Lillys in Colombia, S.A., 1968 - part III
Our letters home to friends and family told of family news as well as events that made headlines in the local papers. We all gathered in the Centro Americano to listen to news of Richard Nixon’s election in November of 1968 and we also reported that the cat Muneca had kittens in the middle of the night in Laurel’s dresser drawer just where she had prepared for her.
The papers adopted a “wait and see” attitude toward the administration of Richard Nixon. Reporters discovered that his niece, Julie Nixon, was working in the Biology Department at the Universidad del Valle in Cali as a Peace Corp volunteer. On November 23, editorials warmly remembered John F. Kennedy. In our rented house were two huge portraits of John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. President Kennedy’s picture was on the wall in many shops.
In Cali the government announced an increase in the fares for the buses from 40 centavos to 60 centavos. This caused a riot and Robert and I were innocently going by taxi to the center of the city to keep a dental appointment and were almost caught in it. At first we heard a murmur, insistent like a thousand angry bees. As the noise came closer, we could see it was a mob, running in the street, throwing rocks through the windows of stores and grabbing clothes, jewelry, what ever they could get their hands on. The taxi driver backed up as fast as he was able and we took a route around the center of the city home. The next day the crowd piled tires in intersections and burned them. Soldiers were called out to maintain order. Workers went on strike. Disturbances continued from the 9th until the 23rd of January. Finally the government declared that the increase in fares would be only 5 centavos and calm returned.
Most of the year I traded English lessons for Spanish with two young wives of instructors who planned to accompany their husbands when they came to the U.S. One of them had a four month old son and the other had a lovely little girl. Reina dressed stylishly in black and white because she was in mourning for her mother. She had beautiful green eyes and a ruddy complexion. When we left, she understood English if I spoke slowly, but she would say scarcely a word.
Although we missed our home and family at Christmastime, we enjoyed learning about Colombian customs. We managed to find a small tree in the marketplace and we decorated it with Origami animals. We used a book to learn how to fold the colorful papers.
The season starts early on December 7th with the Day of the Virgin. That night all the families put out lighted candles shielded from the wind in paper sacks. Our children enjoyed keeping our candles lit.
In our neighbors’ houses, an elaborate pesebre or manger scene was set up. It may occupy a space ten feet wide. There were ducks swimming on a mirror pond, chickens, and windmills, many horses and cattle. As the time grows nearer to Christmas, Mary and Joseph started their journey to the stable. Baby Jesus didn’t appear until Christmas morn. Then the shepherds and the Wise Men start their journeys.
The Sugar Festival is held between Christmas and New Year in Cali. Large tent casettas are set up in the streets. Many, many people come for this celebration. Folk dancers, choirs and bands perform. There is dancing in the streets. On the 28th, the Day of Those Innocents, everyone plays pranks and goes in costume to dances in the clubs.
The bull fights are the main attraction for many people. The Rockefeller Foundation had reserved seats for three people and we decided to go. The pageantry of the fights was stirring. First, the matadors take a walk around the ring in their fine suits of satin. There is a stir of excitement as the first bull comes out and charges the padding around the ring. After several passes of the red cape in front of the bull, the matador may even turn his back on the bull and salute the crowd.
Then the picadores come out with a long pole with a blade on the end. They are on horses which are heavily padded. They stick the bull in the shoulder. Blood runs down his neck. Next come the bandilleros with two colorful sticks with ribbons. They stick those in the bull’s neck.
Finally, the matador comes out again. This time there is a sword hidden in his cape. After several charges by the bull, the matador holds the cape and sword out at shoulder height and charges the bull, sinking the sword into its heart and if he is lucky, the bull dies quickly. The afternoon we watched, it rained, and blood and water stood in pools in the arena. In the last fight of the day, a young matador slipped and the bull tossed him in the air. He was on the verge of being gored and trampled. I was looking through the glasses and screaming, “Help him! Help him!” The quadrilleros distracted the bull and others helped him up. Blood was all over his fancy suit. They washed him off. And he continued to fight the bull to the death. I will never go to another bullfight. It’s cruel to the bull and sad in the end for the bull fighters if they live. This is all about Colombia for now.
– Mary