Mockus Campaign Rally, Updated!

Above: The crowd that gathered to see Mockus at Plaza Victoria. Warren and I are both in this photo--see if you can find us!

I never meant for my blog to get so political, and so I apologize if I am alienating any of you. I'm going to stop posting about the campaign until the actual election, but the campaign rally was not just about politics for me, it was also a cultural experience. I was able to meet up with fellow teachers from LPV and shout in Spanish. I waited with everyone for 2 1/2 hours (Mockus was 2 hours late!) and understood the frustration and the anticipation. I memorized the words to Mockus's campaign song because they played it so many times (he was really late, even by Colombian standards). It is not an experience I will forget. Despite myself, I understood a great deal of what Mockus said (which means I understand SPANISH!), and that meant more for me personally than being part of a political rally.

I'm not going to write much more, but I do want to include one anecdote from the rally. At one point, Mockus had three volunteers come on stage. He had them line up, facing each other. Then, he did that "trust" building exercise where the person in the middle falls back, and then forward, trusting the other two people to catch her. Each volunteer did it a few times, and then MOCKUS did it, too. He stood there and caught one of the volunteers, and then he also let himself be caught.

The reason I like Mockus is because he is a teacher. He is an academic. I relate to this man in many ways, because I am also a teacher. He truly values education, and I know he will put a great deal of effort into making education a priority in Colombia. He also wants to teach people to be better citizens, and he places a great deal of importance on culture. The thing is, his approach is totally different than most politicians. He doesn't just stand up and give a memorized speech (in fact, it felt like he was just winging his speech). He lectures. He gives demonstrations. He uses examples. The man is a teacher, and it permeates his style as a politician.

Anyway, that's all. I won't get all political on you again for a few weeks, I promise.

Warren and Jose/Flaco (the religion teacher).


MeryLu (a teacher at school) and me before Mockus arrived.


Symbols of his campaign (from Mockus's own website)


The pencil that represents his emphasis on education, legality, and culture. One of our favorite lines from his speech was this: "The future of Colombia will be written with a pencil, not with blood."


Thanks for reading. Just in case you like politics, be sure to read Warren's blog, Crashing the Political Party. Warren's so cool he saw President Uribe and Antanus Mockus in the same day. Be jealous. I didn't see Uribe, just his motorcade!