As A Little Girl Growing Up In Colombia

The Rhythm of Childhood: Growing Up as a Girl in Colombia

To understand what it is like to grow up as a girl in Colombia is to understand a childhood lived in vibrant color, set to an incessant rhythm, and framed by a landscape that shifts from Andean peaks to Caribbean shores. It is a childhood defined by contradictions: the quiet safety of the family home versus the chaotic joy of the street; the deep seriousness of tradition versus the unbridled hilarity of daily life.

Here is an informative look at the traditions, values, and daily rhythms that shape a Colombian girl's upbringing.

The Feria of the Senses

Let me walk you through one Sunday.

At 7:00 AM: The church bells ring, but half the town is already at the market. I hold my father’s calloused hand. We walk past pyramids of lulos, marañones, and curuba. A woman with gold front teeth yells, “Mamey, mamey, pa’l amor de Dios!” At 10:00 AM: My cousin steps on my white zapatos escolares during a game of escondidas (hide and seek) behind the church. I cry. She offers me a bocadillo (guava paste) wrapped in a dried leaf. I stop crying. At 2:00 PM: The whole family gathers for bandeja paisa—beans, rice, chicharrón, morcilla, plantain, avocado, and a fried egg looking up at the sky. The adults drink club Colombia beer. The children drink Colombiana soda. There is no such thing as “kid food.” At 7:00 PM: My great-uncle pulls out a worn tiple (small Andean guitar). My great-aunt yells, “Ay, no otra vez el mismo vals!” But she sings anyway. We all do.

As a little girl growing up in Colombia, I didn’t have a phone, an iPad, or even a color TV for most of those years. But I had that. And that was everything.

6. Challenges and Resilience

Not all aspects are idyllic. Many little girls in Colombia grow up aware of: as a little girl growing up in colombia

• Economic disparity: Seeing street vendors, child beggars, or displaced families from rural violence.
• Safety concerns: In some neighborhoods, girls learn early not to walk alone after dark, avoid certain streets, or stay close to trusted adults.
• Internal displacement: Girls from conflict zones (e.g., Chocó, Cauca) may grow up moving between towns, changing schools, and losing contact with their birthplace.

Yet, a striking theme is resilience. Colombian girls often display strong community bonds, humor, adaptability, and pride in their regional identity—whether paisa (from Antioquia region), costeña (from the coast), rola (from Bogotá), or valluna (from Cali region).

1. Family and Social Structure

Family is the cornerstone of Colombian life. A little girl typically grows up in an extended, close-knit family where grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins play active daily roles. Respect for elders (respeto) and affectionate physical contact—such as hugs, cheek kisses, and holding hands—are normalized from an early age. Godparents (padrinos) also hold significant emotional and ceremonial importance.

The Lessons of Picardía

Perhaps the greatest gift of this upbringing was la picardía—a word that translates poorly to "cleverness" or "street smarts." As a little girl growing up in Colombia, you learned to haggle at the market by age seven. You learned to turn a plastic bottle into a doll. You learned that if you help your neighbor carry her groceries, she will give you a dulce de leche. The Rhythm of Childhood: Growing Up as a

You learned that life is fragile. You learned this at the velorio (wake) of a cousin, where the family gathered not just to cry, but to sing and drink coffee and tell jokes about the deceased. As a little girl growing up in Colombia, you learned that joy and grief are not opposites; they are two sides of the same shiny peso coin.

4. The Rituals: Sunday Lunch and Novenas

Social life revolves around food, specifically the almuerzo (lunch). Sunday lunch is sacred. It is not a quick bite; it is an hours-long event involving sancocho (a hearty stew), rice, avocado, and protein. For a little girl, this is where she learns to socialize. She sits at the adult table, listening to the boisterous stories, the gossip, and the debates, learning how to hold her own in conversation.

In December, her world transforms with the Novenas de Aguinaldos. These are nine days of prayer and singing leading up to Christmas. For a girl, this is magical. She dresses up, practices carols (villancicos), and perhaps performs a skit. It is a blend of religious solemnity and childhood fun, involving sparklers (luces de bengala) and too many sweets. Economic disparity: Seeing street vendors, child beggars, or