English (and French) speaker, prospects in Colombia?

heh, there are lots & lots of poor or working poor Americans as well who barely have enough money to pay the rent and put food on the table.....I read 50% of Americans have trouble paying the damn rent & putting food on the table just the other day on the online news.....I guess they are working at all those crappy minimum wage jobs at McDonalds, Walmart, etc., etc., etc. so they make the company owners richer & richer while they work like slaves for peanuts...anyways, it makes the unemployment statistics in the USA look really good so all the elites and media types can celebrate the booming economy

there are lots of wholesome women everywhere, not just Colombia

I recommend you incorporate..in Alberta (where the lowest tax rates are) ..work remotely on contract, pay yourself a dvidend, dont get Colombians involved ...

Just get a PO box or address in Alberta. Or use an accountants address. Ican give you a name.

If you are in the top 1% in your field you should be able to do this easily and make 100 to 150 k a year and pay minimal taxes.

And dont get any Colombians or DIAN involved.Besides , Canada has a tac treaty that over rides tje 183 day rule.

No.place is perfect. I think I have lived in and visited more countries than you or 9o% of people posting here.


Havent lived in SK for 40 years.


Funny you.mention Canary Islands. I know an Italian  guy from Santa  Marta  who owned a Hotel there for 10 years. When the government changed the rules he packed up and moved tl the Canary Islands.

I can guarantee you if Petro gets in wewill all be heading somewhere else.

Thanks for your advice. But I am not in the top 1% of my game. And I am definitely not interested in moving to Alberta or even setting up a company there. Alberta and Manitoba are just as cold as SK. And I hate cold weather, since,as a Canadian, I had my fill of bitter cold winters. I live in Fredericton, NB now and have a very relaxing lifestyle here, especially compared to that rat-race city of Toronto which
absolutely hated and could hardly wait to get the heh out of there.....lol. Actually, I would like to start up some kind of online international consulting business, maybe nice market travel-related, like maybe for instance deluxe tours for single & divorced professionals to exciting destinations around the world. I know no place in the world is an absolute paradise now...just look at Hawaii right now with all those volcano eruptions....they gotta wear masks now in Hawaii so they breathe in volcanic ash, dust, and little pebbles....lol. Now they are warning there could be a really major violent explosion/eruption in Hawaii throwing rocks the size of 4 pickup trucks into the atmosphere....for a worst-case scenario, just think about those simulations and movie scenes of Mount Vesuvius erupting and burying Pompeii in 20 feet of volcanic ash. If that happens again there, Naples, Italy and the 3-4 million people living there in Naples are toast.

Yeah, I read the Canary islands are really nice, and so are the Azores too, especially the climate and weather, but I never went there. 

But I did go to Buenos Aires, Argentina once for 2-weeks holidays and really liked it a lot. My good friend Roberto is from Mendoza, Argentina, in the wine district, and he says it is the best small size city in Argentina. You can check it all out online. From what I understand, it is very nice and very safe there too, clean air, clean water, hard-working, university-educated honest people.

A nice area in Pereira is the Barrie of Alamos, Cerritos or pinares. Pinares is the choice of the 3, very close to Centro and has every modern item , one may desire. Rent will run between 700-1300 USD a month.

How long is a golfer's mile?

I was talking to the OP..the guy from Montreal..not you with my recommendations

He doesnt have to move to Alberta, just have an address there while he is living in Colombia

And dont take the Family with you until you have settled in.

Another thing..Topper looks as if you only visit Colombia, not living here . Like I have for 6 years. Sounds like you just visited a few times.

So I have a question for you. You think all Colombians are so "nice".  Think they all can be trusted? Think you can make a business deal with anyone and not worry?

Think their "niceness" is always genuine , every Colombian, and not just a facade to advance their "hidden agenda".

Think they are honest and never lie, like your old grand dad in Fredricton (or wherever ) before he passed away?

Think you can trust your Colombian girlfriend while you are away for several months and she isnt humping her true love, her old barrio boy (or one of her other exes)?

Or maybe don{t care (which is the more logical approach)

Colombians, the majority  Lie like a sidewalk. It is their culture. Sooner anyone learns that, the better off they will be.

I saw a sicario assassination, close up,  in Restaurante La Piura, the best restaurant in Piñares.

They gut really went for over kill . 9 bullets in the body of the victim-4 close up and 5 when he was lieing down.

The sicario got his in the end , as well.

I have been to BA and Bariloche Argentina. I know all about Mendoza. I have lots of friends that went there to climb Aconcagua

Wow Quechimba.....you sound really down on Colombia...and really down Colombian women
.....so why are you even living there ?

1) Actually,  I visited Colombia 5 times.....2 weeks, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 5 weeks, 1 week....and loved it.

