For a while now I've been wanting to write a post about the differences between the U.S. and Colombia. Now I've finally done it! Being a tourist is definitely different than actually living here. The same is true for any country. We can't judge a country or a culture by our one-week visit. Things are always different than our first impression. Living in some place for a longer time allows you to learn those intricate details. I hope this post opens your eyes, brings insight, prepares you for a trip to Colombia (if you ever go or are planning to move there), and just makes you appreciate what you have, whether it be things here in Colombia or from the U.S. Keep in mind that I am biased in this list. I have noticed that Colombia has or doesn't have certain things based on my personal preference.
In Colombia, lunch is the big meal, dinner is small. Most people never cook dinner, they just heat up leftovers or have some bread and hot chocolate. They also eat RICE with every lunch (at least that's how it is at the school!). Many of my friends have said "it's not lunch if there's no rice!!
For me, not having some of these essential cooking ingredients like cheddar cheese, or a mix of shredded cheddar and colby jack, is disheartening! I use these ingredients for casseroles, eggs, quesadillas, burritos, grilled cheese, and many more things. The taste is just not the same. Not having velveeta cheese OR cheddar cheese means absolutely no way of making a really good queso dip. Tortilla chips are also pretty hard to come by here.
The brown sugar causes some issues when baking, plus it just doesn't taste the same!
A box of hot chocolate packages in the U.S. is 1$, here it's 6$!
#2 Cosmetic and Household Items: hairspray and tampons, dishwashers, and dryers
When I first came here, I was like no big deal, I can live without a dishwasher and dryer. But after being here four months, I have to say I really miss them. If I want to cook, sometimes I decide not too because the sink is so small for washing dishes that it's a pain, and there's no space to let them dry either. I really don't like not having a dryer because it means I have to wash my clothes with 2 days of anticipation (because they have to hang-dry) and some days, there's no sun, so they don't dry!! They also don't get unwrinkled like they would in the dryer, and my jeans don't shrink to fit my snugly. :( Oh well, such is life...
It also rains A LOT here in Bogotá. See these funny reactions: When it's Sunny When it hasn't stopped raining in 48 hours... There are thousands of people here in the city and many of them are poor, but they have an entrepreneurial spirit. You can see people selling all kinds of things on the side of the road, entertaining you at stoplights with acrobatic plays or magic tricks. The people are talented. Others have been able to earn money by washing car windows at the stop lights. The police do not enforce traffic laws like running red lights, not stopping at stop signs, and jaywalking. For me the most troubling thing is that you cannot even rely on the police. One time, a friend told me a policeman stopped her, asked to see her cellphone to "look" at it, then drove off with it! A taxi driver also stole money from us (not directly). He turned off the taxi meter before we stopped then told us the price (which we knew was not correct because we always took that route and knew how much it should've been, but we had no way to prove it.)
Here in the school, we have "onces" (snacks) every day at 9:30am. I put this in the good section because most of the time, the onces are delicious, but other times they are just way too weird for me. Good things have included: chocolate chip muffins, cookies, breads, empanadas with beef or chicken, chocolate covered strawberries, ice cream, arepas, and more yummy things! Though it's weird to eat things like chocolate covered strawberries and ice cream at 9:30am, I do it anyway :p. Strange things have included hot dogs and potato chips, hot dogs wrapped in bread, "calentao" (left over rice and beans) and some others I can't remember at the moment. Juice or coffee or hot chocolate is also always served.
Canned foods are not 50 cents. Usually they're more like 2$.
#2 Services: Here, you can get your haircut, washed, and dried for 4$. Medical services are also MUCH cheaper. I could go and get my teeth cleaned for about 40$ (instead of like 150-200$ like in the U.S.!) Teeth whitenings, hair removal, hair treatments, and many other services are all much much cheaper here.
#3 Bogotá Characteristics: people walking! Here in this city, people love to walk, ride bikes, rollerblade, etc. There is a really neat event each Sunday called the Ciclovia which is when they close entire streets in the city so families and individuals can ride their bikes, walk, run, etc. without worrying about the cars running them over.
Tienditas! (Little stores) Tienditas can be found really close to where you live, usually within a 3-minute walking distance. They also sell things in really small quantities. So, if you forgot to buy that one egg for your breakfast, you can just go walk and get it really fast!
