Colombia Forum

jooks
Joined 2019
Posts: 293

5 years ago

Installment 1

5 years ago

[For the expat group - I plan to eventually set up a blog and won't bother the list with my personal journey after this.]

Moving to a foreign land and not knowing the language very well seemed only semi-terrifying at first, but my new reality was still miles away. However, that reality started to sink in a few months ago when I started selling a lifetime of possessions. I could probably write an opus on selling my stuff, but I’ll spare you. To cut to the chase on the sale, I sold virtually everything from my bed to pencils. Hey, they were #2 Dixon, good stuff. I slept on the couch (it didn’t sell – yet) and watched TV on the computer. I made new friends as my neighbors came by. Special mention to Michele from my building. At first, I labeled her as an eccentrically nice person, but over the course of 6 weeks, we would become good buddies and frequent breakfast companions. More on Michele later.

Backing up a bit to researching life in Colombia and more specifically, Medellin. I first traveled there, oops, here, about 20 years ago and the attraction was immediate. I visited several more times before I started thinking seriously about relocating here. And then, all of a sudden due to various reasons, the decision was made nearly 6 months ago to retire and relocate to Medellin. In my quest for information and help, I stumbled upon a group called Colombian Buddy. At first, I thought they were a gimmick and mostly wrote them off as not for me. In my mind, they were a resource for tourists looking for guides. And I was right. But then I came along and broke the mold. It took months before I allowed myself to believe that they could be of any use. Now, I look back and think how completely lost I’d be without them.

The person that was, for lack of better term, assigned to me was Manuela, aka Manu. Long story short, she was not only invaluable and likeable, but has become one of my 2 friends in Medellin. She is a naturally positive person who always has a smile. A born paisa (someone from Medellin), she lived in the US for a short time and speaks nearly perfect English. To fast forward for a moment, on my first full day in Medellin, I started to question my sanity for moving here and sank into a deep depression. I was seriously ready to turn the clock back. But Manuela came to the rescue and I am indebted to her for reassuring me and for a zillion other things.

The advice I was given by expats and others was to travel light – basically a personal carry on with one’s favorite pillows was all that was needed. Well, maybe a tad more. I can attest to the pillows! But I thought, what the heck do they know, I will prove them all wrong. 8 carry-on suitcases in 2 trips! Insanity! A year supply of baby shampoo! What was I thinking? Okay expats, I should have relied upon your collective wisdom. But the TSA (security at the airports and borders) helped correct my mistake, sort of. My luggage arrived seemingly a suitcase short of stuff. I was missing lots of electronic stuff and stupid stuff like underwear and my expensive backup hearing aids. They left a note on one of my suitcases saying, “You’re welcome,” or something like that. It seems that each day, I find more things missing. I don’t get it. The electronics is almost understandable, but underwear?! Now I have to resort to buying third world underwear, sigh.

To be continued. I’ll leave those of you who can get it with a few photos including a store to meet all your shopping needs, tattoos that is, scenes from early morning walks, my building and the infamous luggage.

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Contribute
Help others in Colombia by answering questions about the challenges and adventures of living in Colombia.