The First Things I Bought in Colombia

Being a practical packer is a skill you develop after learning to take just what you need. Moving abroad meant packing for ten months, and being reasonable with what I think I’ll need to bring and what I’ll be able to buy in country. Upon my arrival, I actively sought out these necessary items on my shopping list:

A Colombian phone. Aside from using my iPhone on WiFi to stay in touch with those back home and those with me in Barranquilla, I knew I needed the most basic Colombian phone. Cheap is key, and I ended up with a Nokia equipped with the game Snake. Finally! I bought a cheap Nokia phone in Madrid that, to my disappointment, didn’t have Snake. We’re throwing it back to T9 Word texting and playing simple games.

A fútbol jersey. No stay in Colombia would be complete without getting involved in fútbol. Step one: Wear Colombia’s national team jersey. This was an adamant request by a Colombian friend, and I can’t wait to go to a game wearing it.

A yoga mat. Finding this baby was more difficult than I anticipated. I felt that bringing my own yoga mat from home would’ve taken up too much space, so I decided to buy it in Colombia. I checked out plenty of stores – some sold yoga mats in a bundled box for an exorbitant amount of money and others had other types of mats that wouldn’t work – and finally found a bunch of sports stores selling yoga mats for a price I would pay.

Almost bought a smaller bikini bottom. After visiting a few beaches and scanning the cheekless crowds, I’m thinking this may be my next purchase …