April 1st marks 6-months that I have been in Buenos Aires. That’s crazy! T2T has reached the half way mark, well, for this mission anyway ; ). Actually it’s even more than the half-way mark because I have to get back to New York for a few weddings in late August/September. So, really, I only have about 4 and a half months until I have to go back to the States.
6 months is the longest I have ever been away from home, although it only feels like I have been here for about 2 months. Time is flying by and there is still so much still left to accomplish here before I leave. Every day is filled with new stuff to do, people to meet and things to see that I haven’t given much thought to my return to the States. Which could make for an interesting story if/when I want to find a “regular job”.
The longest I have been away from home before this experience was back in College when I studied in London for a semester. I was there for about 5 months and by the last month or two I was really missing home and my college buddies back at Freddy State. While there is no doubt I miss my friends and family back home, I have a completely different mind set and focus this time around.
The T2T To Do List has been stagnate through March because of a tight budget, but with some new sources of income in the works I hope to get back on the list soon. Especially travel and traditional Spanish lessons, which have both been on pause as of late.
Work and Travel Updates:
Physical Status: Skinny. It has been 6 months without a proper gym workout. I run around the city, do non-weight exercises (push-ups, sit-ups, etc.) and play Basketball twice a week. Sometimes I find random logs or bricks in the park to pump out some reps but it usually freaks people out.
Mental Status: Money has stressed me out lately. So many ideas and none of them making money right now drives me crazy. Sleep has been few and far between because ideas keep me up at night. A notebook next to the bed is a great idea. However, the other morning I woke up and opened the notebook to find a drawing of a dragon eating a chicken finger sub from Jim’s Steakout in Buffalo. I’m not sure what that means but I know I have to stop eating spicy food before bed. But seriously, the big question is how do you balance money and travel? I don’t want to live a life just getting by. I want to be financial secure and happy. How do you balance money, time and travel? I guess that is the ultimate question, for me at least. The only thing that could solve all three problems is to sell time traveling machines. I should look into that.
Networking: This has been going great with the new Townie Spotlight Section I have met some great people over the last few weeks. I definitely plan on continuing to go hard at networking and developing relationships if for nothing else than to just meet interesting people with great stories. The bar has also been a great networking tool where I have met everyone from world travelers to web designers.
Money Situation: “Money isn’t everything but not having it is.” – Let’s Talk Money Part II Coming Soon check out Let’s Talk Money Part I.
Knowledge of Buenos Aires: 5 out of 10
Spanish Speaking Ability: Working on vocabulary and practicing verb conjugations . Due to budget restraints I haven’t taken formal lessons in over 2 months. I have been practicing with friends and at work but I need to get back into classes soon.
Tourist2townie: Things are moving in the right direction and traffic is growing everyday. I want to find more time to work on videos and take more pictures around the city. Recently, T2t received some great recognition from the BBC and Top 100 International Blog honors, so that was a feel good boost. The best part about the site however, has been the people who come into Buller Pub and tell me they that have read the blog before coming down to Buenos Aires. I have met people from the States, Ireland, Poland and South Africa (pictured above) who have followed my adventures, which is really cool and I really appreciate everyone who comes in and introduces themselves.
Also, I love the comments on the site. Anytime you want to say something random or otherwise please do so!
Twitter Followers: 227
Facebook Fans: 27 (I just started it a couple days ago and haven’t promoted it yet)
Current Mission: Generate income and then plan a trip and work on my Spanish.
