Social & Messaging¶

Notes on navigating group dynamics around the wedding trip — see Personal context & goals for the background on why the religious angle matters.

Italian religious group¶

Message received and context

Message received from an Italian going to the wedding:

Ciao Alessio. Rimango in Colombia con altri 4 amici fino al 31 Agosto. Questo dovrebbe essere l'itinerario:

Bogota 19-22 Santa Marta 22-24 Cartagena 25-28 Salento/Pereira 28-31 Il 31 ripartiamo per Bogotà e da li Londra.

Hai già pensato a dove vorresti andare? Potresti aggregarti a noi oppure se sei nelle stesse zone possiamo organizzare qualcosa

Context: the group is described as "very well organised but religious" (prayers before eating, etc.). I'm openly against Catholicism now, so joining full-time would feel uncomfortable — but I don't want to seem ungrateful or rude. See Personal context & goals for more on this.

Reply sent (Italian)

Polite, non-committal reply:

Ciao [nome], grazie mille per aver condiviso l'itinerario, sembra davvero bello e utile per farsi un'idea! Io sto ancora definendo il mio giro – sicuramente starò a Bogotá per il matrimonio e mi piacerebbe vedere sia la zona del caffè sia magari un po' di costa, ma devo ancora capire bene date e combinazioni.

Per ora non so se riuscirò a seguire il vostro stesso ritmo, però se ci troviamo nelle stesse città negli stessi giorni sarebbe bello organizzare almeno una cena o un'uscita insieme. Ti aggiorno appena ho le date più chiare :)

Ancora grazie per la disponibilità!

Effect: expresses gratitude, signals the itinerary is still independent and flexible, offers light meet-ups rather than full group attachment, avoids the religious topic entirely.

Message to international group (wedding guests)¶

Message sent

Hey everyone, Alessio here! I'm arranging my solo travel after the wedding – I'm still finalising my itinerary, but I'm planning to visit the coffee region and maybe Medellín/Cali and/or some of the Caribbean coast.

I'd really like to include some beginner-friendly salsa classes along the way (especially in Cali, where I've had a few recommendations), and I'm looking for good options in the places I'll pass through.

If anyone else is travelling around Colombia and already has plans, I'd love to hear what you're doing and see if our routes overlap a bit :)

Purpose: shows openness to light coordination, signals the dance focus and interest in classes rather than just nightlife, keeps everything neutral (no mention of the religious group).

Responses so far¶

Martina

Hi Alessio, five of us are going to the coffee region and Caribbean coast.

Exact dates not given.

Monica

We are going as well – flying to Pereira on Sat.

Pereira is one of the two airports already in my own coffee region plan (the other being Armenia) — worth checking for overlap.

Todo¶

Follow up with Martina and Monica about their Colombia plans.
Ask their exact dates and bases for the coffee region (Pereira/Salento/Filandia) and the Caribbean coast.
See if my itinerary can overlap for a shared activity (e.g. dinner or a day trip), without fully joining their group.