IGUANA

Colombia is divided into regions and each region has its own typical food; these regions are; Pacific coast, Atlantic coast, Andina region and eastern prairies. In the Pacific coast the food is based on products from the sea and coconut, they prepare all kind of dishes and they use many vegetables. in the Atlantic coast people make the food based on sea products, coconut and all kind of vegetables, they like much fried food, and they also prepare Iguana, Iguana is the typical dish, and not everybody is able eat it, if they know that it is Iguana. The Andina region is known because the typical is food is based on corn and red and white meat; they eat goat, pork, beef, chicken, fish from fresh water and some animal from the jungle people like to combine all kind of vegetables in the soup, they eat meat of from the jungle, they prepare a special food with a big ant called “hormiga culona” in Spanish. In the eastern prairies people prepare their food based on red meat specially beef, they make this in different ways, they roast, steak or smoke it, when they serve this dish, they accompany it with rice and yucca, they spread on it a kind of sauce called “suero” in Spanish.
After the introduction let me tell you that one day, a friend invited me to a small town in the Atlantic coast, when we got there, we were very hungry and we went to a local restaurant, in the restaurant, he ordered the menu, he asked me what I would like to eat and I answered him, the same food that you order, after that I went to the restroom, when I came back, the food was already on the table and I immediately started to eat, I finished everything quickly because I was very hungry and then he asked if I had ever eaten Iguana in my life, I answered him, never in my life, then he said, what you ate today was Iguana, how did you like it? I almost vomit that day. That is the strangest thing I have eaten in my life.
Iguana is a wild animal from Colombia tropical jungle and people do not eat it because the color of the meat is very white and it is not attractive to eat.

Humble man

In my country people use to write only birth date and the dead date, and sometimes a prayer; however, when I die, I would like something that it has be with all I have done in life. For example in the town where I grew up, people remember me because I was an obedient boy, every time that someone needed an errand in my neighborhood, and they asked me to do it, I immediately went without hesitating. At school my teachers remember me because I was a good student and I did not miss to do almost any homework. At college my professors and friend s always remember me because of the desire that I had to study English in the US, and that now it is coming true. In the town where I live with my family, people remember me because I am a good father, a good son, a good professional a good neighbor and humble; and In my job my colleagues and principal remember me because of my togetherness, cooperation, courage, and perseverance to get my goals and get ahead my school. For all I have expressed before, I would like that my gravestone had written the following epitaph; “Here lay down a humble man who wanted his people to be bilingual” in addition to this a prayer.

Colombia's stereotypes

Stereotype is something people use to describe a particular kind person or thing. This happens almost in everywhere in the world. And my country is not an exception. White people in big cities in my country, for example, they believe that all black people are robbers, because some day they see a black guy doing this, or because someone told them something like this, they took this in general, it cannot be so. However, they keep that idea. There is a case that when a white person see a black person in the street, immediately, they say, that black is a robber, be careful, do not trust him. I think that this is a wrong idea, because we cannot generalize a particular situation that you have had to a whole group of people.

This kind a stereotype used to happen in my country some decades ago, but this was because some Medias sold that idea in movies, newspapers, magazines and television, where some blacks were responsible of all the bad things that happened. However, today people have understood that those misbehaviors are not only of some blacks, but also some whites or others ethnic groups.

Another stereotype that my country suffers today is that all people are drug traffickers. That is not true. That is the wrong idea that the international Medias have sold to the world, but Colombia is more than that. I think that the international Medias should show the positive things of this country. For example, the culture, the food, the nature, and the costumes: Things that attract international people to see and enjoy.

Colombia's flag

Colombia's flag has three colors yellow, blue and red in an across way. The yellow color is half of the flag and another half blue and red. There are many interpretations and legends that try to explain why Francisco Miranda chose these three colors for our national flag.
First, the yellow color means, towns that want love and live together, the blue color the seas, and the wide ocean that keep us apart from Spaniard government rules, and the red color makes understand Spaniard people that is better dead that live under their slavery rules. However some people believe that the colors of our flag were taking from Spain’s flag. And the blue color was added, to show the distance and the sea that makes us far from each other. In addition, our flag represents the colors of the rainbow.
Second, some historians state that Miranda took or adopted these three colors, as a symbol of thankfulness to her friend the empress Catalina de Russia. The yellow color shows her hair, the blue color her eyes, and the red color her lips.
Third, the yellow color represents the richness of our lands, harmony and justice. The blue color shows the oceans and seas. And the red color stands for our life, power, and progress.
Finally, the most important thing is that it symbolizes our hardship in the past and a hope for a better future.

My experience in US

My life has changed

My experience in US