2) Yes, I agree, some Colombian people are liars, maybe even lots of them,  and I agree, some of them, maybe even lots of them can't be trusted as far as you can throw them, but that is also true of most Americans, and lots of  Canadians too, and most Europeans too for that matter, especially Eastern Europeans (Russians, Ukrainians, etc.). 

3) There are good people and bad people in every country, and there is crime in every country
....heh, just look at Italy, for example...the Mafia are all over Italy, but that does not stop people from going to Italy or wanting to live there, or actually living there. Same goes for France and Spain.

4) Not all Colombian women are bad, and not all of them are liars with hidden agendas. There are good and bad women in every country, including Canada, USA, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, etc., etc., etc.

5) I assume you are married to or living with a Colombian woman....is she a liar too, with a hidden agenda ? .... lol

6) You sound really bitter about Colombia, and especially about Colombian people and Colombian women. You are free to leave whenever you want, Quechimba. I don't think the Colombian people will miss you. Maybe, you would feel more at home in Russia.....lol.

7) You really gotta lighten up man...you're too uptight....lol...relax & enjoy Colombia.

8) By the way, just out of curiosity, do you have any Colombian friends ?

Topper

I think criminal assassinations happen in Italy too.......and France.......and the United States, and Canada and lots of them in Mexico....but that does not stop people from visiting there or moving there.

Yes lots of Colombian friends obviously. And I am 100% fluent though I still speak with a strong accent.

No not married, I am pretty picky.

Everyone has a hidden agenda

yeah really compare New Brunswick to the Comunas in Medellin

Lots of hockely players in Itay too, but you dont see them in the NHL

Same type of apples to oranges comparison

Believe it or not, Colombian women are picky too...and it's not just all about the money either. 

Glad you have lots of Colombian friends. So I guess you do like living in Colombia which is a good thing

they have gang & drug infested areas or comunas everywhere....how about Chicago ? Los Angeles ? New York ? Rio de Janeiro ?

if you're too picky, it's almost 100% guaranteed that you'll never meet a woman anywhere ....not in Colombia...and not anywhere else either for that matter...maybe you should just learn to relax and go with the flow...chill out

Yes, I heard that Mendoza, Argentina is really nice, even though I never went there myself, but a good Argentinian friend of mine is from there and he told me all about it.

By the way, just out of curiosity, why did you move to Colombia ? Any particular reason ?

they have gangs & drugs & guns infested areas in just about every big city in the USA

"""""""So I have a question for you. You think all Colombians are so "nice".  Think they all can be trusted? Think you can make a business deal with anyone and not worry?
Think their "niceness" is always genuine , every Colombian, and not just a facade to advance their "hidden agenda".
Think they are honest and never lie, like your old grand dad in Fredricton (or wherever ) before he passed away?
Think you can trust your Colombian girlfriend while you are away for several months and she isnt humping her true love, her old barrio boy (or one of her other exes)?"""""""

Agree......Agree....Agree.....and Agree.

Colombians have overpromised and underdelivered their country into a third world hell hole where nobody trusts anybody and only the most corrupt get ahead. 

When it comes to Colombian women.  If you want loyalty,  buy yourself a dog.

Jajaja anybody who takes advice about this country from some guy like topper whose too scared to visit (let alone live) like the rest of us gringos here.well, besides in a tour group is out of his/her mind. I absolutely love it here but Im not stupid enough to walk around with a target on my back -here or anywhere else. Btw, no matter what you read on this site the people that trust colombians the least are other colombians. And I learned, actually I was taught that from my colombian friends! And if tops really believes some hot colombiana is into him just  for his personality and his wallet has nothing to do with it? C'mon bro. Youre not all that.

Some people are just destined to dar papaya...

After almost 18 years of marriage, I trust my colombiana wife's family and friends - because they've proven they can be trusted.  And that goes both ways.  But if you blindly trust Colombians, you'll end up in the ditch.  You always have to keep your eyes open.

The average gringo male in a tour group in Colombia thinks he's in paradise.  But tour groups in Colombia can be like a school of tuna, for the predator sharks...

Si...no dar papaya! 😎

Woohoo-this topper guy from New Brunswick needs to go o your indoctrination class....

He thinks since hes spent all of 10 weeks  here in 5 years he is an "expert"

Being a Canadian..and growing up in the 60s..in a traditional, relatively stable family background, I have a soft heart, compassion  and a sense of justice and honesty..and because of this have done more than my fair share of "Dando Papaya" and being a "Marrano"..you see, a lot of Colombians view my qualities as "weaknesses" to be taken advantage of..(funny how these people always end up in worse condition than when they started after taking advantage of people LOL)

But at least I am aware of the fact it is happening.accept it .and try to do something about it..

