Katherine McKeon
This is a guest post by Katherine McKeon, a UW communications major who recently returned to Seattle after working this summer for Reuters in Bogota, Colombia. The promise of peace talks between the government and FARC rebels is big news but, as she reports, few Colombians are getting their hopes up.
Katherine, in addition to her studies, three jobs and other demands that exhaust me just thinking about them will be working as an intern on Facebook for Humanosphere – so say hi to her!
————————————————————————————————
Walking to Work
After spending two months in Colombia, I’ve had the great pleasure of seeing for myself that this Andean nation is much more than its narco-lord past.
The two largest rebel groups have agreed to open their doors to peace talks, making stability a real possibility for a country with decades of scars from political and sectarian violence. Still, many Colombians remain skeptical.
The scars are deep.
”I don’t think peace is a realistic possibility,” said Jaime Rodriguez, a twenty-two year-old Colombian who works at a restaurant. “It’s just too complicated of a place, too many things have happened, and everyone remembers the violence.”