Per my earlier article A Story of an Egyptian Living in Medellin, I’m a former Egyptian national who moved to Medellin and will live here forever. I absolutely love this city. First and foremost, what happened to me can happen ANYWHERE in the world and I’m only sharing this story to better provide balance and objectivity for anyone thinking about relocating to Medellin.
A few months ago, three people who were on motorbikes (two were on the same bike and the third one was riding his own bike) attacked me at gunpoint near Parque Poblado, Calle 10 around 7pm. They blocked me from crossing the street and kept hitting me in my chest with the gun asking me to give them my mobile and everything I had. My initial reaction was not to give them anything (which is the opposite of what should be done in this situation), so I proceeded to put my mobile in my pocket and I raised the bag in my right hand over my head and screamed “Noooooooo!!!!!”, all the while contemplating using the bag as a counterattack weapon. One thief sped off on his bike but another one pointed the gun at me and pulled the trigger. Fortunately for me, the gun was empty.
At the top of my voice, I screamed “Noooooooo!!!!” once again, and they started to move further and further away but kept the gun pointed at me the entire time. As reality set in and, I started to understand that the gun wasn’t loaded and I wouldn’t die today. I felt like I was in a slow motion movie with my entire life playing out in front of me until he pulled the trigger again! Fortunately, I guessed correctly and the gun was empty. I’ll save you the details this, but this experience was amazing in so many ways. The adrenaline rush and my feelings of consciousness after the incident were incredible and I’m still not able to put those sentiments into words.
What I want to convey to you is that on the very next day I flew to Miami to visit my pregnant sister. From the moment the plane touched down in the U.S., I felt I needed to go back to Medellin. Miami wasn’t the place I wanted to be. Even though I was attacked in Medellin, I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to return to my new home of Medellin.
Article by: Sherif Sami
It’s not a matter of where, but when. Time is precious and my time spent living and experience the cultures of this world is what I lust for. This is why I created this website, to share true, genuine experiences and not just typical touristy info. Travel, the love of coffee, and food!
