Published in The Tico Times on November 30th, 2015
BOGOTÁ, Colombia – André Monroy Gómez was in Madrid when he was supposed to show up for his military exam. His parents had taken the then-18-year-old Colombian on a vacation to see Europe, and they had planned to be back on time. But their return flight was overbooked.
In Colombia, not showing up for a military exam automatically gives one a remiso status – a deserter. Gómez’s parents knew someone who was married to a high-ranking army official, so they made a phone call and everything was arranged: Gómez could go for his exam a month later.