Today my neighborhood is festooned in these colors:
This is the Colombian flag, and although the official Independence Day is July 20, today at nearby Flushing Meadows Corona Park the Colombian community, a significant part of the ethnic makeup of Queens, has been celebrating Colombia's Independence today.
With all the troubles the country has it is easy to forget that Colombia is a land with a lot to offer. There are more species of birds found in Colombia than anywhere in the world. Colombian Spanish is arguably the most musical and pleasing to the ear in all of Latin America. It is the only country in South America with a Pacific and Atlantic coast and it's territory encompasses, the Andes, the Caribbean, and the Amazon basin.
Colombian music is as varied as its ethnic background: it encompasses Cumbias, Salsa, the Vallenato of Artists like Carlos Vives and who can forget Shakira?
Colombia also is the home of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, possibly Latin America's greatest writer.
There is so much more to this country than drugs and violence. So for the people of Colombia proud of their country and yearning for peace, let me say this:
Deseo para la justicia, la paz y la prosperidad muy pronto para toda la Colombia.
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