Christmas 2022 our family was so excited to travel to Colombia, South America. The beauty of Colombia was stunning. The food was amazing and delicious. The views and sites were magazine worthy. The people were kind, compassionate, and so joyful to be around. While I noticed all of that, I also saw the places I visited with my organizer glasses.
Many people think that Colombia having a great deal of forestry (bosque), that the country is not modernized or organized. That is so far from the truth. This country has transportation systems, a republic government system, and a free market economy. All the makings of a country that is growing, thriving, and organized.
In Rosales, a part of Medellin, where my family grew up there are homes that are well layout and organized. Each home has its unique look and feel but it was orderly, well done and often symmetrical. The shops and restaurants are within walking distance. Just down the street from my family’s home was the hair salon that my grandmother went to weekly. She was a woman that always took care of herself, wanted to look and feel good, and kept her organized schedule. I could learn from her example of self-care.
In San Andres, the beautiful island of Colombia in Nicaraguan waters, also has order that you could see even in the hustle and bustle of the tourism. They have Calles (streets) and Carrera (highways) including a road that goes around the whole island. You can drive it in 2 hours, but we took our time and did it over a day. This island also has barriers to block cars from going to the areas that are for pedestrians. These barriers are in alternating colors, orange, blue, and green straight down the strip of shops. It is aesthetically pleasing, well laid out, and organized.
In Medellin, the streets are laid out by number similarly to Manhattan, New York, also labeled Calle (street) and Carrera (highway), increasing, or decreasing in number depending on if you are traveling north to south or east to west, respectively. Cable cars (Metro Cable), Train (Metro), Buses (Buses), are being used daily by commuters from the city proper to the outskirts of Medellin where the farms and businesses are in the Andes mountains. The Trains when we rode them were running very timely and so were the cable cars. Their system to get on and off was efficient and transferring was easy. The order we saw in the transit system was the same in the morning as it was in the evening when we returned home.
This city was also honored to host the Encanto Lights in 2022. The lights (Alumbrados Navideños) are suspended over the river that goes down the middle of the city, Rio Medellin. These lights (Alumbrados) are set up every year since 1955. People travel from all over the world to see them. Our family lives nearby and we were able to walk down to see them. The lights did not disappoint. They were very visible from bridges, buildings, and along the riverwalk. We saw a video of them before we traveled to Colombia and the video didn’t do it justice. The opportunity to see these lights was such a blessing because this city puts up these lights like clockwork every year and the visitors can count on them being stunning. Here is a video.
The organization we saw in Colombia and San Andres was so exciting for me to see. Of course, I enjoyed the beauty too but to see order was fun. We were able to experience and appreciate it. Organization can be found in many of the places around you, you just need to stop and recognize it. Stop and enjoy it, like life, appreciate each moment you are in it!