Mental Framing for the Trip¶

A short reminder to come back to when the trip feels like it's turning into a checklist.

Treat Colombia not as a list of sights but as:

A dance journey: from shy but trained in London, to more comfortable in Bogotá and Medellín, to focused practice in Cali. See Dance opportunities for the full plan.
A place to test living without religious pressure, while still interacting politely with others — see Social & messaging for how that's being handled with one specific group.
A soft introduction to South America via:
- Small towns (coffee region, possibly Jardín, Villa de Leyva/Barichara if included).
- Balanced cities (Bogotá as capital, Medellín as creative hub, Cali as dance lab).

Anchor motivation on coming home feeling noticeably more confident dancing in public, and with a clearer sense of which types of places I like in Latin America.

Getting around without fluent Spanish¶

You do not need fluent Spanish for this itinerary to work. Nervousness is normal; the trip is already structured so most hard parts are pre-booked or app-mediated.

Daily toolkit

Offline Google Translate (download Spanish) + camera translate for menus/signs — already on What to bring / offline Translate.
Ride apps (Uber / DiDi / inDrive — check which works in each city): set the pin, almost no talking. Prefer apps over street hails when shy or tired.
WhatsApp for hotels, schools, hosts: send a short Spanish message (Translate → paste). People are used to this.
Screenshot hotel address + Maps pin; show the driver / receptionist.
Learn ~15 survival phrases (hello, thanks, bill, left/right, “I speak a little Spanish,” numbers). Enough for taxis and cafés.

Where English helps on this trip

Wedding / hosts’ coffee block — you already have English-speaking anchors.
Bogotá Chapinero / Cali San Antonio / tourist desks — more English than a random barrio.
Dance: a lot is demonstration; ask teachers for slow Spanish or English keywords.
Optional: one Pasajero or Toucan hour — confidence, not fluency.

Mindset

Aim for getting by, not impressing anyone. Pointing + phone + smile works daily.
Shrink improvisation: book stays and CLO→BOG before you go; keep Cali short if city dread rises (Coffee with hosts).
When overwhelmed: hotel → food nearby → one planned thing (class or coffee walk). That is a successful day.