Expat Community > Colombia

buzzbomb138
Joined 2014
Posts: 5

moving to bogota soon, have some questions...

10 years ago

hey this is my first post here. im moving to bogota soon to teach english. i am a 28 yo american from portland, OR. im moving to bogota in about a lil over a month and plan on staying for at least a yr or two, so ill cut right to the chase and ask away:

1. ill be having my family ship me my stuff so i dont have to take a lot on the plane with me. what is the best 3rd party courier to use thats the most reliable? ive heard 4-72 is garbage and "loses" packages regularly, or if it does arrive itll be like 6 months later lol. ive heard DHL is good for bogota, any other suggestions? and how long does it take usually to go from the USA to bogota if the average shipping option is used?

2. i dont have an english teaching job secured yet, but my friend lives in cali and said he easily found one, and since bogota is bigger im assuming itll be even easier. but do any of u have any suggestions for resources for finding work? should i look in the newspaper? online? just take a resume to the language schools?

3. ive heard u can bring any jail-broken phone down there and pop a SIM card in and use it. is this the case? ive also heard that minutes and texts are expensive, so many colombians use blackberry messenger to communicate since its free, so should i buy a blackberry?

4. is a budget of about $800-1000 pretty good for a young bachelor? its about what i live off of in portland. im pretty good about managing my money, my usual expenses are; lots of food (im a fitness/bodybuilding aficionado, so i eat a lot especially protein), rent and utilities, a gym membership, gas/transportation, the occasional drink, meal out, movie and other forms of entertainment. i dont expect to live like a king, just be able to get by ok.

5. is there anything equivalent to a meetup.com down there where they have information on different types of events as a means to make friends and establish a social circle? i will doing a homestay for my first few wks there with a nice older couple, and they have a mid-30s son who will show me around, but id prefer to hang out more with ppl around my own age.

6. any other tips/advice? what things are expensive/nonexistent there that i should have shipped to me? ive heard peanut butter is one, and i eat a lot of that. are health supplements pretty expensive? do i need electric wall socket plug converter things? anything else thats essential i should plan to bring?

i looked around this site and some others and found some conflicting information regarding these topics, so i figured its best to ask. im not coming on here looking to be spoon fed as i know thats frowned upon in online forums, so my bad. and thanks in advance!

ps my spanish is pretty good, id say mid-high intermediate, im definitely conversational.

William Russell

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William Russell

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Living in Colombia Guide

Expats in Colombia discuss the pros and cons of living in Colombia. From the Colombian people to driving to taxes and more. As challenging as it can be, expats in Colombia clearly find that there is a lot to love about a country that is a surprising expat hot spot.

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William Russell

Get a quote for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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William Russell

Get a quote for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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moving to bogota soon, have some questions...

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