DukeEngage Medellín
La Violencia is Not the Whole Story

Time

"Additionally, every action is much more drawn out here. Leaving for a party, drinking at a party, leaving the party, are all unhurried, stretched, and occasionally arduous tasks. The process of leaving one of the compañeros’s birthday parties one Saturday night took almost two hours, as I was repeatedly dragged back and asked/forced to party on; while a bit frustrating, I know that time is managed like this because the people genuinely love being in each other’s company."

"Another difference, one that I personally like a lot more, is the concept of slowing down to enjoy the day. I suppose this fits under pace. It’s different from punctuality and honoring commitments because it’s more of the attitude of enjoying everything you do without worrying about what else you’ve got to get done for tomorrow. Perhaps this contributes in a way to punctuality because people live more in the moment, not thinking about where they should be in an hour. But, I like it because it’s a relief to kind of not have to worry about tomorrow and to be able to sit and enjoy a tinto (or hot chocolate for me) and watch the world go by."

"The most important lesson to take away from this cultural difference of time is not attempt to thwart it but to embrace it. Instead of concentrating on the next thing you must do or the next place you have to be, you enjoy where you are at the present moment, in Carlos E amongst the chatter, waiting with friends and sipping a drink. When you realize that you’re waiting in the exotic and exhilarating city of Medellin, Colombia, and that you’re here, you’re actually here, you wish you could wait forever in this city."

"My doña has her friends over in the afternoon, and they chat and gossip and sew, and it gets dark after a couple of hours, but they never wear out their welcome. A few more hours later they’ve had some juice and crackers and the evening telenovelas are on, with no one rushing off to make dinner exactly at 6 or to go to bed by 10. I’ve learned from Colombian time to take things as they happen, enjoy the moment, and if you ever need do need to make an appointment on time – tell your friends to show up an hour before you have to leave."

"Time moves much slower in Colombia, and I like it. No one is in a rush to go anywhere too quickly and when someone has told you they’ll meet you at noon it might mean 12:45. The key is not to get upset but to take a deep breathe and enjoy the wait. There are two situations where I have distinctly noted that time functions in a different rhythm in Medellín."
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EMERSON COLLEGE Catalog & Film

SLIDESHOW

WHO ARE WE?


WELCOME TO MEDELLIN

Funded by generous grants from Duke University and donations from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, DukeEngage has made it possible for us, a group of six Duke students, to embark on a 7-week civic engagement project, The Historical Memory/Community Literacy Project, in Medellin, Colombia. Our team also includes 57 students from Emerson College in Boston who created a multi-media catalog & a short film "108 things you might not know about medellín".

In collaboration with our directors, Dr. Tamera Marko of Emerson College and Jota Samper of MIT, we are producing 7 short documentaries about various communities in Medellin. We want you know to know that in Medellin, a city in the process of peace, la violencia is not the whole story.

COLLABORATORS
Emerson College Medellin
DukeEngage
DukeEngage Colombia 08
Parques Bibliotecas
COMFAMA
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Carlos E. Restrepo
Pajarito Vivienda


DIRECTORS

Tamera Marko, Ph.D.
seasalt17@gmail.com

Jota Samper
jota@mit.edu