Things that are different in Colombia (compared to GER/NL)

- People ask me why I don't have a second last name. In Latin cultures (including Spain) having a second last name is very normal, as you will get the first last name of your dad and then the first last name of your mom. This was sadly only the males last names are given further. 

the packed bus experience

- Nobody knows how to write or pronounce my name and many would like to call me by my second name Rebecca. Léonie is originally French and a really not common name here.

- In public toilets there is not always toilet paper inside of the cabin but outside where you wash your hands (the first times I didn't figure so I had to go out and get some haha)

- In the bus people let the seat "cool down" from the last person who sat down. (I actually never understood why people don't sit down properly but leave around 20cm between their butt and the seat for around 10 seconds until they sit down.)

real or not??

- I've been asked multiple times if my eyes were "real" or if I wore contacts (this comes due to my eye colour not being very common here. There are white, blond people that can have green eye, but blue does not really appear often here from people being Colombian)

- Traffic in Bogotá can be insane and therefore when the bus is very packed around night rush hour, people voluntarily take your backpack, bags or anything bigger you carry for making every bodies life easier (less bags in their faces, better way for you to hold on to something).

people waiting for "alimentadores" which are supplementary busses to neibourhoods further from the transmilenio station - when I gt back from work around 6/7 pm it is super packed

Respect each other in the bus!!

- Speaking of traffic, if you every go by car, bus, scooter, motociclye or anything comparable within Bogotá or Colombia, I can tell you hold tight onto something. Going around by public transport is especially intense at times, as traffic here does not know many rules. Most of the times it works underneath the principle of the stronger (bigger) the car, the faster you’ll get somewhere. Honestly I always thought that there were no consequences to their rather “fightful” driving style but now once in a while I saw some minor car crashes of cars kind of “kissing” each other.

- After living and working here for three months I also figured that communication is especially different from the German directness I grew up with. For example in emails or texts in Colombia you first ask how the person is doing, how their day was or how their family is doing … (you get the point). Then AFTER the person answered (when sending texts) you *finally* get to the question you wanted to ask in the first place. A real patience exercise for myself.

- Lesson for self: don’t be too direct here  

- In the office I sometimes encountered that if I have a “Bitch resting face” (super relaxed face) people mistake it a lot for being sad or angry as everybody in Colombia just eat happiness for breakfast every morning *grumpy German speaking*. No honestly people here make a lot out of their lives and almost never have a negative attitude, even though life here in Colombia can be truly tough. 

- Everyone here is professional when it comes to what fruit to eat depending on your stomachs mood. This has saved my life multiple times. I can tell you eating one WHOLE Pitaya (also known as dragon fruit, but the yellow and more yummy version) is NOT a good idea :D In general try to ask locals about the “effect” of different fruits as you’ll think you have an infection or bad reaction on something you ate even though it is “normal”.

Of course there is a lot more to tell about how people, life and culture here is very different here but maybe that I’ll tell you in a part II of this post. Let me know in the comments below ;)

Muchos Besos,

Leonie