The American Dream Has Fooled So Many For So Long

I have often joked with friends or people I have met that I will trade you passports. Half of me is kidding and the other half-serious.

I got a comment on a recent YouTube video this morning. The video was about why I moved to Colombia and the things I like about this country. The usual YouTube video stuff.

It said, “if Colombia is so great, why are thousands of Colombians applying for passports, to leave as soon as possible?”

It made me think. First, a passport is to travel. Colombia is a small country and South America is huge. You need a passport to travel.

My response to this person was a passport differs from applying for a visa. If you want to live somewhere, you need a visa.

Yes, you can country hop, but most of us who want to stay do it with a visa. Country hopping gets old and is a risk.

I am not good at witty comments.

Reading into his comment, I am pretty sure what he wanted to say was. Colombians want a passport to come to the US and “steal our jobs”. I added that extra part because I can imagine this person, maybe I am projecting.

Sitting at home, complaining about the “foreigners” stealing my job.

It made me think. Does he work for the passport agency? The US government or the Colombian government. To know how many Colombians each year apply for passports. Wow, and he is watching my little video here on YouTube.

I did a quick google search, how many Colombians apply for a passport each year, no idea. Google did not tell me.

I found out how many people from the US apply for passports each year. 15,496,590 in 2021.

I know you all want to get a passport and get out of there. You are not fooling me!

It is definitely not for travel. Some of you want to ex-pat like me, but not all.

There is something this commenter wasn’t aware of. Colombians actually have to apply for a visa to visit the US. It usually costs around 500USD and it is not as easy as it is for me to come here.

I had a friend who has family in the US and wanted to visit. He went through the process, paid the fee, had an interview. He got denied. He does not want to move to the US to live; he speaks English and is an Engineer. Comes from a very wealthy family and wanted to visit his family and see the US.

When you get denied, you do not get your money back.

The US passport is 7th in the world. The Colombian passport is 44th in the world.

Not the best, but not the worst.

Colombians that I have met tell me they either have family in the US they would like to visit. Or, they do not want to visit.

Many people I have met in Latin America tell me they would prefer to visit Italy or Germany or somewhere in Europe.

For example, my boyfriend is Colombian. He has never been to the US and the only place he wants to visit is Italy. He speaks Italian and loves Roman History.

So he plans on saving money so he can go visit. He does not want to live there. He wants to spend a month traveling. He does not need a visa that costs 500USD and can buy a ticket and go.

I asked him if he has ever wanted to visit the US and he says no.

Until he met me; he did not want to learn English. He says the language is not pretty, but knows it is useful to learn and is now learning. I want to bring him to visit my family, so we will see if that will happen.

Most Colombians I have met do not want to leave their country. They love it here and are proud of it.

Yes, they want to travel. Who doesn’t?

I have met Colombians in Thailand as I have met Europeans.

So it always pisses me off when someone makes a comment like this. It is not only Colombia; it is Latin America and Mexico.

If you tell people in the states, you are traveling throughout Mexico and South America, there will always be that one person. They will say they all want your passport to move to the US.

It is so arrogant. I joke I want their passport and it shuts that person up. Yet if I say I am going to Europe or Asia. I never get this response.

How is it any different?

There are countries in Asia that are 3rd world countries, or emerging countries. Not sure of the correct term these days.

The countries that are not as rich as our massive country full of debt and unhappiness, oh sorry, that’s the USA, the greatest country in the world (I say this sarcastically). Everyone wants to be us and move there.

Most people want a change in their life. I wanted a better life. I moved to Colombia. Yet, that is ok because I am a fancy ex-pat.

I moved to a country that is way cheaper for me and I can have a better way of living because I have USD. How is that any different from someone who wants to move to the US so they can have a better life for their families?

It is the same. Except we as a nation are so judgey.

I have met a few Colombians who live in the US. Most were doctors in the hospital I worked at, so it is ok that they immigrated right? They are doctors.

However, if you meet a Colombian and he is working in a restaurant, “he is probably illegal”. I know I am right. I am from the US. I have heard people say this to my face. Don’t go there, they want your passport. Don’t date one, they will use you.

I was married to an English guy from a super-rich family when I was 24. I am convinced to this day he used me for a passport. Once he found the weather in California was not dreary as England he was hooked.

