Perceptions about countries can change at a sloth’s speed.

Thinking of a long trip I made to Latin America in 2018 reminds me of just how long it can take information about countries to proliferate.

In the summer of 2018, I took a solo four country trip to the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico. I was expecting a little pushback from friends and family about the safety of traveling to Venezuela.

Upon hearing of the trip, my aunt had a concerned voice.

She asked: "Is it gonna be safe in..."

[I was anticipating the sentence would surely end with "Venezuela"]

"...Colombia?" she said.

I was stunned and amused at the same time.

At the time, Caracas was one of the crime and murder capitals of the world. Colombian major cities were (and probably still are) far safer for tourists.

My Aunt was likely thinking of a Colombia from 30 years prior - the late '80s and early '90s, whereas she hadn't gotten the memo of how much violent crime Venezuela had fallen into.

It was a great illustration of how long it can take country perceptions to change.

Mind you, my aunt is no ignoramus, or American isolationist. She (along with many other very intelligent people) just had a very outdated concept about these foreign countries.

Oftentimes that dissonance between perception and reality creates an information arbitrage for residence and mobility opportunities. Many are skating to where the puck was, while others are skating to where the puck is going, as my canuck colleague David Lesperance is fond of saying.

That's part of the fun and challenge of being a mobility advocate/lawyer/advisor.

#freedomofmovement #perception #colombia #venezuela #residency #latinamerica #grownostr