I Got Stopped By Customs Border Patrol CBP Going Home to the USA

Getting stopped by Customs and Border Patrol at the airport was not how I expected my trip back to the USA to go. They “randomly” picked me. Maybe because I’m brown? Maybe because I’m tall and had just a backpack and no suitcase? No idea. In a separate room, they requested to see my passport and began to ask questions. I handed over my American passport and once they heard my American accent, they realized I wasn’t who they thought. They let me go after scanning my bags and I assured them I didn’t bring food or visit any farms.

My Experience in Colombia and Miami - New Experiences and Friends

It was funny but it showed how travel can surprise you. This trip was full of surprises—taking a Japanese test in Bogotá, visiting friends in Cali, Palmira, and Medellín, and ending in Miami with big business ideas.

Landing in Cali: A Great Start

I flew into Cali first, staying at a decent hotel with clean rooms, great service, and a relaxing energy. Cali felt clean and organized, with friendly people everywhere. It was the perfect way to start my trip.

The main reason for this trip was to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) in Bogotá. When I lived in Japan a decade ago, I had made it a goal to pass this test at the N2 level. Back then, passing at that level would allow me to get a Japanese job and I would be certified as “fluent”.

Nowadays, it’s not really all that important anymore, but I still want to pass the test. It’s one of those unfinished side quests in my life. I guess it doesn’t help that my Chinese wife who when we first met knew very little Japanese, later on passed the N2 level a couple years ago.

I also wanted to visit one of my Right Rudder Marketing team members, Raul, who lives in Colombia and has done so much good work for our flight school partners.

Right Rudder Marketing, if you don’t know already, is a marketing agency I started 3 years ago for flight schools and aviation businesses. I am so grateful for all of the opportunities owning a business has afforded me and I’m extremely proud of all of our flight schools that we’ve helped to see consistent growth month after month. The biggest reason I got into business was to make an impact in the aviation industry and Right Rudder Marketing has been my vessel to do that.

Medellín: Catching Up with Sebastian

Anyways.. Back to the story. So in the middle of the week, I took a quick flight to Medellín to see Sebastian, a former RRM team member. Medellín is lively but way more hectic than Cali. We hung out like locals, drinking in a park and eating at a small spot. It was awesome catching up.

Sebastian’s figuring out his next steps—maybe teaching English or doing marketing for English programs. He majored in linguistics so that’s part of his passion I guess. He’s also working on cool projects, like selling alfajores (Argentian cookies) and helping a salsa singer with marketing. We talked about his time at RRM and I’m lucky to have had him work with us. He’s a good friend.

Alfajores image from Pexel

I mentioned a possible future partnership if he goes into English teaching marketing. I’m always open to opportunities and investments… His journey to find his path reminds me of when I was a bit younger around his age. I was working in Japan while still trying to figure out this “life” thing. After hanging out with him, I headed back to Cali.

Palmira: Family, Culture, and Spanish Struggles

Back in Cali, Raul picked me up, and we drove to his hometown, Palmira, about 30 minutes away. Palmira is small, clean, and quiet. It’s way different from Medellín. I stayed with Raul’s parents, who welcomed me like family. They’re a retired couple. His dad worked for the government, his mom was a teacher. They have a pension and live a simple and wholesome life. We played boardgames, ate local cuisine, and I practiced my Spanish with them.

Friday night, they had guests over, and we talked until midnight about politics and economics… in Spanish! I struggled to keep up. I can ask simple questions or say what I want, but topics like that are tough. Especially in a second language. Hell, those topics are hard even in English.

I got stuck on words, later learning they were local names or places. It showed me you don’t learn a language from books. You just have to live it and get deep in the mud. I got a little better at Spanish that night, but I’ve got a long way to go. Being part of a culture is the only way to understand it.

Their family life reminded me of my Filipino roots. Raul and his wife have two dogs, two cats, fish, a young daughter named Sara, and another kid on the way. They also take care of Sara’s grandma who is medically ill and recovering.

Like them, my family cared for my grandma when she lived with us before she passed. Both cultures, shaped by Spanish colonization, value family and taking care of each other.

Seeing Raul’s family made me feel emotions that are hard to explain. I built this business from nothing, and knowing it helps their family is an honor. But it’s also a big responsibility. My team depends on me, just like I depend on RRM. It’s different from my old manufacturing job where I was just a manager with direct reports. This was my choice and my doing, and that feels heavy but amazing.

