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If you have a family that loves you, a good few friends, good health, food on your table and a roof over your head, you are richer than you think.

@HowToExpat

4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely!

@agustindejesus7398

Жыл бұрын

Ex, i agree with you.

These perspectives are really important. We have a dramatically different cultural perspective than Colombians.

Waiters and waitresses are paid a living wage in other countries unlike here in the US. Tipping is the loop hole restaurants use to pay their employees below minimum wage

My professor who lives in Colombia talks about the horrible poverty in Colombia from time to time. Something like 40 some odd percent of the country are in poverty.

@joselassalle4958

Жыл бұрын

Yes, but some neighborhoods and shopping malls in the big cities are up to North American and European standards.

@tomk.6846

Жыл бұрын

​@@joselassalle4958 but not many people enter those malls unless they have an éxito or a olímpica because of the cheap discounts on certain days. You might seems a lot of people maybe around Christmas but appart from that most malls stay empty

@juanferro9797

Жыл бұрын

@@tomk.6846 thats not true, specially since in colombia they are opening malls all the time, bigger and more modern malls, they refer and that in any location you can find little stores were you can buy you daily nesecities close tp you, and yes we dont have the earnings that other countries but life is way cheapper here also the people who leave the country some of them have some recentment and like to talk shit, I dont like those colombians

@tomk.6846

Жыл бұрын

@@juanferro9797 life in Colombia is not cheaper and Colombia doesn't keep opening up bigger malls. And the malls that they do in fact have opened are not visited by a lot of people because most of the population lives with really low wages, most at 232 dollars per month using 191 dollars for rent (at least in the Capital) and the rest in necessities, just because we have a few development projects (which haven't received any noticeable progress in the last 5 years) doesn't mean that we have actually have something going on. We are still making projects as if it were the early 2000s when what we need is a government reform. A usa minimum wage worker gets 2k dollars per month a minimum wage worker here gets 200 and even less. Because survival here is difficult we don't have food up to standards from the big market chains so we have to buy our stuff from small markets such as Palo quemao, a convenience store has less than nothing they basically only sell bread or candy and in the off option that you have to buy quality stuff the food gets really fucking expensive. Maybe it is easy for a beg-packers to live here since they can still use their USA money but for the average Colombian this place is hell.

*I have a short funny story, 2007 with in the first two weeks in Calarca arriving from New York City Myself and a family friend took a public service taxi cab ride across town, the fair came out to $2.500 pesos, less than a dollar not knowing I gave the driver a $2.000 peso tip, the driver was extremely happy while my friend outside the cab gave me a lesson that I never forgot,* *given the time and changes the middle and up status restaurants now include a 10% tip baked into the bill, yes taxi drivers to this day are still humble an extra is happily accepted when the driver goes out of his way besides driving!* *For my American expats, HAPPY THANKSGIVING* 🦃

Culture is more or less another term for perspective . Colombians have their own . Not necessarily a bad thing .

I'm Colombian girl. .. and every day love more and more my country even with his problems... and feel poor is only in your brain 💛💙❤co 😙

@HowToExpat

4 жыл бұрын

Love your comment 😁😁

@davidgomez982

3 жыл бұрын

Your comment is not valid. Literally Colombia is a cesspool of shit. Yea fuck yo

@morenitachannel7225

3 жыл бұрын

@@davidgomez982 pfff pregúnteme!

Materially I'm in a much better position than the average Colombian but my job is high stress and family life is not nearly as close as theirs so who really lives a better life? Probably Colombians. Its a lot of why I'm working towards becoming an expat.

@HowToExpat

4 жыл бұрын

Was the same for us.

Some of the best people live simple lives. Riches ( are what makes you happy) are different for everyone, not what everyone else has.

Great Video , Thank You For Sharing !

Sam amazing insights again !!! Thank you

Treat people as equals, don't pity them or make assumptions. That's my interpretation and summary of your video. 🙂

@HowToExpat

3 жыл бұрын

You got it!

@leom6165

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly if you brag about being from first world country , your chances of making friends are going to be zero They already know

Good informative video!

