Colombia... Poverty All Around Us
Hi! My name is Valentina, but I am usually called Vale. I am 12 years old, and I am turning 13 on June . I live in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, a city that is literally in the ocean, because we are at sea level. Our school, Colegio Jorge Washington, is in the center of the city, unlike most of the other schools here, which are far away from the city. A remarkable 
feature of our school is that it is located right in front of our best beaches. The school has many extracurricular activities, like sports. I am in the middle-school girl’s soccer team, and I play as defense, although I am not very tall. On the weekends, my friends and I usually go to eat at night in different restaurants here, like Macdonalds, Crepes & Waffles, Del Otoyal, and El Corral.
Some really important issues that we face daily here in Colombia are poverty, and crime. They have all increased largely in about the past 20 or 30 years, so everything is very different than how it used to be, and it has changed from good to worse.
Poverty is very common her in Colombia, mostly here in Cartagena, although there are also some very rich people. The poor and the financially good people live in separate areas, but not very far from each other. Lack of jobs are the
main cause of poverty, although some poor people work as street vendors on the street, just trying to make at least some money. Street vendors are very common here, and they are always selling things like candy, glasses, earrings and necklaces, and purses. They are mostly seen near hotels. Because of its beautiful beaches, Cartagena gets large amounts of tourists, and that is an opportunity that street vendors have to raise their sales. As a last resource for desperate poor people, they start being “mulas”, and transport drugs from one country or city to another, and although most of them are caught and penalized, some get away with it, and earn a lot of money and happens rarely.
Some poor people start kidnapping and robbing some people, and that is why I say that the crime in Cartagena has increased dramatically in the past few ye
ars. My mother tells me that when she was young, about 30 years ago, she could walk from neighborhood to neighborhood without even worrying about being kidnapped or robbed, because it was so rare. Now, for kids like us it is very difficult not to worry about somebody robbing or kidnapping you, because it is an everyday matter. Cell phones, Ipods, and purses are basically what robbers are robbing today, because they are the most valuable things you carry around daily.
If we don’t do something about these very serious things, nobody will take care of them for us, so little by little we can make a difference in our city, or even country, so I am trying to do something about them.
feature of our school is that it is located right in front of our best beaches. The school has many extracurricular activities, like sports. I am in the middle-school girl’s soccer team, and I play as defense, although I am not very tall. On the weekends, my friends and I usually go to eat at night in different restaurants here, like Macdonalds, Crepes & Waffles, Del Otoyal, and El Corral.Some really important issues that we face daily here in Colombia are poverty, and crime. They have all increased largely in about the past 20 or 30 years, so everything is very different than how it used to be, and it has changed from good to worse.
Poverty is very common her in Colombia, mostly here in Cartagena, although there are also some very rich people. The poor and the financially good people live in separate areas, but not very far from each other. Lack of jobs are the
main cause of poverty, although some poor people work as street vendors on the street, just trying to make at least some money. Street vendors are very common here, and they are always selling things like candy, glasses, earrings and necklaces, and purses. They are mostly seen near hotels. Because of its beautiful beaches, Cartagena gets large amounts of tourists, and that is an opportunity that street vendors have to raise their sales. As a last resource for desperate poor people, they start being “mulas”, and transport drugs from one country or city to another, and although most of them are caught and penalized, some get away with it, and earn a lot of money and happens rarely.Some poor people start kidnapping and robbing some people, and that is why I say that the crime in Cartagena has increased dramatically in the past few ye
ars. My mother tells me that when she was young, about 30 years ago, she could walk from neighborhood to neighborhood without even worrying about being kidnapped or robbed, because it was so rare. Now, for kids like us it is very difficult not to worry about somebody robbing or kidnapping you, because it is an everyday matter. Cell phones, Ipods, and purses are basically what robbers are robbing today, because they are the most valuable things you carry around daily.If we don’t do something about these very serious things, nobody will take care of them for us, so little by little we can make a difference in our city, or even country, so I am trying to do something about them.
posted by *Vale M* @ 7:51 AM
2 comments
