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Resilience: "the ability to be happy, successful, etc. again after something difficult or bad has happened". I always thought I knew the meaning of this term until I moved to South America last year. I didn't know how ignorant I was. When I ended up selected to become an EU Aid Volunteer in Communication in Colombia, I began digging into the major issues which affect the country, specifically the Pacific Region and the municipality of Buenaventura, since its problematic seemed invisible to the rest of the world and even to the Colombian society. I believed I would face a post-conflict situation, in which people are in process to reach a peaceful life. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until I settled in, that I discovered violence is fully alive and they are still suffering various plights as a consequence of the unceasing armed conflict. In this respect, I met the different projects my organisation is executing. Some of them are focused on rising resilience amongst the communities through empowerment, by increasing their capacities, not only to re-establish their former conditions but also to enhance them and expand their horizons. This initiative gave me the opportunity to meet incredible people and go beyond my expectations. But what made me appreciate the real value of the word “resilience”, was the story of one of my colleagues in the field, Jeison Payán. Jeison is an all-rounder in life, a multi-skilled person who is able to do anything you can imagine. He can give injections, prepare the best local dishes, write a hit song and perform it live on stage, and even do a magic trick that will completely blow your mind. He is the kind of person that know how to put a smile on your face when you feel you are having the worst day of your life. He was teaching a bakery course to the victims of the armed conflict when I met him on a mission. When he told me that he was born in the same zone we were working in, remote and isolated, I got curious to know more about him. This rural area of the Pacific, the Naya river “veredas”, is a group of villages only accessible by boat and located in the middle of the rainforest, very close to the river, which is an inherent component of their daily life. Not only is this wonder of nature rich in flora and fauna, but also in mineral resources like oil, coal and gold. In 2001, a massive forced displacement caused by a terrifying paramilitary attack made people leave their homes and possessions and migrate unexpectedly to the city. Jeison was one of them. He had to leave everything behind, losing his family business, and start a new life in Buenaventura. However, instead of losing courage, he worked hard to open a new establishment in the city. What is more, he decided to get qualified in different disciplines, so that he could gain access to better opportunities. His self-esteem boosted powerfully, he was capable of anything and everything now. His entire life changed for the better to such an extent that he got into the music industry as he had always wished. However, his motherland was on his mind every day, every minute, every second. He had to do something for his people, so he decided to come back home and prove to his community that everything is possible, that they can effectively change their lives on their own. To teach them what resilience means, and to show me what resilience really means. Thank you Jeison!