Our office on Calle 72 is directly across the street from one of the big national universities. Every couple of weeks, the students get mad about something and start throwing 'papa bombas' (potato bombs), which are actually like huge concussive firecrackers - I mean, what good Colombian would waste an actual potato?
The police respond by lining up the "Robocops" (I am not making this nickname up) in their body armor and shields.
Apparently, the rule is that the police won't go on the university grounds, so the students largely stay behind the wall and toss over the potato bombs, some of which are very impressive.
In their turn, the Robocops toss tear gas.
They also bring in their major water-cannon trucks.
Paula and I were walking down the 72nd to buy an umbrella today when the potato bombs started going off, and the police began tossing tear gas and using the water cannons. The wind was blowing our way.
There is a reason for the name. It really makes you cry, as well as cough and sneeze.
Well, chalk up another CCE (Colombian Cultural Experience).
We hope that your cultural experiences aren't quite so irritating.
Dave & Paula
2 comments:
You are going to have the best journal when you return home from your mission. I assume you know that you can take blogs and have them professionally printed as books, which you obviously MUST do - in multiple copies for your children.
Well, if you'd quit hanging out with rowdy university students, those kinds of things wouldn't happen. Yeah, right you were just innocently out to buy an umbrella. Isn't that like the guy who got jumped by "2 dudes" when he was on his way to his grandma's house?
I'm glad you're okay and it was just tears and sniffles. And that you didn't get hit by a potato bomb. Sheesh.
Post a Comment