Domicilios! (Deliveries) In Bogotá, almost every business has a delivery service and it only costs about 1$, saves you tons of time, stress from the traffic, and hassle of leaving your home. I love this part about Bogotá because many times in the early morning before I get dressed or shower, I have forgotten something for breakfast or realized I've run out of milk, and within 5 minutes, the neighborhood tiendita has brought what I need to me!
Lots of place to go, things to see, neat things to buy, beautiful mountains, new restaurants to try that are not chains, great night life and more also make up the city of Bogotá.
Being here for four months has made me aware of how different the U.S. is from Colombia. It has made me so grateful for simple things in the U.S. like traffic-free streets without holes and crazy drivers. Those things add stress to my life here where before, I was never stressed to drive anywhere. I can't imagine having lived here my whole life, being stuck in traffic every single day. It's frustrating that it takes 1 hour to drive 20 miles. You can get so many more things done in a day in the U.S. (except maybe for in New York City) than you can here in Bogotá. Food I can deal without, I have found many yummy things here, but I do miss my cheddar cheese.
But I also appreciate things like stores really close by, the walking here to there, and the delivery service here in Bogotá and I think I would miss that if I went back to the U.S.. The only thing I can do, and we can do, is make the best out of living wherever we are. I've learned the worst thing is to always be wanting to be somewhere else and never content with where you are.
The bad:
#1 Food: Velveeta cheese, Clif Bars, normal sized chocolate chips (all of the ones here are mini), Frosted Mini Wheats, moist brown sugar, ground Allspice, and worchesterchire sauce cannot be found here. Cheddar cheese can be found, but is outrageously expensive.In Colombia, lunch is the big meal, dinner is small. Most people never cook dinner, they just heat up leftovers or have some bread and hot chocolate. They also eat RICE with every lunch (at least that's how it is at the school!). Many of my friends have said "it's not lunch if there's no rice!!
For me, not having some of these essential cooking ingredients like cheddar cheese, or a mix of shredded cheddar and colby jack, is disheartening! I use these ingredients for casseroles, eggs, quesadillas, burritos, grilled cheese, and many more things. The taste is just not the same. Not having velveeta cheese OR cheddar cheese means absolutely no way of making a really good queso dip. Tortilla chips are also pretty hard to come by here.
The brown sugar causes some issues when baking, plus it just doesn't taste the same!
A box of hot chocolate packages in the U.S. is 1$, here it's 6$!
#2 Cosmetic and Household Items: hairspray and tampons, dishwashers, and dryers
When I first came here, I was like no big deal, I can live without a dishwasher and dryer. But after being here four months, I have to say I really miss them. If I want to cook, sometimes I decide not too because the sink is so small for washing dishes that it's a pain, and there's no space to let them dry either. I really don't like not having a dryer because it means I have to wash my clothes with 2 days of anticipation (because they have to hang-dry) and some days, there's no sun, so they don't dry!! They also don't get unwrinkled like they would in the dryer, and my jeans don't shrink to fit my snugly. :( Oh well, such is life...
#3 Bogotá Characteristics: holes in the roads EVERYWHERE, apartments are not rented out by a complex but by individuals (unless it's a brand new complex), crazy taxi drivers who make you scared for your life, many women wearing tight jeans without pockets (bosillos), dogs everywhere and many of them without a home, LOTS AND LOTS OF TRAFFIC even though every other weekday, even and odd-numbered license plates allow certain cars not to drive "pico y placa", very OLD buses that like to stop wherever they want to, instead of at the designated bus stops (they do this because the more people that come on the bus, the more they get paid; these old buses also blow black smoke out of them when they take off causing a LOT of air pollution in the city), TOO MANY PEOPLE (see line of people waiting to take public transportation bus system Transmilenio) many robberies also occur here 
 |
| People on the transmilenio have no room to move |
It also rains A LOT here in Bogotá. See these funny reactions: When it's Sunny When it hasn't stopped raining in 48 hours... There are thousands of people here in the city and many of them are poor, but they have an entrepreneurial spirit. You can see people selling all kinds of things on the side of the road, entertaining you at stoplights with acrobatic plays or magic tricks. The people are talented. Others have been able to earn money by washing car windows at the stop lights. The police do not enforce traffic laws like running red lights, not stopping at stop signs, and jaywalking. For me the most troubling thing is that you cannot even rely on the police. One time, a friend told me a policeman stopped her, asked to see her cellphone to "look" at it, then drove off with it! A taxi driver also stole money from us (not directly). He turned off the taxi meter before we stopped then told us the price (which we knew was not correct because we always took that route and knew how much it should've been, but we had no way to prove it.)
