"Coming to Colombia was a big challenge, therefore I have decided to write my experiences, the decisions I had to make and all the obstacles that I had to face in order to make a trip to Colombia. I hope this article will answer most of the questions I have been asked as an "extranjero" by many Colombians. I came to Colombia for one main reason but quickly realized that this country has much more to offer.

I came here because I wanted to learn good Spanish. Through lots of reading and research Colombia turned out to be one of the primer Spanish speaking countries in the world, where the language is spoken most fluently. However, I rapidly learned that even in the country of good Spanish there seems to be a sizable difference in the way Spanish is spoken here in Antioquia and the coast, between pues's and ahí's, but that's not a problem, I hope to speak like a coastioquian one day, the best of both sides of the country.

Many people have asked me what people in my country think about Colombia, as you can probably guess the name Colombia brings attention and opens many eyes, especially where I come from, Brooklyn, New York. Everyone thought I was crazy and ready to commit suicide, you can imagine my mother like all mothers where everything in the world is dangerous to them, she acted like she was preparing my funeral by praying for me none stop two days before I left. Besides the fact that the news and movies portrays Colombia as one large jungle with a bunch of little towns, where the only thing important is to make drugs and fight among each other to stay a top of the cartel game. I learned that this wasn't true as soon as I arrived in December.

Nevertheless contrary to popular belief, many people also recognize that many other good things come from Colombia.The best coffee, one of the best F1 drivers (Montoya), and some of the most beautiful women in the world come from here. Many men hope and dream that one lucky day they will wake up next to a beautiful Colombian woman. My day will come! So even though it is portrayed as a crazy or bad country, many of the people who know any better view it as an exotic and mysterious land with some of the best things the world has to offer.

Now that I have arrived here, I am shocked and amazed that it is almost totally different than what I had seen or heard on the news or from people who have never been here, it couldn't be any better. I have not been here for long and I have already have fallen in love with the natural beauty of the many different terrains, from the beaches to the mountains this country is incredible. Not only that but the people here are some of the nicest I have ever met. For a place that is portrayed as violent or dangerous I'm in awe at how much the people will go out of their way to help or make my time here comfortable and enjoyable. The food is super because for me being a vegetarian it's usually pretty hard to find a good meal, but a consistent diet of rice and beans for me everyday here is the easiest task.

I'm always asked about the women here, and what do I think about them. I just have to say that I'm very jealous of the men here. How is it possible to have so many beautiful people in one country? If the men here are not happy I will gladly switch places with them. To me it is not logical, in my country they say you have to look hard for a beautiful person, but I say everyone here are super, if not super beautiful, then they are super nice. Incredible!

Colombia will definitely be a future home for me, I am always asked what will I tell people when I return, I will tell them to stay away from Colombia because it is too good for them! YO SOY PAISA PAPA!

"Medellin is an ideal place to study. the climate is near perfect, the city is clean, safe, and provides an easy stress free life. The Spanish course for foreigners at the University EAFIT is well structured, with

levels for all abilities. The University campus has a wide range of facilities and other courses that foreign students can make use of and attend. All in all its a great environment to study and enjoy yourself at the same time."

I have really enjoyed my time spent at EAFIT. The student body is extremely warm and friendly, and the teachers are knowledgeable and dedicated. The student-teacher ratio for most Spanish classes seems to be around 3-1, and the other programs offered by the school--conversation partners and the option of attending any other University class at no extra cost are immensely helpful at assisting in language acquisition.