The cost of living is on a completely different level over there, it's not just about how much the currency is worth.

If you go to the point, please.

you can work hard here in Colombia but still lacking of food, there are parts of Colombia where people just drink "aguapanela" which is just hot sugar cane water and that's it. That's an extreme case, but even for people with a minimum wage job, we don't always go to work with breakfast or lunch, sometimes we don't even have for transportation to take a bus or a taxi. I know you all foreigners will always walk around the nicest places and approach the "well dressed" colombian. But let me tell you, that's not the majority of colombians.

@lloydbeattie9370

3 жыл бұрын

wow interesting . I was wondering what level of poor . so some ppl . are going hungry . because of a lack of income . do ppl live at the city refuse station or wandering around the street looking for food clothes. etc .

@agustindejesus7398

Жыл бұрын

The, if Colombia is still lacking of food then....why do they drink so much. How much a street girl charge for a quicky....or the entire night.

@tomk.6846

Жыл бұрын

​@@agustindejesus7398 you are going under the assumption that "quickies" are normal for the average Colombian. The "quickies" are a luxury very few little can pay for. Colombian alcohol although strong in it's majority it's national and cheaply made, similar to corn moonshine, alcohol is easy to make cheap to buy and is a major problem in Colombia. Colombia might seem good to the average gringo but it's extremely poor outside the historial of hotel parts.

@agustindejesus7398

Жыл бұрын

@@tomk.6846Tom, i was not under that assumption. Quickest are only good for the average Colombian girl. About 30 years ago i went to Colombia, besides i have few Colombian friends in the US. Yes a lot of them brag a lot about Colombia but they are not there...they are here living from the government. My cousin was married to a Colombian guy for many years but one day she did prepare his luggage and put him outside and on his way Colombia.

@agustindejesus7398

Жыл бұрын

The, then why they love to brag so much. It a saying in my country that goes....i know the bird by his churreta.

Do a video on how to rent a place in Colombia please.

@HowToExpat

4 жыл бұрын

All you need to know here ;) www.how-to-expat.com/post/medellin-apartment-rental-guide/

Define poverty? Residents at 740 Park Ave are worth at least $2 billions each. Yet 4-7 miles away in the Bronx over 200,000 residents there don’t earn over $25k a year nor do they do know what owning a home will be..I.e; the American dream etc.

The issue seems to be reality verses perception. Reality is the vast majority (80%?) Live on the minimum.salary. Middle class? What is that? Some group that does better? Its not a huge amount. And so the people living here perceive they are doing alright compared to most. Foreigners see from the outside the reality. Im an American living in Bogota on 1200 $ a month 5.5 million pesos which is nothing in the developed world but is many times the average salary. Reality verses perception. In Colombia its very.very low compared to a developed economy

How can i live with five thousands dollars a month in Colombia? Will i be consider middle class, or poor.

Excelente 👍🏿

What in the world are you trying to say, lol! These supercharged moral topics are very landed coming from a none local like Sam

From what I have been gathering, Colombia has had a heavy influx of Venezuelan immigrants, due to President Maduro. This has made finding a job next to impossible, which has caused a huge unemployment rate.

@Ardilla88

4 жыл бұрын

After watching the video... Believe it or not, people can live happily without being in the US or having US/European values.

@David2751

4 жыл бұрын

Colombia was very poor too before the venezuelan crisis... gosh why are people so ignorant

@Ardilla88

4 жыл бұрын

Maybe because we don’t all have the wisdom that you possess. You have to remember, we don’t live there… It’s not ignorants, I see your post as arrogant.

@denyel5214

4 жыл бұрын

More immigration doesnt mean automatically more unemployment. The venezuelans work and consume too and consumption creates jobs!

@Ardilla88

4 жыл бұрын

Over a period of about 3 years, you are correct… But in such a short period of time the amount of jobs cannot grow fast enough to keep up with the influx of immigrants.

