Winter Holiday
A month-long winter break, spent lounging in the apartment. Before I knew it, my sleep schedule had shifted to match China’s time zone—falling asleep at 5 a.m. and waking up at 4 p.m.
I had long planned to take a trip during the winter holiday.
Central America is a major coffee-producing region. Bogota, often mentioned by my friend Eel Brother, naturally became the first destination of my trip to Colombia.
Latin America—the Americas south of the United States.
The unspoken Third World.
Latin America
Latin America exists in relation to the U.S.—it’s “south of America.”
When I first arrived in Atlanta, I thought the U.S. was very “international.” Nowhere else on Earth could I simultaneously see so many Chinese, Indians, Black people, and White people in one place.
Then I came to Latin America and realized there’s a vast region south of the U.S.—a Latin America where the descendants of European colonizers and native Indigenous peoples have distinct appearances from White Americans.
In Latin America, the number of people sleeping on the streets is high, but so is the number of smiling faces. Walking down the street, a homeless man took my half-finished lunch. I saw two garbage collectors on Christmas Eve, singing and collecting trash while hanging off the back of a garbage truck.
“The center of the world is neither the U.S. nor China. We need to accept that the world has no center, and no one will ever remain number one forever. Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Europeans, Black people, Latin Americans—we are all part of this world.”
Colombia
Bogota is very livable, with a comfortable temperature—just right for wearing long sleeves. The cost of living is low; for $26, you can have a decent Peruvian meal. Colombian local cuisine includes chicken soup, beef offal soup, fried plantains, red beans with avocado and rice, and more.
Salento is a beautiful small town where life unfolds slowly: sunrise, rooster crows, shops opening, Jeeps transporting tourists and goods, chatting in the town square, sunset, and gathering around a small TV in a local bar to watch soccer, dance, drink, and sing.
At Cocora Valley, while waiting for a ride, I met a Colombian family. They warmly asked me where I was from, video-called their relatives, and had me greet them. A child in their family loved playing with a Rubik’s Cube—“Made in China,” with Chinese characters on it!
In Medellin, the hillside slums look like stars scattered across the universe at night. In the morning, sitting in a café, curious children would gather around and ask where I was from.
Street performers breakdancing at intersections during red lights were incredibly captivating. Even after watching countless videos, being there in person felt completely different. You know that the next second, one of them might jump over to ask if you could spare a coin. As the humid rain fell, pedestrians hurried by, and drivers impatiently revved their engines.
“In our community school, we teach kids hip-hop, graffiti, and breaking. The community is slowly improving because the kids now dream of seeing the world—to visit China, to visit New York.”
Panama
Most Panamanians work in service industries—Uber drivers, restaurant servers, security guards, and so on.
There are many Cantonese people in Panama. In Cantonese restaurants, you can often see small groups of locals dining together.
I visited the Panama Canal, the old town, Sisu, Unido, and the Gesha Experience.