Colombia; Beautiful but Dangerous

Hi, my name is Isabella and I study in Colegio Jorge Washington (COJOWA). This school is located in Cartagena, Colombia in front of the beach. It takes part of the SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools). The past October I turned 13 years old. I go to school from 7:00AM-2:30PM. After school, I usually play tennis or basketball; my favorite sports. On Weekends I usually go out with my friends. We usually go to Campito, Club Cartagena, Mc Donald’s, El Corral, and other restaurants. Sometimes, I go with my family to Rosario Islands or to farms. Wherever I go, I am never bored.

Something I am really concerned about is Cartagena's security. Some years ago, walking by Cartagena's streets was like walking by your house, this means it was very secure. Although Cartagena is much more secure than any other cities, there have been many serious cases having to do with unsecurity. The poor parts of Cartagena are very dangerous. This is so, because the people don't have money, so they steal things from other people in order to sell them, that way, they get the money they need. Then, comes Centro, Laguito, and Manga. In this places, it is dangerous walking alone. Finally, there is Bocagrande and Castillogrande. In here, people walk alone, but still, there have been cases of caused by unsecurity.

Another issue concerns me al lot is poverty. The majority of Cartagena's population is composed by poor people. This people don't have resources needed in order to survive, so they look for fast solutions. Some work in the streets as "vendedores ambulantes". They are people who invade the streets and sell things such as purses, earings, glasses, food and many other things. Other people, decide to transport drugs. Most of these people end up in jail or even dead. Some other poor people decide to enter the FARC. In Spanish FARC is Federacion Armada Revolucionaria de Colombia. These are people who think that Colombia should be equal in all senses (social, politic, and economic). In order to complete their goal, they do unlegal things. For exmaple, they capture people who have a lot of money and they kidnap them. Then they ask their family for a huge amount of money, the family pay and the person is free. They also kill lots of people and even force kids to join the team. Right now, driving through Colombia is very dangerous because of this, so imagine how it's going to be in a couple of years!

Finally, my last concerning issue; the consume of drugs. Some people, especially those who have depression, consume drugs very often. At first, they start and just taste it. They think that by consuming drugs they are going to find hapiness. Really, they are damaging their lives. Once they get involved in drugs, they can't get out of it. The consume of drugs can also affect many other people. When someone is druged, he or she isn't really conscious of what are they doing. As this happens, some kill people or cars accidents occur. Also, some poeple die because of consuming so much drugs. Little by little, more people get involved in drugs, and if this happens we don't know what will happen to our country in a few years.