What I learned in Colombia

EngFlow has multiple entities around the world, one of which is in Colombia. This year we’ve chosen Colombia as the site for our 2025 Leadership Summit, and I added a few days and weekends to explore the country with our team members, see how they live and meet their families. It’s been an incredible experience visiting Medellin, El Retiro, Itagui, Cali and Bogota, and I’ve captured a few learnings from this trip in a blog.

• Watercolors are the communication medium across languages and generations. I’ve done 3 plein-air watercolor sessions during this trip with team members and their families, in El Retiro, Cali and Bogota (see our sketches below). It was the best way to connect with people despite my limited Spanish, and to discover hidden talents of our employees, their family members and farm workers! It was also a great way to be in the moment with nature while letting color and water reflect what we saw.

• Hills and mountains everywhere. Many Colombian cities are bookmarked by beautiful Andean mountains, which make picturesque city landscapes that are fun to explore, especially in Medellin via the cable car Metro from one part of the mountain to the other across the city. You can also see the beautiful cultural and religious symbols, like the Monserrate in Bogota, and Cristo Rey atop a mountain in Cali - Colombia has its own Jesus on the hill!

• Employees are uplifting their communities. For every Colombian employee, there is an entire community that is benefiting. Many of our team members support multiple family members (financially, medically and spiritually), and even entire communities, by giving them entrepreneurial advice, work opportunities and mentorship in dealing with complex family or debt situations.
• “Colombia is a poor country for rich people” is a quote I heard on this trip, and also saw some validation. While the food seems incredibly low priced (and amazing quality) for someone like me coming from NYC, the real estate is one of the signals of economic disparity. You may rent a beautiful multi-bedroom apartment in Cali for $1,000/month, and yet pay $500/month for a small apartment on the outskirts of Medellin in a poor area, and somehow live there while getting a monthly minimum wage of only $345! It’s no surprise that expats and folks who work in the tech sector are helping support their families and communities at large.
• Salsa is the social language. I had the opportunity to be at two salsa clubs, both in Cali - the Salsa capital! I was impressed with how well everyone danced, how international the club audience was, and how much the social culture revolves around dancing, from meeting new people to having a great time with your friends.
• Incredible variety of fruits. Thanks to team member encouragement, I’ve tried a wide variety of fruits unknown to me, some available in the US and some which were totally surprising: multiple varieties of passion fruit (my favorite of these was granadilla), pitaya, chontaduro, lulo, guanabana, uchuva, and my absolute favorite of them all - mangostine!
• I am secretly Colombian! I discovered lots of similarities between growing up in Ukraine and Colombia, from being unapologetically direct to being animated and loud, while also warm and friendly, with a healthy dose of sarcasm (which, in my opinion, is a mandatory ingredient of maintaining optimism and perseverance, while growing up in tough conditions).

I look forward to coming back, and to exploring more of the special communities where our team members live around the world. Onto a new adventure!