The lessons of the crisis in Colombia

yes...  These last few weeks have been great for God to help me to work through in Him showing me certain first things first in my life that I had seemed to be distracted of.   


Jesus loves us!

Let me start of by saying, I was born and American (USA) and have always been accustomed to living free.  I moved to Colombia many years ago because, the big "R" Rights in the USA were becoming nothing more than a suggestion. I figured, if I'm going to lose my Rights, I might as well live somewhere I could afford that's beautiful. I found that here. But, I also found a people, who are mostly kind, friendly and, very helpful.  I have lived in many parts of the world and outside of the USA and maybe Canada, I have seen that most governments, including in Colombia, operate with impunity and give only lip service to the real needs of the people.  They pass laws, like minimum wage laws to make the folks think they care about the worker, when in reality it's about keeping wages low for employers. The create an excellent public health system but, allow so much corruption that, all the money get stolen and when a real health crisis comes along, they have to lock everyone up in their homes because, there's no money left in the health system to treat everyone... "flatten the curve".  So, you can expect pretty negative replies to the questions posed. But, the same answers would be given about any country, not just Colombia.

What will you remember from this very special period?

I will remember that all governments are basically tyrannical.  It's all about control and never about free will.  I've had plenty of time to research what's happening around the world with this corona virus and it seems to be so contagious that, it won't stop until everyone has been infected with it.  I've learned that, if you give over control of your life to politicians and arrogant government bureaucrats, who call themselves experts, the politicians will use the "experts" advice and happily take away all your freedoms.

Did this period lead you to make changes in your lifestyle that you would like to maintain in the future? If so, which ones?

Yes, my house is now so clean, you can eat off the floor at any time of the day or night. 

How do you plan for the future in Colombia?

Plan? Here in Colombia?  It should be obvious to even the most short sighted, it is now impossible to make plans on how to live your life in Colombia or any country for that matter.  So, I guess my plan is to integrate myself more with the cultural norms of Colombia and just live each day as if it's my last and "plan" on nothing.

All that said, I've done my homework and I can tell you, there is no other place on earth I'd rather be living.  The country is absolutely gorgeous and the people are wonderful.  I seriously considered moving to Uruguay some time ago, and it's a very nice country as well, with more freedoms than in Colombia BUT, it's just too flat.  I live in the San Nicolas Valley and it's just incredible to me to live in the middle of such majestic mountains and no snow.

I could not agree more with your analysis and you have stated your conclusions with much more elegance than I would have.

This is a great and timely question(s). I would like to offer our perspective as we were in Colombia traveling/researching when the gates started closing in March. My wife and I were in the middle of a 5 week "fact finding" trip to see if we might enjoy living in Colombia long term.

When it became obvious that international borders were shutting down, we needed to decide whether to stay in Colombia to ride out the virus or to return to the US. It was not a simple decision as there were far fewer cases of the virus in Colombia, the people of Colombia were very and helpful, and the cost of living is affordable for us.

On the other hand, we did not have health insurance (our travel insurance would not have covered us for the Covid-19 virus!) which would pay for our bills in Colombia should we need to be hospitalized as a result of the virus. I am 69 so am at higher risk, though I am in good physical condition. My wife is younger and not in the high risk group. However, there were many many more cases in the US--and obviously it is now the world's hot spot of the virus, and we wondered about the wisdom of returning to a place where the virus was much more prevalent than in Colombia.

In the end, we decided to return to the US and we do not regret that decision---though we regret very much that we had to cut our trip in Colombia by 50%. It felt more secure to return to our own home and community--fortunately where we live in Asheville, NC, there are not many cases and people are respecting the CDC guidelines--and better to be here in case the worst case scenario were to happen--which it has not so far.

That being said, I would like to thank the people on this forum who provided some answers we had about the hospitals in Colombia and other details when we were in the coffee triangle trying to make our decision. This forum is a very good thing, and it is good that people feel comfortable to express a variety of opinions. I do hope we get back to finish our trip in Colombia.....to get as far south as Popayan, etc.

