Thinking about moving to Colombia

poco says on Jan 16, 2007, 18:31:

I thought you might become an excellent teacher after Reading only a few lines,, and you confirmed it,, I'm sure you will make some student an excellent role model.

Going to Colombia is something you should set your sights on. I'm starting to think of Colombia as Sangano, City.

PS:
Does anyone know what you do when you're riding in a parade and your horse has,,, problems ?

"When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." Quote - General Tommy Franks

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robi666 (Trustee board) says on Jan 16, 2007, 18:46:

Poco I was riding a female horse in Medellin's Feria last time... next time I'll make sure to ride a male one! Que miedo...
By the way, what happens when the rider has got the same problem?

what we do in life... echoes in eternity.

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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Portena says on Jan 16, 2007, 21:51:

Worker Bee That worker bee issue has haunted philosophers for centuries. I minored in philosophy, and no one ever mentioned Colombia as the answer, but perhaps my instructors weren't as advanced in their thinking as their credentials suggested.

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JMCana says on Jan 17, 2007, 05:29:

Alternative My advice is to first visit Colombia several times especially in the cities of your relatives. Get a feel for where you want to be and where you like.

As for making a living as a teacher of English. As one person told me when I first decided to live in Colombia, "You will need to teach at two places if you wish to really make enough money to live well."

I found his words true if you teach at schools. However, I know one lady who does much better giving private lessons to business executives.

You are fortunate in that you were born in Colombia. There is a company in Colombia that specializes in not only finding homes for Colombians living abroad, but has all the connections for getting them low interest loans and monthly payments on the home. As a gringo I could not take advantage of their services, but everyone I have spoken with so far likes what they have done for them. At least that way you could continue to make the good money in the USA and still purchase a home in Colombia for later. Having a paid off home sure helps make the low salary of teaching go further.

But yes, I also left the rat-race of the USA for a slower pace in a small town in Colombia.

Hope this help you.

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Colombiano_81 says on Jan 17, 2007, 06:08:

Hi pilar1642...I too was in your position once...I was raised in Canada since i was 7 and had a very passionate longing to experience Colombian way of life. Well i finally did in Aug of 2006 for a short 3 months in Bogota but it was well worth it. I am a traveler but surely I will be returning and this time to see other cities....I want to check out Cartagena as a possible destionation to settle down in.In Bogota I worked as a teacher (i had no prior experience). You don´t need the experience. Just speaking the language will do to get you hired in any language academy. Or, you can give private classes which I did too. I suggest you go for it(and since you´re a teacher already this has got to help tremendously) and start by teaching English and that way you can sustain yourself while you look for other job opportunities available...(it's not a hard job)Plus you are Colombian by birth so you should have no problem with papers and you can stay as along as you like without losing American identity. Go for it...Colombia is great!

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Colombiano_81 says on Jan 17, 2007, 06:12:

hey JMCana what is the company's name? any info on this would be helpful to many..

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aztec says on Jan 17, 2007, 06:31:

JMCana you identified an excellent area for exploration. "I know one lady who does much better giving private lessons to business executives."

My brother-in-law has a PhD in business management and he flies all over Colombia giving seminars for executives in various companies. He make more money doing this than he receives as a professor at one of the colleges there.

He is currently at the University of Arizona undergoing intensive training in English. A bilingual professor of management is in high demand in Colombia.

pilar1642 might could develop some "dog and pony" show and sell it to many of the different organizations there. She would, however, need to become proficient in Spanish.

Explanation of what I mean with the reference to a dog and pony show. That is what we University administrators accused our business professors of doing when we discovered they spent more time off campus than actually teaching or doing research.

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utopiacowboy says on Jan 17, 2007, 07:20:

What I find amusing about these posts is the idea that people in Colombia are on some kind of lifelong siesta. The reality is people there work very hard - working a half day on Saturday is normal! My wife does not work anywhere near as hard here as she did back there. Time for family? She had no time for anything, leaving early to ride the bus and getting home late. Furthermore, any kind of job is very hard to come by and is usually the result of having some kind of connection. When my wife's family was here, they were amazed at all the signs in windows and even on the backs of trucks looking for workers. I told them there was a shortage of truckers and many trucking companies would pay to send you to school.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Lostgringo says on Jan 17, 2007, 07:49:

