trabajo – Packing It All In

Interview With a Fellow – Jenny Deseres

Jenny is one of five fellows who is working alongside Colombian teachers here in Palmira from February to November 2016. The two of us share a house with Maxandra, from Jamaica and Karen, who is from the States.

Who are you and where are you from?

I’m Jenny and I’m originally from Michigan in the United States, but I have lived all over the United States and have also lived abroad.

Jenny with Tim, her fellow co-teacher at Cardenas Mirri?ao, Palmira

Why did you decide to volunteer on the Heart For Change/Volunteers For Colombia co-teaching programme? Continue reading Interview With a Fellow – Jenny Deseres

Colombian Odd Jobs – Part Two

Following on from Colombian Odd Jobs – Part One?here are some more?jobs I?ve noticed that only seem to exist in Colombia (and possibly elsewhere in Latin America) but don?t really have a UK equivalent.

The Seller of Memories?

Selling memories in Parque Bolivar, Palmira

As I’ve mentioned before, we have a man who rides around town on a pushbike that has a basket on the front with a little sign claiming that he is a “Venta de Memorias” (seller of memories). In the land of magical realism this conjures up all sorts of scenarios. It turns out that he is selling USB memory sticks. This might be more mundane than initial impressions suggest, but the man does have a compelling piece of advertising going on. Continue reading Colombian Odd Jobs – Part Two

Colombian Odd Jobs – Part 1

Colombians are an entrepreneurial bunch. The streets here are full of people selling food and drink from a variety of different carts, bikes and stalls. There are a whole range of non food based enterprises as well. Some of them are a genuine exchange of goods or services while others are just a little more than begging.

The following?are jobs I’ve noticed that only seem to exist in Colombia (and possibly elsewhere in Latin America) but don’t really have a UK equivalent.

Todo Destinos (Mobile phone calls on the street)

There are three main Colombian telecommunication companies, Claro, Movistar and Tigo, who are are currently battling for the biggest share of the market.

One way they have done this is to offer very cheap call rates within their own network, but then make calling other networks considerably more expensive. This has opened up a microbusiness opportunity. Continue reading Colombian Odd Jobs – Part 1