Sorry to say this ..but Colombian culture reminds me a lot of Josef Conrad´s "Heart of Darkness".. the "Whitewashed Sepulchers" .. all freshly painted and nice on the outside..pero  muy podrido dentro.. a rotting corpse ..

a lot of foreigners are too entranced by the beauty of the women, flowers, birds, beaches, mountains, fincas, dancing and the external friendliness of the people to see this...

You have to spend time here and really get into things to see what is happening

Having said that, some of the best friends I  have ever had  are here

I could tell you endless  stories about crypts and brujas in Colombia..ja ja

Wow, you sure do have a very low opinion of Colombian people, men and women, and Colombian women in particular, and  especially even more so for a guy who actually lives in Colombia. It makes me wonder why you are even living in Colombia. I know an Australian guy down there in Medellin who married a Colombian woman around 15 years ago and he seems to be very happy with her. He runs a real estate management company and his wife also works in the business. You are basically saying that all Colombian people are out-and-out liars and crooks with hidden gold-digging agendas.  What about all the honest, hard-working Colombian people who are transforming their country from their horrible past ? Does that include them ? I met a hard-working Colombian mechanical engineer who works for the metro (subway system) in Medellin and his wife who is a computer systems engineer for a Swedish company in Medellin.  Are they liars ? I met another Colombian guy who runs eco mountain/hiking  tours into the mountains. Is he a liar ? I met a very professional hard-working Colombian dentist. Is he a liar ? What really gets me is how so many gringos move to Colombia and whine and complain about the Colombian people and want to isolate themselves from the Colombian people. Nobody is forcing you all to live there if you don't like it. Like move somewhere else. I'm sure the Colombian people won't miss you. There are lots of stupid gringos walking around down there, I know that, and they are a target for the criminal elements, pickpockets, robbers, thieves, but what did you expect when you moved to a poor country ? Besides they have lots of liars, pickpockets, robbers, and thieves in Barcelona, Spain (Barcelona is the pickpocket capital of Europe) , and Paris, France (watch out for the metro in Paris) , and Rome and Naples, Italy too. But that does not stop people from going there on holidays or moving there permanently or retiring there. Another thing, the wealthy and upper middle-class Colombians do not need your money. They are also very educated, speak fluent English, and have probably been to Europe way more times than you have. I know, I met some of them. One Colombian woman's daughter was going to fashion-design school in Milan, Italy, and this lady was extremely gracious. She even paid for one of my tours on San Andres Island when I ran out of cash. Did she have a gold-digging hidden agenda ? Like I said before, many times, there are good and bad people in every country, and there is crime in every country and every city. All the Colombian people that I met there were very good, honest, hard-working, open, warm, friendly, nice people. Maybe, you're all hanging with the wrong crowd....hahaha. I'm no fool, there are lots of bad people out there and you have to take the normal precautions to stay safe, but let's not all get overly paranoid about it, otherwise you might just as well stay at home. And it really is really funny how all these people who are criticizing Colombian people and especially Colombian women are actually married to a Colombian woman......you better not let your Colombian wife find out what you think about all Colombian women.....hahaha. To cap this thing off, if you have such a low opinion of Colombia and the Colombian people, move somewhere else, get out of Colombia, the planes take off every day...hahaha.

Floridaray,

I did visit Colombia 5 times and met lots of nice people.
There are good people & bad people in every country.
There is crime in every major city. 
There are gold-digging women with hidden agendas everywhere, including NYC, Miami, Las Vegas,
Los Angeles, Hollywood, Paris, Rome, London, etc., etc., etc. There are bad areas in every big city all over the world. America is riddled with drugs & guns & gangs & stupid out-of-control violence & mass school & gang shootings.
Actually, I felt safer in Colombia than in the good old US of A.
And your state of Florida is one of the worst thanks to those NRA idiots. Horrible.
No wonder so many people in Florida want to move to Colombia.
I wouldn't live in Florida if you paid me $ 10 Million, no way.

That applies to gold-digging, ultra materialistic, whiny, forever complaining, bitchy, dress like slobs  American women too......lol. Nothing is ever good enough for them.

If you really think that things are that bad in Colombia, maybe you should just move on out of there. Nobody is forcing you to live there. Sounds like you got a real chip on your shoulder about the Colombian people. Maybe, you should just open your eyes and smell the (Colombian) coffee and be happy they welcomed you to their beautiful country. Chill out, buddy !!!

