I am Trevor H. (The gringo guapo in the photo)
Updated on November 6, 2023
This is a short 2 minute article of the advantages and disadvantages of working from home in Colombia, South America. Let’s go back in time a couple years.
When I first arrived in Medellin, Colombia, it wasn’t too long before I learned how to say “avocado and pineapple” in Spanish. The local sellers would have no shame by waking the entire street at 6 a.m yelling to the residents of their stock for sale. Hey, everyone has to get paid. I get it.
The hustle culture of the city actually gave me motivation to work, work from my bedroom as I was living in a shared house in Laureles, Medellin.
My work day started around 6 30 a.m, as that would be the time I would teach students online who lived in China.
Let’s jump right into this brief list that I have compiled about working from home in the beautiful city of Medellin.
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The disadvantages of working from home in Colombia
- Noise
It seems like every Latin American country I have been to loves music, and they have no problem listening to it all the way until 4 or even 5 a.m. To be honest, this is something I will never be able to get used to.
Presently I am 41 with 3 kids and I like to go to sleep around 10 p.m. If I don’t get some quality sleep, my production the next day will either decrease or be of less quality, which could mean less earnings that month.
- Distractions
At times, when I went for my morning walk, and because the city was so beautiful, I ended up staying outside and completely forgetting about work. There was one instance where I lost track of time and forgot that I had two online English classes. For some people they may view this as an advantage but if it interferes with my work from home productivity then it hurts my bank account. Nonetheless perhaps my own lack of discipline was on display.
- The chicas
Look, I’m happily married now, and if anyone reading this blog knows my wife, please down share this with her. Please. But let’s be honest here, the girls in Medellin are quite beautiful and at times my morning coffee at the cafe would leave me to have 3 coffees, only so I could observe the amount of beautiful women that lived in Medellin.
I am sure there are many Canadians like myself who come to Colombia and they are completely mesmerized by the abundance of beautiful women, and again, this interferes with productivity. Thus, losing more dinero with time wasted, but in a good way.
Let us move to the present day. It is July 11, 2022 at the time that I write this blog, 2 years after my time in Medellin.
I am now in Ibague, Tolima. Tolima is the province in Colombia with the best soccer team in the country, according to my wife, Pilar.
Without further ado, here are…
The advantages of working from home in Colombia
- The noise
After a couple years in Colombia, my attitude has changed. Instead of only thinking about work, I like to listen to latin music and I am a terrible dancer, but I enjoy it nonetheless. I don’t mind staying up really late to have fun and be with my wife. Sometimes we drink too much and we are left with a headache, but whatever.
In the morning, there is a loud man that sells fruits and vegetables, and to my convenience I purchase these items right in front of our apartment. He used to charge me alot for fruits but once I introduced him to my Colombian wife, the prices decreased.
- Distractions
Every morning, I go to get a coffee. After the coffee I like to explore the city by foot and see some of the sites. The mountains are beautiful and I still feel like a tourist even though I have lived in Ibague for some time now. The distractions are entertaining here, from people dancing on the street, delicious street food, the list of distractions go on and on.
When I work from my home office, I gaze out the window to see beautiful tropical plants and trees, which are completely different from the type of nature I would see back in Canada.
As you can see, some distractions were inconvenient and now I simply enjoy them.
Ok, here we go. Number 3 and the last one. You guessed it.
- The chicas
Amigos, presently I am married with 3 kids, and my Colombian wife will not like this blog, so keep it private. Please. Ok here we go.
When I go for my morning coffee, I sit there, and I observe. The amount of hot…
Wait, I think I hear my Colombian wife as I write. She is entering my office. I have to go. Pray for me.
(She looks nice but she is capable of….)
Don’t share the blog.