Life in Colombia

I was three and a half years old and playing with other children, so learning the language came naturally. I spoke Spanish with may friends and in school, and German at home with my parents.

We lived in the capital city Bogota which is located on the Andes mountains at an altitude of 2640 meters. Which makes the weather cool but very pleasant all year long. Except when we children played football which due to the thin air is much more difficult to play.

My father stared a very small grocery store. We delivered bread and milk to customers in the neighborhood an I started helping to deliver in the morning before I went to school when I was 5 years old. In Colombia free school is only provided for 8 years. If children want to go longer, they have to go to a private school. My parents did not have the money to send me to a private school, so at 13 years of age, I stopped school and went to work.

I found an auto repair garage where I worked and learned to be an auto mechanic. In Colombia they do not have laws that specify how long a child must stay in school, unfortunately you can drop out at any age.

My brother Wolfgang was born in Bogota on the 18th of May 1943.

Life in Colombia
(B1)