Blog

The group that left the IPP house in Bogotá to travel to Arauca on the 2nd of January came back to the Colombian capital as a changed group. The ten days spent in Arauca were full of unforgettable moments and lots of learning. These experiences made both the group stronger and also gave the participants new perspectives on life.

In Canada, we have various forms of mousetraps. Some are spring-loaded and can be tripped only once before needing to be reset. This usually ends with the death of the mouse.

Balanza IPPers had a good discussion the other night on if the expectations of the participants are being met. There were diverse understandings of what is an IPP and different viewpoints to the questions. Are we here for the community or for ourselves? What is the balance between these two? How much do we need to concentrate on what we think is important for the community and how much to focus on our questions?

It was so ironic to be sitting around with a bunch of CISV hippies discussing peace and community justice and to look up to see the silhouettes of three soldiers just 10 meters away with guns half my size pointing skyward at their side while a fourth walked behind them using his like a cane. Halfway into discussions I would forget about them and suddenly hear footsteps in the blackness outside of the hut and I would occasionally catch a glimpse of a far off cell phone being used as a flashlight in the dark dark night.