jnlondon has left 23 comments

jnlondon comments on

Do you guys actually live in colombia like I do?

jnlondon comments on Fiscalía

bump - anymore input folks - this is kind of important for me

jnlondon comments on AM I BEING TAXED OUT OF COLOMBIA?

I'm not sure about Britain, but the US has a foreigned earned income exclusion(study here http://www.irs.gov/faqs/faq13-3.html). So if you, for example, are physically present in Colombia 330 days out of the year, you can exclude around $80K of you income from US taxation. I would assume this applies to pension income but I don't know for sure.

jnlondon comments on LASIK eye surgery (not to be confussed with lasik arse surgery)

Quote i got in Colombia is 1500 mil pesos (or about $625 US) for both eyes plus a free corrective follow up procedure if needed.

jnlondon comments on Barking Dog Driving me Crazy!

For those eager to here the outcome of this saga....

Last night I literally banged my head into the wall because the mutt was driving me crazy. This morning wife and I went to the owner and talked to him. He was quasi-friendly and let us into his lot to see his dogs and birds. The dog was off its chain and running around very happy. He said he'd try to keep the dog quieter or take it to one of his other properties. So now all is ok.

jnlondon comments on HELP...Girlfriend from Colombia does'nt want to go back!

You can't help her without marrying her, and if you marry her so that you can help her, YOU ARE MAKING THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF YOUR LIFE. Don't let somebody your barely know (6 months LOL) TAKE TOTAL CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE LEGALLY VIA MARRIAGE. Don't go there dude. You've been warned.

jnlondon comments on Visa to expire. Wife says I´m fried!!

Carl - you're actually in the greater-pereiran-dos-quebradian-metropolitan-area. I'm in a similar boat(sinking of course) as you. Maybe we can buy off the local family court judge and divorce our perras together, or maybe just go to El Corral or something :) - send me an email sometime - jnlondono2 at yahoo.com

jnlondon comments on Child custody question

My spanish is bad, so maybe I missunderstood her, but her 14 year old said he wanted to live with dad and so dad petitioned with bienestar and got custody. Then she told me she could loose custody of her 9 year old the same way once he turned 10. Maybe I didn't understand her or she was wrong.

jnlondon comments on Taxes

Turbo tax online is the greatest thing since sliced pan, imho.

jnlondon comments on Still wanting to live in Colombia, but here's the real story.

My 2 pesos (1/12 of a cent) I wouldn't run a business down here. I wouldn't dare show my face behind a bar or desk. You'd get it blown off. I wouldn't mind investing into a family run business however -- contributing to the wife's or in-law's business secretly behind the scenes.

I wouldn't live in a low to middle class area with lots of other people around. You'll stand out big time or you'll hide (like I do) big time. A finka outside the city in a secure closed community is best for safety from what I've seen. A fancy condo in a highrise in the 'rich' part of town is second. Anything else is risky imho.

I'd price out a finka/house/condo + anual bills and just save up the money in the U.S. before coming. For $50k+ U.S. you can buy a nice finka out of the city or a nice condo in the rich part of the city. Then you're left with utilities and food and medical which is typically cheap. Food can begin to rack up if you splurge alot (i.e. Frisby, El Corral, Snickers bars, etc,..)

From what I'm learning, the trick is to keep a low profile when you're out in public so you don't get targeted for robbery. Dress down, don't speak english to loud or at all, walk from destination to destination like you know where you're going.

My biggest give away in public isn't me but my wife. Everytime she gets mad she argues in English now. Used to be she'd argue in Spanish back in the states. I truly believe she wants me mugged.

Also, you're kids will be accepted. I've seen several quasi - european - ish looking kids here. But, the schools are not near as nice as U.S. schools as far as amenities, at least from what I've seen. I'm not sure how the overall education quality compares however -- maybe equivalent.

jnlondon comments on Marriage Woes

Sorry, I missed your email by a few months. LOL. but i'm still here in the same situation. Email me if you get this: jnlondono2 at yahoo.com

jnlondon comments on Already Married in US, but she is here on Expired VISA... what's next?

Rimfirelive, the same exact situation happened to me: married wife after she overstayed her visa. I didn't get a lawyer and didn't need one. I simply went to the INS and talked to them. I didn't tell them she was overstayed (or that she had worked at McDonalds lol). I just got all the forms necessary to get her immigration status going. I spent many days finalizing the papers, and I did have a paralegal review them, though all the papers were correct. Anyways we never had an issue, allthough, this was before 9/11, so they could have tightened their belts.

