I came to Medellin with no Spanish and learned. Took longer and was harder than I expected. The locals don't speak English and most of the magical stuff happe

I came to Medellin with no Spanish and learned. Took longer and was harder than I expected. The locals don't speak English and most of the magical stuff happens in Spanish. My Spanish speaking personality is quite different from English speaking me. I say things to my Colombian girlfriend in Spanish that I would never say in English. My Spanish speaking interactions don't have an English equivalent. Come for a few months, speak English, and you can have a great time. If you come for a few years and learn the language / culture, you'll have a new worldview. Sidenote: there's a misconception that you can learn a language by being in a country for a few years. I've known lots of expats that have been here for years and still don't know the language. Even fewer have truly understood the culture.