La problematica mas comun que se ve en el pueblo momposino es algo serio ya que esta afectando a todos sus habitantes; entre estas estan:

*La discriminacion:
Hablamos de discriminacion porque la sociedad momposina aun no se dispone a dejar a un lado el machismo principalmente con las mujeres y los gays.
-con las mujeres porque muchos hombres creen que ellas no son capaces de realizar diferentes tipos de trabajos.
-con los gays porque no los aceptan como son, los humillan y sobre todo los hacen sentir como personas no dignas de la sociedad.
Esto es muy triste porque no estamos en siglos pasados donde eran los hombres quienes hacian todo.
Solucion: Lo ideal para esto seria que se dejara el machismo a un lado y se diera la igualdad de genero sea cual sea la creencia de cada persona.

*La contaminacion:
Esto es un problema serio, porque afecta y arraza con todo Mompox. La contaminacion que se ve mas que todo es la del rio Magdalena porque cada desecho toxico que ya no sirva lo hechan rumbo al rio, y lo peor del caso es que la gente no se da cuenta que se corre un riesgo con la salud de todos los habitantes de Mompox.

Por otro lado tenemos la contaminacion de parques, zonas verdes y de los demas lugares del pueblo.

Solucion: Lo mejor en este caso seria concientizar a las personas para que tengan gran sentido de pertenencia por lo suyo, en este caso por Mompox.

*La salud:
Los servicios que se brindan en Mompox respecto a la salud son en realidad pesimos porque no hay los fondos suficientes como para prestar un buen servicio de salud a la comunidad.
Esto es muy serio porque la gente que necesita de atencion medica muchas veces muere por la sencilla razon de no tener los suficientes recursos para ser transmitidos a otras ciudades
para reciben la atencion medica necesaria.

Solucion: Algo logico para esto seria recaudar fondos con la alcaldia y con la comunidad Momposina para brindar el servicio medico que se debe.

*La educacion:
Este punto es fundamental e importante, porque en Mompox cuando una persona termina su secundaria, y quiere superarse tiene que ir a otra ciudad para estudiar la carrera que quiere porque en Mompox no se cuenta con universidades ni algo semejante.
Por esta razon hay muchas personas que no se superan porque no tienen los medios necesarios para especializarse en una ciudad.

Una solucion para esto seria que el gobierno nacional aportara alguna ayuda suficiente para crear universidades o algo parecido.

*
The problems that are in common in Mompos are serious because they affect all Momposinos. Among these problems are:

*Discrimination:
We must talk about discrimination because Mompos’s society still hasn’t set aside “machismo,” especially towards women and gays.
-With respect to women, many men believe that they are not capable of performing different types of work.
-With respect to gays, men do not accept them as they are, they humiliate gays, and above all, make them feel as if they are not people worthy to belong to society.

This is very sad because we’re not living in past centuries, when men did everything.

Solution:
It would be ideal for men to let go of machismo and recognize gender equality, regardless of the beliefs of each person. .

*Contamination:
This is a serious problem because it affects all of Mompox. The contamination that is most visible is that of the Magdalena River, because toxic waste is thrown into the river and the worst thing is that people don’t realize that this threatens the health of all Momposinos.

We also have contamination of the parks, green areas, and other places in the town.

Solution: In this case, the best thing would be to educate people and make them conscious about the environment by appealing to their sense of responsibility about being from Mompox.

*Health:
The health services available in Mompox are truly terrible because there aren’t sufficient funds to establish good service for the community.

This is very serious because the people who need medical attention often die for the simple reason of not having sufficient resources to be transferred to other cities where they can receive necessary medical attention.

Solution: The logical thing to do would be to raise funds in cooperation with the mayor so that Mompos can receive the medical services it deserves.

*Education:
This issue is fundamental and important because in Mompox, when someone finishes secondary school and wants to get ahead, they have to go to another city to pursue a degree because in Mompox there are no universities or anything similar.

For this reason, there are many people who don’t get ahead because they don’t have the necessary means to go to another city to study.

Solution: One solution for this problem would be for the federal government to step in with some help that would be sufficient to create a university or other higher learning program.

Por: Karellys Vigna Navarro

Yo vivo en Mompox pero al otro lado del rio Magdalena en un pequeno lugar llamado isla de Kimbay. En ella habitan seis familias. El terreno es bajo y asi mismo se inunda con frecuencia durante la epoca de invierno, causando estrago a las cosechas; a la misma vez, nos hace dificil mantener nuestra casa en perfecto estado de la vida.

