Bienvenido a Colombia (Welcome to Colombia)

The term ¡Bienvenido! means “ welcome” in Spanish. I remember my on my first trip to Colombia I was repeatedly greeted with this phrase. Recently, I took a ride on Medellín’s Metro system and struck up a conversation with a perfect stranger. One of the first things he said was, ¡bienvenido! This attitude of welcoming visitors and the smiles I get when walking around Medellín make me feel comfortable and right at home.

Colombians are friendly and outgoing and will often go out of their way to help you even if you do not speak Spanish. They are also very pro-American and love anything American—music, TV, fashion and U.S. culture in general. Probably the best thing about living in Colombia are its warm, friendly and accepting people and one of the main factors in considering the country as a place to relocate.

According to many world happiness indexes, Colombians are some of the happiest and most positive people in the world despite the adversity and strife they have faced over the years. I find this attuned contagious.

They tend to be extremely courteous and polite . The words “please,” “you’re welcome” and “thank you,” are what you’ll frequently pick up on in everyday conversations. Some of these niceties you will often hear are: para servirle ( a pleasure to serve you), de nada (you’re welcome), a la órden (at your service) and mucho con gusto (thank you or it’s a pleasure).

The image of Colombia’s of bandits, drug traffickers and rebels that series on Netflix portray, do not portray a realistic picture of the country’s people. Colombians are really fantastic and are happy to share their country with foreigners. They will welcome you into their communities with local food, music, dancing and interesting cultural activities and festivities. It shouldn’t come as ano surprise that they strive to project a good image of themselves and their country and erase the erroneous one of guerrilla warfare and drug violence.

For instance, one day while walking down Poblado Avenue in Medellín I stopped and talked to a policeman, who asked me what I was doing in Colombia. I told him that I was promoting the country as a new haven for retirees and others who want to relocate more affordably without sacrificing their current lifestyles. I went on to say that I was also trying to dispel the erroneous image that many people abroad have of the country. He remarked that, “Unfortunately, that is the image that has been sold to the world.” He then thanked me for promoting his country.

There is nothing worse that moving to a new country and not feeling welcome. Be assured, this will not be the case in Medellín, Colombia.