Near the end of my trip around the world in 2009, I tried to leave Medellín.
I even booked a flight to Santa Marta on Colombia's Caribbean coast. But after more than a year of moving constantly - new countries, new hostels, new friendships that disappeared almost as quickly as they formed - something about Medellín felt different.
The night before my departure, I canceled the ticket. I wasn't ready to leave.
Looking back, I couldn't quite put my finger on it at the time. Medellín just buzzed with a kind of energy I hadn't felt anywhere else. Trying to explain it to friends back in the States was nearly impossible, especially since Colombia's reputation at the time was still colored by old headlines.
But the city's mountain backdrop, the gentle spring air that never seemed to change, the pulse of nightlife, and the easy warmth of the people drew me in from the start.
But there was another reason I stayed: I wanted to build a life rather than just pass through another destination, and learning Spanish in Colombia became a huge part of that experience.
That decision changed the course of my life. I had enough long-forgotten high school Spanish to get by as a backpacker, but living in Colombia was something entirely different.
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Learning Spanish Went Beyond Survival
Before landing in Colombia, my Spanish was mostly the kind you pick up on short trips through Costa Rica, Belize, or Guatemala. I could order a plate of food, ask for directions, and muddle through the basics.
But day-to-day life in Medellín quickly showed me that surviving as a traveler and actually living somewhere are two very different things.
Daily routines started to demand a level of communication that I'd never needed while wandering from hostel to hostel. During my first month in Medellín, I met a German student who rented a room from a Colombian university student.
Next thing I knew, I was unpacking my bag in their spare bedroom, swapping hostel bunks for five months of real, everyday life-grocery runs, group meals, and all.
When I returned to Colombia in 2010 after a brief trip back to the United States, another friend connected me with a Colombian roommate I lived with for years afterward.
Those shared apartments turned into crash courses in both language and culture. Every meal, every late-night chat in the kitchen, pushed me to use Spanish, even when I felt clumsy or out of my depth.
Despite all the patience and encouragement from friends and roommates, I often felt like I was watching life from the sidelines, not quite in the game. But little by little, almost without realizing it, I began to feel the shift.
How Salsa Dancing Helped Me Feel Less Like an Outsider
One of the biggest turning points came through salsa dancing.
Back in the States, I'd dabbled in a few salsa classes at a studio, but in Medellín, dance was woven into daily life. Music spilled out of bars, taxis, corner shops, and open windows. People danced because it was simply part of who they were-not for show, just for the joy of it.
At first, I felt stiff and out of place, certain that everyone could spot the foreigner fumbling through the steps. But friends in Medellín pulled me in, and before long, I was stepping onto the dance floor, Spanish still rough, but willing to give it a go.
Funny thing about learning a language: sometimes your confidence comes before your fluency ever does.
The more I faltered in conversations, the more I wanted to keep trying. And as I kept showing up, Medellín started to feel like somewhere I belong.
The More Spanish I Learned, the More Colombia Opened Up
Before arriving in Medellín, I had already started reaching out to people through Couchsurfing, and during my first week in the city, I began meeting some of them in person.
Many were Colombians who had studied or lived abroad and spoke excellent English, which made those early interactions feel far less intimidating.
They introduced me to neighborhoods like El Poblado, Laureles, Envigado, and Sabaneta while helping me navigate the city socially and culturally. Some nights involved salsa dancing and loud bars.
Others were quieter conversations over beers and aguardiente, where conversations constantly shifted between English and Spanish.
Little by little, I noticed myself reaching for English less often. I started pushing through those awkward, stop-and-start conversations in Spanish, even when I knew I was butchering the grammar.
Those moments changed the way I traveled. Before Colombia, I was always on the move, collecting places and swapping stories with other English-speaking backpackers. But in Medellín, learning Spanish nudged me out of that comfortable bubble and into real conversations with people who actually called the city home.
And that made the experience infinitely rewarding. The more Spanish I learned, the less intimidating daily life became.
Ordering traditional Colombian food became a real exchange, not a quick transaction. Taxi rides turned into story swaps with drivers who always seemed curious about what brought me to Colombia. Friendships became deeper, more genuine.
Immersion Helped - But It Wasn't Efficient
In the end, I stayed for years. I started a website about expat life in Medellín, made friends I still talk to today, traveled all over Colombia, and built a new life from scratch.
Looking back, learning the language was the key that unlocked everything. But immersion alone wasn't always an efficient teacher.
Living abroad forces you to adapt quickly, but it also means you can pick up some stubborn bad habits. I lost track of how many times I knew exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn't land it in Spanish.
Most of what I learned came from repetition, context, and plenty of trial and error. Structured lessons or real feedback were few and far between.
Revisiting Spanish Through Preply
That's one reason I recently decided to revisit Spanish through Preply.
