Hello! Just saying Hi

[Amarillo]

Hello all, I am new to this site and would like to introduce myself. I plan on Travelling to Colombia in March and using Jamie's agency since I only have eight days, which is my spring break. I am a Principal of a school in Texas. I am 44 years old. This will be my first trip overseas other than being a tourist. I had determined I was going to do this when I was in my early 30's when I turned 40, but from age 39 to 43 I was in a couple of nice relationships. It occurred to me a few weeks ago that I had completely forgotten my plan A.

So I have already purchased my plane ticket and am just waiting on spring break to get here. And I guess I need to pay Jamie's fee after Christmas break. Being from Texas I know some Spanish but obtained Rosetta Stone software anyway to brush up and maybe learn how to put a correct sentence together. Like I mentioned earlier this will be my first trip seeking a wife, but I have done a lot of reading on the subject in the past, any advice from any of you would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Amarillo (not where I live though  )

[z_k_g]

Welcome to P-L and good luck!

Zulu

[Bob_S]

I plan on Travelling to Colombia in March and using Jamie's agency since I only have eight days, which is my spring break. I am a Principal of a school in Texas. I am 44 years old. This will be my first trip overseas other than being a tourist.

Welcome, and keep us posted on how it goes.  First-time traveler impressions are always interesting and good info for lurkers still fence-sitting.

[raycjs]

welcome to the board

take it slow and meet as many women as you can, enjoy there culture and keep an open mind, think and follow the big head or you will end up in trouble...... read some of the many post's and ask as many questions as you want... most of us have been in your shoes one time or another... read the most resent post by Jamie about his advice and the advice of others. some of us made the right choice the first time around and some of us make mistakes no one is perfect. but learn from your mistakes and listen to the advice of others....

best of luck to you

ray

[whitey]

The most important things you can do are:

1) Book your trip and actually GO - looks like you've made a good start.

2) Read all the archives and stand on the shoulders of the guys who have failed and succeeded before you.  We're also fortunate to have a few great ladies from latin america posting as well.

3) Learn as much Spanish as you can before you go, and continue to study.  It's fun, and it's good to keep the mind active, especially for us guys over 40.     But most importantly, knowing Spanish will enable you to enjoy your trips so much more, experience the culture more deeply, and facilitate better communication with women and friends in Colombia. 

A guy who is fluent in 3 languages once told me: "to speak another language is to have another life" and it's completely true.  I now have a life in English, and a completely different and wonderful life in Spanish both in Colombia and my hometown in Canada with Colombian friends.

4) Have realistic expectations.  Finding a good woman is a process.  Learning a language is a process.  Learning a completely different culture is a process.  Take it as slowly as possible, take as many trips as possible, experience as much as possible, smell the roses (and the perfume!) along the way.

If the goal is to fly in for a week, club a woman over the head, and drag her back to gringolandia, you'll be missing out on so many great experiences.

Good luck ... your life is about to change forever for the better ... even if it takes a few trips to meet someone special ...

[fathertime]

     I’d start corresponding (Via webcam or email) with some of your favorite ladies in January!  Send out an intro letter to perhaps 10-12 ladies and see which ones respond back, and the manner in which they respond.  You might get into a comfort zone with one or more ladies before you even arrive.  I had corresponded with what I thought was an attractive lady for a few weeks beforehand, she later became my wife. 

I still think it is a good idea to meet as many as you can during the group meetings Jamie has arranged.  Keep some options open after the trip is over because a lot of times things don’t work out with the first gal you meet and think may be ‘the one’.

Good luck, you have a lot to look forward to!
Fathertime!

[whitey]

BTW, I was hanging out at the Juan Valdez in BuenaVista Mall in Barranquilla yesterday and saw the strangest thing. Usually I'm the only gringo around, but inside of a half hour, I saw three other gringos with their (hot) wives, a mixed family of what appeared to be both gringo and Colombian children, and what I'm guessing is the family of the wife.

At first I thought it was some kind of gringo convention, but none of them seemed to know each other ... all separate couples and families.  This is all supposition on my part, but it looks like married couples returning from the USA to visit family after Christmas.

Sooo ... seems like some guys are having success down here in Barranquilla!

[dennislevy]

Listen to father Time and whitey s advice. they re guys who got married.Me Im just having fun!!!!!

[hennatoes]

Welcome to the site!

If you know any local Spanish speakers, particularly Colombians, practice with them. I'm not saying don't use the software, but a software knows only so much, and a human will think of things to say that the software writer never thought of. Also, there are regional variations in Spanish. A Mexican may say "ahuitarse" and a Colombian won't understand him (and the first time I saw that word, it was spelled "no os awiteiz" which really threw me, as "-eiz" is Basque, and "w" isn't Spanish or Basque), and a Colombian can say "se descalabró" and the Mexican won't understand him. (No they don't mean the same thing. Ahuitarse is to give up, get weary, or something like that; descalabrarse is to bang one's head accidentally or the like.)

[Amarillo]

Thanks for all the input, I'm ready to go now but I have about two months to wait (which I need to learn as much as I can) until I go. I just got back from my Christmas break so I need to get unpacked and re-oriented back in the real world and get a check sent to Jamie and start trying to relearn Spanish (its been soooooo long since I've used any). Thanks again,

Amarillo

[Jeff S]

Hi Amarillo and welcome. Best of luck to you. You'll get excellent advice here for sure.