Letter to the editor: China in our hands

@wwaycorrigan

Below is a screenshot of a letter I sent to the Irish Examiner, published in the paper edition of 28 October 2022. You can find it online at https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/yourview/arid-40993280.html.

The Chinese way. 

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Everlasting love?

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

'What is love?' Those of a certain vintage may instantly think of the 1993 pop hit from Haddaway on hearing that question. It does, though, go back a little further. It has troubled the minds of our greatest thinkers through the ages.

Does true, long-lasting love really exist?

Lovemaking and breaking

Some believe in soulmates, that there is a matching partner "out there" for each one of us, and in finding that match we'll discover true love. 

The more scientifically-minded amongst us are somewhat sceptical of such a view. If we all do have a soulmate, going by the number of broken or very troubled relationships, it would appear most have failed to find the one.

Fair enough, it's not the case that a soulmate relationship must be free from conflict and hardship. Now that would be truly delving into the realms of fantasy.

No, the thinking is more along the lines of 'love conquers all'. That is to say, when problems arise, genuine soulmates have a deep desire to sort them out. If this is clearly lacking, it's probably best to move on.

When it comes to sexual relationships, discovering — or at least believing — that a mistake has been made after children have been brought into being complicates things quite a bit. Moving on isn't that straightforward. Or at least it shouldn't be if the welfare of the innocent children is sufficiently considered. This welfare is particularly important when we're talking about pre-adolescent children.

'The concept of true love and soulmates seems far-fetched.'

There's no simple solution to such a situation. It could be that one is in a bad place mentally, has been pushed to the limit by the "other half" and simply can't stand being in her company. Yet, just walking away from it all is one of the last options for the caring parent.

In most cases, but not all, it's the man — assuming he has been and wants to remain a reliable father — who more acutely faces the leave dilemma. This is in the sense that the care of the children will largely be left to the mother. The man risks becoming something of an enforced-by-law fleeting father.

Whatever the circumstances and fallout, there is a school of thought that blames today's more promiscuous society and an associated toxic individualism for the "destruction" of the traditional family unit.

At the first sign of relationship difficulties, many look for the exit door rather than search for a fix. This is made easier in places where separation and divorce are not the taboos they once were. 

That we're more interconnected than ever before could also be seen as a factor. Attractive alternatives, if only superficially, are never far away.

In such an environment, the concept of true love and soulmates seems far-fetched.

Easy come, easy go

This brings us to the idea that love, of the everlasting kind that is, isn't something that comes naturally. It's a changeable of-the-moment emotion. We can fall out of love in the same way as we fall in love — granted the former is often harder to do, with jealousy and self-pity playing significant parts.

This isn't just in the romantic sphere. It can be seen in both family and platonic relationships. (I write as someone who has never really experienced deep love in the romantic sense. Most affairs of the past have been merely lustful, with little desire to build them into anything more meaningful.)

Thus, any kind of relationship requires regular maintenance. There'll inevitably be some give and take. 

At its heart, though, are honesty and trust. Without those, it's either doomed to fail or will be beset with continuous problems. Indeed, it would be better for all concerned if it were the former.

So, what is love? When it comes to romantic relationships specifically, I'm not exactly an authority on the matter.

Nonetheless, what I can proffer — and like most things in life — is that it is something that requires care and attention. It might appear to come rather easily but it's sure to go even more easily without giving it the devotion it deserves.

Alas, on this front, we are often more aware of the shortcomings of others than our own.
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The bellicose side to biking in Bogotá, worsened by the snooty "e-scooterers"

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

Having gone from a very casual cyclist in Bogotá to a more regular one over the last few months, I've become acquainted with the rush-hour hustle, in a part-time capacity in any case.

Bogotá's cycle paths, like many things in Colombia, are something of a free-for-all.

The various infrastructural issues with stretches of the capital's ever-expanding cycle lanes notwithstanding — something I elaborated on in Bogotá's biking blues — it can be assumed that cycling in the city today is safer than it was a decade or so ago.

