As A Little Girl Growing Up In Colombia Upd May 2026

Even as a little girl, you look forward to the "Quince." You watch your older sisters or cousins transform into princesses for a night, a rite of passage that whispers of the woman you will one day become. A Legacy of Resilience

December is a marathon of joy. Between El Día de las Velitas (Day of the Little Candles), where we line the streets with flickering lights, and the Novenas , where we gather to sing and eat buñuelos and natilla , the atmosphere is electric. as a little girl growing up in colombia

To grow up Colombian is to grow up celebrating. Religion and tradition weave through the year, but for a young girl, nothing compares to the festivities. Even as a little girl, you look forward to the "Quince

For a little girl in Colombia, the world is your playground. In the countryside ( el campo ), childhood is defined by the freedom of the outdoors. You learn to navigate steep coffee plantations, chase colorful butterflies that look like they’ve been painted by hand, and find the sweetest mangoes at the top of the tree. To grow up Colombian is to grow up celebrating

In the cities, life is vibrant and communal. You grow up playing juegos de calle (street games) like rayuela (hopscotch) or jumping rope with the neighborhood children until the streetlights flicker on. There is a sense of "it takes a village" in Colombia; your neighbors aren't just people next door—they are tíos and tías (uncles and aunts) who keep an eye on you as you navigate the world. The Magic of Celebration

Leaving that childhood behind is impossible, because you carry it with you. The lessons of hospitality, the love of a good story, and the unshakable pride in your roots stay long after you’ve grown up. To have been a little girl in Colombia is to have been blessed with a heart that knows how to dance, how to love, and how to bloom anywhere.