Sandra Prater
@paddyroyal
American expat in Colombia
Forum
44 posts
Contacts
6
About me
American
Lives in San Rafael, Antioquia
Speaks English (native) Spanish (advanced) French (low intermediate)
Registration: 08 November 2011
Activity
Nationwide water drought 2024 by cccmedia
Colombia is afflicted with a long-lasting droughtapparently caused by the weather phenomenonknown as El Niño.I've been in Bucaramanga, Santander .. and it hashardly rained at all, with no hard rains, in recent months.This is not a local ...
Yes, it's been an unusually dry several months in Salento as well, with higher than normal temperatures. Read More
Pereira or Armenia? Where to retire to! by J L Barrera10
Good morning, Y'all! I'm a U.S. citizen! Born and raised in south Texas but have lived and worked almost all of my adult life in Houston Tx. Married my Colombian sweetheart (from Cali) last year after bringing her to the U.S. in 2021. I'm now less ...
@Digitarius I like Salento because I enjoy small town life and the amenities of living in a tourist town. My arrival was "accidental;" I got here a week before the lockdown and stayed. It's very hard to find housing here. Feel free to PM me. Read More
Pereira or Armenia? Where to retire to! by J L Barrera10
Good morning, Y'all! I'm a U.S. citizen! Born and raised in south Texas but have lived and worked almost all of my adult life in Houston Tx. Married my Colombian sweetheart (from Cali) last year after bringing her to the U.S. in 2021. I'm now less ...
@Poke laxdal I would be interested in your reasons for liking Los Cerritos so much. I went once and disliked it intensely; too much traffic, too far out of the city. I paid a fortune taking cabs to visit someone there. Read More
Pereira or Armenia? Where to retire to! by J L Barrera10
Good morning, Y'all! I'm a U.S. citizen! Born and raised in south Texas but have lived and worked almost all of my adult life in Houston Tx. Married my Colombian sweetheart (from Cali) last year after bringing her to the U.S. in 2021. I'm now less ...
@Poke laxdal I would be interested in your reasons for liking Los Cerritos so much. I went once and disliked it intensely; too much traffic, too far out of the city. I paid a fortune taking cabs to visit someone there. Read More
Pereira or Armenia? Where to retire to! by J L Barrera10
Good morning, Y'all! I'm a U.S. citizen! Born and raised in south Texas but have lived and worked almost all of my adult life in Houston Tx. Married my Colombian sweetheart (from Cali) last year after bringing her to the U.S. in 2021. I'm now less ...
@maitrimeyer, Just sent you a message. Read More
New members of the Colombia forum, introduce yourselves here - 2023 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Colombia forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on your ...
@davidrebolloso Hi David, I live in Salento. Feel free to contact me. Read More
Pereira or Armenia? Where to retire to! by J L Barrera10
Good morning, Y'all! I'm a U.S. citizen! Born and raised in south Texas but have lived and worked almost all of my adult life in Houston Tx. Married my Colombian sweetheart (from Cali) last year after bringing her to the U.S. in 2021. I'm now less ...
@cccmedia And then there's the changing climate. Salento has been hot as heck (for us, anyway), with no rain for two weeks now. Read More
Pereira or Armenia? Where to retire to! by J L Barrera10
Good morning, Y'all! I'm a U.S. citizen! Born and raised in south Texas but have lived and worked almost all of my adult life in Houston Tx. Married my Colombian sweetheart (from Cali) last year after bringing her to the U.S. in 2021. I'm now less ...
@J L Barrera10 Sounds good. I'm in Salento. Give me a holler if you would like to meet up. My two cents worth are that Panama and Costa RIca are overgringo-ized at this point and have been for quite a while. Read More
Pereira or Armenia? Where to retire to! by J L Barrera10
Good morning, Y'all! I'm a U.S. citizen! Born and raised in south Texas but have lived and worked almost all of my adult life in Houston Tx. Married my Colombian sweetheart (from Cali) last year after bringing her to the U.S. in 2021. I'm now less ...
@HutchX2020 I agree that prices are rising and both cities are getting more congested. Why not spend time in each city before deciding? Read More
New members of the Colombia forum, introduce yourselves here - 2023 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Colombia forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on your ...
@davidrebolloso Hi David, I live in Salento. Feel free to shoot me a message with questions I can help you with.Sandra Read More
Healthcare in Colombia - seeing a specialist by melanieclare
Hi!I’m relocating to Bogota later in the year. I’m 38 but have a couple of pre-existing medical conditions, and it seems near impossible to have these covered with private health insurance, and I have seen comments that it might even be ...
@cccmedia There is a fair amount of buzz in some of the expat Facebook groups about expats driving up the prices and pushing out locals, especially in places like Medellin. I can't help wondering if they're looking at countries like Panama and ... Read More
Healthcare in Colombia - seeing a specialist by melanieclare
Hi!I’m relocating to Bogota later in the year. I’m 38 but have a couple of pre-existing medical conditions, and it seems near impossible to have these covered with private health insurance, and I have seen comments that it might even be ...
@cathyfholt I'd suggest finding an agent in your area to work with. See if there any expat groups where you are. And yeah, some people are reporting that new retirement visa holders are not eligible to join an EPS. Read More
Your first days in your home in Colombia by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Do you remember the first time you set foot in Colombia? One of your main concerns must have been the settling down process in your new home. Share your experience and tell us what it was like to find your new home in Colombia ...
Great question! I spent my first six months in Colombia traveling to places recommended by Colombians and expats. One place I was loathe to visit, despite many recommendations, was Salento, because I knew it was very "touristic." I finally decided ... Read More
New Here, and I Have Questions!! by Remo Zimbaldi
Hi folks. My name is Ken. I introduced myself here several days ago, and was a little surprised to receive so many quick responses from very friendly people, welcoming me to the forum. Thank you so much for that!!If it's okay with everyone here, ...
@nico peligro I have lost money twice in Davivienda ATMs with my Schwab card. I get a receipt saying that money is not available, but then I discover that it's been deducted from my account. I have read on a couple of expat sites that this is not ... Read More
Healthcare in Colombia - seeing a specialist by melanieclare
Hi!I’m relocating to Bogota later in the year. I’m 38 but have a couple of pre-existing medical conditions, and it seems near impossible to have these covered with private health insurance, and I have seen comments that it might even be ...
I have not had any trouble using my EPS for my pre-existing heart conditions. Specifically, I see an EPS doc every three months to get an order for my meds, which would cost about $70/month without the order (and much more in the US). As Health at ... Read More