The Colombia Podcast

En este episodio del Colombia Podcast, hablamos con nuestro amigo Julio Martinez acerca de la realidad actual de los venezolanos en Colombia. Conocimos a Julio hace 3 años cuando comenzó a trabajar en nuestro café favorito de nuestro barrio Manila - Hija Mía Coffee Roasters. El ha trabajado duro hasta convertirse en el administrador de este café y tiene un panorama muy positivo y un mensaje que quiere compartir con sus compatriotas venezolanos.

Entre 2015 y enero del 2021, el número de venezolanos que emigran o buscan refugio en Colombia aumentó de menos de 39,000 a 1.72 millones. Esto es cerca del 37% de todos los migrantes venezolanos en Latinoamérica y el Caribe en este periodo.

Una encuesta del 2021 mostró que “cerca del 31% de migrantes venezolanos que querían trabajar eran desempleados, y entre los que estaban empleados, 94% ganaban menos que un salario mínimo en Colombia.”

Federico is an x-military man from the U.S. who shares his story about moving to Colombia. He tells us how he got a retirement visa based on the pension he receives for his service and time spent in the Navy. Federico is one of the most positive people we've ever met and he brings that energy this week to the show. He also tells us about his transition to monogamy - dating one woman who he now calls his girlfriend.

Every 18 seconds, some foreigner dressed in flip flops and shorts falls deeply in love with a beautiful Colombian woman (based on qualitative research done by the Colombia Podcast Crew). But what happens when foreign men meet beautiful Colombian women and want to take their new found love to the next level?

On this episode of the Colombia Podcast, Mike (a Gringo) and Vanessa (a Colombiana) tell us about how they met on Tinder, what it was like dating long-distance, their challenges getting a visa to the U.S, and how the cultural differences make for an entertaining marriage.

Do you have an experience dating or getting married to a Colombian? We'd love to hear from you - Just leave a comment below. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to our channel and like this video.

New episodes dropping every week!!!

Follow on Instagram: @podcastcolombia

"We out here in these streets!" responded DJ Yonny when asked how open things are in Colombia at the moment. On this episode of the Colombia Podcast, we sat down with the charismatic New York native "DJ Yonny" to talk about his decision to move from the U.S to Colombia during the pandemic.

Before the pandemic he was always fully booked, jet setting around the U.S and the globe playing at different venues. That all suddenly changed when Las Vegas, the location of his popular party "Breakfast in Vegas", got completely shut down.

Like many of us, he was forced to reinvent his business and lifestyle. Today he and his business partner Curtis have a set of AirBnB properties in Vegas and are back to making music.

Yonny talks about what it took for him to make it as a DJ and gives his advice to anyone who wants to make it as a DJ in Colombia or anywhere else in the world.

Be sure to Follow Dj Yonny: @DJ YONNY
Follow on Instagram: @djyonny and @breakfastinvegas

Do you believe in faking it till you make it? What's your opinion on fake butts? What's the fakest $hit you've experienced in Colombia? On this episode of the Colombia Podcast, Joel, Andrew, and Lita discuss faking it in Colombia. Their challenge was to think about the various aspects about Colombian life that they personally think are really fake, and see what the others thought of their assessments. Some of the things that they chatted about were:

- Fake butts & plastic surgery (of course)
- Fake relationships (extreme age gaps)
- Fake news (what to believe)
- A false sense of security (letting your guard down)
- Faking it till you make it (do you believe in faking it?)

If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a like and don't forget to subscribe to our channel for more to come.

Curtis arrived to Colombia with just enough clothes for two days in his suitcase. It was supposed to be a quick, spur-of-the-moment guys trip to Barranquilla and has turned into something much bigger than Curtis could have ever imagined.

Six months later, he finds himself living in Medellin producing more inspired music, and living a much more rewarding and fun lifestyle than he had back in the U.S. How did things escalate so quickly?

Listen to Curtis's hilarious story about why he left the U.S and ended up moving to Colombia. He talks about the cost of living in Colombia, dating in Colombia, being black in Colombia, getting inspiration for his music, partying on a yacht in Cartagena, and a whole lot more.

A bit more about Curtis...

Curtis is a music producer and entrepreneur from the U.S who started making music when he was just in middle school. He has produced tracks with high profile artists like Bad Bunny, The Chainsmokers, and Don Eazi.

Before the pandemic started, he and his business partner DJ Yonny were always booked up, playing regular gigs in Las Vegas and other cities around the country (and world). However, like for many others in the entertainment industry, their business took a sudden turn for the worse when Vegas and other cities literally shut down.

Spoiler Alert - Crime in Medellin is on the rise! But just how bad is it? Is it safe to travel there right now? Andrew, Joel, and guest hostess with the mostess Carla Diaz weight in with their personal experiences and opinions, and try to paint a realistic picture of safety in Medellin.

Staying true to form, they also chat about other totally unrelated topics like getting married in Colombia, driving in Colombia, practicing Jiu Jitsu in Medellin, going to the hair salon/barber, wearing masks in the car, and how open Medellin is at the moment for tourism.

If you're planning a visit to Medellin, this is an awesome episode to watch.

Don't forget to CLICK THE SUBSCRIBE BUTTON

Ever wondered what it would be like to start and run a successful tour company in Medellin? Well Juliana Grisales, a Paisa entrepreneur, and owner of "Top 10 Tours in Medellin" is doing just that. She tells us her story on Episode 60 of the Colombia Podcast.

"We created it in 2016 with the idea to have the most amazing and spectacular experiences in Medellin and surrounding areas" - Juilana Grisales, Owner of "Top 10 Tours in Medellin".

We talk with Juliana about the legalities of starting a tour business, becoming a licensed guide, sustainable tourism in Colombia, tours in Medellin, Pablo Escobar, crazy experiences, and...we then take a hard left to get Juliana's opinion about foreign men and dating in Medellin Colombia. Naturally right? What else goes hand-in-hand with talking about tours?

Andres Luna is from Cali, Colombia. Although he grew up in one Cali's poorest barrios, he now lives in Medellin where he manages his companies and tries to live life as if everyday were his last. He's what we like to call a serial ARTrepreneur. He started his first business when he was only 15 years old, and has since then started several others including 10X, an app that makes it easier for companies to sell their products using WhatsApp. He's a TEDx speaker, sculptor, and yes, a bad ass salsa dancer. In this episode he tells us about how he started his first business, how he ended up starting a tech & marketing company, how he plans to break a Guinness World Record, how he met his current girlfriend, the difference between living in Cali and Medellin, and much more.

CAUTION - This is potentially the funniest, most dramatic, entertaining and unfiltered episode we've produced to date! We interview Carla, aka Lita Candela, a Venezuelan artist who's been living in Medellin for about 6 years now. She's also a designer, tour guide, volleyball player, quote manufacturer, cat mom, and one hell of a funny and charismatic person. In this episode Lita tells us about what brought her to Colombia and the challenges she faced and is still facing living in this city. She takes off her gloves and delivers ruthless blows to the jugular and balls when discussing dating Colombian men. She described making it as an artist in this city as being - "Hard AF". There are a few surprises, gifts, and announcements made in this episode, so listen to the episode to hear the full story.