In the meantime, we send a big thank you to all of you on this forum, as well as to Colombians in general. Wonderful people!

Benjamin & Myo

I think the measures were adequate- visa concerns for only 6 month period-

Why only 6 months in your beautiful country?

We all need to realize, just how important it is to save and be prepared.

Hi there and thanks for asking us expats about their experiences in these challenging times.

I am from Canada and have been here since mid February; came on a full plain, and the airport here in Cartagena was super busy....and that was only a month before the closedown of everything. Noone could have anticipated what is coming down a month later.

Anyway, this is my second "mission" to Colombia. I was here last year fro 6 months a maximum allowed on tourist visa. This year, the plan was to stay 3 to 4 months. I am retired (happily) and have freedom to live where i decide (in most cases). The plan was to go to Spain after few months in Cartagena (hahahaha) and then to Croatia.

This country IS truly beautiful and unique in many ways and i like it a lot. I learned a lot of things about the country last year; its uniqueness in nature, culture, economy, government, way of life, challenges....
I also discovered many things i did not like that bothered me a lot but i was /am not able to do anything about it.

In any case, the answers to your questions:
1. What will you remember from this very special period?

I will remember the kindness of my neighbours, the porteros in the building i live in, the fisherman i watch every day from my balcony who are making living and really seams not to belong to the reality we live in with all protective measures. I will also remember that we can survive and stay sane by making it work for ourselves by having a daily routine which under normal circumstances we would never follow....

2.Have these unusual times allowed you discover things about yourselves or your loved ones?

I have been through tough times in my life and learned a lot about my self. In this particular situation i learned that i can be patient and calm more than i ever though possible. Kudos for not getting upset with things that would normally drive me crazy!

3. Did this period lead you to make changes in your lifestyle that you would like to maintain in the future? If so, which ones?

Yes of course! I would like to continue to exercise 4 to 5 times a week as do now! It makes me feel great and makes me feel very healthy and in a great shape....much better than i was in when i arrived here! I also, like many other people, improved my cooking skills and expanded the menu i feel comfortable offering!!!

4. How do you plan for the future in Colombia? Have the last few weeks caused you to review your priorities or certain projects?

I have no long term plans for staying here. I wish i was able to see more of the country, like i did last year, but it seams right now like an unrealistic goal...maybe some other time. Since i did come here for a specific purpose or project which i haven't completed, i wish i can do that, but that may be also too optimistic because my project involves larger group of people in sports that can not function under the 2 meter minimum distance rule. So, I am not sure i'll have an opportunity to complete the project.

I know people here expressed their political views and such, but i dont want to go there. I see  this forum more like experience, knowledge, tips and advise exchange site for people like us who are not native to Colombia.

Thanks for this opportunity.
De

Thank you for your reply!  Your words can be an inspiration for others facing challenges in these times.

Benjamin & Myo

Ditto to Laceja you stated everything so well. My frustration is that the people are nice and friendly but superstitious. The majority still fear death from a virus that science has shown is far less dangerous than just walking across the street in Colombia. Why are we still in lock down? I mean the governments around the world are paying medical personnel to throw every death into the CV column. Why??? Because their virus was a dismal failure. The doctors finally figured how to treat the lung inflammation which resembles more radiation illness than viral, by using simple aspirin. The silver lining here is that all this is killing faith in main stream media, allopathic medicine, all levels of government, big pharma, corporations, city living, and organized anything in general. Hell, if I never saw another brainless masked zombie in my life trying to spray me down with their magical unicorn water it would be far too soon, just that alone will keep me miles from a hospital. For me I enjoy the weather here but miss speaking with people based in logical thinking and the scientific method of reasoning. This for me has been the most difficult part of living here, the intellectual isolation. And then the frustration of having these same superstitious people running my life in a clearly fabricated emergency. It all seems like I woke up in the Spanish version of the movie, Idiocracy.