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Update: My sister said my 'perfect' nomad setup is just expensive tourism
She visited me in Medellin last month. Saw my co-working space, my AirBnB, my whole routine. Said I was just a tourist with a laptop. Paying western prices to live in a bubble. Hit different because she's right. I'm spending $2200 a month here. A local dev I met pays $400 for his place. He actually knows the city. Been doing this for 3 years and maybe I don't. How do you actually connect where you live, not just work there?
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karen_roberts41mo ago
Oof, that's a gut punch when it comes from family. How long did it take for that comment to really sink in? I felt the same way after a year in Lisbon, living in a cute apartment that only other expats could afford. Maybe try finding just one thing that isn't work related, like a weekly pickup soccer game or a volunteer gig, something where you have to show up and be a person, not just a client. It forces you out of the bubble.
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robinson.hannah1mo ago
Yeah that's a solid point about finding one non-work thing, @karen_roberts4. My buddy in Berlin was in the same boat, just grinding and only talking to other tech people. He finally joined a community garden plot, of all things, and said it was the first time in months he had a real conversation that wasn't about deadlines or funding. It totally changed his vibe, just having to show up and water plants with a bunch of random neighbors. He still works a ton, but that little slice of normal life made the whole expat thing feel less like a weird bubble.
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