One reason for this is the very fact that there are more push-bike exclusive-ish paths, thus reducing interactions with the murderous motorised machines. That's the idea/hope anyway.

A vicious cycle

Yet, the aggressive, devil-may-care driving displayed by those who get behind the wheel of a car has its biking equivalent. This is to be expected in a country where the thinking of many seems to be along the lines of, 'Whatever rules may apply, these are for others to obey, not me.'

A substantial number of cyclists — and e-scooter users (can we call them e-scooterers?! I do have other terms for these particular menaces that I shan't repeat here) — must believe that traffic lights are nothing more than luminous displays. If they notice their existence at all, that is.

It may indeed be the latter because they certainly don't seem to notice the existence of other cycle-lane users. 

Heaven forbid one might have to wait behind a long line of bikes at a busy junction. 'I'm in a rush to get to work, another place where I get to demonstrate my lack of care and attention.' Quite.

Now, I must say, I'm not totally against proceeding at a red light when it's clearly safe to do so and one is at the top of the queue. It's those who barge their way forward from way back who truly annoy me. 

To add insult to injury, I've often found myself having to overtake such barging bikers shortly after their junction jumping. I'd be less angry if they were speedsters. But many aren't.

With such selfish behaviour commonplace, one is often compelled to follow suit. The road is long and uncaring for the rule-obeying cyclist, just as it is for the law-abiding citizen in general in many parts of the world. 

Thus, what should be a healthy, refreshing morning commute turns into a stress-filled battle of wits.

'Many e-scooterers use their high-speed, not-as-green-as-they-think-they-are contraptions as if they're auditioning to be the next James Bond.'

For the record, when one cycles at off-peak times — which I do on the return from my Parque 93 classes — it is usually a more relaxed affair. 

Having said that, my spin to work, which takes me southwards from Calle 170 along Avenida Novena, is seen as one of the more "civilised" routes. Deeper south, things are said to be even more chaotic (I have experienced this side on the odd occasion but I can't comment with any authority).

This careless conduct isn't going to change overnight. Indeed, it won't change at all if there's no genuine attempt to do so.

It's not a hopeless situation, though. The Sunday/public holiday ciclovía, an initiative where many of Bogotá's main thoroughfares are closed off to vehicular traffic from 7 am to 2 pm for the exclusive use of pedestrians and cyclists, offers some clues to a better way.

On such days, city authorities deploy personnel to "police" busy junctions. When traffic lights are red, they'll often pull a rope across the road to hold pedestrians, cyclists, rollerbladers and what have you in place. 

From my limited observations of the practice, it seems to work. (I'm not a major fan of travelling on ciclovía routes. As a mild misanthrope, I find the many bodies about quite irritating.)

OK, having such personnel in place at weekday rush hours, when commuters are generally less jovial, is another matter. But hey, there is a police force here for such tasks. 

Then again, there are many things here that police should be policing but not only do they not police them, they often commit the offences themselves.

Another positive of ciclovía is its one-way system. Granted space is at a premium in the city, but introducing more one-way cycle lanes where possible could help to reduce commuter tensions.

Upsetting the Bond market

While the previous suggestion has merit in its own right, I think it carries even more weight in light of the recent invasion of the cycle ways by those aforementioned menaces, the e-scooterers.

Not all e-scooter users are evil, but ...

Seeing as how many of these types appear to use their high-speed, not-as-green-as-they-think-they-are contraptions as if they're auditioning to be the next James Bond, my preference is to ban them altogether. (There are similar calls across the world.)

With such an outright ban unlikely, they should at least be prohibited on cycle lanes and footpaths. Basically, battle it out with other battery-containing/powered modes of transport, wannabe 007s.

Cycle lanes and footpaths, separately (or as close to separately as possible), should be reserved exclusively for those burning their own energy to get around, save for people with genuine mobility problems. So yes, motorised-bike or electric-moped users should also stay off the cycle lanes.

