Back in Action: Reclaiming the Narrative of a Life in Colombia

Subtitle: I took a break from writing because I was busy having fun living.

Hey ya’ll, I’m baaaaack! Things have been quiet here on Cocameca lately, but it’s all for a good reason. With my last post in October 2025, this has been quite a break for a regular travel writer.

During this wonderful Fall-Winter hiatus, I successfully and joyfully:

• attended the 5th year for Holy Smokes! Charleston’s Lowcountry BBQ Festival,
• fulfilled my annual visit to Colombia to have fun, visit friends, and relax,
• spent Thanksgiving week in Pismo Beach, on California’s amazing Central Coast, and
• celebrated the holidays at home in Sacramento, enjoying a low-key, lovely end to 2025.

Sometimes, the best growth happens when you step away from the screen and start living the life you’re creating.

Ready to find out more? Let’s go!

The Kick That Brought Me Back to the Keyboard

Recently, I was contacted via email by a fellow travel writer about my years living in Colombia. Over a few months, we exchanged several emails, and I answered some specific and intriguing questions. While I didn’t pour out my heart and soul, I did provide honest details of my four years in this fascinating country.

The resulting feature on my life in Colombia mainly focused on the logistical entry points of my journey, and, primarily, the cost-effective budget that helped me to move there. Definitely not the angle I thought the article would have!

The True Harvest: Designing a Life on the Coast

While it’s a common misconception that a lower cost of living is the goal of a move abroad, for me, the budget was simply a strategic launchpad. 

So often, baseline numbers are what help support people who are dreaming of their own pivot. For many, this makes the most sense; however, it usually ends up that the real story is about the lifestyle design and the cultural connections that happen once you truly settle in. 

As I’ve mentioned before, Colombia offers a richness you simply can’t quantify on a spreadsheet. My love for the culture in this magical, South American country runs far deeper than a monthly personal expense report, although I am really good at keeping those, too!

If logistics were the seed, then the life I built on the Coast, and the creative freedom it allowed me while living there, was the true harvest. To understand this farming analogy, you have to look past the numbers and into the intentionality that defined my time there.

Investing in Autonomy

Leaving my 8-to-5 career in 2012 wasn’t about finding the cheapest possible life; it was about finding the most autonomous one. I wanted to trade a predictable routine for a life where I could be fully present. Nothing says “fully present” more than learning to master Costeño slang or understanding why the mall is more than just a multi-level shopping center.

In those early chapters of my life in Colombia, a lean budget was a strategic ally. Living within my means bought me more time and energy: two of our most precious assets, next to money, of course. See where I’m headed here?!

Being money-mindful also allowed me to stop living by a corporate calendar and start managing my own inspiration. As I integrated further into the community, my priority shifted from the “cost” of living to the richness of the experience.

I remember one early morning, riding the bus to teach a private, in-home Business English class, with the Nook e-reader my mom had given me, and reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s words in her epic book, Big Magic:

“A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life.”

These words resonated deeply with me then.

I was working as a busy, dedicated English teacher during the week and as an adventurous extranjera exploring the beauty of Colombia on the weekends. 

By initially lowering my overhead, I created the space for my life to expand. I wasn’t just getting by, I was investing in the foundation of my own creative existence.

The True Wealth of Living Abroad

If you’re looking to make a similar move to a new country, remember that your budget spreadsheet is just the first chapter. The real assets you’ll accumulate wherever you live aren’t monetary. They are found woven into the fabric of the daily experience. My favorites, to note, include:

• The Freedom: There is a delicious kind of magic in navigating the vibrant streets of your new chosen home. It’s a level of joy and independence that no structured, “safe” job can provide.
• Deep Cultural Immersion: Once you move, settle in, and progress beyond the ex-pat bubbles, you’ll become a true neighbor. This means learning the rhythm of local traditions, the nuances of local hospitality, and the language of the community.
• Professional Growth: I used the freedom that a focused lifestyle provided to build my first blog, La Gringa Costeña, which I wrote while living in Mexico and Colombia: a precursor to the blog I now write for Cocameca. 

In his book, The Art of Non-Conformity, author Chris Guillebeau offers a positive spin on unconventional living. Along with Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic, Guillebeau’s philosophy was a primary compass for me during my years in Colombia. One of my favorite quotes from the book reminds the reader:

“You can design a life based on your own values if you’re willing to be the architect of your own days.” 

How about that for honest, infectious words of wisdom?

Panache, Candor, and the Truth About the Article

As they remained focused on my “living large while earning little” experience, the writer of the aforementioned article about my life in Colombia noted that I wrote an article about how to live on the coast of Colombia for $500 a month.

While this work remained largely unpublished, I did email a few PDFs of it to some fellow ex-pats, something I still can’t believe I actually did (both the doing and the writing!) Surprisingly, they all appreciated its panache, candor, and simple suggestions.

Honestly, the $500-a-month budget was a moment in time. The writing was simply a helpful tool for a chapter of my life then. More than this collection of tips and tricks, the adventure, the friendships, and the creative autonomy were what made the journey to Colombia, and my living there, legendary.

Designing Your Own Narrative

It is possible to design your own narrative if you know how you want your life to read.

I remember once, in 2017, expressing to a friend based in California that I suspected my job teaching Business English in Barranquilla was ending, and that I’d have to pivot to find work again.

They asked, dumbfoundedly, “What will you do? Come home?” to which I quickly responded, “I’ll figure something out. This place has a way of providing opportunities right when you need them.” To this, I added, without skipping a beat, “To me, it feels like I’m already home.”

In hindsight, I realize now this was simply my way of keeping the dream of living in Colombia alive, no matter the cost.

While that job did end, and I eventually moved back to the States, recalling the moment then, when I proclaimed my destiny, still feels incredibly empowering. Anyone who’s taken a similar leap will most likely agree that life is what you make it, so why not make it what you want it to be?

Mind Your Budget, But Stay Gold

In bringing this to an end, it’s ironic to me that my return to Cocameca was sparked by another writer’s focus on my “budget years” abroad. Maybe this was just the reminder I needed that every experience, like money, eventually adds up.

As I celebrate my return to contributing to Cocameca, expressing my cultural expertise of Colombia, California, Mexico, and Carolina, here’s some quick advice for anyone looking at their budget as the basis for making a move:

• Use the numbers as a guide to get you there, but don’t let them define your stay.
• Plan your budget so you can afford to leave, but pack your curiosity so you have a reason to stay.

Most of all, remember:

• The real wealth of travel isn’t how much you save. It’s the priceless value of yourself and the life that you discover along the way.