CosteñoUSA has left 15 comments

CosteñoUSA comments on Learn to speak Spanish

Spanish language immersion in Cartagena. Dear all,
The Immersion Summer Spanish Language Institute (ISSLI) is offering summer and winter options to study Spanish in Cartagena.
The webpage is http://www.issli.com
Check it out.

CosteñoUSA comments on Learning Spanish in Colombia

Spanish language immersion in Cartagena. Dear all,
The Immersion Summer Spanish Language Institute (ISSLI) is offering summer and winter options to study Spanish in Cartagena.
The webpage is http://www.issli.com
Check it out.

CosteñoUSA comments on Learning Spanish in Colombia

Spanish language immersion in Cartagena. Dear all,
The Immersion Summer Spanish Language Institute (ISSLI) is offering summer and winter options to study Spanish in Cartagena.
The webpage is http://www.issli.com
Check it out.

CosteñoUSA comments on USA Nombra Cali La ciudad mas Violenta

minúsculas y MAYÚSCULAS Tinto:
You say 'minúsculas' for lower case letters or small letters. For upper case letters you say MAYÚSCULAS.
Cheers,

¡FELIZ CARNAVAL! :-)



La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

CosteñoUSA comments on For Rent: Cartagena apartments

I have a nice apt in Cgena for rent. Hi all,
I have a nice apartment in Cartagena for rent. Send me a PM to get more information.





La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

CosteñoUSA comments on Como conseguir una casa para comprarla en BARRANQUILLA

Tengo una casa para la venta en BAQ Hola Frasco242,

Tengo una casa muy comoda en el barrio Boston de Barranquilla para la venta. Escribeme un privado y asi hablamos mejor.
¡Feliz año!
CosteñoÑero.



La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

CosteñoUSA comments on Colombia here I come again

Hola Desi!
Desi,
This is the first time we talk here, I just wanted to impress you with a couple of Swedish words that I learned on my last trip to Stockholm! hehehe
If you had time you could get a nice tan in Cartagena before going back to COLD Scandinavia.

¡Feliz navidad!




La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

CosteñoUSA comments on Colombia here I come again

Feliz Navidad (and Feria de Cali) Desi,

Hej, Hur mor du?

-Lots of congrats for your trip to Cali. I'm happy for you. I am sorry I have to stay here in cold USA for the holidays.

-If you are a college professor here in the USA you CAN get a sabbatical year or semester every three of four years. The pay is 70% of your salary more or less, it depends on the university. When I worked in Colombia, I got two 'Licencia remunerada' leaves and the money was not bad at all. Of course, you have to justify it with academic research or international travel.
-From Europe you can bring two bags of 50 pounds each (around 23 kilos). IATA is making changes on the baggage allowance for most trips. My suggestion is to call the airline and double check with them before you pack, unless you are willing to pay 100 Euros (in Swedish Crowns) for over weight or excess baggage. I recently did Newark-Madrid-Newark with Continental and they made me pay for overweight bags, ouch! Avianca is still allowing two bags of 70 pounds each from Miami to Barranquilla, but some American airliners make you pay more if those same bags are not checked all the way.
-You can use your VISA and MASTERCARD in most ATM's to withdraw money in Cali. Just watch out for the 'bad guys' that are after your money.
-About phones: Much better deal to buy a pre-paid cell phone, it costs about 45.000 Col Pesos and they give it to you activated right away. I don't recommend using a tri-band phone or a SIM card there, it is more hassle than just getting one to use there. Go with Comcel, Movistar and Ola suck bad and their signal is very weak.
-Sit back and enjoy your stay in Cali and Colombia. The Feria de Cali is a lot of fun!!!
TAK, HEJDO!















La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

CosteñoUSA comments on

Stop contradicting yourself. Mario:
Please, stop contradicting yourself.
You are attacking ME, not my comment. I don't care if you think GIB is a good person, to my judgement he is not, I have read many posts by him that show the way he thinks nor does he care about Colombia or the colombianos. I don't want to waste time writing to you and reading your messages trying to 'teach' me how to handle things. PLEASE
I will always speak my mind wether I am in Colombia or here in the USA.
Stop the...and move on.



La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

CosteñoUSA comments on

Mario, please read
You need to mind your own business.
I have nowhere seen your name or nick as a PBH moderator.

I you think the PBH moderators can throw me out for saying someone sucks, well let them go right ahead, that IS their job, not yours. I still think I can express my ideas the way I want. I have spent probably more time than you in this site, believe me. The fact that I am using a new nick does not mean I am brand new here, so don't lecture me on what to do or on how to say things. I have read many more f...words here and more insulting comments thatn just saying someone sucks. I am sorry, but if they SUCK, they really DO.
BTW I can assure you that I am more civil more mature and more adult than many more people here, I wish you could check out my resume.
So DO NOT jump into conlusion without knowing facts. Grow up.





