Expats in Colombia: Cherilyn Elston

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Cherie’s not in Colombia at the moment, but she has some great memories to share with us of her two years here and yes, she does want to come back soon!

LCO: Where are you from originally and what is your connection to Colombia?
CE: I am originally from London and moved to Bogotá in 2008 to work as a British Council Language Assistant in a Colegio Distrital.  I was only meant to spend a year in Colombia but I loved it so much I couldn’t leave and ended up staying for two years.

LCO: When you first came to Colombia, what were your first impressions? Was it what you expected?
CE: I arrived in Colombia without really knowing much about the country.  I had been living in Spain but was then offered the opportunity to work in Bogotá so decided to risk it.  My first week was crazy… we had a few days induction in the British Council offices in Bogotá but I was then picked up by someone from the school I was going to work at.  One of the teachers turned out to be in a dance group who performed traditional Colombian folkloric dances and he invited me to his family’s home in Sogamoso that weekend.  So, without knowing anyone in the country, I ended up buying ruanas in Nobsa, eating delicious boyacense soups and watching traditional Colombian dances!

LCO: You’re planning to return to the country when you finish your M. Phil in Latin American Studies. What do you hope to do in Colombia this time around?
CE: I have just finished an M.Phil in Latin American Studies at the University of Cambridge.  I only really returned to England because I wanted to do this course, which has enabled me to study Latin American literature, film and culture.  When I was in Colombia I began to read a lot of Colombian literature, especially women’s writing, and became fascinated by it.  I decided I wanted to research further; at Cambridge there is a very good department.  I am going to extend my M.Phil thesis into a PhD project looking at contemporary Colombian women’s writing, so I will get to return to Bogotá to do my fieldwork.  In the future, I hope to live again in the country for a longer period.

LCO: What did you learn from the Colombian locals?
CE: I learnt an awful lot… Colombian people are some of the friendliest, kindest people in the world.  Coming from Europe where people are generally colder and more reserved I was constantly surprised by the generosity that was shown to me.   Mi casa es tu casa was the phrase I heard most often.  I think the most important thing I took away from Colombia (other than a love for salsa, a coffee addiction and an obsession with arepas!) was the realization that life is to be enjoyed despite its difficulties.  With Colombians, I feel I can laugh and express myself in a way I never can in my own country.

LCO: When you were in Bogota, what were your favorite hang-outs?
CE: My favourite activity in Bogotá is to walk the septima on a Sunday morning during the ciclovia, watch all the performers, street sellers and families relaxing and end up at the San Alejo flea market.  I could spend days wandering around the centre of Bogotá, having a coffee in café paisaje, listening to a cuentero in el chorro de quevedo or browsing books in Merlin and the libreria Lerner.  For me, Bogotá is one of the most fascinating cities in the world.  It feels like a city with many secrets, many layers – of history, culture, idiosyncrasies.

LCO: Tell us about one Colombian who has inspired you and how.
CE: My best friend Zeida, who took me in, showed me unconditional love and generosity and demonstrated how berraco Colombians are.  In a society that is difficult to understand, very complicated, and which can be difficult, Zeida showed me how you can think differently, be radical and nonconformist.

LCO: When you were in Colombia, what (besides people) did you miss most from home? And vice versa, now that you’re back home, what do you miss most from Colombia?
CE: I missed a good cup of tea, English irony and the changing of the seasons.  Being so close to the Equator the weather is the same all year round in Colombia – in Bogotá it rains a bit more or less depending on the time of year.  I missed the sense of time passing that comes with seeing the seasons go by.

Now I’m home, I miss a really good cup of Colombian coffee, walking around Bogotá, a night out dancing salsa, bachata, merengue, vallenato etc… a sancocho de gallina, and the friendliness of Colombian people.

LCO: What was your favorite Colombia discovery that we wouldn’t find in the guidebooks?
CE: They are in the guidebooks but I would recommend visiting Monguí, a panoramic village in Boyaca, Mompos, a colonial gem on the river Magdalena, and San Agustin archaeological site.  I had so many wonderful experiences travelling around Colombia – you find yourself crammed into a truck at four in the morning travelling across the Guajira, getting covered in flour at the Blancos y Negros carnival in Pasto, or dancing vallenato at el parque de la leyenda vallenata in Valledupar.

LCO: Favorite Colombian artists?
CE: Writers… countless.  I love Antonio Caballero’s Sin Remedio for its representation of Bogotá, Marvel Moreno, Fanny Buitrago and Albalucia Angel to represent women novelists, Andres Caicedo to represent the counterculture, Efrain Medina Reyes for his brilliant representation of the modern machista.  Two of my favourite artists are Beatriz Gonzalez and Debora Arango.  I spent a lot of time in Bogotá seeking out Colombian films.  I think one of my all-time favourites is Bolivar soy yo by Jorge Ali Triana – insightful, very funny and ironic.  There is a lot of good Colombian cinema being made now.

LCO: If you could tell people around the world who haven’t been one thing about Colombia, what would you say?
CE: Ignore the stereotype – Colombia is a crazy, complicated, diverse, stunningly beautiful place.  It´s impossible not to fall in love with the country.

Thanks Cherilyn!

For more interviews with expats in Colombia, click here.

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