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For Mary, moving to Pereira, Colombia, was partially inspired by family (her daughter and grandson live in the city), but equally so by the cost-effective lifestyle available to her. She arrived in Colombia in May of 2016. Her first few months were spent on a tourist visa to get settled and see if she was ready to commit.
A lot of people are falling in love with the breathtaking mountain scenery (even from the city center), easy-to-reach amenities, and the year-round late spring microclimate in Pereira, Colombia.
Picture a two-story home in a tropical rainforest, where food grows abundantly, and butterflies play. Goats graze outside and occasionally you hear a call from the turkey and chickens clucking in the yard.
Life can be strange. One minute my husband Bryan and I are working the 9-to-5 routine, and the next we are looking at our future overseas. We sold everything we had, and off we went. Now we live in the capital of the Colombian coffee region, Pereira.
I awake to the sound of gentle rain on the roof. Its chilly but not cold. It's never cold. Even sweat pants give way to shorts by mid-morning on most days.
Morning comes casually here. I wander into the kitchen in shorts, a tank, and flip flops…it will never be cold enough for something heavier. As I get breakfast going, my husband, Jaime, fixes his hot chocolate. No rush hour traffic, no icy roads either.