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I rushed to my home, got changed and my friend Ricardo took me to the funeral. We got earlier than the funeral cortege. After 15 minutes they arrived. It was so painful imagining my mom inside that box. I was there standing, waiving at them far away. I was told by the agent at immigration that I could go to my mom’s funeral and then back right away to my place of 15-day quarantine. That it should no be more than 10 people in the gathering and I was told to wear my mask at all times and stay at least 6 feet away from anyone even my family members at all times. I was thinking wtf! This is one of the most painful experiences of my life! 

After we got in, the chapel had arranged the chairs spread far apart from one another so we could not be spreading the virus to one another.  My chair was about 8 feet from the rest of my family members. The rest of my family had to wait outside in an open space. Thanks god it was an open space so despite they have no chairs at least they were able to see us and hear the mass from far.  It was surreal to see all of us and the priest with a mask seated so far from one another. It was so painful to see my brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews all crying, especially my sister Ligia was inconsolable because she was so close to my mom,  but more excruciating was the fact that I couldn’t even hug them. In the end, I was so happy to see them, hugging, united!

Highest Integrity Values, Always Helping the Weaker

My mom was born in 1938, she was 82, she was a woman of the 21 century. She was not only ahead of her time but an extraordinary full-force humanitarian, helping to make justice in this world. If we didn’t have this world chaos with these unthinkable restricting laws, my mom would have rivers of people going to her funeral, because of so many that loved her in gratitude for what she did for them. My sister Ligia from far asked me to get close to the coffin but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to look at her inside the coffin. I wanted to keep the image of her beautiful and peaceful face smiling at me at our last lunch.

I was agonizing when my brothers and nephews place the coffin inside the sarcophagus. Hearing them crying and imagining her body inside the grave. I just anchored my eyes to the grass under me. Desperately holding my face down, steering at the details so I didn’t have to watch that last torturous view of my mom. After the burial was over,  I waive saying goodbye from far to my family.

Like the Scene of a War Movie.

 My good friend Ricardo was waiting for me at the cemetery entrance, and he drove me back to my home in Piedecuesta. When we got to the entrance of the complex, one of the security guards saw us and ran to get his superior to the window. I had the intuition something was about to happen. I made it to my house and within 10 minutes someone rang the doorbell. I put my mask on and opened the door.  There they were, two policemen and other female nurses, all dressed for war with special masks and glasses. It was like the scene of a war movie. I knew who had called them. The woman across my street. She was the manager of the complex and her intentions were for the police to arrest me for me going to my mom’s funeral. 

The policeman introduced himself and asked me when I had arrived in Colombia. I explained to him my itinerary since I had arrived at Bogota. Then, a young woman proceeds to take a declaration about the details of my entrance in the country. I knew that their concern was that I dint stay locked inside my house after my international arrival as it has been nationally publicized the strick protocol about international travelers. I explained my conversation with the immigration agent in Bogota where he advised me to go to the funeral but always keep my distance from everybody, and wear the mask at all times. I explained that I had purposely got a flight from Newark, NJ as a strategy to be less exposed to a potential infection inside the airplane.

Arresting Me For Going to My Mom’s Funeral.

I explained how NJ had very few cases compared to NY.  That my flight to Bucaramanga was canceled and that I had to sleep on a bench waiting for my flight in the morning. I gave her the details to the people I talk to during the entire trip. That I was extremely aware of following the protocols to not spread the virus. That I had a scientific mind that had created formulas to reverse conditions with food, therefore very knowledgeable on how to treat and reverse the virus if I had it.  That my bags were full of every possible supplement that there is on earth for me and enough to help others if we got the virus.  After all those explanations, she felt comfortable and made me sign the papers she was documenting. I am sure my mom was there protecting me already! : )

When they left and I closed the door, I thought: what a welcome from the neighbors!.  I know what is kindness and love and how to treat others with compassion. I was well aware of the horrible treatment. Well aware that wasn’t the right thing to do for a neighbor in pain. In another kinder place in the world, the administrator would arrange for flowers or a card to acknowledge the loss of my mom, but instead, she arranged my arrest. It shows not the heart of the Colombian people or the people of Santander for that matter. It just shows her heart, the kind of human being this woman is and the low-frequency she has. 

Fear Turned Neighbors Against Neighbors. Friends Against Their Own Friends.

My friend and neighbor two houses up the block texted me to greet me and to wish me well. I shared with her about the police welcoming and in her mind, that seemed to be ok. I know she meant well as she had a valid reason to be fearful. Her husband has a critical immune condition so I understood her but that is unreasonable for the others. After my chat, I realized that she and the other neighbors were in a panic about my presence back home.  With sadness, I experience how fear made neighbors turn against their neighbors. Friends against their own friends, because these people here are about caring for others. 

I called my dad, he is 92 today. He was 15 years old when my Nikola Tesla died, so that tells you that it was a long time ago. The most susceptible group of people in the world population. I wanted to hear his amazing positive energy. Guest what? He should be very scared for his life, but not, instead, he was asking me, when I was going to go to his home to visit him. I told him that we will have to wait about two more weeks until this was over, but we can continue talking via WhatsApp video. As always he made a funny joke that cracks me up. Most important is to paint the picture that he and his partner had no fear whatsoever. They were genuinely holding into the thought that it was just the bad flu and everything will be ok and so of me! : )