Living in Colombia?

I just received a fantastic job offer to work at a school in Pereira, Colombia. I\\\'ve always had a desire to travel to Colombia, but have had safety concerns. After reading current events, blogs, info pages, etc. I am left feeling even more confused than when I started. I am a 25 year old, american female with a great deal of common sense and no desire to get involved in Colombian politics. I feel like this would be a great opportunity. Has anyone traveled or lived in Colombia that could share their experiences with me? Any words of advice? Reply to this

My Spanish isn't flawless, but after living in Mexico, Honduras, and Costa Rica, and countless university courses, its pretty darn good. Have you lived/traveled there before? Reply to this

Good for you! I lived in Colombia for about two years with my now wife and family. I can reccomend Bucaramanga, Barranquilla, Santa Marta, and Cartegena. Bogota is ok for some people, but I didn't like the climate and the pollution. What part of the country is Pereira in?
You can check out some of my pics from there Although these are mostly family pics instead of the area.








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For anyone curious about Colombia or in particular Santa Marta, I have a video on my wedsite . It was taken as part of a package for a visit to tairona park that our son and friend from florida went on. We were all supposed to go, but my wife was sick that morning so dilan and leslie went while nancy and i stayed behind. Anyway, the first half of the video gives a good idea of what the area is like for anyone interested.


Later,

Mark
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I would like to respectfully suggest that people that have not been there abstain from offering facts.
Colombia is a country that has a cultural mix of the SouthAmerican countries like chile and Argentina and the central American ones, it's very multi cultural and you can't stereotype.
When it comes to sexual harrassment, you can't compare to Central America. That's the beautiful thing about that country and why it has become a favorite for many travelers. It is worth discovering. If you speak the language, you'll do great and find out that the people are extremely friendly. I went with my exgirlfriend from USA a couple of years ago and loved it. Once you get to know locals that you work with, they'll give you tips on what not to do. I don't agree that is worse than Mexico and yet, people are not as hesitant to go there., it has a really bad rap because of movies and the media. If you live in the areas where most of the population is, you'll be safe. You will find out that the people are awsome. My brother has a friend from Poland that has lived there for 9 years now and liked it so much that she made it her home and plans to remain there. You have a big advantage because of speaking the language. Pereira is a small city, you'll do well and enjoy it. Reply to this

it has a really bad rap because of movies and the media.

Columbia has the longest running civil war in the world. This is a fact and nothing to do with the movies. A country with a civil war going on in it has extra safety issues to be considered for travellers.

If you live in the areas where most of the population is, you'll be safe.

Naturally, this would be a sensible precaution to take in a country where kidnapping of foreigners is a definate maybe.

When it comes to sexual harrassment, you can't compare to Central America.

I have been told by a Columbian woman I used to work with that saying we dont like the sexual harassment in S. American countires is insulting her culture, so she obviously considers it to be part of her culture. According to her the women in Columbia like it and it is normal behaviour there. Reply to this

I have to agree with Andres. Colombia has gotten a bad, bad rap from the sensationalist media and is much improved the past 5 years.

While I've never been to Pereira but it is on my radar screen as I hear nothing but good things about it.

I have been to Medellin, Cali, Cartagena, Bogota and San Andres, my Spanish is horrendous but I try and I'm not a wallflower.. I get out, meet people and go places and I've never, ever had an issue and Colombia is my favorite country by far (been to Argentina, Brasil, Ecuador, Mexico, DR, PR, Peru, Costa Rica, Venezuela)

If you speak Spanish, use common sense, listen to the locals as Alexa indicated you will be fine. Regarding sexual harrasment, I am a man, so I don't worry about it that much (except that there isn't enough coming my way from the ladies, ha, ha).. but my observation has been that also is an overstatement perpetuated by the media.

Most Latin men I see treat women with respect. The culture is different from the U.S. on both sides (male and female), in my view in a very good way. Less Puritanical, more international or European in influence so you will see differences (isn't that the reason for travel anyway?).

That being said, in South America, as everywhere you will find all kinds of people.. good, bad, honest, dishonest.

I would tend to discount generalizations like "its dangerous" or "you will be subjected to sexual harassment" from folks who've never visited the country.
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