Yup! I secretly moved to Colombia a few weeks ago on a “whim”… or at least that is how the story has been told. It’s the short answer but not entirely true. Although the time lapse between the idea and the decision was sudden, the desire surely wasn’t. And even though it was unexplained and seemed unusual to others, it was an absolutely logical move to me.
I am not completely detached from society, so I understand how moving to a city that I’ve never visited before, where I do not know anyone and do not speak the language fluently may seem crazy. But when considering that I have spent the last few years building my life around making this my norm, not doing it would be crazier.
I regularly get quiet and envision the best version of my life; authentic to my desires and values and removed from societal influences. Consistently, in that vision, I live across many cultures, unrestricted by borders. Also consistent in that vision is being able to communicate with the people I encounter around the globe. Since living in a new country was a given, I figured I’d start with language. And it made sense that I would start with the one I knew best. Frankly, with a name like Alex Sanchez it’s almost a shame that I am not fluent in Spanish already.
I figured, If I am going to learn Spanish, I may as well adopt the best accent. So I asked Spanish speakers from multiple counties who they thought spoke the best Spanish. The overwhelming consensus was that Colombians held that title. Done! Country chosen! Then I asked Colombians what their favorite city in Colombia is. By overwhelming margins, the winner was the city of Medellín “Land of Eternal Spring”. Clearly, With a tagline like that, I was sold. After-all, I had already resolved that I was not living in the northern 3/4th of the United States for winter ever again.
I’m sure you are thinking “but there’s a global pandemic”. But think about it; would you rather live through covid restrictions in the dark cold epicenter of the virus, or in a temperate open-air city nestled in a mountainous jungle? Another choice that felt obvious to me. I knew that with things shut-down, being isolated in the cold and dark would be a recipe for depression. And depression has never made an appearance in any of the visions I’ve had for my life.
What has been in these visions however is experiencing the world’s cultures, being a polyglot, Honing my unique creative voice and expanding my knowledge and perspective. The only requirement that I made of myself in this life is to make every decision towards this highest vision of who I am. So even if the decision to move to Medellin was seemingly made in an instant, it was being decided long before I even heard of the city. So when people ask me “Why did you move to Colombia?”, I have a brief moment of confusion. For me it was instinctual. But the full answer is;
This is simultaneously who I am and who I want to be.