I say this because he was a raging narcissist. He wanted the “American Dream” the one I have run away from every chance I get. It did not work. He cheated, lied, and stole from me.

Oh, and he got what he wanted: a 10-year green card for the US. He is living in Malibu, and I think doing insurance scams. I was young and dumb. Intuition is always right though, and I knew it but got manipulated.

I digress.

If you have never traveled throughout Latin America, I recommend it. It is not what you expect. It is amazing; the people are amazing the food, the lands. They are more connected to the earth than most countries.

It is a special place and to assume they want to leave these lands is ignorance. I have met more travelers and nomads who choose to stay and do not want to return to the stressed-out US of A.

Do not think I am hating on the US completely I am not. I hate the ignorance and judgemental parts of the US. Not the entire country. I do not lump everyone into one group.

I only know that what is right is right and what is wrong is wrong.This obviously is subjective to each person.

Thinking you are better than someone because you were fortunate enough to be born in a 1st world country is wrong.

I understand how fortunate I am that I have US dollars and hold a US passport. It gives me more freedoms and options.

When someone does tell me they want to move to the US obviously I tell them if you have the chance to better yourself you should always take it. I would tell you this if you are from the US also. Yet if you want to move to the US just to earn USD, I give them solutions.

I met a guy who speaks English, maybe better than me, and is Colombian. He teaches English online! He makes USD through a US-based company.

That is the solution. That is what I tell people.

Please do not move to a country because you think it is the only way to feed your family. Take advantage of the online opportunities and find US clients. I have actually helped a few of my friends set up teaching Spanish online. They told me thank you for helping me. It was the perfect solution.

You might think that is not right. They are stealing our jobs. No, they are not. They are doing what they need to do to take care of their families. You would do the same. Also, can you teach Spanish?

We all do the best with what we have. My boyfriend has written 2 books. He edits YouTube videos and podcasts. He is super type A and organized, so his work reflects this.

He could get a US-paying job doing it. Yet he won’t because it’s his thing, he wants to sell his books and wants to write all day. I am going to link him here. If you speak Spanish, check him out!

He does not want to be rich and move to the US. He wants to make enough money so we can live on a farm and makes enough money to support me and his mom.

That would be about 500–700 dollars a month here in the countryside. Actually less, we spend about 300 a month for all of us now!

So that puts it into perspective a little.

I also say a lot of this from personal experience. When I was younger, I was warped by the US. I thought a lot of these things. I learned how wrong I was.

How I was influenced by those around me, mainly my family. Most of them are awful people that I do not have contact with.

Now I am an advocate to my niece and nephews about treating humans as humans. Being born in a certain country is pure luck. That does not mean that you look down on others who might have a different life. Different does not equal bad. It means different.

I had a different life growing up.

I grew up in the valley here. Without running water, and off grid.

You might not like a person for their personality that is different! I don’t like many people and I don’t care what they look like. An asshole is an asshole no matter what country you are in.

My niece and nephews see me traveling, meeting new people, speaking other languages. I like to think it is helping form them into better little humans. They will never grow up to think they are better than anyone.

I am hoping I can have them visit me in Colombia so they can see how different the rest of the world is. Once you leave the US, there is an entire world out there. That so many people never get to see.

To get out of a country that is full of depression, overworked, burnt- out angry people. Not everyone! Yet the rotten apples are always the ones seen and heard. So they get noticed and then the rest of the country is judged on these people.

I will never deny that Colombia has its issues. It is still a corrupt country. There is still sex tourism, trafficking, and narco-trafficking. So it is not perfect, no country is.

Be aware of what you are getting into. In the US , they like to make it look like it is a perfect country with nothing wrong. Now the seams are cracking. The country is not perfect, except it has the illusion of perfection to the outside world.

I choose not to live in a country that is deceitful. Colombia I know what I am getting, USA you never know what you are getting. Except for debt and more debt.

Welcome to the USA.

The facade is so welcoming, it’s like how they trap you. Those of us who escaped understand.

If you are reading this and have never left the US, I probably have made you angry.

The truth hurts sometimes.

Anyway, this is only my opinion.

So what do you think? Is this article complete BS, or do you understand where I am coming from?