New members of the Colombia forum, introduce yourselves here - 2021

Hello! I am new here & soon to be new to living in Medellin!  Thank you for the invite - I am a cycling & life coach here in the US and I am moving as soon as I can to live with "family" from Medellin. 

Feel free to send me a Friend Request on Facebook if you are on there!  My full name is Mary Ann Sedor

Thanks!

Hola, I recently moved to Bogota from New Zealand  to marry my fiancé (wedding was awesome despite Covid restrictions) improve my Spanish and explore this beautiful country more. I'm currently looking for a remote copywriting gig or similar. So if anyone has any ideas/contacts that would be very much appreciated.

I am currently working as a copy for a digital marketing agency based in Miami that pays around $400/month. That is just over Colombian minimum wage lol. It's not a lot of hours and pretty flexible, but if you don't find a niche to write for you might get stuck in my situation.

Yo. I'm Juan. I'm a Gen Z digital nomad-type with a degree in public relations. I moved to Bogota last year and spent all of Covid there, but I'm currently back in Miami recovering from leg surgery.

I will be coming back to Bogota around December, but I miss it deeply :'(

Keep in touch and subscribe to my YouTube channel if you are a newcomer to Colombia and you want to see what it was like in 2019 right before 'Rona

Hi my name is John Johnson and i am planning a fact finding trip to Medellin or Cartagena not sure which ,maybe both. I'm going for a couple weeks in may or june to see if it's right for me. I'm a retired auto tech and currently recieve a disability pension and i'm looking for a great place to retire, a place
where my money stretches farther, and someplace with an abundance of beautiful single women.

                                                                     Thanks,
                                                                       John

I'm also John, a USian who has been living and working in Bogotá since 2010. My wife and I just gave birth to a baby girl here (in the middle of Covid!), and that's been great but I am looking to connect with other native English-speaking new parents here (or Chinese speakers, we'd also like to expose our daughter to Mandarin).

I saw that there have been some informative posts in the forums here. Feel free to ask me about working and being a new parent here; and will I also have some questions (e.g., right now, is there any feasible way for us to get my 3-month-old US citizen daughter her first Social Security number from here, or should I just wait till whenever we make it back Stateside?).

johngoodrick wrote:

I also have some questions (e.g., right now, is there any feasible way for us to get my 3-month-old US citizen daughter her first Social Security number from here, or should I just wait till whenever we make it back Stateside?).

Welcome, John, to the forums of expat.com ....

To maintain the integrity of this thread for new-member introductions, I am sending John a PM.

cccmedia

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                  [This space reserved for future upgrades to expat.com]

Hello., and thanks for letting me in the group. I am 64, and looking to retire soon from the USA and traveled to Colombia about 20 times over last 9 years. I was considering it as a retirement place, and may still next year, but taxes there are a concern. I belong to another forum but wanted to try this. thank you.

Dear Matt,

Welcome to the Colombia forums of Expat.com ...

A currently active thread on this matter of Colombia taxes is titled
To Pay Tax in Colombia or Not.

The thread is listed on the Colombia forum welcome page.  Click on it there and participate in the discussion if you wish.

This New Members thread is for self-introductions, which you did effectively.  Further discussion of taxes should be on the thread I just mentioned, on another existing thread on the topic as reached from the Colombia forum welcome page or by starting a new topic.

cccmedia

To newcomers to Colombia:  DO NOT loan anyone any money............99% you will NOT get it back................and do not open a business here.........the amount of regulations and corruption is out of this world.

Hi,

I am planning to move to Medellin in July 2021. This will be my first trip to South America, but I have hear great things about Medellin. I am retired and desperately trying to learn Spanish to make my stay more pleasurable. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Greg

I am Colombian / American . I lived in usa for 30 years and after retiring from a Corporación moved to Colombia. I am living in Rionegro Area, altough i  also spend time in Medellin. I am a cyclist & a Gym Goer.

Greg2814 wrote:

I am planning to move to Medellin in July 2021.... I have heard great things about Medellin. I am retired and desperately trying to learn Spanish to make my stay more pleasurable. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Greg

Dear Greg,

Welcome to the Colombia forums of Expat.com ...

