Obreros de la PAZ / Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartadó from Agustin Fernandez Gabard on Vimeo.
Above is a slide show created by an Uruguayn photographer, Augustin Fernandez, whom I had the pleasure to met while he was doing his project in La Holandita. I find it moving, mainly because the pictures seem to do a good job of capturing the strength, resilience and commitment of the community.
Ive recently be in the throws of trying to decide of whether or not to spend a portion or all of my last two months back in the community. The desire to be back in the mix of things working directly with the community and living again in the country-side is strong. However, there is a part of me that feels that if I give up on the last two months in the Bogota office, I would be doing to myself what I wish I hadn't done when I left the community 4 months early: cutting off the time where, after 6 months of getting used to the Bogota office work, getting to know our partners, and understanding the issues at hand, I would actually have a good enough grasp on my job where I could actually start being a real player at the table.
In the end, a combination of my desires and team logistics has me staying in Bogota until my time with FOR is up in the end of March. I am sad that I wont get a chance to reconnect with the community and try to deepen some relationships, but I am glad that I am sticking to one thing long enough to actually feel competent at it.
Your conflicting thoughts on where you should spend the remainder of your time in Colombia are understandable, Jon. I think, however, that you have made the right decision. What is more important than my opinion is the fact that you feel good about this decision. I would only suggest that you not lose touch with people in your community entirely. You can - and should visit whenever you can....
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