You sound very bitter. Maybe, you would be happier living in the Bronx in NYC. ....hahaha. Plenty of people there that you can't trust too.....guys like Bernie Madoff....hahaha

so move to Iceland......they got some really cool bars there...ice bars, in fact...as a Canadian, you should feel right at home there....hahaha

you should really stop whining and complaining all the time about Colombia....it's very annoying.....and the Colombian people really do not care whether you like it or not.....you sound like a real downer.......get with the program.......jump on the team and get in for the big win.....hahaha........broaden your horizons.....join the party....make more Colombian friends......do something to contribute to the country....or leave, and stop whining for goodness sake

you should really stop whining and complaining all the time about Colombia....it's very annoying.....
You should llook in the mirror bro. And since most of us are ex military and played sports, or both we dont need ur (5 time visitor as member of a tour group) pep talks from BFE NB canada. We LIVE here because we like it. And we all have good Colombian friends, and they worry about the rampant corruption which results in, even though many are highly educated from being abld to find a job. And thdy dont like the violence which because you never it saw doesnt exist.ha Well most of us who do live here have seen it..more than once. Youre commenting on people letting off a little steam like everyone does. Folks from NB live such an idealic life they dont let off a little steam on occassion?

As a matter of fact, I played sports all my life...baseball, ice hockey, swimming,, gymnastics, boxing, karate. OK, OK, I know there is crime there, even serious crime, the same as we have here in Canada and the same as you have all over the place in the United States. And there are lots of highly-educated people here in Canada/USA who also can't find a decent, good quality, good paying job too. Like I said, there is serious crime in nearly every big city...Chicago is like a shooting gallery.....Murder City USA,
I think they call it. The Mafia and Hells Angels and street gangs are all over the p[lace in the USA  and Canada. My hometown city of Toronto has lots of crime. I'm living in Fredericton, New Brunswick now which really is pretty idyllic...no joking.  And Prince Edward Island is even better,. except for the winters....lol. Look buddy, all I'm saying is if people don't like the situation in Colombia and/or the people and/or the crime and/or the women and/or whatever, they should lust pack up and leave and move somewhere else. By the way, just for your information, I went all over Colombia, including with my Colombian girl friend, and even by myself, and I never once had a problem and I met lots of nice people. I even went into some of those poor barrios, or rather drove through them...lol.

I'm sorry but you reveal that you are quite well mis-informed!  I don't know where you get your information, but it's not from good sources.

You say, "OK, I know there is crime there, even serious crime, the same as we have here in Canada and the same as you have all over the place in the United States. "

Wrong!  It's not the "same" as you have in Canada nor is it the "same" as in the US.  And also, there is not crime all over the place in the US, nor in Canada.  You could find out a bit more here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Colombia

Among Colombians it is a rarity to find someone whose life has not been affected by crime, often violent crime.  Petty crime - robbery of cell phones, pickpockets, burglaries, mostly non-violent street crime is rampant in the bigger cities.  Crimes committed by robbing people withdrawing money from an ATM are common enough that they even have their own name - a fleteo.

The murder rates vary from city to city in Colombia, just like they do in the US and Canada.  But Chicago's murder rate is about 15.65 per 100,000, while Colombia's murder rate overall is about 24.4 per 100,000 - 50% higher than Chicago.  And it's even worse in several bigger cities in Colombia.

Kidnappings in Colombia have been on the decline, thankfully, from what was once the highest rate in the world.  Now, instead of las FARC and other guerilla groups doing the kidnappings, it's mostly just common criminals:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnappings_in_Colombia

You say, "And there are lots of highly-educated people here in Canada/USA who also can't find a decent, good quality, good paying job too."

Wrong!  I can't speak for Canada, but the unemployment rate in the US overall is the lowest it's been in decades, and for blacks and hispanics it's the lowest ever recorded.

You say, "if people don't like the situation in Colombia and/or the people and/or the crime and/or the women and/or whatever, they should lust (sic) pack up and leave and move somewhere else."

Well, in Colombia they have been doing just that - over 7 million people in Colombia have been displaced by the war, out of a population nearing 50 million.  Even now forced displacement of people continues as documented here:
http://www.unhcr.org/afr/news/briefing/ … ement.html

You do have a good attitude towards Colombia, and I commend you for that - but you have a lot to learn, and a lot that you think you know that is just plain wrong and should be un-learned.

If Colombia is so bad, why are you living there ?

topperZZ99 wrote:

If Colombia is so bad, why are you living there ?

I love Colombia but I don't live there.  I've been going there since 1996, and I've spoken Spanish for almost 60 years now, first living as a child in Quito, Ecuador.  My Colombian wife of almost 18 years who is also a naturalized American citizen also does not live there - I wanted to move there to live but she did not.  She misses her friends and family as do I, but she also recognizes the truth about Colombia.

In any case I will not live in or visit Colombia more than 182 days out of any 365 day period, in order not to qualify as a tax resident and be taxed at the high Colombian rates that start at low income levels.

It's not that Colombia is so bad - it's just that I choose not to let misinformation about Colombia and other things go unchallenged.