In our household, Tim Johnson is leaving for a one-year fellowship at Stanford University after more than eight years as a Latin America correspondent for The Herald, based first in Central America and most recently in Colombia since early 1996. Here, in a final report, he tells how it impacts the daily routines of not only Colombians but of him and his family. We adults, in contrast, feel relief. Every day, life grows grimmer here. Scenarios for the future range from troubled to dire.
Private armies rove much of Colombia.
Massacres occur two to three times a week. Leftist rebels bomb rural towns, leaving them in rubble. An exodus of Colombians is in full swing. A sea of weeping faces often fills the international airport. Friends and acquaintances describe their lives as evermore restricted.