By: Simran Patel
With less than one week left in Bogotá, Women in IR have been making the most out of our trip! Yesterday, we interviewed Natalia Durán, Policy Manager of Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) Colombia. A brief five-minute walk from our hotel, her office was situated on the eighth floor of a large corporate building with a scenic view of the sloping mountains. This was followed by a much-needed break, where we enjoyed shopping for fresh pastries and stuffed animals at Miniso. Finally, craving pasta, we grabbed dinner at Cacio e Pepe, a traditional Italian restaurant only a few blocks away. Early this morning, Ashley and I conducted a virtual interview with Mariana Sandoval and Ana Maria Ortiz of Fundación Santo Domingo to learn about access to healthcare and education for Venezuelan migrants. They also helped connect us to more humanitarian organizations to contact later in the week. To escape the heavy tropical rain, the group headed to Centro Comerical Andino in the afternoon for food court snacks and fun arcade games! We ended the night at a savory crepes and waffles restaurant and watched movies in our room. On Friday, we have another interview booked with Laura Lopez of Amnesty International. This weekend, we are hoping to explore the city and sightsee at a few potential places: a coffee farm, Salt Cathedral and Lake Guatavita, hiking Mount Monserrate, Museo Santa Clara, Museo del Oro, Jardín Botánico de Bogotá, Plaza de Bolívar, and more. In our final days, we plan to squeeze in a couple more interviews and meet with some Tufts alum for an IGL reunion and dinner celebration!
Signing off,
Simran