Classes have finally started—a welcome change in schedule, as I was beginning to get a bit restless. Luckily, things have picked up quickly, and my days are becoming longer and busier.
My program is a year-long Specialization in Armed Conflict and Peace at the Universidad de los Andes. I currently have three classes—Political Regime and Actors of the Colombian Conflict, Theory of Armed Conflict, and Peace Negotiations. All my professors are incredibly smart, each with a distinct ideology, which should enhance class discussion. The program attempts to balance theoretical and practical aspects of conflict resolution, as most of the students either are working or plan to work in this field.
These students will without a doubt be the best part of my experience at Los Andes. The Specialization draws people who are, in general, older than me, with experiences that put mine to shame. Current and past employers of my classmates include the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Colombian government, and virtually every important NGO in Colombia. Some have done field work in Colombia, engaging in some form with the guerrillas and paramilitaries, while others have found themselves on the ground in such places as Darfur and Kosovo. There are four other international students—two Spaniards, one Italian, and fellow Tar Heel Anthony Dest. I’m definitely the most gringo of all, but it is a reality I’ve become used to.
The workload shouldn’t be overbearing, given that I only have three classes. However, my writing in Spanish will definitely improve, as my grades are almost entirely based on essays. No tests though, which I can live with. My participation in the research project on ex-combatants will take off in a few days.
Conflict in Colombia is not just an academic topic, as events of the last week remind us. The release of four hostages by the FARC yesterday was good news. The two bombs set off by the same group in the last week were not. I look forward to trying to make some sense of the situation at a university that strives to play an important role in the resolution of Colombia’s varied conflicts.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Hi Matt, my name is Katie. I was a Rotary scholar in Colombia last year. I happened to stumble across your blog and it's funny about some of the things you say... like how the upper class is super paranoid. And in this post when you mention 2 bombings in the last week, I was like "yeah I can empathize, the Blockbuster was bombed the day before I left" and then I realized that the Blockbuster bombing was probably the one you were referring to in this post. Anyway, I'm going to follow your blog because I think it will be interesting!
Post a Comment