Colombia Wasn’t What I’d Prepared For—That’s Why It’s Such Fun

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Deep down, I know that hands-on, in-person experience is the most trustworthy form of knowledge. Isn’t that exactly what we’re always telling you at International Living?

Dancing with a steely-faced matriarch in Medellín, Colombia, I was reminded of how important it is to take a committed, practical approach to things.

In practice, what I mean is that you can’t learn to dance salsa via YouTube. Certainly not to the high standards of Indira. She, a firmly-built septuagenarian, had agreed to be my partner for the few excruciating minutes I spent being the goofy gringo at a completely free, utterly informal salsa session that was going down as a band of straw-hatted musicians busked under Medellín’s open sky.

It was comical. Indira’s nimble feet moved to one rhythm, mine flapped to an entirely different one. This was not what I’d learned in my kitchen, prepping for a moment just like this with “Salsa Basics in Five Minutes” YouTube posts.

Salsa, done well, comes from the hips, from the shoulders, from the heart. All I could do was stare at my feet, in furious concentration, shuffling about and trying not to stamp on Indira’s toes.

It wasn’t elegant. When the song ended, I skulked off to a park bench. Someone patted my back and smiled. I wasn’t the best dancer there, but nevertheless, I was welcome.

I’ve experienced similar moments of connection in all the places I’ve visited in Colombia so far (I’m writing this in-situ). Warm, friendly people, with a relaxed attitude to life. Every expat I’ve met here mentions it—that the laidback, people-first culture is a huge part of what makes living here so rewarding.

Even Indira gave me a big grin…once I’d let her go.