Greetings from the Airport Lounge Bogota

Just a short post to share some thoughts about perceptions and reality. How many times in our life’s have we read or seen on the TV stories about people and places and taken them literally, or as fact and not just  some journalistic representation. Whether its the stories about Palin, Blair or Chavez we ( at least I am guilty) of taking them at face value. The same is true about places and cultures.

I have just spend four days in Colombia, speaking at the ACRIP HR conference. When I thought of Colombia and the invitation was confirmed, I immediately researched the country with particular reference to security and its history of narcotics.  What I read was reassuring , in that things were getting better , at least the embassy website with its safety warnings was saying  that it was now ok to travel – as long as you knew where you were staying, keep out of un booked taxis, don’t wear expensive wrist watches etc etc.  Well let me put the record straight…

Colombians are some of the friendliest people I have ever met, very polite, fun, lively, intelligent and in many cases ( at least female gender) stunningly beautiful.  The country ( at least the part I saw) is also safe, welcoming and almost stress free for a western European tourist. I have had more hassle in Rome and Paris than in Cartagena. The city itself is a Unesco world heritage site and deservedly so.

So sat in the lounge of the airline in Bogota, I have been thinking about the injustice we can do people and places by taking all the information we have just at face value. How many times have we done the same with people, and unintentionally dismissed a talent that has yet to show its worth. I have made mental note to myself  – in future check reality before making a judgment. Trust people to have good intentions and in 99.99 % of cases you will be found to be true.

A second note to myself – don’t accept an invitation to a latin country unless you can salsa first !