On Sunday, June 19th, after the second round of the election, Petro and Márquez won in a narrow victory with 50.44% of the popular vote.
I arrived in Colombia on July 30th last year, and one week later, on August 7th, Petro and Márquez were inaugurated. Whether people were in support of or against these candidates, all of Colombia tuned in to watch history being made, as the country's first left-wing president and first Afro-Colombian vice president were sworn into office. I watched from the corrigimiento (small township) of Jongovito, right outside of Pasto, at the house of my colleague's parents. We watched from a small television screen in the kitchen while eating a meal of meat, rice, potatoes, soup and popcorn. Half of this family was in support of the president and hopeful for what was to come, and the other half was worried that traditions would not be honored and that the country would change for the worse. It was quite interesting to be in the midst of a community so divided politically.
A couple of weeks later, I traveled to Villa de Leyva, in central Colombia, for the "Festival de la cometas" (The Wind and Kite Festival), and I stopped by Bogotá on my way there. I was able to visit the Capitolio Nacional (National Capitol Building), which mere weeks before had been filled to the brim with Colombian citizens. I could still see remnants of small flags and flowers that had been strewn all around the capital city.
I am fortunate to have witnessed Colombian history first-hand, and I look forward to seeing what President Gustavo Petro and Vice President Francia Márquez do while in office.
