Allow myself to introduce myself...er my surroundings

It is time to get serious about this blog. I’ve been here two weeks and have yet to say much of anything. It occurs to me that it might be a good idea to give a rundown of places, people and things I will be referring this year. More in-depth background on the conflict/Peace Community/Accompaniment is found among the initial posts. Today’s voacb list:

FOR, Abbr Fellowship of Reconciliation (in Colombia: Movimiento de Reconciliación)
1. US Peace and Justice Interfaith organization, founded in 1918, part of International FOR, supports the Colombia Peace Presence(CPP), a Human Rights Accompaniment Project in Colombia
2. The logo that appears on the shirts I wear everyday, on the house I live in, I’m considering having it permenantly inked on my forehead

Apartadó, pl
1. City of about 100,000 people located in northern Colombia in the gulf of Urabá, the banana growing region of Colombia
2. Takes a 2 hour hike down the mountain and 40 minute chiva ride to get there
from La Unión
3. Location of air-conditioned internet café, bakery with delicious arequipa, clinics to go get tested for malaria, bus terminal with rocking juice stand, airport and hot, sweaty, dirty streets.
4. Location of a post office and a friendly postman who is trying to learn English. Write me at: Amanda Jack FOR/CPP AA 25008 Apartado, Antioquia Colombia

San José de Apartadó, pl (abbr. SJA)
1. A corregimiento of the municipality of Apartadó, also a town center that community members were displaced from in April of 2005 after the installation of a permanent police post
2. Peace Community Formed in 1998 after endless attacks by armed groups. Committed to non-violent resistance, community work groups, and remaining neutral amongst the legal and illegal armed actors.
3. Governed by an elected Council, the council has the responsibility to petition FOR Accompaniers to accompany community leaders/members on trips to outlying settlements or outside of the municipality.


La Unión, pl
1. A settlement of 45 families, 135 people with a few babies expected in the next couple of months, part of the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, its inhabitants were forced to displace many times, as recently as 2000 after a massacre of 6 leaders in the center of the settlement.
2. Where I live.
3. A place where violence has touched the lives of every woman, man and child. Stories are filled with tales of bravery and fear. Children are identified by “His father was killed last year”.
4. A beautiful, paradise where bananas, star fruit, papaya, mangos, avocados, corn, chocolate beans, coffee beans and so much more grows while animals roam around mowing the grass and eating organic scraps


Mireille, fantastic person
1. Artistic and spirited Canadian who grew up loving the outdoors of British Columbia, arrived in La Unión in June of 2006 to accompany SJA
2. My teammate, my housemate, my new very good friend who just brought me pea soup.

Bogotá Team, compañeros excelentes
1. The other FOR sub-team in Colombia. They work to support the process of SJA and accompaniment within it as well as politically and physically accompany 3 other Colombian non-violent social change groups: the Red Juvenil de Medellín (Youth Network of Medellín), AMOR (Women’s Association of Eastern Antioquia) and the ACA (Small Farmer’s Association of Antioquia)
2. Gilberto, who has been here since February of 05 and Janice who is more newly arrived than me and just completed an amazing bike ride to raise funds and awareness about our project, check out her blog at : www.pedalingforpeace.org

San Francisco Office, noun
1. The third part of the CPP trinity, 2 coordinators (John and Susana) and an intern (Moira) sharing an office with Global Exchange in the San Francisco mission district.
2. Where I worked last year before coming here.
3. Where you can send donations to the project: FOR/TFLAC 2017 Mission Street #305 San Francisco, CA 94110

Campesinos,noun
1. The peasant farmers who live in this community

Sweaty adj.
1. What I am every day here in the equatorial climate, close to the Caribbean especially when I walk up to La Unión from SJA. Or move.

Veredas, noun
1. The divided areas of the corregimiento of San José de Apartadó. I’d maybe compare them to rural townships.
2. Some veredas like La Unión, have a caserio or a settlement of houses, surrounded by work fields. There are no actual roads between or to any of these veredas, just well worn mountain paths.

Cultivos, noun
1. The fields where community members work in groups and also as families to cultivate a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains.
2. A major crop here is baby bananas or primativos as they are called, the cacoa is also plentiful and rich as is coffee and a gazillion other crops

Panela, yummy
1. Sugar cane, ground down, then boiled and formed into blocks of delicious sugary goodness. Often boiled in water and served hot or cold: Agua Panela

Chiva, semi-ridiculous but quite useful mode of transportation
1. Not a goat, but a jeep with 2 benches in the back, that goes up and down the road between Apartadó and SJA, it costs about $1.50 a ride
2. It has to have at least ten paying adults before it leaves at either end and 10 is not a comfortable fit. Once, as legend has it, it fit 32 people.

Machete, noun
1. Device used to cut away brush, open up hard fruits, and other useful tasks.
2. Makes me look more hardcore in pictures taken to send home.

Bestia, noun
1. A horse or a mule that the community will sometimes find for us so we can get up to La Unión or other outlying veredas.

Las Botas, useful noun
1. The bottom half of the FOR accompanier uniform. Rubber gum-boots that hit just below the knee and are used to walk everywhere, keeping water out, unless you are me and allow water and dirt to sneak their way in

Mona, adj.
1. Me
2. Other light skinned persons, including other Colombians.

Zarco, adj.
1. My eyes
2. Light eyes, be they blue or green or brown

Maleria/Paludismo, awful
1. What Mireille currently has and many other teammates before her have had.

La Poza, wet
1. The swimming hole a ten minute walk from the center of La Unión
2. What the kids insist I accompany them to everyday so they can jump on me, at me and over me.

Mugre, predictable
1. Me
2. Dirty/Muddy

Guapa, adj.
1. Here it means strong. "Because Amanda didn’t fall off her horse on the way to Arenas Altas ella es muy quapa." But at first I thought the man was saying I didn't fall off because I'm pretty.

La Huerta, food souce
1. The lovely garden behind our house that gives us lovely fruits and vegetables

Madrugar, verb
1. To wake up early
2. What I am doing now that I’m on campesino time, waking up around 5am and going to bed around 10pm.

Aguacerro, adj
1. A heavy rainfall, like the kind that happen here almost daily right now.
2. A man in town blamed the recent aguacerros on El Niño, which, in case you didn’t know, is Spanish for…The NIÑO.