AbracaZebra: Hire a Helping Hand in the City

Do you need help looking for a room or apartment to rent in Medellin, but don’t speak a word of Spanish?

Or maybe you want to rent a finca with friends for the weekend, but have no idea where to start looking. By the way, while you’re at that finca, who’s going to feed and walk your dogs?

These are a few of the situations which immediately came to mind when I learned about my friend Viviana Villa’s new business, AbracaZebra, which she is launching with her friend Viviana Rios this week.

AbracaZebra’s mission is to offer high quality, personal services for Colombians without a lot of free time, as well as foreigners who are new to the city, or simply don’t speak Spanish well enough to accomplish certain things on their own.

Examples of the services offered include, but are not limited to:

• Take or collect clothes from laundry shops
• Run mail and banking errands
• Grocery shopping, and organization of everything in your kitchen
• Car care (getting it washed, taking it in for periodic maintenance checks)
• Home care (organization and supervision of appointments, such as plumbing, cable, landscaping)
• Supervision of home (check that everything is in order when you’re on vacation, water plants)
• Assisting seniors (medical appointments, shopping)
• Buy and wrap gifts (birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions)
• Coordination of special events (flowers, dinner, music)
• Assistance with pets (take them to the vet, walks)

I’ve gotten to know both Vivianas over the course of this year, and can personally vouch for them as being professional, trustworthy, and all around good people. Before starting AbracaZebra, they worked for the same bank here in Medellin.

English-only speakers can feel confident reaching out via email to abracazebrasas[at]gmail.com, or via phone by calling Viviana Rios (who speaks fluent English) at 301-789-1540.

Viviana Villa speaks Spanish, and is available via the same email, and by phone at 313-886-3876.

Cost depends on the services you require. Payments are accepted in cash, as well as bank transfers (bank fees are paid by the client).

Got questions? Leave them in the Comments below, and we’ll answer them.