Expert: Juan Carlos Valencia - 4/4/2008

Question
QUESTION: Yo quiero mudarme a un pais que habla espanol en Latinoamerica, specificamente Colombia o Venezuela. Entre los dos paises donde es mejor para vivir? Yo he visitado a Colombia y me gusta la ciudad de Bucaramanga, pero no he visitado las otras menos Cucuta (que no me gusta) y Bogota (que una persona me dijo que es peligrosa). Donde esta las ciudades que no son peligrosas? Tambien como es la sistema de la Universidad en su pais? Y trabajo, es dificil o facil para obtener?

ANSWER: Dear Shad,

I´ll answer your question in english so that other people interested might be able to check the answer.

When you think about such a drastic change as that of moving to a foreign country with a language different from yours and an unknown cultural context, you have to think about what you like or dislike. Are you coming from a religious country ? Are you willing to work on any thing? What things moves you? What things you find unbearable or annoying?

You do not provide any details about this in your message. You only say that you have liked Bucaramanga but did not like Cucuta.

If you are looking for places like Bucaramanga you may also like Medellin, Cali, Pereira or Manizales. These cities share a similar weather, fairly the same food and enviroment.  In Medellin and Cali it may be easier to find a job but this depends on your skills and many other factors.

Bogota is bigger, colder (high on the mountains) and more difficult to grasp but if you are into city life, cultural activities and information and service jobs, that´s the place to go. The city has improved a lot in the past decade and actually safety is better than in Medellin or Cali. If you are to believe the statistics, Bogota is safer than Philadelphia or Washington D.C.

If you enjoy the sea and dont mind the heat, go to Santa Marta in the caribbean coast, but then, jobs maybe more difficult to find.

We have a lot of private and public universities. Some are fairly good for the spanish-speaking world, some other are just a mess. The best are in Bogota, Medellin, Cali and Bucaramanga. Undergrad programs last between 4 and 5 years. Masters between 1 and 2 years. There are very few Ph.D programs. A semester at a top university may cost up to 3.000 USD for most programs.

The minimum wage in Colombia is a around 240 USD a month and nearly half the population makes that salary. Colombia is a very inequitative country.

Could Venezuela be a better place to live ?

I dont think so. Political strife is increasing there. The government is facing a more virulent oposition, foreign investors are fleeing the country and moving offices and companies to other countries. The oil industry is doing great but there are news about food shortages.

I hope that this answers your questions

JC



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well I am from Trinidad, and visiting Colombia was not much of a cultural change for me, it looked almost the same, so I do not think I will have a problem with that, nor will I with the Spanish language because I speak it fluently. Religion is not a malefactor for me, since I am intrigued by it, and yes I have noticed how religios Colombia is.

And I am willing to work anything once it is legal, nothing is unbearable in making a living to me, I just like a place that is safe and modern.

But you are saying that Cali is safe, the US immigration warns of that city in particular, not saying that they are right or wrong, because I know how the Americans like to exaggerate. Also a Colombian herself told me that Bogota is dangerous with plenty drug and killing. I guess I liked Bucaramanga because it looks clean and modern, and yes I like the urban lifestyle. I do not like Cucuta because it looks the opposite and poor, also I saw something red on the pavement as I was walking, so I am not too sure if it was blood and what it came from.

Minimum wage is $240 for a full time worker? Is that liveable? Can someone work part-time and go to school and be able to live at lease happy? And when you say $3,000 for University what do you mean? Semester, Quarterly, Annually, or is it just a one time cost? Because with $240 a month that almost seems impossible, are there loans or scholarship or some type of financial aid?

Answer
Dear Shad,

it´s great that you did not find Colombia to be too different from Trinidad. That means that you may not feel totally lost if you decide to move here.

It´s also helpful to notice that you are fluent in english and spanish. That would open job opportunities for you.

You now provide more information about yourself except for your age and occupation (work experience, education background). This information, as you may guess, it´s key to determine what possibilities and opportunities you have if you decide to make the move to Colombia.

US inmigration info is very general. I will not use it to make specific choices. But it raises the point of violence in Colombia, a valid point.

It´s something that has been going on at least for the last 30 years. Common crime is higher than in other south american countries and there are the additional problems of guerrillas and drug cartels.

You have to take care in the big cities and avoid traveling at night through the countryside. Some areas of the country must be avoided at all costs, especially in the south  and the east.

There are isolated episodes of bombs in the big cities but they are going down. I would say that the biggest concern is common violence. You cant wear jewelry or go around colombia´s cities holding expensive cameras or iPods.But this is true of most south american cities.

So dont imagine that the country is like the american far west of the movies. If you live in a nice area and take some precautions you will be O.K.

Most of the people killed nowadays are involved in drug-trafficking.

Bogota is not an epicenter of heavy drug-trafficking activities. You will hear of common theft and ocasional bank or apartament robberies. But the city has been going through exceptionally good times. There have been recent articles about it in the foreign press. Look for one in the New York Times in february.

There´s some resentment around the rest of the country against the city. Most colombians prefer the tropical weather and dont like big cities so you may have heard bad comments about Bogota from them. Take into account that you come from the caribbean and that the weather in Bogota could be difficult for you. I´ve had friends from islands in the western caribbean that have felt the blues in Bogota because of the many consecutive gray, rainy days and the night temperatures of a few degrees above zero.

As you guessed, living with the minimum wage is nearly impossible. You would have to live in the poorest suburbs. It would be dangerous and depressing. People in Colombia are used to work full time (8 to 6) and
then go to school (6:30 to 10:30).It´s very difficult but it may provide them with an opportunity to achieve a better living.

As I told you, a top uni will charge $3.000 USD tuition fees per semester. Books, transport and lab materials are not included. There not many scholarships available and they would be only for locals.

If you are already studying in Trinidad you may be able to come as an exchange student and stay a semester here and see if you like it.

I hope that this help

JC