Sencillamente, es dificil porque no hay luz. Las noches son largas y los dias cortos. Tambien se hace dificil asi la preservacion de los alimentos. Muchas de las personas que habitan a la isla necesitan atravesar el rio como una rutina para comprar viveres. El correo no llega ya que no tenemos una direccion.

Durante mis dias de clases tengo que levantarme temprano para ir al colegio, muchas veces a oscuras. Nuestra familia depende del rio para todo lo que tenemos que hacer dia a dia: visitar al dentista y otras cosas en comun. Carecemos de equipos electricos y de toda tecnologia. La vida es dificil ya que no tenemos aceso directo a los beneficios. No tenemos agua potable. Sacamos el agua pura, almacenarlas en tanques y luego filtrarla de tal modo que estamos expuestos a enfermedades no solo por el agua si no por la vida que llevamos.

Unas de las cosas que mas deseo es tener luz electrica como los otros jovenes que me rodean. Deseo pasar una sana diversion y de no atravesar el rio con tanta frecuencia para comprar las cosas basicas que pueda tener en un hogar. Mis deseos es en el dia que tenga una familia es no padecer la misma calamidad que estoy viviendo.

A pesar de las dificultades, espero que el mundo me conoce como un joven con suenos, habilidades, y capacidades. Mi nombre es Hernando. Vivo al otro lado del rio. Cuando hablo de mis condiciones, me siento menos de los demas. Pero no soy.

*
I live in Mompox, but on the other side of the river on a small island that’s called Kimbay. Six families live there. The land is low and for that reason, it often floods when the river rises during winter, destroying our crops. It also makes it difficult to keep our houses in perfect order.

Quite simply, life is difficult because we have no lights. The nights are long and the days are short. This also makes it difficult to preserve our food. Many of the people who live on the island have to cross the river as a routine in order to buy what they need. The mail doesn’t come here since we don’t have an address.

On school days, I have to get up early and cross the river, often in the dark. Our family depends upon the river for everything we do on a day to day basis: visiting the dentist and other common things like that. We don’t have electrical equipment or the latest technology. Life is difficult and we don’t have direct access to its benefits. We don’t have potable water. We take water, we store it in tanks, and then filter it. Otherwise, we’d be exposed to water-borne illnesses and the other illnesses caused by a tough life.

One of the things I most desire is to have lights like my friends. I’d like to have fun and not have to cross the river just to buy the basic things that one needs at home. I hope that when I have a family, they will not have to experience the difficulties I have had to experience.

In spite of my difficulties, I want the world to know me as a young person with dreams, plans, and abilities. My name is Hernando. I live on the other side of the river. When I talk about my situation, I feel like less of a person. But I’m not.

By: Hernando Sanchez Villalba,
Ninth grade, Institucion Educativa Normal Superior, Mompox

Photos by: Edwin Ferreira
Ninth grade, Institucion Educativa Normal Superior, Mompox

[Spanish Version; Scroll down for English Version]

Today’s post, written by Miguel del Cristo Mieles Davila, is the first in a series of articles and multimedia projects written and produced by 9th graders in Mompox, Colombia. Each day for the next three weeks, we’ll be publishing their work in Spanish and in English. They’d love your comments here on our site, and if you’d like to contact them directly, please e-mail them at mompoxvoices@hotmail.com.
Si llegas por la ruta del Caribe, gozaras de una belleza natural colombiana, de la misma manera disfrutaras de las exoticas y preciosas playas naturales de la region, como son las playas de Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta y de otras playas cercanas.

Sobre el Magdalena Grande a solo 248 kilometros de Cartagena se encuentra ubicada la Villa de Santa Cruz de Mompox, unas de las mas bellas joyas arquitectonicas, marcada por el amargo y agrio pasado de dolor y sufrimiento.

Fundada en 1530 por Pedro de Heredia, este fue un gran puerto fluvial de gran importancia economica y militar durante la colonia por estar ubicada en una ruta comercial. Su historia esta vinculada a grandes epopeyas en la historia de America. A pesar de su gran importancia y significado no todos sus habitantes conocen de esta etapa historica. Mompox fue la primera en liberarse de la cadena perpetua de los espanoles.