The Good
#1 Food: Colombian food is delicious! I'm so glad I'm not in a place where they eat lots of seafood (for those of you who know me you know I don't like seafood) or lots of weird things like eyeballs or insects. The food is very normal, lots of chicken (with the skin), beef, pizza, arepas (bread patties) and other types of breads, rice, fruits, vegetables, etc. Here, it's really common to make juices out of all of the fruits. In Colombia, there are like 10 fruits that you can find that you can't find in the U.S.! I don't like all of them, but I've enjoyed the variety. Fruits and vegetables are also much less expensive. One thing that is not particularly my favorite because of its fat content, but one that most others love, is the "picada" (portions of beef, ribs, sausages, chicken, and pork fat).Here in the school, we have "onces" (snacks) every day at 9:30am. I put this in the good section because most of the time, the onces are delicious, but other times they are just way too weird for me. Good things have included: chocolate chip muffins, cookies, breads, empanadas with beef or chicken, chocolate covered strawberries, ice cream, arepas, and more yummy things! Though it's weird to eat things like chocolate covered strawberries and ice cream at 9:30am, I do it anyway :p. Strange things have included hot dogs and potato chips, hot dogs wrapped in bread, "calentao" (left over rice and beans) and some others I can't remember at the moment. Juice or coffee or hot chocolate is also always served.
Canned foods are not 50 cents. Usually they're more like 2$.
#2 Services: Here, you can get your haircut, washed, and dried for 4$. Medical services are also MUCH cheaper. I could go and get my teeth cleaned for about 40$ (instead of like 150-200$ like in the U.S.!) Teeth whitenings, hair removal, hair treatments, and many other services are all much much cheaper here.
#3 Bogotá Characteristics: people walking! Here in this city, people love to walk, ride bikes, rollerblade, etc. There is a really neat event each Sunday called the Ciclovia which is when they close entire streets in the city so families and individuals can ride their bikes, walk, run, etc. without worrying about the cars running them over.
Tienditas! (Little stores) Tienditas can be found really close to where you live, usually within a 3-minute walking distance. They also sell things in really small quantities. So, if you forgot to buy that one egg for your breakfast, you can just go walk and get it really fast!
Domicilios! (Deliveries) In Bogotá, almost every business has a delivery service and it only costs about 1$, saves you tons of time, stress from the traffic, and hassle of leaving your home. I love this part about Bogotá because many times in the early morning before I get dressed or shower, I have forgotten something for breakfast or realized I've run out of milk, and within 5 minutes, the neighborhood tiendita has brought what I need to me!
Lots of place to go, things to see, neat things to buy, beautiful mountains, new restaurants to try that are not chains, great night life and more also make up the city of Bogotá.
Being here for four months has made me aware of how different the U.S. is from Colombia. It has made me so grateful for simple things in the U.S. like traffic-free streets without holes and crazy drivers. Those things add stress to my life here where before, I was never stressed to drive anywhere. I can't imagine having lived here my whole life, being stuck in traffic every single day. It's frustrating that it takes 1 hour to drive 20 miles. You can get so many more things done in a day in the U.S. (except maybe for in New York City) than you can here in Bogotá. Food I can deal without, I have found many yummy things here, but I do miss my cheddar cheese.
But I also appreciate things like stores really close by, the walking here to there, and the delivery service here in Bogotá and I think I would miss that if I went back to the U.S.. The only thing I can do, and we can do, is make the best out of living wherever we are. I've learned the worst thing is to always be wanting to be somewhere else and never content with where you are.
posted April 12th. http://amandaniermann.blogspot.com/2013/04/colombia-vs-us.html
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