Dinosaurs that stay


As the plane touched down in Medellín, the lady next to me clapped loudly. Unfortunately this was premature for we then bounced down the tarmacadam causing her to genuflect more times than a nun meeting the Pope.

As is normal, one of my cases was missing. In the mayhem of airport arrivals, the Señorita wrote down my details in longhand and entered them in a big black ledger. Beside me, a missing-case, jittery, North American, shouted down his cell phone, “I’m in Medellin! And there’s no computers here!”.

But they do have people and the following day they took me quickly to a long line of bags, where at the very end was mine. I signed their big black register and left.

It was Independence Day yesterday (Tuesday): 200 years ago the Spaniards were ousted. A new book says the commemoration illustrates the shortest Latin American story : “When he awoke, the dinosaur was still there”. In other words, caudillos still dominate, the many are controlled by the few and democracy hasn’t really arrived.

Sunday’s sermon was an Independence Day one: Jesus saying the truth will make you free. Classes start today (Wednesday). I’m feeling jittery.

photo: it's great to have the support of friends - thanks for reading this (Botanical Gardens, Medellín)

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