Why an Introvert decided to come to Medellin

If you ever felt stuck in a moment, trapped in a cage, repetition killing you every second of your life… That was me.

Life was annoying, saying hi to the same people and saying the same thing:

“Hey, how’s it going?” “How are you today?” “What did you do today”…

If this does not ring a bell, you’re probably not an introvert. I start telling myself, I was great yesterday, today, now, in the future… what changed? Absolutely nothing. So, why do people ask me the same thing? Do they want to hear that my day is not going too well? Why have this conversation at all? What do they have to offer if I tell my story? What’s the point right?

I’m a weird case study since my life revolves around learning new things every day; if I’m not learning something, I would feel unproductive. The world is advancing and I should do and be the same. Does that make sense?

I needed to get out of the hole I dug for myself, I needed change, I needed to step outside my boundaries and experience new things. It took me almost two years deciding where to go before I ended up here in Medellin. I’ve read, watched other people’s lives and where they’ve been in the hopes of making my own decision. Each day that past by, I was deteriorating. I needed to go and booked myself a one-way ticket to Medellin.

Why did I decide Medellin?

I’m not a person that loves to talk to other people, my life is in front of my computer learning from others, reading about others. So many people who traveled all around the world ended up in Medellin. I’m not a statistical person so I can’t give you the numbers. But an overwhelming number of people decided they should live in the City of Eternal Spring.

I had one week to pack my stuff, booked a room through Airbnb and found my place in Estadio Laureles. Everyone on Youtube said that Poblado was too touristy and to really experience Medellin, you want to go where the heart is. Estadio Laureles was full of action, bars, the Stadium where the Atletico Nacional resides. A place where the locals gather together to grab a drink, enjoy a game, eat with their families, work (hustle), the every day routine scene that I had experience changed my perspective on life.

I’ve lived in Estadio Laureles for 3 months and I’ve gained so much weight, I couldn’t get up in the morning! Typical Colombian food averaged about 9,000 COP and for me that was a bargain I could not resist. Empanadas in the morning, tipico in the afternoon, and El Corral or Lenos y Carbon for dinner. Life was gooooood, but had to do something about the weight I’ve gained. Typical Colombian food is either friend or it’s filled with carb, there are few places in Estadio Laureles to detox your body like Zumoos Juice Bar (no longer there) or head over to Jumbo (Walmart like) Super Market and make yourself a nice lean meal, all walking distance.

La Sententa (Carrera 70) and the scene

Carrera 70 is a 1/2 mile long of bars and restaurants, when there is a game going on (especially when Atletico Nacional plays) the streets is packed with Postobon Jerseys and booze. You can bar hop your way and see just how many bars you can go before you pass out 🙂

Photo by FIFA

One thing I did not like in Estadio Laureles is the pollution

The San Juan Avenue especially is jammed packed with cars that spit out smog like no other, I’m comparing to Los Angeles (where I used to live). Everything else, I really enjoyed. Just soak in the life of people around you and how they live their lives compare to yours. There’s more to than drinking your life away in Estadio Laureles. There are couple hostels that does Language Exchanges: Wandering Paisa and Ondas Cafe. Surrounding the stadium is a gigantic public place where you can workout, swim (you will need to make reservation), and on Sundays, you will see cyclist, and hundreds of people working out around the Stadium and the Estadio Metro Station.

Are you into Salsa?

Two Salsa bars that you must go to if you’re into Salsa are walking distance from each other. These two bars are called:

1. El Tibiri – Located on the underground, it’s going to be hot but when the place is alive, you won’t regret it.

2. San Habana Bar – On Wednesday, I believe they teach Salsa for free. Most if not every day, you will see hear live band, so make sure to drink a ton and go wild. Don’t act like a gringo though, absorb their culture and feel the music.

I wouldn’t imagine me going out, engaging and making friends.

My plan was to discover Medellin little by little. It didn’t matter if I made no friends whatsoever, my intention was to change my behavior and remove myself from the world I’ve created. However, I was lucky to be in an Airbnb with 4 other people and all of them spoke English (I don’t speak Spanish). We’ve went out many times and made more friends along the way. The only regret was not staying with a local to force myself to speak Spanish.

My experience in Estadio Laureles was good enough for me to extend my visa, bad enough to move to Mila de Oro area where it’s a bit more commercial. The air is just better at the top 🙂

Medellin was the remedy I needed to gain back my emotions, experience and feel something with my life. I came as a robot to seek change and I found it.

I didn’t want to travel around the world to find what I was looking for, I wanted to travel to a place where I can find myself, if that makes any sense. If many have called Medellin home when they have experienced other parts of the world, it sets the bar high and I had to come and experience it on my own. I’ve been in Medellin for 7 months now and playing with my tourist visa as much as possible. I am a Day Trader and recently build a Futures Trading Room so I can travel as long as I have internet. Working from home made it possible and the cost of living was absolutely amazing. I am hoping to explain my experience as time permits.

I am Da_Wandering_Introvert on Instagram, and I look forward to sharing my experience with Why Medellin.