Expert: Juan Carlos Valencia - 11/27/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a question about two Colombian cities Medellin and Cali. I live in California and we have Los Angeles and San Diego that are some what similar to Medellin and Cali as far as population and weather.I have lived and visited L.A. and S.D.many times and felt safe their and did not have any problems. However, now I was thinking of moving to South America. And in my research I found out a lot of positive opinions about Medellin and Cali from Americans that now live in Colombia.So I just wanted to ask you what do you think is the safety situation in Medellin and Cali compared to L.A. and S.D.? Also, I would like to mention that I plan on living their by myself and unfortunatly I do not have any relatives nor friends in Colombia so how safe it will be for someone like me to live in Medellin and Cali? Thank you very much.

ANSWER: Hey Mike,

unusual question. You do not mention if you have ever visited Colombia, how old are you, why are you thiking of making such a big change and what do you expect to do if you finally move here. Without these key details I can only give very general advice. Bear that in mind, O.K?

I'm not very convinced that L.A & S.D could be described as similar to Medellin & Cali. There's a huge cultural difference between these places.

Let me give a brief description of my perceptions of Cali and Medellin.

Cali is a 2 million people city going through big transformations after a decade of decay. The guerrilla conflict took a heavy toll here with bombs, kidnappins and awful crimes, but that could be said to be in the past. The impact of the war on the drug cartels, political corruption, de-industrialization, internal migration from the countryside and the pacific was big. The city is trying to digest all these changes. There are big public works programs, new industries have moved in there (Ethanol, Food) and things are taking a mostly positive turn, but poverty is a serious problem and crime statistics are still high. People are basically friendly, a bit superficial and conservative in political terms, but at least they are not chauvinistic about local culture. Appearance is very important there: fashion, money, cars, neighborhood. It's the plastic surgery capital of Colombia and it's attracting even north americans and europeans looking for top quality and low price operations. It's a very sensual place. It's one of the most diverse cities in Colombia, with a big population of black people, native descendants and mestizos. People are into partying and dancing a lot. It rivals with Barranquilla for the city with the most dancing orchestras in the country.

Medellin's population is a bit larger. The city experienced the most serious drug-cartel related violence in the country during the 1990s. Unemployment was high, the city reached its construction limits (it's located in a narrow valley surrounded by imposing mountains), motorcycle-driving hitmen terrorized the population for years. Crime statistics are the highest of all colombian cities. They went down in the middle of the current decade but this year they are sadly going up again. This region is the most industrialized in the country with large textile factories. Pollution is an issue. It's a bit cooler than Cali because it's higher on the mountains. People there could be said to be even friendlier, but at the same time, they are more conservative and religious. People are very chauvinistic, they believe their ways and culture are better than any other, are not very open and this reflects in the difficulty of foreigners or even colombians from other regions finding jobs there. Medellin is not as ethnically diverse as other colombian cities and racism could be more evident there.

As you have not told me anything about yourself (preferences, plans and expectations), I cant really tell you much more. But if I were an american thinking of moving to Colombia, I would consider other places first. But that's me !

Tell me more and I may be able to provide more focused advice.

Saludos

JC

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

QUESTION: Hi Juan, thank you for your great answers to my questions. Well let me start with telling you that I am in my late twenties, I do not speak Spanish and I have never been in Colombia before. So I will definitely have to learn a little bit of Spanish and travel their just for a few weeks before I can even decide if I want to move their permanently.
Now as far as my plans or expectations than they are very simple.My travel reasons are not financial, so I am not really lookiing for a job in Colombia.I mean later I am interested in starting a small business there like a store,cafe,bar or something like that. However, now what I am interested in is some country that has a warm climate just like in California (L.A. or S.D.) but more affordable. And what I mean is: low cost menue items of tasty food in cafes or restaurants;low cost healthcare insurance; lower real estate prices;and other services like taxi for example.Also, if I decide to have a business there than lower wages and lower commercial space rent(compared to California)can be very helful in starting a small business. So I really do not have anything specifically connecting me to Colombia.It just happens to be(I think)that Colombia has all of those things. Also, I would like to mention that I have researched some other countries in South America with the warm climate and similar cost of living, like Venezuela,Brazil,Ecuador and Peru.And they seemed to be not that much better or safer than Colombia. I do not mention Chile,Argentina and Uruguay due that their climate is some what cooler and they are more expensive in comparison to Colombia and other South American countries that I have mentioned above. So what do you think about it? Do you think that Colombia(Medellin or Cali)might be right for me? Or my opinion about the country is wrong? Thank you very much.

