CONCEPTIONS - PART I : MOTOS

The following is the first of a four part series of posts dealing with the difference in conceptions around everyday living in the island of Providencia, in comparison with life in Bogota or in the US. These posts, which will be spread out in the next couple of weeks but which will not necessarily be posted one after the other, will explore the difference in my conception of a certain idea and what I've experienced as the prevailing idea in the island. How has my set of experiences in a completely different environment with different sets of rules affect my understanding of an idea; an idea that once having seemed so absolute, suddenly is shattered by new experiences and presents itself as a creation rather than a truth. Here it goes; Part I: Motos.

I now drive a Moto. A moto is short for motocicleta-motorcycle and it basically includes all 2 wheeled motorized vehicles including our scooter. You might think that driving a scooter does not qualify as driving a motorcycle but since in the US no one makes a distinction between driving an automatic car and driving a manual car, they simply drive a car, I am going to just say I drive a moto.

Up until now I had a very specific idea of the type of people who rode motorcycles. The general idea always associated to motorcycle gangs or at least. especially after living in Williamstown, groups of middle-aged men with huge Harley's. But in Providencia where barely anyone has a car and public transportation is rare everyone drives a moto. A moto stops being linked to a style choice, a statement about lifestyle, and it becomes simply a mode of transportation.

It is a way to get to school



A way to transport one's family





Meant to be driven on the road



on the beach



and into the woods



It is used to get groceries and general purchases



whatever those may be



Boys drive them



girls drive them



older women


and men too



Made-up women going to meet up with friends (the absolute best Providencia-moto moment had to be the time we saw two women with rollers on their head driving next to eachother gossiping)



perhaps on their way to work



A man running an errand for his wife



There are those who ask you to mind your business



And those who offer you a ride



Or simply continue on their way, whatever that may be.



And ultimately in Providencia everyone is just going from one place to another, or hanging out by the side of the road chatting with people. Still, they ride their motos around a single street, with no implication attached to that fact. Motos become a convenient way to get around this small island and even I, who have always had a certain dislike of bikes, have to admit that feeling the wind on your face as you zoom by in the middle of the afternoon feels fantastic.