Choosing a Latin American country to move to (black female) (vs, visiting)
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Colombia has a huge jump in coca production as the US has a huge jump in drug consumption , and that played a part in this meeting as the ONLY reason why Colombia EVER participated in the war in drugs. In short their leaders were and are getting cash from the US government.
You love to omit the fact that Colombia has passed three major trading allies of the US with much higher GDPs per capita. Of course this development holds no importance.
Obviously the 'war on drugs' is a major policy but so is the peace process, Venezuela, security, intelligence and economic cooperation. Colombian military expertise are used in the middle east not only by the US but by several Arab states. Colombia is an important element in the opium eradication in Afghanistan and Colombia is applying to become a part of NATO with US backing.
Underdeveloped infrastructure is a sign of overall underdevelopment and it is going to take Colombia decades to get out of this.
Back to Bogota, it remains to be seen if the construction will start next year. They keep pushing the date forward. At this point I'll believe it when I see it.
You over simplify mass transit. A 2.9 - 4 mile metro line in Valencia or Maracaibo that struggles with a daily ridership of 50,000 (5,000 in Mendoza, Argentina) doesn't compare to a mass Bus Rapid Transit system that reaches a daily ridership of 500,000 in Cali or 200,000 in Pereira (Colombia's 8th city).
The Bogota transmilenio transports 2.2 million people daily. You don't have the mototaxis or colectivos or other informal modes of transport you do in other cities with inefficient rail. Brazil is obviously a different story where I would consider their public transport adequate, as well as Chile's (Santiago's is excellent). However, as I've said before this doesn't mean you can't get into bilateral trade because of this. China and Europe blow the US and Canada out of the water in public transport, this doesn't mean you can't get involved in growing bilateral services.
In terms of getting the newest things like many Americans are used to (going to the Apple store to get the latest Iphone or Mac) you don't even have Apple stores in Colombia or much of Latin America. You might not be able to order the latest things from Amazon (at least not with an Amazon Prime Account in much of Latin America). Europe has free medical care, subsidized education, its cities (including Spanish cities) have great public transportation (Brazil has had a lot of growth in public transportation and Mexico's two biggest cities have rail networks, however most of Latin America is extremely underdeveloped in terms of public transportation). Example only one city in Colombia, Medellin has a train.
I'm in the process of applying for various research fellowships in Spain. After considering all factors, though I do love going to Colombia and other parts of Latin America, coming from a very developed city like NYC to much of the Latin American region in terms of services on a long term basis I would find them lacking. Europe would be a step up, Latin America a step down.
The OP who started this thread had little travel experience and knowledge about the world, and I doubt she would get visa sponsorship outside the US, because she doesn't even have a bachelors degree.
I think you are exaggerating things quite a bit. If you need to have an Apple store then maybe you should stay in the States. Lol
I have lived in Spain and Mexico, and have used medical services in Spain, Mexico and Brazil. If you are in large cities in Latin America, its pretty similar to large cities anywhere.
The one thing that sucks in Latin America is the government bureaucracy. I've had to deal with it in Mexico and Brazil and I wanted to kill people. Lol
I think you are exaggerating things quite a bit. If you need to have an Apple store then maybe you should stay in the States. Lol
I have lived in Spain and Mexico, and have used medical services in Spain, Mexico and Brazil. If you are in large cities in Latin America, its pretty similar to large cities anywhere.
The one thing that sucks in Latin America is the government bureaucracy. I've had to deal with it in Mexico and Brazil and I wanted to kill people. Lol
You find Apple stores in Europe (including Spain) or East Asia. Certain big tech companies don't consider the Colombian market (or the market of certain other Latin American nations) big ones, so they are not yet in these nations. Btw, you do have Apple stores in the biggest Latin American markets like Mexico or Brazil. Certain countries on an international scale are considered the sticks.
As noted the region is underdeveloped compared to Europe or East Asia in terms of mass transit. Only two or three cities in Mexico have metro systems. In Colombia only Medellin has a metro system. In Peru only Lima. In Argentina only Buenos Aires and Mendoza. Brazil is the only Latin American nation with multiple mass transit systems.
Mendoza has a rail system that transports 5,000 people daily. That's pathetic, not a relevant mass transit system by any means. Again your analysis is extrapolated from a simple diagram with no detail.
Mendoza has a rail system that transports 5,000 people daily. That's pathetic, not a relevant mass transit system by any means. Again your analysis is extrapolated from a simple diagram with no detail.
This does not detract from my statement that Colombia has little in the way of rail infrastructure or that much of Latin America is underdeveloped in that regard.
You also over blew the opportunity or the ease that an American could get a visa.
There are some things about immigration which are true more or less from country to country. Working class Americans can't get visas for Europe, Asia, Latin America, or Africa. The people who tend to get visas are professionals, work in education, or doing some sort of research. Of course business people can get visas, but all the people who get long term visas tend to be affluent or have high levels of education.
In order to get approved for a work visa, someone has to get a job first, and the employer has to submit certain paperwork to that country's government (this is true of Colombia as well). In most cases it's just easier for employers to hire locals unless they're dealing with specialists. For student visas students must show they are accepted into an university or school and they must show financial solvency.
This does not detract from my statement that Colombia has little in the way of rail infrastructure or that much of Latin America is underdeveloped in that regard.
