpackers that visit Bogotá stay in the historic center, La Candelaria. Ironically, it is quite possibly the most dangerous part of the city for a foreigner to stay.

As a parting thought, I can’t tell you how many people advised me against going to Colombia that had never visited the country! If you want to know what its really like, talk to somebody that has been there…

From the left: The pastor, his wife + daughter, director of the foundation (and former Colombian soccer pro) Jesus Gonzalez.

While I respect peaceful religion, I’m not religious. Not at all.

It wasn’t until my third visit that I came to realize Futuro Juvenil is a devoutly Christian organization.

Sure, I had seen the chapel in the estate. But I wasn’t aware that the foundation is centered around Christianity.

Daily talks from a pastor. Prayers before every meal and bed time.

Being the only non-Colombian and non-Christian, I had to evaluate my situation. Should I look at other options?

I decided I could still be useful to the foundation without sharing the same religious values. And it wasn’t going to be “weird” either. They are truly nice people.

I feel that Christian values, if followed, provide strong moral fiber. Also, I have noticed that many deeply religious people have an enviable amount of patience. Increased exposure to strong moral fiber and lasting patience can’t hurt.

Before I left Maryland, I didn’t picture having “convert Matt to believer in God”* prayers with the pastor. It’s an interesting experience to say the least.

Religion is such a sensitive, complex subject, that I usually try to stay away from it. But I’m curious. Have you heard of or encountered similar situations?

*For lack of better words

My task is to raise donations via the Internet. I have been unable to setup the website to receive online donations. Currently, we are restricted by our inability to set up a U.S. bank account, the key piece of the puzzle to allow online donations.

The last few weeks, I have succumbed to this surmountable obstacle, justifying the misuse of time spent at the foundation. A typical work day consists of about 20/30 minutes trying to push our contacts for a US bank account (the missing piece to the puzzle) and the rest is spent at lunch, other online work or random surfing of the Internet.

In the business/corporate world, how your work is perceived by others matters more to your bottom line than the actual work you produce. Granted, doing great work can help the perception, but there are certain tactics/political games that can increase your value, status and salary.

That’s not the case here. No politics, no games. I can quit whenever I want. It leaves me with a hard question: Do I really care about raising money for this foundation?

By care, I don’t mean telling other people that I raised 30 grand for a children’s foundation in Colombia, but  an intrinsic value in its own right.

I think I do care underneath my poor work ethic as of late. So I’ll continue. How am I going to change things?

First step was recognizing my problem. Check.

Next major change will be making monthly visits to La Mesa, where the kids live. A spark of motivation for my work in the drab, boring, dimly-lit office in west Bogotá.

Talk is cheap, but taking a step back and looking at what you have (or haven’t done) might be the necessary spark to get back on course.

Ciclovía. Apologies for the amateur photography. It was taken off balance on roller-blades....

Bogotá gets a lot of bad press. While some of it is deserving, a whole lot of it is based on the past conditions of the city 10 years ago. As a consequence, few people outside of Colombia are aware of the progressive, positive things going on inside the country.

Every Sunday and public holiday (they have 17 of them), Bogotá prohibits car traffic on its major streets from 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM for an event called Ciclovía.

The streets fill with your traditional walkers, runners, bikers, skaters, and roller-bladers — but  aerobics/yoga instructors, musicians, and people riding their own original creations come out as well.

Out of 6 million city residents, over 2 million citizens participate. Beginning in the late 1970’s, Ciclovía currently occupies over 70 miles of city streets. Quite a contrast to the rest of the week: heavy traffic, pollution, and the inevitable chaos of a big city.

There is quite a lot of pride surrounding the car-free event. People praise the  environmental benefits. Many of the folks that help make Ciclovía happen are volunteers. When a Congressman tried to introduce a bill in 2007 to shorten the hours, the people of Bogotá protested and won.

While Bogotá is credited as the birthplace of Ciclovía it has caught on in several other countries, including Ecuador, Canada, and the U.S.

For visitors traveling though Bogotá that don’t want to surrender their Saturday nightlife, it’s worth it one night to wake up before 2:00 P.M. or party past 7:00 A.M. Do one of those things and you will get a chance to see it.

If you’re not in Bogotá but want to see Ciclovía in action, check out this short video by StreetFilms.org

View of La Calera, the town where I teach English (Courtesy of Wunderzeta)

A week or so ago, I realized that at least for now, my volunteer gig at Futuro Juvenil would not occupy a full schedule.  I could show up and pretend to be busy every day (I have a lot of practice at this), but my duties only require 10-15 hours a week.

Conveniently, I received a message from another organization for children that I had contacted a month ago. They invited me to visit this past Thursday.

The director asked me if I could teach English classes. I hesitated: “Well, sure I speak English, but I have never taught it before.”

This is one of the great things about volunteering: getting to try something without an initial time investment. To teach English as a paying job, you need a few months of training. Granted, this training is valuable, but you have to spend a good deal of time and money before you can try teaching.

In a way, it’s like a shortcut to a new career. Like the phony degrees you can buy online. Except this comes without ethical concerns. One could argue that my “amateur status” as a teacher could hurt their development. Luckily, these kids know absolutely zero words, so it would be impossible to decrease their knowledge of the English language.

And besides, there are tons of teaching resources and lesson plans online. Thank God for the Internet.