Debemos sentirnos orgullosos de lo que tenemos y somos, deberiamos sentir esa pasion que llevamos por dentro y tener la responsabilidad y el deber como ciudadano fiel en defender y cuidar lo que nos pertenece, es decir nuestra herencia historica que nos identifica como tal.

Contamos con una rica arquitectura colonial: las iglesias como la Iglesia de Santa Barbara, parques, plazas, asi como tambien el haber dado a Colombia el primer poeta negro, colombiano, libre marcando asi de esta manera el nacimiento de la literatura latinoamericana.

Nuestra historia se nutre de nuestros ciudadanos mas humildes, de nuestro rio, nuestra tierra, el cual nos trae todo lo social, cultural, historico. Estos son los elementos que nos dan y nos quita cuanto tenemos hasta el presente. Ese es nuestro turismo!

Mompox no seria igual sin el rio Magdalena, y el rio Magdalena no seria igual sin Mompox, el cual ha arrastrado junto a su sedimentos recuerdos gratos, duros y amargos pero a la misma vez es simbolo de vida y solo vida.

Mompox a pesar de estar a solo 30 metros sobre el nivel del mar nos regala una gran variedad de fauna, flora y frutas tropicales. Anualmente su temperatura oxcila sobre los 30 grados centigrado la cual nos ayuda en gran parte a ser como somos. Solo en Colombia hay cerveza Aguila y solo en Mompox hay corronchos atravesaos!

Mompox es tierra de Dios, donde se acuesta uno y amanecen dos, donde sopla el viento y amanece un ciento, donde la solidaridad y el calor familiar reinara, asi sea por unos cuantos envidiosos de la region.
Mompox seguira siendo Isla, seguira siendo Sol, Agua y Mosquitos.

*
If you come to the Caribbean, you can enjoy the tremendous natural beauty of Colombia’s coastal region: the beaches of Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta, and other nearby beaches. But along the Magdalena River, just 248 kilometers from Cartagena, you will find the village of Santa Cruz of Mompox, one of the most beautiful architectural jewels of Colombia, marked equally by the triumphant joys and the sufferings of the past.

Founded in 1530 by Pedro de Heredia, Mompox was a great fluvial port that was very important because of its location along a bustling commercial route and its latitudinal zone.

Perhaps what most people don’t know about Mompox is that it was the first colony to liberate itself from the perpetual chains of the Spanish. We should be proud of the passion that we carry inside of us. We should recognize our responsibilities and obligations as citizens to defend what belongs to us.

Our rich colonial heritage, the little that is left of it, can be found in our churches, in the story of our first Black poet, and our population of humble people who feel themselves a part of the land, a part of the river, which marks everything: social, cultural, the touristic, the historic. Water is life here.

Mompox, despite the fact that it is just 30 meters above sea level, possesses a great variety of flora and fauna and tropical fruits. The average temperature is 30^ C, and it helps us to be who we are. Only in Colombia is there Costeno y Aguila beer, and only in Mompox are there corrochos atravesaos.

Mompox: land of God, where one person goes to sleep and two wake up, where the wind blows and stirs up the spirit of solidarity, the warmth of family, and where peace reigns. Mompox: island, sun, water, and mosquitos.

By: Miguel del Cristo Mieles Davila,
Ninth grade, Institucion Educativa Normal Superior, Mompox

Photos by: Hernando Sanchez Villalba,
Ninth grade, Institucion Educativa Normal Superior, Mompox

My beat is Latin America and the Caribbean, and during the past 15 years of living and traveling through these parts, I’ve developed a list of the top 5 tips for traveling in this region. Without further ado:

1) Always carry small bills and change. Many vendors–even in big stores–often lack change for the large bills you’re likely to receive from a bank, ATM, or currency exchange booth. Try to break the big bills as quickly as possible and keep small denominations and coins on hand. Smaller bills also tend to attract less unwanted attention than larger denominations.

2) Don’t flush the TP. The utilities infrastructures in many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean lack the potency and power of your systems at home. This is particularly true in coastal and rural regions. You may wish to ask about local habits, but in many areas, it is customary to dispose of toilet paper in the waste basket instead of the toilet.

3) Lose track of time. Go ahead. Take off your watch. Practice living on “Latin time.” Notions of time are far more relaxed and flexible in Latin America and the Caribbean compared to other places in the world. Don’t fight this fact–you’ll lose. Just accept it and try to go with the flow.