Since our Home Office in the Mascarene Islands frowns on the exchange of
information on this members-intros-only thread, I have responded to you
on our thread titled Shortcuts to Learning español.

It's clickable at the Ecuador forum welcome page.

cccmedia

Hola...yo soy aprendo espanol un poquito...but english for now. I will be leaving my beloved Colorado in late 2021 or early '22 to relocate in Colombia with permanent residency as the end goal. The cold has become difficult for me, separation after 48 years of marriage, and pragmatically, basic social security income is not suffice to continue living in the U.S. Thankfully, I do not require a U.S.A. standard of living and look forward to a simpler life with naturalism a major focus.

Climatewise, my preference is more cool than hot. Similar weather to Bogota but in a Pueblo setting rather than a city. Keeping an open mind but my dog does not care for temperatures above 70 degrees F.

I have no interest in working in Colombia other than possible volunteer situations.

Socially, I enjoy the outdoors with others, although I'm a loner at heart. Generally ready to engage in both serious and frivolous conversation.

Hablame. Yo soy Bob.

Dear Bob,

Welcome to the Colombia forums of Expat.com ....

You bring up some classic considerations for folks Expatting to South America.

Since we can't really discuss them on this thread (members-intros only, y'know), I took the liberty of starting a new thread on this Colombia forum.

It's titled Bob and His Dog Like It Cool But Not Cold.  You can find a link on the thread listings at the forum welcome page.

cccmedia

Hello, everyone! My name is Wes and I'm excited to be a part of this forum. I recognize many of you from other groups across the web, so I feel like I am in good company.

I got out of the US Army after serving as an Infantry Officer in 2019. I sold my belongings and moved to Cartagena to study at the Nueva Lengua Spanish School in Getsemani. I studied there from October 2019 until March 2020, and with alleged Spanish proficiency I started a Medical Tourism Business called Apollo Medical Travel.

I hadn't planned on living in Colombia here in May 2021, but I found a lovely woman and moved in with her on the South side of the tracks here in Cartagena.

I hope to meet up with many of you in the future! I'm looking to network with other entrepreneurs, bloggers, veterans, and all around good people.
Cheers!

Hello- Corinne here. Planning on making the move to a small town in Santander in early 2022. I love to travel and one of my adventures took me through Colombia where I unexpectedly fell in love. Well, I didn't fall in love on that trip, but he says he did. And he was very persistent so after a few more trips down there, turns out he was right 🤣.

He has visited here in the US twice now and it is a no-brainer that I will move there instead of him coming here.  I spent three months there in 2019 living and working with him, he runs a small hostel and adventure tour company, and not only did I love spending time with him in that little town, I actually really liked the tourism business.

So in the process now of slowly getting rid of all my belongings and trying to save some money so that I can make the move early next year.

I will be checking out some of the other forums to find out things such as taxes, permanent residency, owning property and all the other things I probably haven't even thought about yet.   Cheers!

Hi John,

I am Kun from Philadelphia area. I have been doing research on Bogota for a while and planed trip to visit but was hold by the Covid. I am a Chinese national, lived around in Shanghai, Sydney, London, San Francisco Bay Area and now PA. I am a native Mandarin speaker and I am hoping to get in touch with expats in Bogota.

Hello Everyone,

Just moved to Armenia couple of days ago with my wife (originally from here with family). Been staying here off and on for the last 5 years but decided to sell the house after 16 years and come down and stay a bit. Coming from Oklahoma where I lived most of my life, self employed engineer so lucky to be able to work remotely. Hopefully we can meet other expats in the community.

Forum seemed like a good idea to start!

I am triathlete coach in latin america and home base is estadio medellin
Cheers
Ernie Torricelli

@ HAMBRIGHTSK
Armenia is a good choice. I am a Canadian expat living in Armenia for over 3 years now. Maybe we can meet up for a tinto in Centro?  There is a nice coffee shop right near Bolivar Plaza. Or there is the Cafe Quindio shop in Sucre Park. I will reply back if you contact me and wish to set up a convenient time.

