Exit Interviews – Medellin

This is a new thing we are doing over here at LJT headquarters. I borrowed the idea from a LJT fan and now-friend who writes this blog. She does exit interviews with her family when they are leaving a place. I find them so interesting. And since you, loyal readers, always get to hear MY voice, I thought you’d enjoy hearing from the other Shermanos. Here goes.

ZOE

How was Medellín different than you expected when we arrived 15 months ago?

I didn’t think it was going to be hilly.

How have you changed since being here?

My Spanish has improved. We upped the ante on homeschool. We’ve done more homeschool than every other country. We’ve really cracked down. I’ve gotten older. My teeth got straighter. I got taller. I’ve gotten better at video games. My music has improved, especially my songwriting.

What are a few strong memories you’ll always have of living here?

School, this apartment, the dogs I babysat, the taxi running over my foot. Haley’s graduation party will be something I remember. Gaming with the Cates.

What food will you associate with Medellín?

Arepas, empanadas, bad quality Hawaiian pizza from school. The food wasn’t really a big thing for me here.

What song will you associate with Medellín?

Bitch Lasagna. It came out here and I listened to it a lot here. It was a big meme song for Piso 11 (our floor with the Cates).

Who or what will you miss the most?

Cates, this apartment, Berry the dog, people at school. Also the overall school experience.

Do you think you’ll ever come back?

To live, no. To visit, yes.

Tell me about a momento you are saving from our time here.

Lots and lots of pictures of me at school with friends.

What’s your pie chart of emotions about leaving Medellín?

HALEY

How was Medellín different than you expected when we arrived 15 months ago?

It was much bigger than I expected. A lot more pollution, a lot more crime. But to be honest I didn’t have very many expectations.

How have you changed since being here?

I spent an entire year of my adolescence here so there’s that. My Spanish has improved by leaps and bounds. I’m much more street smart. I can get home from the other side of the city with $5 on me. I’ve grown a lot more confident academically and in approaching people and things.

What are a few strong memories you’ll always have of living here?

Watching the sunrise before school. Playing with Cameron and Coco on the Nintendo Switch or our computers. The various insane things that happened at school such as the first day of school with the Once Girls and the preparation for the Haunted House. Coming home from school with a headache because of the noise from all the girls. Watching the thunderstorms. Watching the city from our balcony and the two New Year’s Eves that were spent on our balcony.

What food will you associate with Medellín?

Empanadas, but non-local foods too. Any kind of eggs, because I learned how to make all kinds of eggs here. Little hamburger sliders on gluten free quinoa bread. Pesto pasta with Kirkland pesto sauce from Pricesmart (Colombia’s Costco). Avocado chips.

What song will you associate with Medellín?

Either Mardi Bum or This Love by Maroon 5. Because those are songs I listened to every morning on the way to school.

Who or what will you miss?

My classmates and a few select teachers. My therapist. Our drivers. My small-sized friends, which include my 5th grade friends and Cameron and Coco. I will miss the thunderstorms. My room with it’s private bathroom. Rappi food delivery. Our good internet. Our good kitchen with all of the baking things anyone would ever need (except a good smoothie blender). My plants.

Do you think you’ll ever come back?

I think it’s more likely than going back to Panamá. If I were to come back it would probably be just for a week or so to see people, as I don’t like the city very much. Most of my good experience was living in this house with our neighbors and going to school so I don’t think coming back would give me the same good experience. It was a very time-sensitive thing. If I come back it will be different.

Tell me about a momento you are saving from our time here.

I’m saving a lot of receipts, of going to various malls. Tickets for school events, stuff I found at school, letters from my friends, my school uniform, the plates my sister gave me for Christmas the first month we were here, that no one else was allowed to eat on. A lot of clothes that I went out of my comfort zone to get, like dresses.

What’s your pie chart of emotions about leaving Medellín?

DAN

How was Medellín different than you expected when we arrived 15 months ago?

I expected more poverty spread throughout the city, everywhere, not just in pockets. I didn’t think it was going to have such nice parts to it. I expected to need an air conditioner because anywhere else we’ve been where everyone said you don’t need an a/c, they were sorely mistaken. But here, it’s actually true. We’re only a few degrees from the equator. So it defies logic. But I always think we are going to need an air conditioner. We are going to Canada in December and I still get a bit antsy at the prospect of not having an a/c. [Laughs!] Also, I did not expect the cost of travelling to other South American countries would be so expensive, from Colombia. It’s hideously expensive.

How have you changed since being here?

No measurable changes other than the natural growth one experiences when exposed to new friends.

What are a few strong memories you’ll always have of living here?

