I'm a Black Expat AMA

[Wiseborn]

How to know if your Colombian Girlfriend is taking you seriously.

The first question is Do you even care? If you're just smashing it doesn't matter.

But if you're not amigos con derechos (friends with benefits) and you're "trickin'" Then the easiest way to tell if you girl is really you girl is if you met her family.

Colombians tend to kick it with their families unless they're super poor or they're wierd.

There's not really a hook up culture you can get a friends with benefits situation going but if @Balla wants to know if he's tricking or not basically any money given for any reason no matter how small without meeting her family is trickin' because it's super weird to not meet her family unless she's living in Bogota or Medellin for work but even that's rare.

Colombians move as a unit there's none of this feminist Independant women stuff going on in Colombia.

Either you're kicking it with her fam almost every holiday or you're not her girl. If the momma or grandma doesn't like you you ain't gonna be taken seriously by the girl.

It's customary to bring over a small gift for family get togethers like a bottle of cheap rum or some buenlos ( a kind of doughnut like dough ball)

Win over the family and win over the girl

 

[ReggieFlare]

@Wiseborn

I’m assuming you’ve picked up some Spanish during your travels in South America.
Are you at the level where you can hold a convo? If so how long did it take and how did you go about learning the language?

 

[Wiseborn]

@Wiseborn

I’m assuming you’ve picked up some Spanish during your travels in South America.
Are you at the level where you can hold a convo? If so how long did it take and how did you go about learning the language?

Yes I can say and understand what I need to say or understand.

I've just been to lazy to go to classes. I don't even count my year in Santo Domingo because I was completely surrounded by English speakers.

I literally see a word or a phrase somewhere and translate it. I also translate the hooks of songs that I listen to and see how they sound in spanish.

That and I try to read what's app messages and every once in a while I'll look at Youtbe videos.

If you do like me a year to 18 months will be sufficient to get by but I now completely understand why spanish people in the states can live there for 30 years and not know the language, If you're not around Spanish people spaking spanish all the time you're not gonna pick it up.

But you really need a class to actually know the rules to the language.

 

[ReggieFlare]

Yes I can say and understand what I need to say or understand.

I've just been to lazy to go to classes. I don't even count my year in Santo Domingo because I was completely surrounded by English speakers.

I literally see a word or a phrase somewhere and translate it. I also translate the hooks of songs that I listen to and see how they sound in spanish.

That and I try to read what's app messages and every once in a while I'll look at Youtbe videos.

If you do like me a year to 18 months will be sufficient to get by but I now completely understand why spanish people in the states can live there for 30 years and not know the language, If you're not around Spanish people spaking spanish all the time you're not gonna pick it up.

But you really need a class to actually know the rules to the language.

I hear you. Altogether, since last year I’m coming up on about 3 months total living in Latin America and I have gotten to the point where I can navigate well enough to do basic things(order food, shop for groceries, etc…) without pulling out a translator every 5 seconds lol

The biggest hurdle I’m facing is when it comes to free-flowing convos. I’m completely trash at speaking and especially listening. Although my vocab has improved a lot since I’ve started and I can now occasionally make sense of what I read even if I don’t know all the words, live convos without a given context always result in me getting lost very quickly.

I’ve been taking individual classes and learning the rules has been beneficial but I think I need to start getting more deliberate within improving my listening and speaking. The trick most people told me is to start thinking in Spanish, definitely gonna try to do that more.

 

[Wiseborn]

I hear you. Altogether, since last year I’m coming up on about 3 months total living in Latin America and I have gotten to the point where I can navigate well enough to do basic things(order food, shop for groceries, etc…) without pulling out a translator every 5 seconds lol

The biggest hurdle I’m facing is when it comes to free-flowing convos. I’m completely trash at speaking and especially listening. Although my vocab has improved a lot since I’ve started and I can now occasionally make sense of what I read even if I don’t know all the words, live convos without a given context always result in me getting lost very quickly.

I’ve been taking individual classes and learning the rules has been beneficial but I think I need to start getting more deliberate within improving my listening and speaking. The trick most people told me is to start thinking in Spanish, definitely gonna try to do that more.

Well I listen to the local news it helps a bit but frankly that comes with dilgent study or literally living with someone who only speaks spanish

but I know someone who did that and he still doesn't know spanish.

Really you don't have to worry I can't speak in massive conversations either and I can get by.. That being said you'd be surprised at the amount of english speakers. it's rare that I get a Uber where the driver doesn't understand what I'm saying to another english speaking passenger.

shyt is like a Spanish person in the states they basically know what you're saying even if they don't understand every word.

 

[Wiseborn]

Per Clark Howard.com

Sprit is matching status flyers meaning if you have points/ lounge access etc. with another airline if you go with Sprit they won't charge you for luggage and drinks and food.

Again we are talking sprit here but on short flights it is the cheapest last minute airline generally speaking.

Especially if you aviod flying fridays or saturdays.

 

[Wiseborn]

More game on how to move as an expat.

Even with fellow expats consider long handle spoon feeding them. People are wierd, think about it it's kind of wierd to bush your country randomly. To keep it a buck the majority of single expats are the wanted (by the law) or the unwanted running away from their problems.

