Some insight into the rich and complex Colombian Culture.Colombian culture is made up of its people and history and I think it's important right of the bat to mention just how warm and friendly Colombians are in general. Reading about Colombia's history may well provide some insight into its people but let's look at the present for now. 
Colombians have very strong family bonds, an aspect that permeates their lives in many ways. It's typical for instance, for family to run companies together and these are frequently passed down from generation to generation. Families help and support each other. Often, they have often or in fact do, experience economic hardship and therefore help each other out in times of need or barter between themselves. It took me a while to realize just how important this element of their culture is, but it really happens all the time. Aunts, uncles, siblings and family members with different skills and crafts step up and help out when it's needed. An important aspect of Colombian culture is knowing how to enjoy life. In Norway and the U.S., people live to work, whereas here, the opposite is still very much the way of life. Having said that, especially in Antioquia - the region I am mostly familiar with - the local Paisas pride themselves on being hardworking. Food is often cooked throughout the day and people come and go as they please. There is frequently an informal atmosphere to eating and given the often large sizes of the families, the members will not all eat around the table at the same time but sort of rotate. The coast is different and a lot hotter than Bogota and Medellin for instance. Life moves at a slower pace; understandably so. The geographic relief of Colombia, being at the Northernmost end of the Andes mountains, explains much of the regionalism here. People have been largely secluded from one another, transportation and communication limited. Times are of course changing, but getting around the country, especially by land, is still a fairly tough undertaking with winding roads, often over high mountain passes, means it takes much longer to cover long distances here than flatter countries. Also, it should be stated that roads have until about 5 years ago, been dangerous and unpredictable. This is still the case in certain regions, but things have improved significantly since around 2002.
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