As pointed out, we old-fashioned pedallers have enough with which to concern ourselves without having to compete with these lazy new-age commuters.

So while I'll be happy to return to my preferred walking ways when my teaching work finishes shortly, I'd still like to give the snooty e-scooterers the boot.
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Grupo Vanti's vanity: 'The customer is rarely right'

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

For some business people, the customer-is-always-right mantra is seen as a golden rule.

It makes sense on numerous levels. For many if not most businesses, the goal is not only to keep current customers onside but there's also the interminable task of trying to get more. So showing care and understanding towards clients can, quite literally, pay off.

Who needs thieves when you've got Vanti? (Vanti image from Twitter.)

Cool customer

Of course, in business as in life, nobody is right all of the time. In fact, in many scenarios, it's often the case that it's not one particular player that carries all the blame while others are fully correct or wholly innocent.

The danger with the customer-is-always-right approach is that it can leave the door open for uncalled-for, unfair, misplaced abuse. The aggrieved party should be aware that his/her ire may be directed at the wrong target. Thus, when dealing with a perceived injustice, it's best to try to keep one's emotions in check. Play it as cool as possible.

There is, though, a delicate balance to be struck. 

Whatever a person's role in a problem — the offender, the offended or somewhere in between — if one allows others to dominate completely, there's a risk that the more submissive actor will come to be seen as a soft touch. And some characters are particularly skilled at manipulating soft touches.

'During that time I had an angry exchange with the Vanti employee. Talk about misdirecting one's rage.'

All the previous were at play in a recent incident I got caught up in with Bogotá's network gas provider, Grupo Vanti.

Gaslighting

In my current room rental, I pay an all-inclusive rent. The largely absentee landlady takes care of all the service bills.

Since taking the room in February, I had never once been asked by the landlady to check if an invoice had arrived (all mail is received and held by the security staff at the apartment complex reception i.e. it's not delivered to individual apartments).

I hadn't been asked, that is. A few weeks back the landlady did ask me to check for the gas bill. That very day, which was a Monday, I inquired about it at reception. The security guards told me there was no correspondence whatsoever for my apartment. I asked them to let me know if and when anything arrives. I also informed the landlady of this.

Fast forward to the Thursday morning of that week when I get a call from security telling me that a workman from the gas company is on site to disconnect the gas. 'Eh, what?'

I was rather livid. As I frantically contacted the landlady and communicated with the security guards at reception it was "discovered" the gas bill had indeed arrived a few days earlier.

Within minutes the landlady paid the bill plus a reconnection fee, effectively a late-payment penalty. During that time — very much not in control of my emotions — I had an angry exchange with the Vanti employee. Talk about misdirecting one's rage.

So while subsequently discovering that this employee should have reconnected the gas that day, he had taken the hump due to my reaction and refused to carry out company orders.

The next day, Friday, I contacted Vanti and after a long-winded WhatsApp and Twitter exchange, I was told the gas would be reconnected by close of business. It wasn't.

'I did as I had threatened. I turned the gas back on.'

So on the Saturday morning, I went through all the same long-winded message procedures, repeating myself umpteen times, to be again told that the problem would be resolved that day. 

This time, however, I warned Vanti that if the gas wasn't reconnected I would do it myself (it wasn't an overly complicated procedure).

Surprise, surprise, it wasn't reconnected that Saturday. So I did as I said I would. I turned it back on.

The very next Monday I got a call from Vanti asking me about the current situation. I told the caller that I now had gas again but this was no thanks to them.

With the case still open after I'd formally expressed my dissatisfaction at the company's response via a form from the relevant state regulator, later that week I received another call from Vanti. I was told that my complaint and claim had been 'elevated' to another area — I was, for the record, looking for compensation for the days without gas and for having to actually reconnect it myself.