Working in Colombia I remember when I was in Bogota I would see people crunched into bussetas with lifeless faces as they returned home from work. Just getting back and forth from work is oftern "work" in itself. Everyone here it seems is in survival mode. As Utopia suggests there are long hours needed to work here in order to food on the table. My girlfriend works at least 10 hours a day. She also has to work for her holidays She will put in 12 hours a day for that. Also, as you age here it seems like your value in terms of work decreases. So, why would you want to come to Columbia? Well I think that when work is finished here people really know how to enjoy themselves. Sure there are many of the trappings you see in North America like expensive cars and such. But for the most part people get by here all their lives with a car. Unlike North America taking a bus here is not seen as "taking a step backwards." For me the closeness of Colombians, they way they respect each other (off the road of course), their love for music and dancing and the way they celebrate life was part of the deciding factors for me to relocate here from Canada. The big house in North America, the fancy car, the plastic people (not all mind you), the quest for $$$$ not for survival only but to outdo the "Jonesess," has no more meaning to me as I live amongst Colombians. Life for me now is very simple. I am very fortunate to have the health to travel and live here. I have no desire to return to Canada and that way of life anymore. I don't know if this has helped explain why I think Colombia is a far better place to live than North America or not. I do know that for me, it is the best decision I have made in a very long time.

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alleycat says on Jan 17, 2007, 10:28:

pilar your yearning for a time gone by reminds me of a quote by a.e. housman: “that is the land of lost content, i see it shining plain, the happy highways where i went and cannot come again”. i’m not sure colombia is the answer to your dilemma. as some of the previous posters have indicated, the struggle for existence there can be far more brutal than what you’ll encounter in the u.s. rejecting the dominant values of consumerism, materialism, “working bee” mentality and disregard for family and friends, can be done without you going anywhere. moving to another continent to live the lifestyle you dream of is simply unnecessary. you may, however, want to visit colombia for an extended time and make the comparison yourself. but remember, you can make choices wherever you are and find a nice niche even in the u.s. millions of people here share your values and find great satisfaction in their work and social lives.

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salgood411 says on Jan 17, 2007, 16:38:

I think what the author of this thread is saying is that here in the United States to live the lifestyle that is possible in Colombia can not be attained in the same fashion. To get out of the rat race here means you are going to live like a poor person and you will be looked upon as less than a human with no respect. In Colombia where most of the population's income is just enough to get by on no one will look at you funny if you are not rich or below middle class. One is able to to go about life without the pressure of having to attain the things that people in the northern hemisphere place value on like three cars,big screen TV's,swimming pools and the house on the hill. This is what drives the lives of most people here in the US. It is also what drives the economy. Spend spend spend and pay of those loans and credit cards that can enslave a person while big business thrives.The system traps idividuals, and pity those with less than perfect credit who are enticed to buy because they will be charged with an interest rate of 23% and higher. Talk about getting robbed. Believe me I have all these things but am fortunate now to be within retirement mode where I can finally shed the clothe of the corporate world and hopefully move to Colombia, homeland of my wife. Sure these people struggle to make a living but they are all treated with respect. I see the difference between the children that grow up here (spoiled) and my wife's children, who appreciate and thank me for every little thing they receive. As for me I hope to relocate there in less than two years. Pilar 1642 has an added advantage he/she is still young enough to explore the options. I have been to Colombia on five separate occasions and each trip was a shear pleasure, having seen the likes of the country from as far south as Cali to Bogota in the north. I prefer the smaller city atmosphere myself like Armenia and the surrounding areas. I have stayed in Tulua where my wife lived when we met. I can't totally blast this life because although it cost me a great deal in the quality of life it has now afforded me the choice of being able to live the life I find more humanitarian. Good luck to you Pilar and stay true to your values.

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Tinto (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Jan 18, 2007, 14:49:

So...did you make a billion dollars in your currency hedge fund? Are you leaving Colombia to buy an island in the Caribbean or move to Tahiti or something like that?

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kat1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Jan 18, 2007, 15:18:

In Colombia is nice to live but only if you got money and don't give to much papaya, you will have a salary of a rich but you need to live like a working class in Colombia, and you will be fine, still I think that living in Colombia is much more exciting than living anywhere else :P

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aztec says on Jan 18, 2007, 16:16:

kat1... ...good advice and is the only way to make it work.

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poco says on Jan 19, 2007, 09:23:

Oh, crap, just move to Colombia and get 'er done !!! Don't move and you will regret it forever !!!!

BTW: This ladder was advertised on Colombian T.V. The U.S. had the EXACT same commercial last year !!!!

Does anyone know how much this was selling for in the U.S. ?

This is the LINK the the Colombian TELE SALES website

BTW:, School Teachers WILL NOT be able to afford this but what the heck,, a persons quest should have happiness as a final goal.



Actually you probably can't afford a home on teachers pay so this ladder would be practically useless.

"When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." Quote - General Tommy Franks

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