I had the end of November and beginning of December to secure my new rental home in Puerto Colombia, near Barranquilla. I had to run around like a busy ant and in the span of 3 weeks I took a total of 7 flights and missed one of them due to the instant COVID-19 test pre-flight. Once I finished visiting all the prospects for an HQ and finished preparations with my realtor, I had to find a way to summon $8Million Colombian pesos (or $2000 USD) plus the first month of rent which was around $450USD or $1.6Million Colombian Pesos.
I flew to Bogota from the Barranquilla airport to get my things together for the move. That same week I had to prepare the cheapest route to Miami, Florida and be able to return the same day to Bogota. I flew to Miami in order to ship my new phones to the online resale market, where they offered me a fraction less than half of the original price. Then waited overnight at the airport for the earliest flight to Colombia which was Medellin, somewhere in between Bogota and Barranquilla. Lucky for me I was able to dine Cuban food at a local place near the Fort Lauderdale airport and I fulfilled my cravings of roasted pork and yuca with a pineapple soda. I decided to spend the night at the airport and I kept myself entertained by a group of young girls who wouldn't stop giggling. At around 4am I went pass security checks and once inside I fell asleep on the gate waiting area. I spent breakfast transferring money around my bank accounts to buy some coffee and making up stories about the passersby. I think I fell in love more than once. A desperate American asked me to deliver his Colombian wife's green card to her in Medellin and offered me a few dollars to do so, luckily her location was conveniently located and I was able to deliver it to her for $200,000 COP (a little over $50 USD).
I then landed in Medellin where I spent my afternoon dining and looking around the small area where the airport bus had dropped me off. When night time came I booked the first flight to Bogota and passed out. The total amount I was able to raise was $3,800 USD minus the cost of the flights, food and coffee, but the wait time was about four days and I needed the money for my deposit. My bank account was not compatible with the market's system so I opened a new account which was immediately useless since I was not able to transfer my money out. The next day I took the courage to wait on the stairs of my apartment and ask a pretty girl for her number. I saw her walk by and go upstairs a few times and had to speak to her. After ambushing her and obtaining her number I later realized she is doing a masters and works as a psychologist and preschool teacher. I tried to ask her out but she told me she had a boyfriend....
Once the calendar reached November 30th, I abandoned my temporary shelter in Bogota, packed my four bags and took the bus once again to Barranquilla to close the deal. I managed to sign a few documents but had to wait for the $8 Million deposit since my new account was not ready for outbound transfers. After a whole day of waiting on the phone I had to ask my mother for a wire transfer and for a plane ticker back to Miami.
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