I spent three days exploring Toronto on my way to Newfoundland. I caught a Blue Jays game, visited Tim Horton’s for the first time, saw my friend Jamie Bishara, went to the Hockey Hall of fame, and managed to still get some work done. Even though Toronto is a big city, it felt like a small town — never crowded, and the people walking downtown outnumbered the cars. I’m skeptical that the winters “aren’t that cold,” and I do not understand why the hockey team, “The Maple Leafs” isn’t called “The Maple Leaves,” or why the (former) Queen of England is on the Canadian currency, nor why Canada pays the British Royal family over fifty million dollars each year. I suppose there is still more to be learned about Canada!
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I spent three months back in Bogotá for the first time since the winter of 2020, before the Covid-19 pandemic. I chose Bogotá during the worst (weather) time of year — it usually rains and days pass without seeing the sun. Most people hate this weather, but I feel cozy and focused here. I spent each day working from within a WeWork co-working space, spreading time between my job, classes (Spanish and business school), etc. Having spent time here over the past six years, Bogotá feels less like a foreign destination and more like a routine resting place. I kept it fresh by hiking a 5,000-meter volcano, and that helped to focus my morning training regimen each day. Alongside weekend hikes to Monserrate the cardio grind wasn’t so miserable as it would have been chained to the treadmill. My Spanish continues to steadily improve, however spreading my focus among so many goals over the past years has slowed my progress (in all of them). I’m fine with that; I prefer steady, incremental improvements compared to alternatives. Sleepy, rainy Bogotá is the perfect place to grow.
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Halfway through a busy April 2022 which would see me in nine different cities, I was able to visit a place I hadn’t yet visited: Montréal, Canada. I had intended to visit Montréal ever since 2017 when my Québecoise friend Alexandra, who I met in Split, Croatia, put it on my radar as a place I should want to visit. There was a very European personality to Montréal and Quebec as a whole owing to its predominantly French influence. I was told that the food is especially good and the people personable and kind. So when I had about two weeks to kill before a wedding in New Jersey, Montréal seemed the right destination. The intent was to do some exploration and discovery if Montréal and Canada as a whole, could be a place I would want to spend more time living in during the coming years. As you may already know, I love destinations that are (to me) blank slates and where I am completely ignorant of what to expect. Standard life becomes interesting and novel without prior expectations. My regular habits upon landing in a new location, such as finding a gym, a restaurant to eat dinner at, […]
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When I was in the Maldives in 2021, I began a year-long program through the University of California Berkeley’s Haas School of Business for Chief Executive Officers (CTOs). As previously related in a previous blog post, I had dedicated the year to upskilling and learning — the CTO program was a part of that initiative. Initially, the program had been designed for extensive in-person learning; however, Covid necessitated a pivot to an online format which was lucky for me — I would not have been able to attend classes from my over-water bungalow on the other side of the world otherwise. As I am increasingly aware — Covid enacted needed changes for remote productivity. Organizations implemented creative, remote-first solutions and opened the door for more ubiquitous location independence I have been living by example since 2015. So I suppose I should say that while Covid initiated negative changes in my life, it also gifted me some blessings as well — attending my CTO program from an island resort in the Maldives was one of them. The eleven-month program was completed with a week of in-person, on-campus lectures, activities, and commencement during the first week of April 2022 in Berkeley, California. […]
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This was my fourth time in Ciudad de Mexico and also the longest — five weeks. I’ve flirted with making Mexico City a regular on my list of destinations so this time around I booked an apartment for six weeks in the neighborhood of La Condesa as a formal audition. Replete with cafes, excellent restaurants, and more casual street-side taco venues, La Condesa affords tremendous value and quality for the price. For this reason, many extranjaneros make it or the neighboring barrios of Roma and Roma Norte their home away from home. I had avoided doing the same — comfort is dangerous! This time around, however, I wanted to absolve myself of logistical strains of new destinations to focus more of that time and energy on other pursuits — work and improving my Spanish. Thanks to a recommendation from my friend, Niraj, I found a great workspace to base myself on days when working from my apartment felt unappealing. I had two different morning commutes each workday. The first was to and from my gym at 6:30 AM. Charmingly simple, small, and inexpensive (75 pesos a day or 300 pesos for a 1-month membership), I learned to arrive earlier rather […]
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The fastest month I’ve spent was in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It’s been a long time since a daily routine of a morning gym session a day spent working felt so fulfilling. My first time here, I was surprised to find a city covered in trees, beautiful plants, and people. Brazilians from Sao Paulo may be the most friendly people on earth. While my attention was mostly focused on a new job I started, the rest was spent enjoying the posh neighborhood and people of Vila Olimpia, the posh neighborhood that became a real home.
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riends. What a great excuse to visit Brazil. The last time I was in Rio was 2016, I had flown from Japan to catch a little bit of Carnaval en route to Argentina. That worked out pretty well considering I was there on my own so I was excited to return for a different occasion and a large group of friends.
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I first visited Madrid in February 2017 for just a couple of days. I remember enjoying the food, culture, and architecture -- it was the first time I had visited Spain; my instinct told me Madrid is a city that matches my style. It seems that the universe also desired that I return to Madrid. While living in the Maldives last year, I met many friendly Spanish vacationers who passed through the resort I was living on. Surprising to me, the Maldives is a popular destination for tourists living in Madrid and Barcelona owing to travel promotions from their international airlines.
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Again I visited perhaps my favorite place in the world, Split, Croatia. Whenever I fly through Europe it is increasingly difficult to not stop in Split on my way through. This time was spent reconnoitering with friends during a Christmas that would otherwise be spent alone. The visit also necessitated getting a Covid vaccinated as my forthcoming entry into Brazil necessitated it.
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