As A Little Girl Growing Up In Colombia 2021 ●

The most powerful force in the Colombian household, however, is the matriarch. your abuela (grandmother) was a healer, a judge, and a historian. She knew which herb ( matica ) cured a stomach ache and which remedio chased away the evil eye ( mal de ojo ).

That night, at a quinceañera, a boy named Sebastián pulled me into a corner. He smelled like cologne and sweat and cheap beer. He put his hand on my waist. He was seventeen. He had a motorcycle and a smile that was all teeth. as a little girl growing up in colombia

: Growing up, girls are often taught to be careful and diligent, traits that come naturally in many traditional communities, such as the pot-making children of Ráquira. 2. Traditions and Celebrations The most powerful force in the Colombian household,

In Colombia, your identity is forged long before you understand the word. It is gifted to you in the way your grandmother teaches you to peel a plantain or how your father insists that even the smallest accomplishment deserves a fiesta . The Soundtrack of the Morning That night, at a quinceañera, a boy named

Perhaps the greatest gift of this upbringing was la picardía —a word that translates poorly to "cleverness" or "street smarts." you learned to haggle at the market by age seven. You learned to turn a plastic bottle into a doll. You learned that if you help your neighbor carry her groceries, she will give you a dulce de leche .

Beyond the Emerald Canopy: Lessons from a Colombian Childhood