Written by Sam Lambert, (Berea College), Student Correspondent for CET Colombia, Spring 2026
I’m coming to the end of my time here in Cali, with my plane leaving on May 30th—exactly a month away, as I’m writing this post! This will also be my last blog post, so I’d like to share some of the most valuable things I’ve learned in Colombia, and some of my favorite memories.
Three Lessons
First up is budgeting. I’ve never really struggled to have a handle on my money, but I went into this program with a specific plan about how much money I was allowed to spend. I ended up using a budgeting app in order to split up my funds each month between what was most important—my usual three expenses were groceries, eating out, and travel. By entering my receipts every day, I was able to easily stay on top of my spending and make sure I didn’t exceed my allotted budget.
Additionally, it seriously helped to ease my anxiety about money. Colombia has a lower cost of living than the United States, so at first I was eating at restaurants all the time. After all, lunch was only $4USD! As the weeks went on, though, I started getting really nervous about how much money I was spending. Even if it wasn’t a lot by US standards, it was going to add up, and I didn’t want to accidentally spend too much.
My home institution, Berea College, has a tuition-free promise and an unlimited meal plan. The only other times I’ve lived alone, I’ve had a monthly stipend that large enough that I didn’t have any issues. I said before that I’ve never struggled to manage my money, but I’ve never had to work to budget, either. Being in another country and paying my own way has challenged me, but I now feel confident in my budgeting skills.
Second thing: working together. I mentioned in a past blog post that a lot of the schoolwork is done in groups. I’ve never enjoyed group work and I’ve never made a secret of that fact—I get stressed about depending on other people to do their part, and I worry that they’ll think I’m not doing mine. With the way that almost everything is a group project here, I’ve had to work on that a lot.
It isn’t just helpful when in class, though. Thanks to these challenges, I’m better at coordinating trips, splitting ubers, and going shopping with my roommates. My communication skills have grown exponentially because I’ve been forced to collaborate, something that I know will be a boon in my life in the future as I graduate from college and enter the workforce. I can talk out issues easier and I feel more confident in myself.
Finally: there is a different culture of cordiality in Colombia than there is in the US. Whether meeting an old friend or passing a stranger in the street, a warm greeting is expected. If you’ve met them at least once before, you can expect a hug as they ask you how you are. I’ve had so many casual conversations with uber drivers, people in the street, staff at our apartment building, other students…there’s such kindness at the center of most interactions, starkly different from what I’ve experienced in the US.
It’s been good for me to learn to greet with kindness. I think it would be good for everyone. It can be uncomfortable, sure—there’s been more than a few times where I went for a handshake and the other person went for a hug—but it’s come to be refreshing. There is absolutely a feeling of being noticed, like everyone you pass sees you and is happy that you exist. It feels good. It feels good to return the sentiment. The smile that I faked at the beginning of the semester with every buenas tardes has become more and more real.
Three Memories
I have so many more than three amazing memories, but I’ve decided to narrow it down to things that I haven’t already mentioned. First off is my birthday!
I celebrated my birthday fairly early in the semester. I haven’t really done anything for my birthday since I was a kid, but after class on that day, five of my friends and our local roommate surprised me with a trip to a painting café. We painted together all afternoon, then my roommates made pandebono waffles and got to meet my family over a video call.
I’d only been in the country for about two weeks and barely knew my cohort, but I felt so loved that day. Making friends can be really hard, especially in a new situation, but I remember looking around at the table of people painting and realizing just how much they already meant to me. I’m so grateful to all of them and their planning, and I’m glad I got the chance to meet them.
The second memory would be spring break! Kiara, another student in the program, and I traveled to Bogotá for a few days. We got a hostel downtown and packed our itinerary with museums and exploration. We wandered half the city, went up Monserrate (a mountain overlooking the entire city), and visited no fewer than six museums.
That week also happened to be an arts celebration in Bogotá, and almost every theater in the city was putting on multiple productions during the week. We saw two plays at a theater down the street from our hostel and were blown away both times. I love theatre and I’ve never seen a play in Spanish, and it was awesome.
We tried a different restaurant every day, bought corner store ice cream, and accidentally walked to the president’s house. The city was beautiful, the weather was pleasantly chilly, and we had so much fun. Every time I think about it, I can’t help but smile. It was definitely one of my best weeks in a long time.
The final memory comes from just last week: our local roommates held a talent show for us! You had to demonstrate a talent to get in, so I signed up with a scary story that I’d written (100% true, of course!). The evening was not only filled with impressive talents, but had a comfortable energy that practically glowed off the room.
There was a wide range of what people did—from origami to poetry to kombucha to jump roping, we just about ran the gamut of talents. Snacks and laughter abounded. I don’t think I stopped smiling the whole time. It ended with our local roommates donning cowboy outfits and doing a choreographed dance to a Hannah Montana song as we all sang along. It was so homey, so happy. I’m so grateful to our roommates for planning such an awesome activity.
Conclusion
Well, that’s all from me! I’ve loved my time here in Cali, Colombia. I’ve learned many a valuable lesson that I wasn’t able to list above, and I have so many memories that I’m going to carry with me forever. If you have the chance to study abroad, I recommend that you take it—it might just end up being unforgettable.
Much love,
Sam