A few days later I got an email from Vanti which effectively said the company had no case to answer: 'Be about your business and stop pestering us, please.'

Like all the previous responses, information was given on how the complainant could continue with the case.

Yet, with the feeling that it was becoming more hassle than it was worth — no doubt this is the aim of all companies that use such a strategy — coupled with the headache-inducing legal Spanish, I decided not to pursue it further. Well, this blog story aside.

The Que Pena Republic

Viewing this whole episode in light of the delicate balances at play in such conflicts, it's good practice to try to see, impartially, where the greatest blame lies.

Obviously, being directly involved, it's difficult for me to be impartial. But I shall try.

First of all, the landlady is responsible for paying the gas bill. It was her failure to do so that started the whole problem. 

Not unsurprisingly in these parts, she has refused to accept responsibility, saying that Vanti didn't send the bill in time and thus she wasn't to know.

'It was a Colombian solution to a problem. After a host of wrongs, a right of sorts was stumbled upon.'

However, her asking me about the bill's whereabouts shows at the very least that she knew it had to be paid around that time. And she would have known the consequences of late payment. She surely could have taken preventative action. In theory, anyway. The practice in Colombia is often quite different from what one might expect.

The landlady's culpability accepted, my verbally aggressive behaviour towards the Vanti workman certainly didn't help matters. Had I not got angry at him, the gas may have been reconnected that same day it was cut off. We'll never know.

So now we come to Vanti's culpability and responsibility. The company simply failed to do what it said it would do i.e. reconnect the gas by close of business the same day it received notification of the problem. It failed on this two days in succession.

What's more, the fact that Vanti didn't seem to be too alarmed that it was me who turned the gas back on and not one of its qualified employees seems irresponsible to say the least. This is particularly so considering the highly dangerous nature of the service in question.

In many ways, it was a Colombian solution to a problem. After a host of wrongs, a right of sorts was stumbled upon.

What still bugs me, though, is that the greatest losses in all this were on my side. I was the one who was left without gas, unable to cook food for 48 hours. I also had the headache of directly dealing with the issue, the time and energy spent in contacting the company, having to repeat the case details various times.

OK, the landlady had to pay the reconnection fee but that's the price for her failures mentioned above.

As for Vanti. Well, the rich just get richer. It's at a net benefit in this whole affair.

In Colombia, not taking responsibility is a trait to be condoned, not condemned. It does seem to pay off.
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Trivia time! Video version of IQuiz LVIII now available!

@wwaycorrigan

Our latest IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz", edition LVIII, took place on Thursday 06 October 2022.

You can play a YouTube video version of it at your own leisure via https://youtu.be/pUaS1IQbrK0.

Let us know how you get on!

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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

Colombia's clothes-in-the-window bane

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

Getting used to the cultural quirks of one's adopted land can take some time. Indeed, there are certain mores that the outsider may never fully understand or accept.

From a Colombian perspective, this blog has looked at some of these over the years.

There's an Italian flag on display at one of these windows. That might offend some people. 

Always someone else's fault

For example, there's the pestiferous fear-of-the-hot-seat syndrome, something, mercifully, I rarely see these days as I seldom take public transport in Bogotá (it's at its most prevalent on urban buses).

Then there's, let's just call it the very relaxed attitude to customer service. It could be said that in places where one would expect this to be front and centre, it's actually at its worst. 

Add in some customers' inability to respect queues and one can regularly expect an infuriating experience when shopping and suchlike.

Another worthy mention is the verbal politeness, an overall (superficial) formality that is then often betrayed by actions that are anything but polite or praiseworthy. Just say the magic phrase 'que pena con usted' and all shall be fine. And one must never accept personal responsibility for an error, misjudgement or whatever. It's always somebody else's fault.

'I have a fair idea of what might "offend" the locals but this doesn't mean I've learnt to simply sigh and accept it.'

