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Finally chose Medellin over Chiang Mai after 6 months of flip-flopping
I spent way too long going back and forth between Medellin and Chiang Mai for my next base. Both have great internet, cheap food, and tons of nomads. I picked Medellin in the end because I wanted to really focus on learning Spanish, and figured being in a Spanish-speaking country would force me to practice every day. Three weeks in now and I can finally order my arepas without pointing at the menu. The altitude kicked my butt for the first few days though, I was winded just walking up a hill. But the weather is perfect, like a constant spring day, and my apartment has a sweet view of the mountains. Anyone else pick a spot based on language goals and regret it or not?
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faith272mo ago
Oh man, I totally get that! Picking a place for language goals is such a gamble but honestly it sounds like you're making it work. My buddy @river_thompson actually went through the same thing in Bogota last year and said the forced practice was brutal but worth it. That altitude thing is no joke though, I visited Mexico City once and thought I was dying just walking to the corner store for tacos. The view from your place sounds amazing, that alone makes the struggle worth it.
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river_thompson2mo ago
the thing nobody talks about is how language goals can mess with your social circle. like, in Chiang Mai you'd prob end up in an English bubble with other nomads, but Medellin forces you to hang with locals or struggle alone. i picked South America over Asia too for the spanish and yeah, my accent's still trash but my landlord's grandma doesn't let me point at the menu anymore so that's a win.
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pat_harris1mo ago
Wait, your landlord's grandma personally taught you to stop pointing at menus? That's a level of language immersion I didn't know existed. I'm genuinely impressed she didn't just give you a pity translation.
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