Today is Sunday and I’m drinking hot chocolate in Neiva, Colombia.
I’ve been down here for over month visiting my girlfriend Yesi. It’s wild to think that time has gone by this fast. It’s also even crazier to imagine that this is my fifth time coming to see her since we started dating in 2022.
One aspect of Colombia that I find interesting is experiencing cultural events. Being with Yesi has been nothing short of eventful. We’ve been to weddings, birthday parties, retirement parties, las novenas, quincinieras, independence day parades, and even funerals.
I feel grateful for each experience, as it’s shed light on the Colombian (especially Huila) way of life.
This post is inspired by another important event – Colombian election day.
Here’s the story:
October 29, 2023
The steady crowing from the neighbor’s rooster sang in my eardrums.
I was caught under the bed covers, trying to ignore his morning song.
But it was impossible.
As I opened my eyes, the room was a dark blue tint. The sun hadn’t even risen yet.
For a brief moment, I thought I was in my hometown in California. Blinking a few times I remembered I was thousands of miles away. I was in Campoalegre, Colombia.
This queen-size bed with warm covers wasn’t mine – it belonged to Isa and Isis.
I was a guest in their home, just like I was a guest in their country.
The morning silence broke.
I heard rumblings from the other side of the bedroom. My girlfriend Yesi was already awake and getting ready for her big day. Her duty today was the reason why we spent the night at her aunt and uncle’s house.
Today was election day in Colombia, one of the most important events in the country.
My introduction to Colombian Election Day
Unlike the US, which encourages its citizens to work as poll workers, Colombians are obligated by law to work. In other words, when you’re called to serve you do it or face severe repercussions.
As we hugged goodbye my heart felt a jab of pain.
The reality was we had no idea when she’d come back. It was 7 in the morning and maybe she’d be counting votes until midnight.
As a foreigner in Colombia, my mind immediately thought – how safe are elections here?
As I had morning coffee with Isa and Isis, I soon realized that everyone had the same level of concern. Yesi’s family was more concerned about who the people would decide.
This was a pivotal day when all of Colombia would decide who would be its governors, mayors, and councilors. There are 32 departments in Colombia, meaning the political landscape was about to change dramatically. Gustavo Petro, the sitting president, was vastly unpopular in Neiva. So, candidates who opposed his ideology were popular in Yesi’s family.
Candidates win votes with a spoon and fork
As the morning progressed, the street outside became a growling frenzy of visitors.
The once sleepy street was now bustling.
There was consistent buzzing of motorbikes. In the distance, we could hear the cracking of loud voices from a megaphone.
Across the street, a local elementary school was bursting with people. It was one of numerous pop-up polling stations throughout the town.
Yesi’s uncle Nestor came over with grandma Abiga. She’s 94 and needs special assistance. Nestor carried her over to her special chair.
The sidewalk in front of Isa and Isis’ house was protected by a row of mango trees. Dozens of voters hid in the shade like refugees transplanted from some unknown origin.
It seemed like a common fact that all the candidates were corrupt. Yesi’s mom Piedad and the family told me that in the past candidates would buy meals to win votes. They would invite citizens to a free sancocho (a meat and potato soup) or a fancy meal.
It made feel a little disheartened. The family felt optimistic about the results, though.
Blank voting is a sign of protest
It was then I heard about “votar en blanco” or voting blank.
Colombian citizens can leave their ballots section blank if they don’t support any of the candidates. I learned that many people do this. I discovered most of Yesi’s family didn’t have faith in any of the politicians, but there was a strong faith in God.
Colombia has a strong spirituality and faith. The vast majority of the country identifies as Catholic. For this reason, the family prayed for honest leadership. The country’s political fate was in God’s hands.
Escaping the crowds
At the peak of voting, the busy streets clamored with foot traffic.
Chatter and laughter from large groups of people could be heard from all directions.
I felt safer staying indoors for two seasons: One was to avoid the massive crowds of people. Also, I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. I was pretty darn sure I was the only American in Campoalegre.
Being inside was an escape from the heat. My shirt stuck to my skin as the sun escaped the cloud-filled sky.
We had the Samurai fans blasting and the lights turned off. Yesi had a twenty minute break, so we joined for a delicious meal. Everyone’s eyes hovered to the television for national voting updates.
Once all the polls closed at 4 p.m., the streets vacated. We could hear the slow migration of voters leaving the street corner. The silence prompted us to peek our friends out the front door. We were greeted with harmonic silence.
By law, this was a “dry weekend” meaning none of the bars and stores could serve alcohol. This meant that the nearby billiards hall was empty and wasn’t blasting ranchero or música popular.
Isa, Isis, Piedad, and I took advantage of the calmness to enjoy the twilight. I heard stories of what Campoalegre used to be like when they were growing up.
A land of motorcycles
Since it was Sunday, it seemed that everyone who voted wanted to “take a stroll” to enjoy the beautiful dusk in Campoalegre.
By “stroll” I refer to cruising around on a motorcycle. Families, teens, adults, and small caravans worth of motorbikes revved their engines through the around each corner. There was a stop sign but most drivers ignored it. Those who did stop were waiting to buy an empanada from the neighbor across the street.
I guessed that this is how people here entertain themselves – cruise around on your motorcycle to find something to do. It brought back nostalgia from high school. My friends and I would drive aimlessly in our cars, waiting at an In-N-Out parking lot for something fun to happen.
However, the soft warm breeze hitting your face as you coast through a neighborhood must have been an incredible feeling.
It almost made me want to drive a motorcycle.
Suddenly two drivers swerved in a near miss. One motorcycle had the right of way but the other had rolled through the stop sign. There could have been a crash. Each rider made instant adjustments to swerve out of the way.
On second thought, I was ok just watching.
Election day ended safely
When we were playing a game of Parcheezi, Yesi finally called. She and her team finished counting their station’s votes. As Piedad and I walked Yesi back to the house, we were all relieved.
It was 9 p.m., so Yesi had worked over 13 hours.
As she ate dinner, news across the country was mostly positive. It seemed like the expected local candidates, a.k.a the ones with the most money, had won.
The new mayor of Bogotá, Carlos Fernando Galán, was someone the family liked. I learned that whoever governed Bogotá was essentially the second most important leader in the country next to the president.
I was happy the day was over and that the elections overall happened peacefully.
The fever of who would govern Colombia was finally calming down.
Yesi, Piedad and I drove back to Neiva under a blanket of evening darkness and relief.
I was glad that no roosters would be waking me up the next morning.
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Thanks for reading. Thank you to Yesi and her family for this interesting experience!
Talk to you again soon!
-Daniel
P.S. Need help planning a trip? I’m now offering travel consulting and planning services. Learn more by visiting Fiverr.
There Dan Was 
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