Linked to the previous is the refusal to engage with anyone who gets angry when something isn't done as promised or a paid-for service fails to meet the stipulated standards. Reacting with rage to injustices, even if they may be of a serious nature and this is obvious to all, is a no-no in Colombia. A significant no-no.

It's those who can keep calm, stay level-headed and even make a joke out of the situation who tend to get their issue resolved more quickly than the hotheads. Alas, I'm a rather slow learner on this one.

While the above refers to Colombian traits that outsiders from certain countries may find inane, irritating or outright infuriating, there is, of course, the flip side to this. There are things that some foreigners do that vex the Colombians.

For one, there is that aforementioned tendency for some of us to get angry when we've been wronged or at least feel we've been wronged.

Drying law

It is, however, aghast reactions to what I consider harmless, victimless practices that baffle me. 

OK, after eleven years in the country I have a fair idea of what might "offend" the locals but this doesn't mean I've learnt to simply sigh and accept it. No, not when no logical reason can be given as to why certain acts are deemed as attacks against Colombians' well-being.

No doubt, though, most locals reading the following will agree that the practice in question is a philistine one and worthy of a sanction.

Here goes. I currently live in shared accommodation in an apartment complex, one which is managed by administrators — administrators who often double up as dictators from what I've experienced. They'll say, of course, that they're just enforcing agreed-upon protocols.

'The four horsemen will be galloping through the apartment complex next.'

The violation that my now former housemate committed was to place his recently washed shoes on the window sill, in view of not just the passing public — who, I wager, couldn't really care about it — but also fellow residents. Goodness me! Declare martial law! (By the way, my South American housemate's departure had nothing to do with the offence, he was leaving in any case. In fact, he had already left by the time written notification of his misdemeanour was delivered.)

Such effrontery to Colombian etiquette has resulted in a fine, which the non-resident landlady will have to pay, I hasten to add. I'll do time before paying a penalty for something I didn't do.

Now, that this is viewed as an offence according to the administration is down to, I assume, the adverse effect of such a display, aesthetically speaking. In other words, visual pollution. Colombia does indeed have statutes for this. It doesn't appear, however, that placing items of clothing in one's window is prohibited.

One could understand the aversion to this a little more if we were talking about an exceptionally well-kept area. But we're not.

Death by shoelace hanging: Residents still haven't recovered from this grand violation.

Yet, even if it was one of the finest neighbourhoods in Bogotá, punishing a resident for airing his shoes on the window sill is ridiculous as far as I'm concerned.

Are people actually mentally hurt by such an act? If they are, I think the bigger problem is with them.

'If it's working, break it'

I would argue that noise pollution is a far greater offence, one that can cause both mental and physical damage to many people simultaneously.

I'm not sure, though, if my neighbours get hit with fines when they play music loudly. Or how about when those who live on the floor above me appear to be trying to come through my roof, a racket that raises my ire. My guess is that this goes unpunished.

Yet, inanimate objects drying in one's window? The four horsemen will be galloping through the apartment complex next.

Taking this further, surely I would be within my rights to demand the removal of curtains or the like that I find unsightly, wouldn't I? 

Indeed, in an apartment complex in which I lived previously, I was given a verbal warning for drying my clothes on the curtain rail of my bedroom window. The rule was that residents could only air clothes at their laundry-area window.

Some will say it's a weak defence to argue that of all the things wrong in Colombia, demanding retribution for clothes or shoes drying out a window is far from the most pressing concern. 

The argument for the zero-tolerance approach is the idea, akin to the broken windows theory, that it's a display of decadence and must be corrected.

Really? Drying clothes at a window is a symbol of moral decay?

I think it's more a sign of many Colombians' inability to tackle the real issues afflicting this country. They get a sense of satisfaction about "fixing" things that aren't broken whilst they neglect to deal with the practices that are truly damaging society.

Worryingly, it's an approach that seems to be taking hold across the world.
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San Luis de Gaceno: Going its own way

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

As has been well documented on this blog, I've visited several rather similar Colombian towns — pueblos — over the last few years. 

