RE: Starting my Research on Colombian cities (specifically 2nd Tier)
Ok Dash, a lot to keep in mind here.
My two cents, start working in a 1st tier city, meaning Bogota, Medellin, Cali (which has more gringos than you think), Cartagena, or Barranquilla. Then travel to other parts of Colombia (as a teacher you will get a bunch of vacation time) and see if a smaller city fits your parameters. Outside of those five cities, unless I was raising children and wanted to them to be able to run around freely, or had a hostel on the beach, I wouldn't live anywhere else in Colombia. I certainly wouldn't live anywhere else as a teacher, with a couple of exceptions.
The thing about second tier cities in Colombia is even if they have hundreds of thousands of people, they seem like American cities with maybe 40,000 people. The cities feel very small and insular. Everyone knows each other, gossip flies around, everything is very monocultural. If you are one of only a handful of gringos in a city, you will stick out, and word will travel fast. I imagine it would be difficult to game lots of different girls in a smaller city, but I have only travelled through some of these cities so I don't know what it would be like for someone who lives there.
A guy I knew worked as a teacher at a school in Valledupar (No. 19 on your list), and while he didn't quite regret it, he mentioned some things that you should keep in mind about smaller cities in Colombia.
1. If there are no universities in the city, that means nearly everyone aged 18-25 is out of town, and most of them are not coming back except for vacations. And most of them will find work in the city where they studied afterwards.
2. If you are teaching in a high school, you will see your students everywhere, even at bars where they will be drinking underage. It is possible that you will be told not to go to bars where you might run into your students, as opposed to the students getting in trouble for drinking underage.
3. Some cities in Colombia have a very idiosyncratic culture and nothing else. Valledupar is where Vallenato comes from, so people there listen to nothing else, not even reggaeton or salsa. If you don't like drinking whiskey on the stoop while dancing and listening to vallentato every weekend you are out of luck. I imagine other cities like that have similar vibes...meaning there is one thing to do, and no other options. Many cities have one nightlife district where everyone goes, and thats about it. On the other hand, in Bogota for example, there is an endless amount of options. There are entire nightlife districts in this city that I have yet to explore.
4. This goes for food too. In a second tier city, if you don't like the mostly bland Colombian food that most people eat, you are out of luck. Forget about good foreign food. Meat, arepas, and soup for you.
5. I would not overestimate the importance of being the only gringo in town. Once you go outside of the main four or five tourist districts in Bogota (Candelaria, Parque 93, Zona T, Chapinero, Unicentro) you will be the only gringo around in most places. You will figure out very quickly where most gringos are, and they are mostly scared to go anywhere not mentioned in the Lonely Planet guidebook, so you will be fine. I would say the effect of being the only gringo is negligible overall. It's much more interesting for your sake as a cultural experience than as a DHV that will get you more attention from girls, IMHO.
I know that you did a lot of research about Korea, and it still wasn't what you expected. The same thing will happen with smaller cities in Colombia...most of them would be too boring to live in. Below, I will list what I know or experienced about the second tier cities in Colombia with more than 200,000 people.
Cucuta - On the border with Venezuela. I have never been, but I was slightly north of there in the city of Maicao (31) and it was full of contraband smuggled in from Venezuela, and the kind of sketchy people who do that sort of thing. Has an awful rep among Colombians.
Bucaramanga - Every foreigner I have met teaching there is mostly happy with it. Lots of parks and hot girls. Hot weather. Still, a cultural desert for the most part, hope you like accordions.
Pereira - Girls are reputed to be very easy here. Most hookers in Colombia are either from Medellin or Pereira.
Ibague - Boring, ugly, hot. Lots of crime for a city of its size. Nothing to do.
Pasto - Near Ecuador, more indigenous culture. Colder weather similar to Bogota.
Manizales - Also has Bogota-like weather.
Neiva - A hole. Very hot. They have a fun festival for two weeks in June, but the rest of the year...meh.
Soledad - Right next to Barranquilla, basically the same thing.
Villavicencio - Close to Bogota, but has very hot weather. Cowboy style. Might be good as a jumpoff point to explore the llanos plains region, but the city itself is bland.
Armenia - Great weather, beautiful region (the coffee zone), but the city itself doesn't really have much going on. Located only an hour from Pereira.
Soacha - A ghetto city that is more or less part of Bogota. I would say don't live here.
Monteria, Sincelejo - Coastal cities with a lot of similarities to Valledupar. Very Costeño, macho culture but not very open-minded or interesting for more than a day or two. I know one family of missionaries who said they were appalled at the educational system in Sincelejo and moved to Bogota as a result, so I don't think there's much opportunity to teach there.
Buenaventura - Very black city, very dangerous, full of paramilitaries, drug smugglers, and Africa-like poverty. I dare you to live here, haha.
Popayan - I didn't see this city on the list, but it is a capital and probably has 300,000 people. I liked the city a lot. Great architecture, smart people, a bit of culture, few gringos. This and Bucaramanga are the two smaller cities I could probably make a go of it in.
Something to think about: Besides gaming chicks and learning Spanish, what do you want to do here? What hobbies would you be spending time on? Are you gonna be a beach bum? Do you like museums and cafes? Are you gonna learn how to dance? Will you get sick of the same food and partying and need variety? That might help you make a better decision. Of course, let me know if you have any questions.
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