I sponsor children from Colombia who live in the low economic areas and it is very sad. They often don't have enough to eat, have plastic to separate rooms, no restrooms, muddy floors, no fans sometimes in the hot areas. They are struggling from what I can see. They live in Cartagena, Santa Marta, and Barranquilla. I have visited their homes. They may often look like they are doing well on the outside but many times looks can be deceiving. For example, even one of my translators, who I think might be considered middle class?, for the org. that I sponsor through was unable to eat breakfast at times and suffered headaches as a result. Other translators or volunteers ate like they were very hungry.The families would always gather leftovers from meals that we had together and take them home. I mean they would scrape from everyone's plate and take it home.

@theholeintheground503

3 жыл бұрын

THIS. And yes, you can work hard here in Colombia but still lacking of food, there are parts of Colombia where people just drink "aguapanela" which is just hot sugar cane water and that's it. That's an extreme case, but even for people like us (I am a translator too in the city of Villavicencio) we don't always go to work with breakfast or lunch, sometimes we don't even have money for transportation to take a bus or a taxi, and not just in this job, waiters, hairdressers, taxi drivers, a lot of people. It's like today you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner but tomorrow you don't know, but we try to always act happy and smile to get over all that shit.

One more observation. The Colombians that most Europeans and Americans deal with are the ones who dress well and have decent jobs which of course pays a little more. You do not know how the (Colombiano de a pie) lives. Ask for the translation of that phrase. I know Colombians who eat AREPA for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Europeans are not used to leaving tip. It is a foreign concept for most of you. In American, we tip for good service even if the service is not so great. Perhaps it si because we place our self in the situation of the waitress who has 2 jobs, single parent with 2 kids to feed.

@ADFDGGE

4 жыл бұрын

Europeans that don't tip are greedy bastards , but these same europeans shop at PRIMARK knowing well the clothes are made by bangladeshi children , younger than 12. Europe is currently the utopia of high wages and cheap consumption goods (in the north) it will not take longer then 1 - 4 y before the good life comes to an end due to currency manipulation by Eu, debt, population aging, productivity, imposing the EU regulations on small non Eu countries... The rest of the world will drink Europe s blood soon and destroy your socialist eurocrat pseudo paradise.

@ADFDGGE

4 жыл бұрын

vv

@James-dx6sf

4 жыл бұрын

@@ADFDGGE These are nasty words. Be nice.

Totally disagree with your point of view. A taxi driver and or the woman who does the cleaning at my dentist or cleans the street does not have a good life. That is not true. Lets not justify giving a good tip by using these types of excuses. Tipping is good on many levels. You know that living in stratus 1,2 and 3 is poor. Lets be real. These folks do not have an option to eat whatever they want for breakfast like you and I. EURO / USD. Since this is a public platform, I respect your point of view but I am sharing my personal view as well. I live here very well with my US pension. I could not survive in America with my social security. I owe it to the citizens of this beautiful country to give where I can because my USD gives me a good life.

@HowToExpat

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing. I'm always open to other views.

@czarizo05

4 жыл бұрын

Sebastian S I agree with you. One element of the culture in Colombia to take into account is the influence of the catholic religion and its relationship with money that create this acceptance and if you add the high regard of other people’s opinion where nobody want to show they are in need, you can see what Sam was sharing. All and all, Sebastian keep sharing from what you have and can that yes is helping.

@ADFDGGE

4 жыл бұрын

The amount of colombian chic@s offering adult services says a lot ! 70% of them would choose a regular job if the wage would be decent. The minimum salary in Colombia is not enough in this globalized economy. Colombians want the same stuff as everybody else and the new iphone costs 1000 $.

@jazzman5652

4 жыл бұрын

Sebastian. I totally agree with you 100% i live in Canada and i still tip even though the wait staff live way better than the average Colombian. So we should not use these kind of excuses to avoid tipping folks in the service industry. If you tip where you come from why would you not tip in Colombia where people don't make much?

You are so handsome.

Yes, Colombians are that poor just like every other third world/developing country in the world. There's no middle class in Colombia, it's the working poor for the majority and an upper class which comprises of senior white collar workers and entreprenuers pretty much. If you can afford to tip staff tip them, why in the world would you make a video discouraging tipping the underpaid workers? If you can also afford to pay your maids etc a livable wage then pay them that as well.