Why did I visit Colombia? The country didn’t require a coronavirus test or vaccination, didn’t have a quarantine or curfew, and my buddy had just opened up a bar in Guatape, Colombia, two hours from Medellin, and was looking for investors. I had taught myself investing during quarantine and took advantage of the crypto bull market to have my total wealth in the six-figures for the first time in my life. Therefore, I figured why not? However, in the end, moving to Colombia ended up teaching me some of hardest, most painful lessons of my life.

At first, I loved it. The freedom to travel once again, experiencing a new culture, closing down bars with my buddies, and meeting new people from all over the globe. Over time, I realized I never fell in love with the culture – as the majority of it revolved around partying and prostitution. It was all about how much you had to offer financially as opposed to who you were as a person. The dating culture even less so, as it revolved around bizarre norms. For example, women simply sought out wealthy men to pay for a life of luxury they could flaunt on social media, and men simply seeking to buy companionship. Cheating was a normality where everyone was assumed to have multiple partners because often, they did. In others words, people were seldom genuine and just used each other.

There were some days I was making successful trades in crypto or stocks for ten-thousand dollars or more. In my head, I thought money was the answer to everything because it provided me with freedom, but I had completely forgotten about taking care of myself physically and emotionally. Confiding in friends who simply used me and treated me as disposable and failing to find positive people to surround myself with. I became depressed, overweight, and, worst of all, I started caring what people thought about me. I had lost the independence and self-reliance I had owned for years. Why? Because I had lost my passions and purposes in life. My international school in Myanmar had closed down due to a military coup, the dogs I had been fostering before in Peru I had found forever homes for, and the MMA gyms in Colombia had little to offer beyond a cardio kickboxing class. I didn’t have anything to wake me up in the morning or to keep me from going out at night.

But now, I’m back home in Florida for the time being and focusing on taking care of myself in all aspects. The goal being to fall back in love with life and adventure, to remember my value, and to slowly discover whatever plan God has for more life.

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