Massey students think twice about Colombia stereotypes after month-long scholarship trip

From dancing on the street, to lush new food, to emeralds galore, Massey students find Colombia is not the drug dangerous country they expected.  

Seven other Massey students and I arrive back from Bogotá, Colombia, this Tuesday after spending a month there on a Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Latin America, studying Spanish and Theatre at the Universidad de Los Andes.  

Luciano Lara said Colombia was “not as dangerous and people frame it”. 

Colombia is often known for its history in producing and trafficking cocaine in the 1990s, however, the country is more than just its narcotics past.  

Lara loved the people and the food even more than the country itself. 

“People here are very human, very genuine. You feel like you can talk to anyone. It’s like they're not afraid to be judged.” 

I and the other students performed with Colombians originally from the Bronx, a neighbourhood destroyed by the national police in 2016 as its resolution to the drug problem.  

Lara said, “they’ve seen a lot and still come to class with a smile.” 

He felt people from South America had “a lot of resilience”.  

Lara is originally from Chile and hadn’t seen his Mum in over six years until she flew into Colombia to visit him.  

This was such a special moment for him, “who else would do that for me? … she’s the purest thing I have”. 

George Wilson said he didn’t have any idea what Colombia was really like other than watching the hit Netflix show Narcos.  

He said, “to my surprise, I haven’t felt threatened at all.” 

Wilson said his friends had made drug jokes when he told them he was going to Colombia, but felt it was all 100% stereotypical. 

“I think people would be surprised how modern it is.” 

He felt the indigenous culture in Colombia shared similarities with Māori culture, “There's quite a call to action for indigenous understanding.” 

“They refer to water, and the Earth in general, as people.” 

Aotearoa passed a law granting personhood status to the Whanganui River in 2017, declaring the river as a living whole from the mountains to the sea.  

Irihapeti Moffat agreed with Wilson, saying it struck her how similar the indigenous Colombian culture was to Māori culture.  

Moffat felt different about Colombia after living there for a month.  

“I expected to feel more unsafe, but I really don’t.” 

The trip included zip-lining, dancing, museums, markets, tango opera and amazing sight-seeing. However, Moffat felt the trip wasn’t all fun and games and also had a lot of depth. 

Students performed plays with Colombian peers bringing awareness to climate change, specifically focusing on water.  

“We’re learning about climate change from a new culture’s perspective,” Moffat said.  

“It’s a wakeup call in a way, it’s inspiring.” 

Some students who went on the group scholarship may have caught the travel bug and are thinking about applying for an individual scholarship.