Hambrightsk,my pleasure. Was living in Armenia but now living in Calarca  the past two years now. Would like to meet expats from our area too. We relocated here from Spring Hill, TN.

CanadaDoug, please let me know also, when we could meet to chat & tinto.

null

We're glad you guys are trying to meet up one-on-one.

Please set it up via PM/personal messaging as the forum is supposed to be for matters of potential interest to all members.

cccmedia
Expat.com experts team

Are we still on for 1pm?

To send a personal message, just click on the avatar/icon to the left of any post by the member.  That should bring up a screen with the option to Send a Message.

cccmedia

Greg2814 wrote:

Hi,

I am planning to move to Medellin in July 2021. This will be my first trip to South America, but I have hear great things about Medellin. I am retired and desperately trying to learn Spanish to make my stay more pleasurable. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Greg

This is an old posting, but I thought I'd reply anyway. I know from experience, DuoLingo works really well, and it's FREE! The Pro features are nice, but not necessary to use the app to the fullest extent. If you haven't already, I say give it a shot.

kunchen2 wrote:

Hi John,

I am Kun from Philadelphia area. I have been doing research on Bogota for a while and planed trip to visit but was hold by the Covid. I am a Chinese national, lived around in Shanghai, Sydney, London, San Francisco Bay Area and now PA. I am a native Mandarin speaker and I am hoping to get in touch with expats in Bogota.

What's up, fellow Pennsylvanian here 👋🏾 I live (for now) in Drexel Hill - just outside the city - looking forward to relocating to Medellin or Bogota next year.

Hello All,

Rufus here; I will move to Rionegro, Colombia, next week. I wondered if any ex-pats are in that area and would like to meet up?

Also, does anyone know of an affordable car rental company? I know I can rent a car directly open arriving at the airport. However, I would like to rent a car on a monthly basis. The rentals at the airport seem fairly steep; if anyone knows of a better local option, it would be greatly appreciated.

Finally, I am thrilled to be a new member of this forum, and I look forward to meeting fellow globetrotters.

I would not rent a car or try to drive in Colombia, too risky.  Take taxi's or public transportation, much cheaper.

AlbertRufus wrote:

Hello All,

Rufus here; I will move to Rionegro, Colombia, next week. I wondered if any ex-pats are in that area and would like to meet up?

Also, does anyone know of an affordable car rental company? I know I can rent a car directly open arriving at the airport. However, I would like to rent a car on a monthly basis. The rentals at the airport seem fairly steep; if anyone knows of a better local option, it would be greatly appreciated.

Finally, I am thrilled to be a new member of this forum, and I look forward to meeting fellow globetrotters.

If my 2 weeks in Cartagena are any indication, the best approach  is public transit and walking    I think renting a private car might be OK for certain specific scenarios, depending on your situation there.

Hi,i'm Patrick,an Irish national but living in Manchester most of my life,a lifelong Man United fan,hence the pen name,rojo diablo.ie Red devil,,,,I spent 6 months in colombia recently,so I'm coming back in a few weeks for another few months,I'm thinking of making my retirement life in Colombia....I'm hoping to take in several football matches ,Baranquilla juniors and Cartagena also...Anyone interested in going to matches ?....

Hello all. I'm from Fort Lauderdale but spend 10-12 days a month in Bogota. Self employed and my job gives me that flexibility. I have an apartment in Centro and have spare time during the week when my girlfriend is working. Anyone want to meet for a beer give me a shout.

My name is Aaron glad I found this forum it is very active and helpful thanks a ton to whoever started this website and all contributers.

Hi ;
My name is Maria .. not really expat , as I used to be a colombian but now I am American
Live in the USA , but will be relocating back to my country after 25 years of absence

Hello from Vancouver British Columbia I am a 70-year-old male single and retired considering moving out of the most expensive place in Canada to a warmer and less costly place. Has anyone around my age group done this recently? Has it worked out the way you thought it would.? Any rely is welcomed. My name is Michael Mclaughlin thanks in advance.