I’m originally from Co Kilkenny, but now I call Medellín my home. I first came to Colombia 18 years ago, as a backpacker, at a time when even my Colombian uncle-in-law said it was not safe.
But it was love at first sight.
I’d been a massive fan of the writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, ever since my friend Máire introduced me to him, so arriving here was like being in a Gabo novel. Colombia is magical realism personified. With the changing landscapes, the different cultures, food and music, it is multiple countries in one.
I’ve travelled the world working as a teacher and a non-governmental organisation worker, but nowhere quite feels like Colombia. Here the people are so kind and welcoming. This hasn’t changed in the 16 years since I met Santi, now my husband, at a bus stop. I had no Spanish and was trying to find my way to the city centre of Medellín to do some volunteering. When I asked if anyone spoke English, in my broken Spanish, he was the only one who could and showed me where I needed to go.
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Over the next few months, we travelled to the south of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and my love affair with this beautiful place took on a whole new meaning.
I returned home to Ireland, but Colombia was never far from my thoughts, so I found myself back there, the following year, in 2009, teaching at a primary school in Cali.
In 2010 I returned to Ireland to teach and completed a master’s in humanitarian action and then went to work in Cambodia.
Myself and Santiago had very little contact until 2018, when he sent me an email saying he was travelling to Europe. We met up as friends and I suppose the rest is history.
I decided to move to Colombia as the visa process was much easier for me and Santi’s architecture qualifications are not recognised in Ireland. This, along with the housing issues in Ireland, made life here in Colombia a better option for us both.
Santi is an architect and certified tour guide, so we decided to set up a tour company – Purace Travel Colombia – specialising in bespoke private tours for travellers wanting to experience the real Colombia. People love that we are both local and foreign, so we have special insights into the Colombian culture. We endeavour to create authentic, ethical and truly unique experiences for our clients, so we are always on the road, constantly seeking out the perfect places to bring them. It’s a big change from teaching, but I’m loving it.
Sometimes, I struggle with the sheer distance I am from home. I can’t simply drop over to friends and family for a quick chat. We are in contact all the time, but it’s not the same. I miss being so near the sea at home, salt-and-vinegar crisps and Kerrygold butter, but for now Colombia is home.
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