Recommitting to Cali

I've been away from Cali most of this month. I had mixed emotions about leaving, but now that I am nearing the end of my time away, I feel a renewed dedication to the city I've chosen for my home. After seeing more of Colombia and making a visit to Ecuador, it's clear that Cali is still the only place I want to be right now. I'm missing my friends there, I miss my dance partners, and I will be so happy to greet everyone again when I get back in less than a week.

When I return, I'll be starting fresh. I'm moving into a new house. A month after my return, I'll start a University level Spanish program. I have plans to begin attending the foremost salsa school in Cali, Swing Latino. And most importantly, I am returning with a year long student visa in my passport.

Colombia only allows tourists to visit the country for 180 days per calendar year. Beyond that, one must obtain another type of visa in order to remain in the country legally. My first 4 months in Colombia, I awoke every day not knowing how I was going to do this. I looked into visas based on income, student visas, business visas, work visas, volunteer visas, investment visas, temporary cultural visas... All proved elusive as I encountered hefty lawyer's fees, shrouds of bureaucratic & language barrier complexity, unanswered emails, difficult-to-meet requirements, and unhelpful people.

Finally, I contacted the expensive, private Universidad Santiago de Cali. My emails were replied to promptly. The wonderful Spanish teacher invited me to meet with her. She explained the program to me in perfectly understandable Spanish. The proper papers were provided. I took them with me to Bogotá. I now have a year long visa.

So, I will return to Cali unconcerned about the days ticking away on a steadily expiring visa, I will return to friends and familiar places, and I will return to the life of a student - a life in which I've always thrived. I look forward to it.