It doesn't but neither does your statement that you can't do business in differing industries in Colombia because mass transit isn't to European standards. US standards aren't exactly great either when the Bay area has a metro system with a daily ridership of only 433,000, there's a problem.
It doesn't but neither does your statement that you can't do business in differing industries in Colombia because mass transit isn't to European standards. US standards aren't exactly great either when the Bay area has a metro system with a daily ridership of only 433,000, there's a problem.
Mass transit is an example of how the overall infrastructure in Colombia is lacking by Western standards, including by American standards. It's under construction, but the airport in Bogota was BUSTED.
There are reasons you don't see large numbers of Americans permanently relocating to Colombia. The ones that stay long term are often working for the UN or NGOs, along with some English teachers.
Even with the investment coming into Colombia, the situation is not such that the average American would be able to come to Colombia and live the good life. There are people who will get visa sponsorship (NGOs, those whose companies transfer them to Colombia, teachers and academics, students, artists, etc.)
Don't think I'm picking on Colombia. The average American will not able to move to Europe. One would need a work visa or a student visa, and the ones who get visa sponsorships are unique talents (including artists) or academics.
Even with the investment coming into Colombia, the situation is not such that the average American would be able to come to Colombia and live the good life. There are people who will get visa sponsorship (NGOs, those whose companies transfer them to Colombia, teachers and academics, students, artists, etc.)
The reason many Americans aren't moving anywhere is because of the comfort zone (and the fear in the media that everywhere outside the US is dangerous or hates the US). Many people are used to their surroundings & comforts and scared to move into the "growth zone". This is true even domestically, the US will always be home and it's not going anywhere. Moving abroad is a challenge but doable, hundreds of thousands of people do it around the world all the time and it doesn't have to be forever, it can be for a period of time. It's a test of your character and there are plenty of strong, entrepreneurial go getters that can achieve it and learn new skills in the process like learning a language, establishing contacts in new markets, etc.
A Colombian Visa is attainable. You can get a TP-7 visa good for 2 years if you invest US$21,000 in a business or $73,500 in property. These are assets you can sell on usually at a premium further down the line.
You can even get a resident visa, good for 5 years, by investing US$136,000 in Colombia. After 5 years you can apply for citizenship (as long as you weren't out of the country for more than 2 years). Colombia accepts dual citizenship.
I'm sorry but these are attainable goals for many of us. I don't live on this fear OR you can't do this/that mentality just because of a few lacking conveniences or because things aren't done like they're back home. Those who are up for the challenge can conquer those challenges and learn so much by doing so, yes culture shock is a real thing but if you don't overcome it at least you can say you tried. However, I want to reiterate the fact that this is not an impossible dream and is in fact very achievable with the right mind set.
The reason many Americans aren't moving anywhere is because of the comfort zone (and the fear in the media that everywhere outside the US is dangerous or hates the US). Many people are used to their surroundings & comforts and scared to move into the "growth zone". This is true even domestically, the US will always be home and it's not going anywhere. Moving abroad is a challenge but doable, hundreds of thousands of people do it around the world all the time and it doesn't have to be forever, it can be for a period of time. It's a test of your character and there are plenty of strong, entrepreneurial go getters that can achieve it and learn new skills in the process like learning a language, establishing contacts in new markets, etc.
A Colombian Visa is attainable. You can get a TP-7 visa good for 2 years if you invest US$21,000 in a business or $73,500 in property. These are assets you can sell on usually at a premium further down the line.
You can even get a resident visa, good for 5 years, by investing US$136,000 in Colombia. After 5 years you can apply for citizenship (as long as you weren't out of the country for more than 2 years). Colombia accepts dual citizenship.
I'm sorry but these are attainable goals for many of us. I don't live on this fear OR you can't do this/that mentality just because of a few lacking conveniences or because things aren't done like they're back home. Those who are up for the challenge can conquer those challenges and learn so much by doing so, yes culture shock is a real thing but if you don't overcome it at least you can say you tried. However, I want to reiterate the fact that this is not an impossible dream and is in fact very achievable with the right mind set.
Of course the American will be worried he or she is going to get a return on his investment, and as for buying property, you don't just go to a country to buy property or you'll be screwed. The person would need to find Colombian brokers, lawyers, etc.
Working class people, if they lost 21k-73 cannot afford to take that kind of hit to their life savings. Working class Americans barely travel in the US, much less overseas and most don't speak other languages that well.
Middle class to wealthy Americans are much more likely to have degrees, speak other languages, and will more easily be able to operate and invest in businesses overseas, gain sponsorship through work visas, school visas, or arts visas.
I've been to multiple countries in South America, and now I'm preparing for a long term visa process in Europe. I know that moving from nation to nation is complicated, and not for working class people unless they want to become illegal immigrants or unless they qualify for some sort of asylum.
There are 6 or 7 billion people in the world. Even if hundreds of millions travel extensively, that's still a minority of people. Most Latin Americans, for example cannot gain legal entry to the US. The ones with money to invest in the US, to study here, who have high levels of education or artistic talent, or who have relatives here who can sponsor them can. Everyone else unless they are fleeing violence and can otherwise claim refugee status is more or less screwed.
It's pretty much the same for Americans going overseas to other parts of the world. One has to be well off and/or highly educated, or has to be apart of the US military.
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