Seventeen years after I first landed in Medellín, I'm not exactly starting from scratch. But like anyone who's let a language get a little dusty, I'd lost some of that easy flow. I wanted to get back to real conversations in Spanish, and maybe see just how much the language had shaped my years in Colombia.
Right away, I noticed how different it felt to actually talk with someone again, instead of just running through exercises solo.
Instead of mindlessly tapping through app exercises, I was back in real conversations. I picked a tutor from Medellín who also happened to teach salsa - a bit of serendipity, given how much salsa had shaped my time in Colombia.
Trial Lesson
I was a little nervous before joining my first lesson on Preply, but my tutor, Johanna, quickly put me at ease with her friendly disposition. Hearing her paisa Spanish brought back memories of countless conversations I'd had while living in Medellín years earlier.
People often say that the Spanish spoken in Medellín is especially clear and easy for learners to understand, but for me, it felt familiar. This sense of familiarity made me instantly more comfortable and excited to be speaking a second language again.
The first half of our trial session focused on introductions. Johanna explained her teaching approach and told me she likes to structure classes around a roughly 70-30 balance: conversational speaking first, followed by focused grammar work. As we talked, she quietly took notes on areas where I could improve.
It hit me right away how differently I'd learned Spanish back in Colombia. Most of it came through immersion and conversation - pure sink-or-swim language learning.
Over time, locals got better at deciphering my broken Spanish, and I got bolder about speaking up, but I seldom stopped to really study grammar. Now, coming back to the language, I can see how shoring up those basics would have made everything flow more naturally.
Lesson #2
By the time our second lesson arrived the next day, I logged on feeling excited instead of nervous. We had already broken the ice, and I felt confident I'd made the right choice in a tutor.
One thing I appreciated while choosing a tutor on Preply was being able to read reviews from other students. Nearly every tutor I looked at with ties to Medellín had excellent ratings and thoughtful feedback, which made the process feel much less intimidating.
Our second lesson started easily. Johanna asked about my weekend plans, and soon we were talking about my work as a food and travel blogger. What surprised me was how quickly the Spanish started coming back once we got rolling.
I caught myself explaining ideas and telling stories I hadn't tried to share in Spanish in years. It felt like muscle memory kicking in; I just needed the chance and a little room to stretch those skills again.
At one point, the conversation drifted toward salsa dancing in Medellín, which became one of my favorite parts of living there years ago.
Johanna mentioned Son Havana in Laureles as one of her favorite places to dance, and I immediately smiled because I had spent nights there myself. We also talked about El Tibiri and El Eslabón Prendido, salsa bars that I hadn't thought about in years.
It was a small thing, but it reminded me how closely language and memory are linked. I wasn't just practicing Spanish; I was reliving old nights, familiar neighborhoods, favorite songs, and all the moments that made Colombia feel like home.
At the same time, the grammar portion of the lesson certainly challenged me.
Breaking down sentence patterns and thinking consciously about grammar rules taxed my brain in ways that casual conversation never did when I was living abroad. But that mix of relaxed conversation and targeted correction made the lessons feel particularly effective.
Before I knew it, the 50 minutes had flown by, and we were already saying goodbye again.
Lesson #3
By the end of our third lesson, we had spent almost the whole session just talking about travel in South America.
At one point, I admitted to Johanna that I still enjoyed the conversational parts of our lessons much more than the grammar exercises. She laughed and told me that if she could improve my grammar by even 20%, it would take my Spanish to a whole new level.
What really surprised me was how quickly these conversations pulled old memories and feelings right back to the surface.
Getting back into Spanish reminded me that language learning was never just about words or grammar. It was about confidence, curiosity, and being willing to feel awkward.
Some of my best memories from Colombia only happened because I kept stumbling through tough conversations instead of hiding behind silence.
Why Language Changes the Way You Experience a Place
I still mess up all the time. I probably always will. But being willing to speak up, even when it wasn't perfect, changed my life in ways I never could have imagined back when I first rolled into Medellín as a tired backpacker.
If you're picking up a language for travel, that's the mindset I'd recommend. Fluency doesn't come first; it's what you build by showing up, having conversations before you feel ready, and letting yourself be uncomfortable for a while.
Honestly, if I'd had regular one-on-one lessons back in those early months in Colombia, I think I would have found my footing a lot sooner.
If you've been thinking about improving your language skills for travel or reconnecting with a language you used to speak, you can try Preply here and receive 70% off your first lesson:
Colombia changed my life in more ways than I can count, but learning Spanish is what truly deepened the experience. Without the language, Medellín would have been just another stop on a long trip. Instead, it became home.
Disclosure: This story was published in paid partnership with Preply. All opinions and experiences are my own.