Since you say you rushed into marriage, I have to throw this out there just in case. I'd suggest not rushing for a baby. Take your time with that until you completely know your wife. My wife went psycho after we had our kid and started talking about divorce and child support and the end of the world and all kinds of crap she picked up from all her latina community girl friends who were either divorced or about to get divorced or living in the house of the husband they had thrown in jail by DV accusations. One day I made the mistake of telling my wife the truth that her immigration status isn't affected by divorce. That wasn't a bright idea LOL (not really laughing). Anyways, good luck.

jnlondon comments on BETTER TO MARRY A COLOMBIANA IN COLOMBIA OR USA?

I know the U.S. makes it really easy to marry. Too easy. What do you need? A blood test. Some simple forms. I can't remember it all, but its like nothing. If you're extra romantic, like I was, you can get married at the local sheriff station's court room.

Of course, the real problem is, how difficult it is to unmarry a Colombian. Oh god. Good luck man.

jnlondon comments on Family Life in Dosquebradas

I forget about something. We were taking a taxi down one of the main avenues in dosquebradas. I couldn't believe it. In the oncoming lane we saw two dead men lying in the road, and a car and motorcycle all bent up. There was blood all over them. Naturally, I immediately went for my video camcorder. Other cars were blocking my view, so the taxista tried to pull out in the intersection so I could get some good shots of the scene. Then we saw a sign that advertised it was a dramatization of the dangers of speeding, and the dead people were just actors. I was like - CRAP - and blurted out one of the few spanish phrases I know - que pesar. The taxista laughed. It was a good time.

jnlondon comments on Family Life in Dosquebradas

I stayed in dos quebradas for 3 months. The families are close. Not to say they don't love each other, but I do think the hard economic situation tends to make families stay together under 1 roof, and they lack money for groceries at time, let alone vacation finkas away from the rest of the family. Unemployment for women 30+ is high, so yea, women are in the house alot. Some are depressed and yell at their kids all day from what I saw.

On another note, concerning that town, there has been a few murders recently there. There were like 5 I heard of in a couple of weeks. My sister in law and one of her 3 sons witnessed a man gunned down last month by another guy, a young man maybe 20 anos, who followed him from the atm to his doorstep. He demanded the money but the other man refused. He was immediately shot dead on the curb while his own mother watched from her balcony.

jnlondon comments on Pregunta

Ah yes. thank goodness for air mattresses. I got mine at Carrefour. Very expensive compared to say, u.s. walmart prices, but still way worth it.

jnlondon comments on

Pow wow, your wife sounds like mine to some degree. If you decide to leave her, you might want to make sure first that she is stable enough to take care of the kid(unless she is going to let you take the kid). My wife isn't stable enough, so I'm forced to deal with her currently.

jnlondon comments on Marriage Woes

Thanks for all the responses so far guys. I appreciate it.

jnlondon comments on Marriage Woes

Thanks strobers,

Yes, I'm scared I may just be seeing the tip of the iceberg. Also, and this answers a question from a previous post, her family is quite normal. Her parents, sisters and brothers and the kids of her systers are all pretty normal, from what I can tell.

jnlondon comments on Marriage Woes

Miguel,

My plan is to remain a big part of my kids life. If I have to stay with the women until my kid is old enough to decide on his own where he wants to live(e.g. 14 years old), then I may have to endure her.

I actually concidered doing what you recommended. I guess it could be a last ditch effor, but its very risky. If the family court isn't totaly convinced she is dangerous, my kid and I would totally loose.

Anyways, are you saying that in Colombia, the divorce courts don't care if she hits me or no -- she still gets custody. This is the kind of the information I need to know, so that I don't waste time following fruitless stategic branches.

Does colombia have any ex parte type thing where I can go and show abuse and get a restraining order or something like that?

What if you file a report with Bienstar Familiar. Would that make any difference?

Does anyone know about these things?

jnlondon comments on Marriage Woes

Lol, thanks Brody. I do have a camcorder, and I have tried to catch her with it a few times. I also bought an audio recorder back in the states when she starting talking really crazy. I managed to record her talking and crying over the antichrist and the end of the world and yelling a little bit. I haven't been able to catch her on video yet doing something violent. The best I have so far was taping the aftermath of an episode where she smashed a liquor bottle at her moms house when she got angry, thinking that I had flirted with some girls because she found the back patio light on when, when she thought she had left it turned off. And yes, I do believe she is borderline schizophrenic. She won't go to the doctor however. I've begged her. She just tells me to go to the doctor.

jnlondon comments on Marriage Woes

Thanks Cali. If we split up, there nothing I can do to stop her from going back to the U.S. However, if she waits too long, she may not be able to reenter. We obtained a reentry document before leaving the U.S. which gives her like 2 years, i believe, for her to come back to the U.S., otherwise, she may be denied entry and her immigration status jeopardized.

jnlondon comments on Looking for english speaking lawyer

I'm looking for one practicing in Colombia, and not immigration law, but family law.

Thanks