For the past seven years, Luxembourgish anthropologist Stéphane Costa has called Colombia home. What began as a university exchange in Bogotá turned into a life shaped by research, travel, tourism, and a deep attachment to the country's people and cultures.
Bogotá, Colombia's capital, sits at more than 2,600 metres above sea level, surrounded by mountains that rise even higher. The air may be thin, but the city's atmosphere quickly draws people in: music, colour, movement, and encounters are everywhere.
For Costa, originally from Hesperange, this has been home since 2019. His Colombian journey began on the campus of the Universidad de los Andes, where he arrived as an exchange student while studying sociology and anthropology at the Université libre de Bruxelles. What was initially meant to be a one-year stay has now become almost seven years.
Costa said his interest in Colombia was first sparked by anthropology, particularly the country's Indigenous communities and traditions. During his studies, he took a course on medical and health anthropology, which introduced him to traditional medicine, Indigenous plant knowledge, and practices linked to the Amazon. That interest later brought him to Leticia, in the Colombian Amazon, where he carried out research on traditional medicine, including ayahuasca and related ceremonies.
He described the experience as life-changing and said Colombia's cultural diversity continues to fascinate him. Bogotá, Medellín, the Amazon, the Caribbean coast, and the Pacific coast all feel like very different worlds, he explained.
Costa remembers arriving in Bogotá with two rolling suitcases, walking over the cobblestones towards his hotel on a Thursday evening. The streets were full of music, dancing, and people greeting one another. He recalls thinking almost immediately that this was where he wanted to be.
He admits, however, that he knew very little about Colombia when he first arrived, and even had to learn practical things along the way. One of the first surprises was the weather in Bogotá. He arrived with sandals and T-shirts, only to discover that the high-altitude capital can be cold, he said.
Life in Colombia is not the same as in Luxembourg or northern Europe, according to Costa's experience. He believes many things move more slowly and are less regulated than he was used to. Bureaucracy, in particular, can require more patience: things may take longer, systems may not always work, and sometimes a phone call or a visit in person becomes necessary, according to Costa.
That was a culture shock at first. But for Costa, the food, colours, music, joy, and warmth of the people more than made up for it. He said he was welcomed with open arms and was positively surprised by the country's multicultural character. Over time, he has become so used to the Colombian way of life that he believes returning to Luxembourg would now bring its own culture shock.
However, Luxembourg still matters deeply to him. His family lives there, and he visits regularly. But Colombia, he said, won his heart.
Costa's professional path has developed far beyond academic anthropology. He now lives and works in Bogotá, while also travelling regularly to the Amazon.
Together with a business partner, he founded a tourism company offering alternative experiences in the jungle. Their tours include more demanding hikes into deep forest, camping in the jungle, travelling by river, spotting pink and grey river dolphins, and spending time with Indigenous communities to learn about their traditions in a respectful and natural way.
Another unexpected part of his life in Colombia is emeralds. Costa now also works in the emerald trade, a path he says he never imagined for himself.
It started through tourism, when a European jeweller visiting Colombia asked him for help finding emeralds. Costa knew people connected to the mines, helped source a few stones, and the client was satisfied. From there, the business slowly grew. Today, part of his work involves analysing stones with a magnifying glass: looking at colour, internal flaws, durability, and overall quality before deciding whether they should be bought, cut, and resold.
He sees the emerald trade and tourism as connected, since clients sometimes arrive through one activity and become interested in the other.
Costa has also built a personal life in Bogotá. He adopted his dog Snoopy six years ago after finding him on the streets of the city centre.
When he needs to disconnect from the chaos of the capital, he likes to go up to Guadalupe, a mountain in the middle of Bogotá rising to around 3,260 metres. The climb brings thinner air, but also sweeping views over the city. For Costa, the place offers a sense of calm above the noise and pace of urban life.
He does not know where he will be in five years. For now, however, he is staying in Colombia and taking things as they come.
