Colombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia

Natalia Quintero speaks with an authority and passion about what she does and exudes the calm assured confidence of someone who knows what she's doing and where she's going!

In Episode 134 we learn how Quintero left Colombia aged 9 nine and settled in Los Angeles and how the twists and turns of her life took her to New York before now heading up a team at the Socialatom Group, an entity set up to invest, build and support tech entrepreneurs around the world and with an office here in Bogota.

So, we get the opportunity to sit down with Quintero and learn not only how she has brought her effervescent spirit back to Colombia to help economic development through technology and entrepreneurship but also about her reflections on how Bogota and Colombia have changed in her eyes.

I am particularly pleased to be able to introduce my listeners to Harold Stephenson of Crook Town, County Durham in the UK in Episode 133 as we are discussing the little known successes of English journeyman futbol coach Jack Greenwell.

The mind boggles when you think of the distances travelled by Jack Greenwell, a miner with a genius footballing brain from a small market town in the north of England, and how his life must have been when you think that he was born in 1884 and over time became one of the most successful coaches of Barcelona, then with Universitario of Lima, Peru, later the Peruvian national team in Hitler's Olympics in 1936 and then in Colombia with Barranquilla and then finally before his untimely death with Santa Fe in Bogota in 1942.

With Stephenson we are able to learn more about Greenwell's life and his movements and indeed with my own investigations we come to some conclusions about the incredible life he led at this time.

Episode 133 is very special to me as Jack Greenwell is someone whose life is almost an enigma and who should really be heralded and lauded in the halls of fame in the footballing world, but, to most he is an unknown.

Buried in an unmarked or pauper's grave in Bogota, Greenwell's story needs to be told.

Jared Wade is a hard man to pin down, Colombia Calling has been trying to get the Associate Editor of Bogota's City Paper (www.thecitypaperbogota.com), the expert on the Indiana Pacers on Fanside.com and all round freelance journalist here on the show for about eight months!

Finally, on show 132, we get to chat about how this native of Maine came to be here in Colombia, his life in the big city and his role at the City Paper. We discuss his recent press junket to the back and beyond of the Amazonian region of the department of Vaupes and its capital city Mitu to an indigenous festival.

And finally, after a brief digression regarding the Indiana Pacers, we talk about Colombia today and the significance of the ongoing peace dialogues with the FARC in Havana and what may happen on March 23.

Two estranged brothers adventure through Colombia to fulfill their dead father's will and connect with their family, their father's homeland, and - ultimately - each other. This is Bastards y Diablos (see trailer here: www.bastardsydiablos.com).

Penned by screenwriter Andrew Perez and based loosely on real circumstances & events from his life, Bastards y Diablos takes the audience on a spontaneous, passionate adventure through Colombia

In Episode 131 we get the opportunity to enjoy a frank conversation with Andrew Perez and his connections to Colombia and the inspiration behind this flick which is pulling in the plaudits.

Tune in to hear about Bastards y Diablos, a movie which the Hollywood Reporter calls: "A vibrantly unpredictable, emotionally charged road trip."

And if you want to get involved in the movie and help the cast, crew and producers, here's the crowdfunding page (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/bastards-y-diablos#/)

This week we invite Colombian writer Paula Delgado-Kling back on the show after a long absence to talk to us exclusively about her book which is tentatively entitled: "Stolen Lives, a Memoir of Colombia."

We discuss the need to understand Colombia's history to understand what is going on now with the peace talks in Havana with the FARC, how her family has - throughout the years - occupied a ringside seat during many of the significant events in the nation's history.

Speaking openly about her non-fiction novel and the female protagonist Leonor, we talk about this girl's life as she entered the FARC at age 11 and now as a mother of two struggles to get by. We talk about the significance of April 9 and the Bogotazo and fiery rhetoric of Gaitain and indeed the upsurge in communist sympathies in the area of her family's coffee farm in Viota.

The underlying theme is that of identity and where one fits into the complex narrative that is Colombia. Finally, we share a few words about the potential peace agreement to be signed on march 23 with the FARC in Havana.

Are you an expat, a short term visitor or an expat? Well, here in Colombia Seattle-born photographer and traveller Gregg Bleakney has been all three! Listen to Gregg's story and hear about he became a travel ambassador from Colombia to the world, set up his successful business http://wherenext.com and find out why he avoided Colombia as he cycled from Alaska to Ushuaia.

A chance meeting in Peru challenged his initial and justified concerns about Colombia and now he's a resident making a difference as his visual agency produces film and still photography campaigns for those who wish to participate in the wanderlusting bug.

Interviewing native Arizonan Jennie Levitt is a distinct pleasure, why? Well, she's a go getter and a believer and her positive nature shines through as she explains to us all about her projects in Bogota.

With a cookbook coming out in 2017 - including some Colombia-inspired recipes and artwork that Jennie herself did - a new line of sparkling drinks due for sale any time soon, and giving cooking classes...one would think that Jennie needs to take a step back and enjoy some breathing space!

But no, that wouldn't be her style.

Tune in to an upbeat and enjoyable episode 128.

Sometimes in life you are humbled by the selfless actions of others and Dan Eley falls firmly within this category.

On New Year´s Day 2010 Dan´s life changed irreversibly when he suffered a tragic accident near to the Colombian amazon town of Leticia which left him paralysed from the shoulders down.

Directly after his accident Dan was taken to an ill-equipped hospital where he spent three days until finally being transferred to an intensive care unit in Bogotá by air ambulance.

Dan’s condition remained critical however, and in the days that followed he suffered five cardiac arrests as well as a collapsed lung and pneumonia.

How he survived might just be described as a miracle.

Now, six years on, his drive to improve the lives of others sees him returning to Colombia on occasion and leading up the Dan Eley Foundation. (http://www.daneleyfoundation.org)

The Foundation aims to create a supportive environment where disadvantaged young children are given the opportunity to try a range of technical and vocational skills and to provide them with the professional training they need to obtain legitimate employment.

This is a story of spirit and triumph and Dan shares his tale with us, warts and all.

It's always a pleasure to have repeat visitors on Colombia Calling and this week we welcome back Sam Miller the Managing Director of Colombia Internationa (www.colombiainternational.co) to talk about his predictions for Colombia in 2016.

We asked Sam back on the show on the basis of his newsletter at the beginning of 2016 which was so positive regarding the outlook for travel and business in Colombia that we felt that it was time to share these good vibes with everyone out there interested in Colombia.

So, if you are interested in the real estate market in Bogota and indeed in Colombia, you want to hear about a real go-getter and his projects for the year in addition to his thoughts on travel in the country, there may be no better episode in which to immerse yourself.

Enjoy!

Sometimes academics we meet are guarded with their knowledge but this is not the case when we take to the airwaves with the Director for the Global Heritage Fund for Latin America Santiago Giraldo and talk about everything from anthropology and archeology in Colombia but mainly focus on the wonder that is the Teyuna Ciudad Perdida or Lost City.

From the elegant offices of the GHF (globalheritagefund.org) we discuss the overall work and mission of the entity, their projects around the world and indeed the issues surrounding the Lost City.

This really is a not-to-be-missed episode that will draw some light on the challenges bested and indeed yet to be confronted when it comes to protecting and managing a project of this type in Colombia and Giraldo is responsible for creating the Master Management Plan for Teyuna-Ciudad Perdida Archaeological Park in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountains of Colombia.

So, have you hiked to the Lost City or is it something you wish to do in the future? If so, you will definitely enjoy this interview.