La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

CosteñoUSA comments on

Good job JuanAlejo JuanAlejo
You got the record straight, thank you.
Gringoinbogota might be from the backwoods of...or who thinks having an American passport makes him the king of the world. HELLO!!!!!






La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

CosteñoUSA comments on

Gringoinbogota SUCKS big time.
It is ridiculously funny how some people think.

Colombia has had several names over the history for various reasons. One of them was La Gran Colombia that included other countries like Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. This is a long story to explain here, just read some of this info to get more eduacted and to have more solid base to argue.
-----------------------------------
The Republica de Gran Colombia was founded in 1819 when Simon Bolivar fought for the independence of Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador from the Spanish. He joined all three countries to make Gran Colombia. It had always been his goal to unite all of South America. If he had done so, today it might be one of the strongest nations in the world. Bolivar could have united Peru and other countries, but instead he hoped that they would unite on their own and make a stronger republic. On December 17, 1819, Simon Bolivar , "El Libertador", was named president of the republic and Santander as the vice president.
------------------------------------------
I was not born in this the USA, but I am as GRINGO as you, Gringoinbogota. BTW my passport doesn't say just AMERICA, it says the United Sates of America.
FYI
The name of this country is 'THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA' evidently you and many more US persons overlooked the preposition 'OF', that means that it belongs to somenthing, RIGHT?
The name is NOT the 'American United States' or the 'United Sates IN America' As you know it was a too long name and the only way to make it short was to leave the last word -America-.
The American continent, is only one. If you study geography anywhere outside the USA you learn that there are 5 -FIVE- continents [America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania], not 7 the way they teach it here. Also check how may arrows are on the Olympic Games flag? FIVE, each of them represent ONE continent.
FYI Did you know Mexico IS part of North America?
Did you know that America -the continent is divided in three sections? North America, Central America and South America-
Did you know that Panama was part of Colombia until 1901?
Did you know that the USA took over Panama and invaded it to make it independent and build the Canal before then French did it?
Did you know that statistically young people in the USA are the worst students in world geography and history?
Did you know that average people in the USA think the world starts in California and ends in North Carolina?

Now talking about Anti- Americanism in Colombia! HELLO!!! Have you been to Europe lately? Please go to France, Spain, Italy and Germany especially and talk to locals and watch TV and then see the way people think and talk about our uncle's Sam's land and how it this has changed in the last four years!!!
My wife and my gringo friends love Colombia and several of them have already decided that Colombia is then place where they want to retire. They have never faced any anti-US sentiment situation anywhere In Colombia.
It all depends of the type of person you are of if you want to play the role of the arrogant ugly American cowboy type.

It is time to wake up!

Get true facts and more education please!!







La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.








La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

CosteñoUSA comments on Tipping in Salons

Colombians DO tip. I disagree with most here. It seems like most of the ones that have written these comments are foreigners that have not yet gotten used to local customs in Colombia. You need to be careful to generalize and say: Colombians DO and Colombians DON'T.
Tipping in Colombia is optional. There is no such a rule of tipping or NO tipping. I have always tipped if I receive a very good service anywhere I go, if I don't like the service I just don't tip or leave a very little one and that's it. There are places like Costa Rica and Spain where the service is already included in your bill, well that is different. In Colombia I have been in many places like salons, etc... where MOST locals tip. Of course my gringa wife and American friends are more generous than locals, but hey. If you think one thousand pesos (50 US cents) is A LOT, then tell me how you feel when you come back here to the USA and you HAVE to tip even if you receive a crappy service? Please don't be stingy and don't blame cultural differences for it.
Think about it!



La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

CosteñoUSA comments on Colegio Colombo Britanico

Both The Colombo-Britanico is just the name of the school. They want NATIVE speakers of English, that is all. My very good (Colombian) friend taught English there for several years. He liked it a lot a the pay was good. They have had Americans, Canadians, Australians, Britons and Jamaicans in their faculty. They are recruiting teachers continously.
Go for it!
Which city are you shooting for?





La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.

CosteñoUSA comments on Best route: Stockholm to Colombia?

Stockholm to Colombia
I recently did Stockholm to Madrid (via Zurich) with SwissAir -excellent service and SWISS punctuality. Then Madrid to Newark with Continental and then Newark Bogotá. Not bad at all and saved me a few bucks. The bags are checked all the way from Madrid to Bogotá, but you have to go through customs in Newark to enter USA. One more thing to consider is how to use your frequent flyer miles on your membership cards, think about it. Two trips to Europe with Delta and/or its partners give you a free round trip indisde de USA. :-)

Enjoy my Colombia at its most.


La luna de Barranquilla tiene una cosa que maravilla...
Nuestro Carnaval es: 'Obra maestra del patrimonio oral e inmaterial de la humanidad', UNESCO 2003.