Now, some cynical types might say that all Colombian towns are pretty much the same, in a mediocre sense, apart from a small number of exceptional ones. I, of course, wouldn't go along with that.

Gorgeous Gaceno: There are worse places one could be!

Putting God in His place

Nonetheless, having been to so many, particularly in the Andean region, that I don't always remember one over the other or that I forget specific attractions is surely understandable and forgivable, isn't it?

This doesn't mean I didn't/don't like them. One could say it's akin to mixing up lookalike siblings. They have unique traits that set them apart but on first appearance or recalling the individuals from memory it can be hard to tell the difference. This is usually "corrected" through further engagement or by delving deeper into the memory bank.

Some places, though, just like people, stand out more so than others. They are, for good or for bad, more easily remembered.

San Luis de Gaceno, in the hot, low-lying lands in the south of the Boyacá department, is in that category. Its setting alone, which you can get an idea of via this YouTube Shorts video, https://www.youtube.com/shorts/v_NToHlkGcQ, should ensure that.

Yet, Colombia has many quaint towns surrounded by stunning landscapes. Indeed, while the natural beauty around San Luis de Gaceno competes with the best of them, architecturally speaking, it's in the lower leagues.

That building blandness aside, it is often the quirkier aspects of a person or a place that linger. With San Luis de Gaceno, for me anyway, two such quirks have stuck in the mind.

'This parish peculiarity could be a sign that Sanluiseños like to, um, think outside the main square.'

The first, more obvious one, conspicuous by its absence, is the fact that the town's main square is devoid of a landmark Catholic church, nay any religious building. This goes against not just the Colombian but also the Latin American standard.

A church-free main square. 

It does have a Catholic church — and, lest one be accused of bias, places of worship for some other denominations — but it's simply the case that it's not located on the main square.

I heard it said that the locals loved their faith so much that they wanted the church to have a standalone spot, which it does. It's on a knoll just off the main road.

Whatever the reason, this parish peculiarity could be a sign that Sanluiseños, the demonym for the locals, like to, um, think outside the main square, so to put it.

'Only their chickens and rivers run free'

The other "major" anomaly that I observed — or didn't observe, as it was — is that the town has no fried/roast chicken restaurant, asadero de pollo as they're called in these parts. Or if there is one, it's well hidden, which would be a feat in itself. These are the eateries, after all, with lines of chickens slowly spit-roasting away for all to see. They're ubiquitous in Colombia. Well, I had thought they were.

It's not, it must be noted, that I needed one during my stay — in heat in excess of 30 degrees Celsius I tend not to have cravings for roasted or fried chicken. It's just that in many Colombian towns there's nearly no other option when it comes to eating out. So the lack of one was a mild surprise.

One thing I do like to have, regardless of the weather, is a cup of quality, unsweetened coffee.

As I've detailed before, it can be next to impossible to find such a "treat" in small-town Colombia. Yet, once again, San Luis de Gaceno bucks the trend.

An oasis of calm: A serene spot where one can unwind. 

In the couple of panaderías I frequented, the coffee served up merited more than a pass mark. And I am a fairly tough grader when it comes to my brew.

Throw in the town's closeness to fluvial freshness — with some serene spots along the river great for cooling off — and a comfortable en suite hotel room for 20,000 pesos per night and it's easy to see why San Luis de Gaceno, as a place to unwind if nothing else, has much going for it.

This is not to mention the quite spectacular scenery en route from Bogotá. It makes the five-hour journey that little bit less taxing. (This is, by the way, on the same road, just a little further south, as Santa María, which I visited and wrote about previously.)

Indeed, if the work and visa gods permit me to stay in Colombia beyond November, I may go back to San Luis de Gaceno to enjoy a longer stint than the rather rushed two nights I had there.

That would be a rarity for me — a return to a town I've already visited. It's as good as an endorsement that Wrong Way can give.
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