4) View each country as its own entity, as well as part of the whole. Although Cuban independence activist Jose Marti referred, quite accurately, to Latin American and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries as all part of “nuestra America” (”our America”), it’s also important to remember that each country has its own identity and history.

5) Prepare yourself for extraordinary generosity. In Latin America and the Caribbean, there’s always room for one more person at the dinner table. You just might be that person. Open yourself to the profound generosity of others and you’ll have incomparable travel experiences, the memories and meaning of which will last a lifetime.

Do you have any tips for traveling to certain places? Share them below in the comments!

Photo: Hernando Villalba

If you’re an American or other expat headed south of the border with plans to stay awhile, then you’ll be needing an FM-3 visa, also referred to as a temporary residents’ or residency visa.

As someone who has gone through the process of acquiring the FM-3 visa (and renewing it, which is a whole other hoop-jumping ordeal), I’ve got a few insider’s tips to share:

*Suck it up and hire a lawyer: I’m a big penny pincher and tend to do things the hard way rather than fork over the dough to pay for expert help. I did not, however, extend my spendthrift habits to the visa acquisition process and you shouldn’t either.

Although you can renew your visa on your own (more on that in a bit), you will save time, energy, and even money by hiring a lawyer to prepare and submit your initial FM-3 application. Immigration lawyers in Mexico City practically live in the immigration office, often know the agents personally, and have developed very useful networking relationships with the people who will review, approve, and expedite your application.

Without a lawyer, you are far more likely to see your application end up in a foot-tall stack of papers, not to be seen for months. Aren’t sure how to look for a lawyer? Feel free to e-mail me for some advice.

*Got a lawyer? Get a contract: You’ve got your lawyer. Now, you need to make a contract regarding the terms of service that he or she will be providing. Do NOT pay the full amount requested up front. Indicate your willingness to pay in installments as each step in the submission and approval process is fulfilled. Pay only when you receive confirmation (in the form of an official document from immigration, for example, that your application has been submitted) that the task has been fulfilled. Be certain to ask if the quoted price is fixed or whether additional charges are possible. If you are told that the price is fixed, be sure to write this on the contract and emphasize that you will not pay additional fees without prior authorization.

*Detail methods of contact: You’ve got your lawyer, you’ve got your contract. Now, make sure you have your lawyer’s contact information: phone, cell, e-mail, and fax. If you’ll be interfacing with your lawyer from another country, be sure you have a reliable means of communication to be in touch with him or her. Ask when you can expect to receive updates and follow up if you do not receive them.

*Smile and say cheese: For some reason I fail to understand, the world’s governments refuse to accept photographs for official documents that are of a uniform size. The photos you will need for the FM-3 visa have very strict specifications and you will save yourself time and money by having them done in Mexico. There are numerous businesses around Mexico City’s immigration office that offer photo service. And spring for an extra set. You never know when you’ll need them.

*Make copies of everything. When traveling or living abroad for an extended period of time, it is always a good idea to have at least two sets of copies of all of your important documents: passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate (if applicable), three months’ worth of bank statements, last year’s taxes, and proof of employment or economic solvency. You will also need copies of your rental contract or property deed and copies of a utility bill (though not the light bill; take several different utility bills, just in case). Always keep one set of these documents handy for your own reference, and have an extra set prepared to submit upon request to immigration.

Also, any time you submit a document, be sure to make at least one copy (two copies=better) for your records. And be sure to carry coins with you if you’ll be visiting immigration; copy shops are next door and despite your preparedness, you will inevitably need another copy of a document.

*Celebrate and notate: Once you’ve received your FM-3, kick back and have a cold Corona. But be sure to make a copy of your new residency visa and to note your residency number in a separate place.

RENEWING YOUR FM-3

The FM-3 must be renewed each year. You can do this without the aid of a lawyer, if you have observed the process carefully the first time, have maintained impeccably organized records, and are willing to negotiate the whims of bureaucracy independently. Do NOT wait until the last minute. Ask for information about the documents necessary for the renewal at the information desk inside immigration, and document each step (date, name of person to whom you submitted your documents, the number of your application) as it occurs. As of this writing, you’re likely to be quoted a 30 day turn-around time; however, due to corruption and a cleaning out of the agency, processing times are often much longer.

Photo: Lucy Nieto (creative commons)