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Once upon a time, I lived near a fire breathing dragon…
In 2014 my family and I made a brief move to Santa Rosa de Cabal (Risaralda), famous for its thermal baths. The cost of living was much lower than in Medellín (not why we moved there, however), and even though 65,000 people lived there, it felt […]
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Let’s Talk Like Colombianos: Awesome
WAYS TO SAY “AWESOME” Chévere : Sounds like tchEH-veh-reh : Same as in Venezuela Bacano : Sounds like bah-cah-no Súper : Sounds like SOO-pair. Can also be used in a super-superlative like “super chevere” Genial : Sounds like hey-knee-al. Note: There’s a raspy G at the beginning, but that sound doesn’t exist in English! […]
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Let’s Talk Like Colombianos: Párame bolas
EXPRESSION: PÁRAME BOLAS Sounds like PA-ra-meh bowl-ass Means listen to me / pay attention to me, although the actual words mean “stop my balls” There’s variations on this expression in various parts of Latin America, but the above version is the most used here.
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Arepas! Arepas! Arepas!
Colombians love arepas, no doubt about it! You’ll find them as a side with just about any meal, and sometimes it’s the main course! Often referred to in English as corn cakes but they’re actually not all made of corn. Many gringos don’t like […]
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Let’s Talk Like Colombianos: Guache
WORD: GUACHE Sounds like Goo-ah-tcheh Means vulgar / crude. Example: El es tan guache (he’s so vulgar) Synonyms might be grosero, rudo If someone asks you “guache is your name?” they’re having fun at your expense!!
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Hacking Colombia: Tipping
If you’re a native Colombian, you might not tip in most situations, or you tip minimally. This is absolutely normal and I would not dare criticize anybody here for their tipping as it’s the way of the land. Foreigners, be they tourists […]
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Hacking Colombia: Intercity Travel
Distances are magnified in Colombia due to terrain. The most populated part of the country is in the Andes mountains and while views are breathtaking, traveling between cities can get tricky. You have two options to travel within Colombia: by road or […]
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Hacking Colombia: At the Store
Even if you think you know Spanish well, some expressions you’ll hear whilst shopping in Colombia might leave you confused, as happened to me early on. Quiere cancelar (tu compra)?: That’s the one that really threw me for a loop. They don’t […]
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Colombians Know How to Make Malls!
While shopping malls in North America are rapidly diminishing in popularity and being converted into Amazon distribution centers and other businesses that require a lot of space. Colombia has been going the opposite way, building more and bigger malls to meet the […]
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Know your Colombian Government Acronyms!
Americans generally know their federal acronyms: DOJ, FBI, CIA, IRS and what they represent, but what about the Colombian central government ones? Let’s go over a few you’ll see frequently… FAC : Fuerza Aérea Colombiana. The Colombian air force DIAN: Dirección de […]