The number one thing is the street noise outside of our apartment. But also the ease of living here, with food delivery. The friendliness of the people we met and interacted with. The Cates. How happy my wife was. Being proud of the kids for going to a school completely conducted in another language and their immense progress in their Spanish fluency. Lots of Starbucks – a sufficient amount to be considered civilization. The weather, obviously. The fact that I didn’t need an air conditioner. And last, but certainly, not (cough!) least, the pollution. Other than Antigua, Guatemala, the pollution has been the worse here than anywhere else we’ve lived. Including Chiang Mai, Thailand. Which was pretty bad, too. (But Antigua was unbearable).

And of course, Haley’s GED graduation ceremony we put on. That was amazing.

What food will you associate with Medellín?

McDonald’s. #brutallyhonest

We ate more McDonald’s here than anywhere else we’ve ever been, including the US. Only because we used Rappi delivery a LOT (see “hills” and “pollution” for why) and it was a quick delivery, relatively inexpensive and it was a known entity. And it worked well because Haley and Allison found gluten free buns to easily rework the Big Mac when it came, to suit their diet. Let’s see, what else… microscopic cans of pop. Allison’s homemade chicken fingers because she had a deep fryer for the first time in our marriage [insert a chorus of heavenly angels here].

What song will you associate with Medellín?

Suga Boom Boom because we were in Colombia at the time I first heard it. Zoe and I tend to want to dance to it. Can’t identify with the lyrics but overall tone and beat is really catchy. And of course, the song that Zoe wrote for Haley. My ultimate favorite song.

Who or what will you miss?

The convenience of Rappi Delivery. The Cates, of course. Our relatively new expat friends, the Cappelmanns. Both families we’ll be seeing again, so not really leaving them behind. And of course, Berry the dog.

Do you think you’ll ever come back?

No. Unless my wife wants us to. I won’t mind coming back, it’s not like I’d avoid it at all costs. But there’s really no reason to come back. When you have the opportunity to live almost anywhere in the world, I can’t see choosing Colombia. It was truly a good experience, and I appreciate it for what it was.

Tell me about a momento you are saving from our time here.

I don’t do momentos. Momentos take up space in your life. Take a picture or video and move on. That’s my approach to physical objects.

What’s your pie chart of emotions about leaving Medellín?

ALLISON

Pretend someone is asking me my own questions. Here we go…

How was Medellín different than you expected when we arrived 15 months ago?

It was much more modern than I expected. Of course there are parts of the city that are less-so, but some parts have the best malls I’ve ever seen. I also was surprised at the variety of foods. Colombians really like to try new things! Shermanos notsomuch.

How have you changed since being here?

I like to think that I’m more relaxed. But I always like to think that. The kids probably don’t agree. They’ll probably say I’m still as stressed out as always. I wear more makeup now, to try and keep up with the dolled-up Colombian women. And to ease into my 70s 50s, gracefully.

What are a few strong memories you’ll always have of living here?

My awesome puzzle table and finding other puzzle lovers who appreciated my hand-me-downs. Watching the city from the balcony. Dan’s annoyance with the city noise (which annoyed me). The thunderstorms made me so happy.

I lived vicariously through my kids at the school. I’ll always remember the Clausura that Zoe participated in. Seeing her at dance practice and with her friends from school, fully integrating into the life here…. it just really made a huge impact on me and made me so proud.

I’ll always remember Haley’s graduation. How we did it differently, on our terms. The way we are doing life. That was a big moment in our family.

What food will you associate with Medellín?

Arepas! Little corn things, either like pancakes with cheese, fried with a crispy outer crust or like little hockey pucks that are tasty right out of the fryer. They don’t make me feel so great when eating them (so much corn! so much oil!) but they sure are yummy.

What song will you associate with Medellín?

Probably Sin Pijama, even though the video is like soft porn. It’s so typical of the oversexed nature of the women – and teens – that is the norm here. That part is kinda sad. But I also like to sing it to practice my Spanish, so I make it into a good thing.

Who or what will you miss?

I’ll miss communal living with apartment 1102, most of all. And all the other amazing expat friends that I made here. But I also really love our drivers – Bryan and Leo. They are so reliable and I feel like they are watching out for me. And I’ll miss all my lady friends at Pilates. And my friend/teacher Alejo. These guys were all so great. They made my daily life so much fun. My social time was off the charts here. Much more than any other place we’ve been.

Do you think you’ll ever come back?

I think I will come back to visit. If nothing else I need to see how our 2018 Christmas tree is doing in the green area in our apartment building. Our legacy lives on.

Tell me about a momento you are saving from our time here.

I’m saving the little sign that we hung on our door, to indicate to the Cates if we were “open” for playing and hanging out, or if we were “closed” to being social. I’m saving the little tin the school gave us when we enrolled. I’m saving my key to Jamie’s apartment.

What’s your pie chart of emotions about leaving Medellín?

So that’s a wrap on our interviews, dear readers. Did you like the interviews? Do you want it to be a regular thing? Do you have any other questions you’d like me to include next time? Let me know what you think. Our next country (Dominican Republic) will be a much shorter stay so in a little while you’ll get another set of exit interviews. Stay tuned!