In Barranquilla I would find a good variety of fresh fish, lobster, shrimp, scallops, and seafood.
Fruit is overwhelmingly abundant and they have many varieties most Americans have never heard of before.
In general, breakfast is quite important in Colombia and consists of fruit juice, coffee or hot chocolate, fruit, eggs and bread. Lunch which is served between 12:00 and 2:00 p.m., and is the main meal. A traditional lunch consists of a soup, a main seafood or meat dish, a drink and sometimes a dessert, which is generally very sweet.
Dinner is served around 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. and is light – more like a snack.
In addition to the conference calls, I watched the agency’s live webcast shows online that explained all aspects of international introductions. They had featured guests on the shows – from past male clients who talked about their experiences with the tour – and ladies who had gotten married as a result of these romance tours. The ladies explained why they married foreign men, their motivations and experiences (both good and bad) adapting to American life. It’s not always easy for foreigners to adjust to American life, especially if they don’t speak English.
The webcasts aired video clips of the socials where you can get an idea of how beautiful the ladies are and how the social is structured.
I learned that men would have the greatest success meeting a woman if they know what they want in a woman before they go and can stay focused. I know this sounds simple, but it’s not.
Because suddenly, there are all these beautiful women in front of you and you can easily lose sight of why you are there. But you need to stay focused and remember why you are on the tour and that is to find a life partner.
A group leader stated on a webcast: “Love makes you blind but lust makes you really, really stupid!!!”
I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. We as men sometimes lose all common sense when we are in a room of beautiful women. So, I would need to stay focused and remember that lust is short-term fun and love is for real. Even though the two sometimes masquerade as each other, if am focused, I should be able to tell the difference. The real trick is in deciding what I want…and that would be up to me!
So, I sat down one evening turned on some country music and relaxed in my favorite chair and gave serous thought about what it is I really looking for in a woman and a relationship. I made a list and then prioritized the important factors. For example, what is the age range of the woman I am looking for? Do I want any more children? What about her education level? By giving this some serious thought, I would be able to go through the process and the entire romance tour much more efficiently when meeting and talking with the ladies.
One night while watching the agency’s web cast, John, the host of the show, was talking about the men who have had the most success on the tours. He emphasized that at the socials, your goal should be to present yourself in the best light possible. Put your best foot forward. Be sincere and when a woman asks you questions, relax and respond naturally, openly and honestly. Also, be confident. John said, you would be very surprised at how many beautiful and sincere women will be attracted to you. Just know that while you’d like to have a woman in your life – you do not need a woman. John said, If you do this, you will have the best opportunity for success in finding that special woman.
These web casts gave me tons of information and key tips on the basics about what to do and not to do on a tour. They were very helpful.
Ironically, a friend of mine, George, called me up one Thursday evening after I had just finished watching a live webcast about a recent tour to Lima Peru and John the host interviewed some of the guys who had been on the tour. They also showed videos of the socials. I felt good after watching the web cast. The guys confirmed what I was thinking: Be honest! If you lie about yourself or any area of your life, you will attract women who are not compatible with the “real you.”
I told George about the show I had just watched and George said, “David, I don’t think I’d tell those women that you’ve been married twice.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. I hadn’t thought about lying to the women I’d meet. It never occurred to me.
“Well, think about it,” George said. “You don’t have a very good track record and you might scare off the ladies.”
Now, I know my friend George meant well. He has been married for 20 years and there’s never been a hiccup in his relationship – as far as I know.
“If I lie about something like that,” I said, “how can I expect our relationship to get off to a good start? She’ll eventually find out, of course.”
“Hey, I’m not saying that you never tell her about your marriages,” George said, “I’m just saying that you wait a while before admitting it to them. That way, you won’t scare anyone off.”
“I think I’ll stick with the good old fashioned policy of being honest up front. If the fact that I’ve been married twice turns someone off, then so be it. She isn’t the one for me anyway.”
“O.K. It’s your life,” he said.
I’ve always believed honesty is the best policy.
I thought: Nothing comes good from lying and it will greatly hurt your chances of success.
But most importantly, I watched the webcast for the socials because the social is the main event for the romance tour. This was where I would meet hundreds of women in just a few days.
The agency had scheduled three socials for my romance tour. The first two were on Friday and Saturday nights in Barranquilla at the ballroom of the hotel I would be staying at. The third social would be a beach social in Santa Marta, which is a short distance from Barranquilla by bus.
During each social, I would meet from 80 to 120 different women depending on how many men were on the tour. The agency likes a ratio of 8 to 10 ladies to each man in order to give their clients the best opportunity to make successful matches. Meeting so many women would give me the best chance to find chemistry and a connection with a woman.
I watched these webcasts to learn as much as possible about the socials because – for me – I am more nervous when I do not know what to expect and I wanted to be as relaxed as possible on the tour and at the socials.
These webcasts helped prepare me for my big adventure; they were an excellent guide, which offered me the best opportunity for success on my romance tour.
Chapter Four
The TV Crew Comes to Houston
One night, about four weeks before the tour, while I was watching a car race on TV, John, the owner of the agency, called me.
“How are you?” I asked.
John said, “David, I received a call from the producer of a TV show and they would like to film the tour you will be attending. What do you think?”
“Which show is it?”
John said, “It’s a new documentary show hosted by Lisa Ling that will be on a new cable network that begins in January. They ask me not to go into any more detail at this time, but I can say they are well respected.”
“Okay I understand, what’s the show’s theme?” I asked.
John said, “I do not know exactly. But after talking with the producer, it sounds like they are going to film stories with an open mind and no preconceived notions. This story is not going to be an investigation story, but one just showing real men and women looking for love and marriage in an unconventional way.”
“That sounds good. I am not embarrassed about my decision to go on a romance tour, so I have a no problem with a camera crew.”