| Americans avoid Colombia for good reasons. A | | | | conflicts occur in the countryside. While |
| virtual civil war has been waged for nearly | | | | this can make inter-city travel risky at |
| 40 years. Rates of crime and violence are | | | | times, residents inside major cities like |
| among the world's highest. And then there's | | | | Bogota, Cali, and Medellin feel little impact |
| the "drug problem." Why would anyone consider | | | | and live quite normally. Adjusting to power |
| coming here to teach English?"I came because | | | | failures, phone or water outages, and rainy |
| a friend who was working in Cali liked it | | | | season flooding is more of a nuisance than |
| here and recommended it," says Glenn Yates, a | | | | life-threatening. Larger cities are |
| teacher now in his second year at a bilingual | | | | reasonably well policed and usually safe, if |
| school. Tired of Canada's frigid winters, he | | | | you're careful.Drugs? Most illicit production |
| fled to a land of year-round warm weather and | | | | is for export, so, except for warring drug |
| an even warmer welcome.Colin Jacobs, weary of | | | | factions in the coca-growing areas, there's |
| gloomy days and drizzle, found his way to | | | | not much everyday impact. During major |
| teaching English in Cali from his native | | | | holidays the government steps up military |
| England more than 20 years ago and hasn't | | | | patrols of principal highways and vacation |
| left since. "I don't think I could live in | | | | resort areas to insure protection and safer |
| London again," he says. "After adjusting to | | | | travel for vacationers.Quality of LifeCali, |
| the near-perfect weather, the food, and the | | | | with two million residents, is known as the |
| easy-going lifestyle here, I'm not really | | | | "Salsa capital of the world," rivaling Cuba. |
| keen to go back. I'm spoiled for life."So am | | | | The two largest shopping malls house |
| I. Hundreds of varieties of flowers perfume | | | | multi-cinema complexes featuring first-run |
| the air, even in winter. Pantries abound with | | | | U.S. films in English with Spanish subtitles. |
| exotic fruits like Guayaba and Carambolo. The | | | | English publications are readily available at |
| year-long growing season allows papayas to | | | | bookstores and newsstands. Material in |
| reach nearly the size of watermelons; mangoes | | | | English can be borrowed free from the |
| can weigh up to two pounds each. Colombia's | | | | Universidad Santiago de Cali and for a $3 |
| strong, black coffee, considered the world's | | | | annual fee from the Centro Cultural Colombo |
| richest, is served everywhere.But Is It | | | | Americano. The Municipal Theatre, Tertulia |
| Safe?There are problems, yes, but not of | | | | Arts Complex, and Jorge Isaacs Theatre offer |
| "run-screaming-to-the-hills" intensity. Most | | | | regular productions in Spanish. |