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By the time we landed in Medellín, I wasn’t sure what I would be returning to, but I knew exactly why I was here.
Medellín has become one of my Pisces forms of escapism, a city where I can exhale. Contradicting, right? One of the busiest cities in South America somehow brings me peace. My partner was one of the millions of people who lost their job this year, my lease in Atlanta was ending, the rent was going up more than $400, and I was juggling too many things at once. I didn’t know if I wanted to put down roots or keep letting the world pull me where it wanted. I’ve lived in five cities in the last ten years, and while being nomadic has shaped so much of who I am, I’ve also started craving something steady. A home. A place that feels like mine. And yes, some equity, because millennial survival is still very real.
Arriving Between Chapters
When we arrived, we were in the middle of a bidding battle for a beautiful historic home in Adair Park. I got the text that we lost the house shortly after getting to our Airbnb. So there I was, in Colombia for the third time, asking myself every question at once. What does the next chapter look like? Is this really what I want? Am I actually ready to stay still? I needed a reset, and Medellín gave me space to sit with the questions without demanding immediate answers.
Medellín is one of those places where life moves quickly but never feels rushed. Slow coffee in the morning. Shops that open closer to noon. People outside, in parks, on sidewalks, sitting, talking, being. Despacio que voy de afán. Go slowly, I’m in a hurry. I needed that reminder. While I worked remotely, my partner took Spanish lessons and explored during the day, I loved that we created our own little exhale moments. I slowly built my own routine: walk to Provenza, run out of breath on the hills, come back, sit in the sauna, shower, birdwatch from the patio, and log in for eight hours. The route became familiar. The security guard had the door open for me every morning at 7:15. The city started to feel less like a place I was visiting and more like a place that was letting me belong for a little while.
Rest Doesn't Always Look Like Stillness
For me, rest does not always look like stillness. Sometimes exhaling means exploring. I crave new spaces, new faces, hidden art on side streets, sugar cane juice from street stalls, and conversations that remind me how big the world is. Since this was my third time in Medellín, my challenge was not just seeing the city. It was connecting to it more deeply. This was also the first time my partner and I spent a full month abroad together, and it was nice to see the city through both of our eyes. We grocery shopped at Jumbo, cooked oxtail on a random Tuesday, picked our favorite Botero pieces at Museo de Antioquia, got new glasses at the mall, took a food tour rooted in Black art and culture, and spent a week in the Coffee Region collecting stories, peace, and some of the worst mosquito bites of my entire life. More on all of that later.
Home, Expanded
Every other day, we went back and forth about what was right. What is the next move? Will I keep my job? How do we move forward? Where do we actually want to build? By day 27, something had shifted. We were still uncertain, but the answer felt clearer: it was time to plant roots and find a place that could be ours for a while. Home has never been one singular place for me. It has always been expansive. It is Dallas, Tulsa, Atlanta, Rio, Mexico City, Medellín, and every place that has held a version of me long enough for me to change.
Colombia continues to feel like a home away from home, but this trip reminded me that travel is not always about finding somewhere new. Sometimes it is about returning somewhere familiar long enough to hear yourself think again. Over the next few stories, I’ll share more from Medellín, the Coffee Region, the restaurants that made me feel like a local, the people who stayed with me, and the moments that made leaving Colombia feel harder than ever.