ANSWER: Hey Mike,

thank you for making things clearer. Now I understand better your situation. From the list of requisites that you list for your "dream" destination, I think that most cities in Colombia comply with them:

low cost menue items of tasty food in cafes or restaurants
low cost healthcare insurance
lower real estate prices
Low cost of other services like taxi for example

You seem to be an urban person so I'll only recommend cities for you. The language issue is big. Bigger than what you think. People in Colombia normally dont speak english. They will try to speak a few words just to be kind to you but you may find very few people that can actually speak fluent english here. The feeling of isolation of not speaking spanish and not understanding the behaviour of people could be a big drag on your plans, so please, try to enroll in an intensive spanish course before setting your feet in Colombia. You will be a "gringo" for people, and they will treat you well but also mock you, think that you have money to spare and charge you higher prices for things. You'll need to develop an entirely new social network. Speaking spanish will help you a lot.

I still think that Cali or Medellin are not the top destinations for you in Colombia. They are too big and complicated, and both are relatively removed from the beach, which I guess is something that you enjoy (Dont most californians do?). You seem to be concerned with prices so I would also discard Cartagena, the most expensive city in Colombia for quality life.

So I would recommend you the following places:

1-Bucaramanga

A warm weather, mostly quiet, yet big enough city. You could drive 10 hours and be in the caribbean. The city is nearly 1 million people, has good universities, people are friendly, unemployment is low, industry is important there, crime statistics are low for Colombia. The city is very near a big set of mountains and a region famous for adventure sports (rafting, hiking, etc). It's a more liberal area. There are direct flights to Bogota and other cities.

2-Santa Marta

Right on the beach, near the most amazing natural parks in Colombia and with cheaper prices than Cartagena. You may meet some other expats living there. The city is still mid-size but it's growing thanks to international migration, new hotels, the coal exports through the port and relative peace in the area. There are a couple of universities there, people are friendly but more conservative politically. There's more ethnic diversity than in Bucaramanga, people are more into partying. There's more noise, music, pot and booze all around and in the tourist season the city is invaded by colombians from the interior looking for the beach...

3-Pereira

In the middle of the Andes mountains but low enough to be warm. Mid-size city with a sound industrial base and in the middle of the coffee bean growing fields. Wonderful surroundings full of natural beauty, tropical fruits. Some universities. Not much ethnic diversity. More conservative politically. Sismic risks are above average. People are extremely friendly but contact with foreigners has been limited. Crime statistics are low. In between Cali and Medellin.

I would recommend you to take a short vacation trip. Get to Bogota or Cartagena, fly to some of these cities, see how you feel and then come with an open mind and improved spanish skills.

Good luck !

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

QUESTION: Hi, Juan I would like to thank you again for you advice and your great answers.I just would like to find out couple of other details.
1. One thing that I do not like about those three cities is that they do not have a direct(non-stop) flight to the US.I think that it takes just about three hours of flight from Miami to Medellin or Cali. Also the tickets are not as expensive.
2. Is it possible and would you recomend me to study Spanish language directly in Colombia once I permanently move there? Do they have schools for Englsih speakers to learn Spanish?
3. What do you mean that Medellin and Cali are complicated? By the way I just have found out that Cali has a very high crime rate. The crime rate in Cali is higher than in Medellin. So I might just maybe stick with Medellin. Is that what you mean when you say that they are "complicated"?  
4. Is it possible for me to find someone like a guide of some sort that can show me the city and help me with understanding the situation there.And what I mean is not showing me the historical sightseeings but everyday things like: safe areas of the city;local customs and traditions;quality food cafes;how not to get scamed or ripped off by merchants,thugs or even police;.In other words someone local that knows everything about the city.I really appreciate you help, thank you.

Answer
Hey Mike,

the fact that the other cities dont have a direct flight to the U.S is not a significant reason not to consider them. There are several daily flights between the 3 cities recommended and Bogota. From Pereira you could go by land to Cali's airport (4 hours), from Santa Marta you could go to Barranquilla by land (2 hours) and there you have direct flights to the U.S. Flights in Colombia would not seem expensive to you.

As for your questions:

-Dont get to Colombia without at least a basic level of spanish. Imagine a colombian going straight to Detroit or Seattle and trying to settle there without any clue of english. Do you see what I mean? Study as much as spanish as you can while in the U.S. As soon as you get to Colombia, enroll in spanish classes to: 1)Improve your skills  2)Meet people.

-Read carefully the already described disadvantages of Cali and Medellin. That's why they are complicated. Your statistics are outdated. Crime in Medellin is higher now than anywhere else in urban Colombia. Life in big cities like these is more difficult than in the 3 places that I recommended to you in terms of crime, traffic, pollution, cost of living. Medellin is cooler than what you think with temperatures in rainy periods as low as 14 *C.

-The best guides to Colombia are the friends that you need to make when you get there. Nobody can guide you through the experience that you are intending to live, but yourself. The only help you'll get must come from colombians that you meet and attract through your sympathy, generosity, sense of humour and warmth.

Get a Lonely Planet guide book and mingle with the locals. That's why you need to master spanish so desperately.

Good luck

JC