Again not all but a lot of especially young expats. That being said not being a p*ssy hound is kind of a red flag. People tend to be secretive. There's a passport sis who is cool peoples but I call her CIA because for some reason she doesn't disclose what she did for a living or how she's able to maintain herself overseas.

Keep it casual and don't pry into people's business because people tell you their problems then get mad if you tell them that they're simping on some chick or something.

Keep shyt light and casual because you could consider yourself to be good friends with them and you'll say something and they'll get super offended over it.

 

[Wiseborn]

I know a guy who just returned after 6 weeks in Brazil and he raved about Salvador.

Hi main problem with Cali is that it's not Black enough meaning it's about 30 to 35% Black but Black people in no way dominate the city.

He wants to live in a place where Black people are running things. Because Salvador is overwhelming Black it's the ticket for him.

He said it is more expensive than Cali for everything less non club and beach related stuff to do and there's chicks who just chill and smoke weed all day but other than that he loved it. Further away and hard to get a direct flight but if you have the time you may want to check it out.

That being said he and some other dudes said there's a little feminism there and a lot of Brazilan dudes are in shape so you will have to compete with that.

The bedwench tendencies are strong but there's hardly any white boys there. He liked the food and especially the steak there.

 

[Wiseborn]

Amazon works in most places that have it. However even if you have prime except it to take two to three weeks for something to get to yo.

Also you have to add the local address random things don't ship to certain countries for random reasons.

That being said I would only buy things that come from america. I got something that shipped from the EU to Colombia and never got it.
In Latin America Mercado Libre is an option but I never used them.

 

[Be Strong Blackman]

You might’ve answered this already but do you miss America or even American culture?

Do you think ppl behave differently in Latin America vs USA? Pros/cons

Do you date strictly sistas?

 

[Wiseborn]

You might’ve answered this already but do you miss America or even American culture?

Do you think ppl behave differently in Latin America vs USA? Pros/cons

Do you date strictly sistas?

Not really american culture is everywhere, I just went to the local version of WalMart and in the electronics section they played this:



Then there's actually plenty of americans in a town not known for many US tourists.

A guy just opened a Soul Food spot it's the second one in town the other one is more of a BBQ spot.

People are generally people but the difference is I'm seen as an american first and thus rich so I get smiles not screwfaces.

Generally speaking but I do have one random Venezuelan on the team who has been down for a while so I kept her.

 

[Balla]

Not really american culture is everywhere, I just went to the local version of WalMart and in the electronics section they played this:



Then there's actually plenty of americans in a town not known for many US tourists.

A guy just opened a Soul Food spot it's the second one in town the other one is more of a BBQ spot.

People are generally people but the difference is I'm seen as an american first and thus rich so I get smiles not screwfaces.

Generally speaking but I do have one random Venezuelan on the team who has been down for a while so I kept her.

Is it hard for brehs to open up businesses where you at? If not, I’m assuming they’re ok with brehs in general right?

Where you at again breh?

 

[Wiseborn]

Is it hard for brehs to open up businesses where you at? If not, I’m assuming they’re ok with brehs in general right?

Where you at again breh?

I'm in Colombia, not hard to open up a business, hard to say open though. In my neighborhood there's tons of restuarants and businesses in people's houses the restuarants don't even directly compete as some are open for Breakfast and Lunch and other's for lunch and dinner then some are open for Dinner's and late night eating.

I asked a dude who sells Jamaican food why he didn't open up a joint? I told him I'd go partners with him. Homie said the main reason why he's not getting a restuarant is because he doesn't want to be extorted.

Maybe in my hood he wouldn't be extorted by criminals but he'd still have to give hella free meals to the cops.

Colombia isn't as wild as people think it is but the gangs do extort the hell out of businesses, There was a lady who owned a shop in the capital city and she was asked to pay and the dude left and immediately someone rolled up on a motorcycle and clapped her right there. It was on her own security camera.

 

[Balla]

I'm in Colombia, not hard to open up a business, hard to say open though. In my neighborhood there's tons of restuarants and businesses in people's houses the restuarants don't even directly compete as some are open for Breakfast and Lunch and other's for lunch and dinner then some are open for Dinner's and late night eating.

I asked a dude who sells Jamaican food why he didn't open up a joint? I told him I'd go partners with him. Homie said the main reason why he's not getting a restuarant is because he doesn't want to be extorted.

Maybe in my hood he wouldn't be extorted by criminals but he'd still have to give hella free meals to the cops.

Colombia isn't as wild as people think it is but the gangs do extort the hell out of businesses, There was a lady who owned a shop in the capital city and she was asked to pay and the dude left and immediately someone rolled up on a motorcycle and clapped her right there. It was on her own security camera.

Damn that’s crazy I don’t blame people for not wanting to open up shop.

 

[Neo. The Only. The One.]

personally I think this thread should be stickied because it provides brehs with game on how to move and make a major lifestyle change. It's not something someone would do a few weeks from now, It's something someone would do after years of careful research.

I agree.

@hex @Barnett114 @Houston911 @MikelArteta

Can we get this thread permanently stickied?