"Chisme! Chisme!"

It's been an amusing four weeks here. For one, I was in the United States for a couple of weeks visiting my family and spending quality time with them. It was my first time back in my home country in six months, and the first thing I thought after getting off the plane was, "Why is everybody around me speaking English?" It's funny what living in another country can do to you.

My vacation however sparked some crazy chismes (gossip) around the wild world of Colombian entertainment. The Colombian showbiz magazine TVyNovelas published a little blurb in their gossip section saying I was suffering from a "profound depression" and took the first flight back to the U.S. without saying goodbye or packing my things. The cause? Apparently I was feeling lonely due to the lack of a woman in my life. Ouch! I really had no idea!

Mark Twain's famous quote comes to mind: "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated." We also say in the television business, "Any publicity is good publicity."

So, let's get the facts straight: Although I'm still single and am still looking for the ideal woman, I'm perfectly okay with that. Being single has given me a lot more freedom and a lot more opportunities to discover myself and to realize my potential. When the time is right, I know I will find that special woman. In the meantime, I'm still happy just the way I am and I still love this country just as much as the day I first visited this place over two years ago. Why leave?

In conclusion: I'm still here and happy in Colombia; I still work at RCN; and although I'm single, I'm not lonely; and when I think about it, I'm really not that ready to have another girlfriend yet.

TVyNovelas however wasn't my only highlight of the week. The Cartagena-based magazine FEST was very generous to interview me and publish a long profile piece on me for their first edition. I told my entire story on how I was introduced to Colombia and how I was able to work my way into the position I am today. I give much thanks to Director Antonio Villa for featuring me. It was my first big magazine feature and I really feel honored.

Also, if you're in Colombia, keep an eye on El Lavadero. Just a couple of days before leaving for the U.S. I was featured as "El Taxista" (The Taxi Driver) on their program. I have no idea when my segment will be broadcast but I'm assuming it will be soon.

Moving on, we're trying a new thing here at RCN News: updates 24 hours a day! I've been assigned to the overnight shift (10 PM to 6 AM) where I'll be updating colombianews.tv with fresh content in the wee hours of the morning. So if you wake up early or stay up late (however you perceive it), then you'll get to see my stories as they come out. My morning newscast in the meantime has been put on hold while we try out this new format.

Also, in case you didn't know: October 16 marks the one-year anniversary of the day I arrived to Bogotá to follow my heart and pursue my dreams in this beautiful country; not having the slightest clue as to what was going to happen to me. It's truly amazing how fast time flies by and how much has happened since then.

"¡Ave María Pués!" – My Return to Medellín

My return to Medellín, of course, was inevitable. After all, it was the first city I ever visited in Colombia and the one city that inspired me to ultimately change my entire life; and for that, I will always carry Medellín in a special place in my heart.

Although my home now is Bogotá, I will always feel a stronger connection to Medellín for those reasons. People even say I speak Spanish as if I learned it in Medellín. Apparently it's is an odd combination of gringo and paisa. I guess it's because I've always found the paisa (Medellín) accent easier to imitate than a rolo (Bogotá) accent, even though rolos insist they speak the better Spanish. Paisas however couldn't disagree less.

I arrived to the "City of Eternal Spring" on August 5 to cover the Fería de las Flores (Flower Fair) running around like a chicken with its head cut off – making stories, writing scripts on my BlackBerry, tracking them, locating the RCN satellite truck to send it back to Bogotá, and of course fighting heavy holiday traffic.

Once the stuff was sent, I had to call my producers and instruct them how I wanted the story to be done, hoping they would understand me with loud salsa music booming in the background of Parque Norte.

It was all a rush but I felt very proud I was able to accomplish this, and I wouldn't mind doing it at all again.

On my trip, I met Medellín Mayor Alonso Salaso and climbed to the top of the Mayor's Office, getting a perfect 360° view of the city. I also visited Medellín's usual tourist sites including Pueblito Paisa where I sang "Ay Hombe" by vallenato singer Jorge Celedón in front of a large crowd. I don't have "Factor X" however.

Once I was done with my stories around at 8:00 PM, I could do whatever I wanted, so I ended-up taking a long taxi ride over to the northwest part of the city to visit some friends. It was the first time I had seen them in seven months so we were both all happy to see each other again.

My best experience covering the feria was the ever famous "Silletero" parade, the main event of the Feria de las Flores where enormous flower displays – called silletas – are carried through the streets. Army helicopters flew over the parade, dropping bushels of flower petals onto the crowd, as if it were raining petals from the sky.

After making my stand-ups for my package, my cameraman and I walked through the parade itself. It shocked me how many people recognized me as the "RCN gringo." Several asked for my picture or autograph while people who didn't know me soon learned who I was.

It's such an amazing feeling when you walk through miles and miles of people and have them all cheer for you. Not just small cheers but loud, roaring cheers, booming through the parade as if I were a soccer player running onto a field. One person who spoke English came up to me telling me what an amazing impact I was having on Colombia.

Nothing felt better than knowing I captivated the hearts and minds of the Paisas; and I can't thank them enough for always renewing my love for Colombia and reminding me why their country is truly great. As my Medellín friends – my parceros – say, "Medellín es una chimba!"