Bogotá: The JLPT and a Reality Check

Next, I went to Bogotá for the JLPT. The city was not what I expected after going to Cali, Palmira, and Medellín - graffiti everywhere, homeless people, and some streets smelled like urine. I saw a homeless woman pulling up her underwear after peeing on the street, and vendors sold cheap stuff everywhere.

It felt chaotic compared to Palmira and Medellín. At a local spot, I tried paisa, a dish with beans, rice, chorizo, fried pork skin, egg, avocado, and plantains. It was good but not as tasty as the version I had later at the restaurant in the hotel I was at, which had better meat and flavors.

The test was at the University of Andes - the “Harvard” of Colombia so I’m told. I met a small group studying Japanese, mostly at N5, N4, or N3 levels (easier than N2). I was busy with RRM, so I didn’t study much, and I’m not sure if I passed. Results come in a few months.

During the break I said hi to a fellow test taker, and because my Japanese is better than my Spanish we spoke Japanese. He had actually passed the test already, but wanted a perfect score before taking N1 (the hardest level of them all).

Using a third language in a Spanish-speaking country was a weird out of this world experience. It showed me language is about sharing ideas, no matter how you do it. I’ve failed the JLPT before and I might’ve failed again, but I’ll keep going, just like how I push RRM through failures and challenges.

Can you spot the Japanese person?

View from University of Andes

Miami: 7FA Intensive and Sun City’s Success

After Bogotá, I flew to Miami (and got stopped by CBP lol) for the Seven Figure Agency (7FA) Intensive, a conference for marketing agency business owners. I really enjoy being part of this community because they showed me the ropes. Josh Nelson, owner of 7FA along with his wife Yesina, showed me how to run a successful business and for that I am forever indebted.

After it was over, I was so excited I barely slept - my mind was racing with ideas. I met agency owners making $10 million a year or $830,000 a month, tackling big challenges like managing teams and hundreds of clients.

A guest speaker, Marcus Sheridan - he wrote the book They Ask You Answer, talked about being a pathfinder which means asking the right questions to help customers and team members find their own answers, not just telling them what to do.

It also reinforced to me that AI is changing how we might be doing marketing in the future. Google’s becoming less important now as AI keeps evolving, so we need to focus on what customers want to make a purchase decision: clear pricing, guidance, reviews, and comparisons to help them decide on their own.

Similar to 7FA, mentors and groups like FSANA (Flight School Association of North America) and NAFI (National Association of Flight Instructors) have been huge for RRM and our flight schools. Groups like this have connected me to flight school leaders, and I’ve given talks and joined panels to help them grow. It’s an honor to be a leader in the industry.

I later visited Sun City Aviation Academy, one of RRM’s first clients. They’re in Miami. They grew from $500,000 to multiple seven figures in two years. I’m so proud to have helped and be a part of their success. Georgette, one of the owners, loves children and hosts events like Rusty Pilot Seminars, Women in Aviation, and youth programs. Her husband, Luke, brings decades of aviation expertise and leads an experienced and knowledgeable team.

Their trust in RRM’s vision and strategy, paired with their hard work hosting events and providing the best service and flight training, made this growth possible. Georgette’s gratitude hit me hard. She thanked me for helping their dream come true. To make an impact on their students’ lives and to train more pilots. Seeing their success feels incredible. I’m truly thankful for our partnership. Being one of our first clients, they helped me get the momentum to go full time in the business and end my career in manufacturing. It’s a blessing.

Home Back in St. Louis

I got back to St. Louis today and I’m so happy to see my wife and family. This trip - from Cali’s clean streets to Bogotá’s chaos to Miami’s big ideas - was an awesome experience. I’m grateful for being American, with the freedom to travel, build RRM, and impact lives like Raul’s family and those at Sun City’s.

Seeing Raul’s family live simply, with love and care, made me think about my life and I guess life in general. The 7FA Intensive reminded me that starting a business is about money, freedom, and impact. It’s why we get into it. It’s about balancing success and helping others to be with the people I love.

This trip showed me to keep learning, embrace new cultures, and stay grateful. Whether it’s speaking Japanese in Bogotá or helping flight schools grow, it’s all about the connections you make with people and becoming a better version of yourself.

That being said, your business will only grow to the level that you are. So you need to keep leveling up if you want to stay in the game. And being successful at the end of the day is really just staying a player in the game.