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Swiss living in Colombia for a bit over 5 years. There is not that much of a path or sophisticated plan to it. I was tired of Switzerland/Europe and wanted to

by smoe 5y ago

Swiss living in Colombia for a bit over 5 years. There is not that much of a path or sophisticated plan to it. I was tired of Switzerland/Europe and wanted to try different things for at least a while. I have travelled Latin America extensively before and had a short list of potential countries/cities. After that it was basically a couple of months for finding a job I'm exited about and winding down obligations and contracts in Switzerland. So far, and now that I have a residency visa, I don't have any plans leaving, I really like it here. But also not sure whether I will stay forever, some things are quite exhausting. Maybe eventually I will get back to Europe, maybe go somewhere else. The way I have always seen it is as Terry Pratchett wrote: “Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”

jll29 5y ago
Bill Bryson: "You can't come home _again_."
- smoe 5y ago
  Bill Bryson reflecting on this quote https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/b/bryson-stranger.html https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/b/br... "So, on balance, I was wrong. You can go home again. Just bring extra money for road maps and remember to ask for spackle."
PKop 5y ago
>some things are quite exhausting. Mind giving some examples?
- smoe 5y ago
  So compared to Switzerland many day to day things you want get done are just less convenient, less straight forward, less predictable. Getting from A to B, buying exactly what you want vs. what is available, making contracts, lack of consumer/renter protection, etc. But those are mostly balanced out by other day to day things that are nicer here, like the friendliness of the people. The big things that are mentally taxing for me are the gross income gap, inequality, classism and their effects on society. A somewhat benign example. Couple of years ago I went to a small alternative rock club in Switzerland while staying there for vacation. Through the night I met a plumber, an investment banker, an electrician and a physics phd student. They were all there, just because they shared the same interest in music. You never see this here. Classes don’t mix. And this goes trough everything. From pre-school to careers to leisure. Social mobility is very tough. On the other hand, this is big part of the reason I moved, to have more meaningful work and at least try to have a positive impact on the aforementioned problems.
BigRedDog1669 5y ago
I just spent about a year in Colombia and really enjoyed it. People there are more friendly than anywhere else I've been in the world. Money goes a lot further there too (if you have a foreign source of money). The thing that I couldn't get used to is in the cities, you could always be subjected to loud reggaeton blasting or other loud noises, even in residential areas, rich or poor. Weekdays, weekends, 8am or 1pm or midnight. It was too much for me. I stayed in different areas and couldn't avoid it. Sometimes I just need quiet and need to be in control of that. Also the multiple hour wait to go to the immigration office or phone company office or any bureaucracy was draining.
- smoe 5y ago
  Agreed. It is a very noisy country, wherever there are humans. There are neighborhoods / streets that are on average nicer, but you are as you mentioned not in control of it. The street I live in is actually almost dead quiet at night. The loudest sound I hear is my fridge. On the flip side, in the 3 story house I grew up in Switzerland we got complaints from the neighbor downstairs because apparently we closed the water faucets to harshly after 10pm. I usually balance city living, which I very much enjoy (if there doesn't happen to be a pandemic), with spending longer weekends in nature.
- smoe 5y ago
  And regards the bureaucracy. Yes, it is still very convoluted and unnecessary complex. But digitalization has advanced significantly in recent years. The entire visa process was done online, I just had to go to the offices in the end to take picture for ID, but with a pre-scheduled half hour slot, so there was little wait. Taxes from filing to paying is trough a web application. Most proceses with my bank, health insurance, internet provider are via apps or web chat. As mentioned many things are still too confusing for me to do alone and I would be completely lost. I have a personal tax person, friends advising me on contracts before signing and the company lawyers for visa stuff. But at least I no longer have to sit around hours and fill by hand long forms and start again from scratch if I make any tiny mistake.

by smoe 5y ago

jll29 5y ago

Bill Bryson: "You can't come home _again_."

smoe 5y ago
Bill Bryson reflecting on this quote https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/b/bryson-stranger.html https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/b/br... "So, on balance, I was wrong. You can go home again. Just bring extra money for road maps and remember to ask for spackle."

PKop 5y ago

>some things are quite exhausting. Mind giving some examples?

smoe 5y ago
So compared to Switzerland many day to day things you want get done are just less convenient, less straight forward, less predictable. Getting from A to B, buying exactly what you want vs. what is available, making contracts, lack of consumer/renter protection, etc. But those are mostly balanced out by other day to day things that are nicer here, like the friendliness of the people. The big things that are mentally taxing for me are the gross income gap, inequality, classism and their effects on society. A somewhat benign example. Couple of years ago I went to a small alternative rock club in Switzerland while staying there for vacation. Through the night I met a plumber, an investment banker, an electrician and a physics phd student. They were all there, just because they shared the same interest in music. You never see this here. Classes don’t mix. And this goes trough everything. From pre-school to careers to leisure. Social mobility is very tough. On the other hand, this is big part of the reason I moved, to have more meaningful work and at least try to have a positive impact on the aforementioned problems.

BigRedDog1669 5y ago

I just spent about a year in Colombia and really enjoyed it. People there are more friendly than anywhere else I've been in the world. Money goes a lot further there too (if you have a foreign source of money). The thing that I couldn't get used to is in the cities, you could always be subjected to loud reggaeton blasting or other loud noises, even in residential areas, rich or poor. Weekdays, weekends, 8am or 1pm or midnight. It was too much for me. I stayed in different areas and couldn't avoid it. Sometimes I just need quiet and need to be in control of that. Also the multiple hour wait to go to the immigration office or phone company office or any bureaucracy was draining.

smoe 5y ago
Agreed. It is a very noisy country, wherever there are humans. There are neighborhoods / streets that are on average nicer, but you are as you mentioned not in control of it. The street I live in is actually almost dead quiet at night. The loudest sound I hear is my fridge. On the flip side, in the 3 story house I grew up in Switzerland we got complaints from the neighbor downstairs because apparently we closed the water faucets to harshly after 10pm. I usually balance city living, which I very much enjoy (if there doesn't happen to be a pandemic), with spending longer weekends in nature.
smoe 5y ago
And regards the bureaucracy. Yes, it is still very convoluted and unnecessary complex. But digitalization has advanced significantly in recent years. The entire visa process was done online, I just had to go to the offices in the end to take picture for ID, but with a pre-scheduled half hour slot, so there was little wait. Taxes from filing to paying is trough a web application. Most proceses with my bank, health insurance, internet provider are via apps or web chat. As mentioned many things are still too confusing for me to do alone and I would be completely lost. I have a personal tax person, friends advising me on contracts before signing and the company lawyers for visa stuff. But at least I no longer have to sit around hours and fill by hand long forms and start again from scratch if I make any tiny mistake.