Expat Living as a Digital Nomad
Originally written in 2018
2017 to 2018, I lived for one month each in: Medellin, Lima, Cordoba, Buenos Aires, Kuala Lumpur, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Lisbon, Budapest and Split.
Do I count as an expat?
Not quite sure.
As a program leader for the 13th cohort of Remote Year, I’ve had the pleasure to view this world as an immersive global citizen. I’d argue that a month in a city is certainly not long enough, but beggars can’t be choosers ey?
As I write this in Bogota, Colombia sitting next to my visiting parents on this Easter (or, Semanta Sana) holiday, we got into conversation about being an expat. It was the catalyst for this rendition on experiencing the world as a person with no real home, yet still a citizen of my birth country (good ol USA). Being an expat may sound adventurous, fortunate, pricey, privileged, and exciting, but it is also challenging, frustrating, painful, and constant. Constantly feeling states of varying frustration and utter joy, challenge and contentment, and you get it.
My favorite cities to be an expat from this past year are:
Split, Croatia
Hrvatska, as Croatians refer to their post Yugoslavia nation, is wide open to expats. I’d met a gal from the US Midwest that had been living with her English boyfriend in Split for over two years and loved the small city on the water. However, albeit Split is excellent in the summer, once winter hits, it’s friggen cold. Downtown Split is an uber ride away from where I lived in Znjan, along the Dalmatian coastline. We worked at WIP, the wifi was plentiful and the networking was above par. I met one of my best friends there (KB), swam in the ocean everyday at 1500, and actually meal prepped with the luxury of my oven. Prices were favorable, Bla Bla Car was reliable for weekend jaunts, and the history is deep. Realizing that the ethnic history is so intense, the older generations are a little sketchy on inclusion so you may get a double take, you might hear negro, and/or you may have some youth trying to connect with you through popular rap songs. It’s not unsafe, it’s just lightly behind in several ways as a result of the lifting of that Iron Curtain.
I’d live here again, only in the summer though.
Budapest, Hungary
One of my top two favorite cities on this planet. I lived in a wondrous apartment (without window screens or AC because, #EuropeanSummer) in District V near the Arany Janos Utca metro stop. Oh the joys of Budapest are aplenty. Spectacular metro system, clean and wide avenues, well lit at night for copious walking, arguably a tertiary city AKA less pushy tourists, mad English is spoken (which is great because that Hungarian cyrillic situation is yikes), the architecture is just stupid stunning, the Danube (nothing more to say), the food is excellent (paprikash), ruin bars, interracial relationships abound (don’t ask me why), Lake Balaton, and of course the coworking facility is helpful for connecting with locals. I was able to play volleyball at a giant recreational situation a few metro stops away and to be honest, that’s all I really need.
Would raise a family out here.
Lisboa, Portugal
A Lisbon summer is all one should ever ask for. Living in the lusciously hilly Sao Bento area was ideal. The never ending hills (or lightweight mountains, let’s face it) compensated for the simultaneously never ending Nepalese I was eating (again, don’t ask). Lumbini is my favorite restaurant on the planet and I may or may not have frequented this place multiple times a week. #amIWrongDoe? Seriously, Lisboa is fast becoming an expat haven especially with the golden visa. You’d notice all the construction from the foreign investments pouring in and the need to accommodate so many more humans moving in from around the world. English is spoken widely, but Portuguese is definitely a language of pride and people prefer to speak it. The metro system is on point, my favorite coworking spot is spacious, it’s still on the Euro so the spending is inevitable, the culture is a late-to-rise and late-as-hell-to-eat situation, and there are tons of green/sustainable movements occurring so that usually equals hipsters and a Williamsburg,BK sort of ilk.
Bear in mind that the Portuguese colonies in Africa were only liberated in the seventies. Certainly not as far back in history as other former colonies and it should be noted that those Portuguese that lived through the dismantling of colonization are still around and kicking. Racism and microaggressions are everywhere in their own ways and it need be mentioned that Portugal is not an exception, but it’s also an astoundingly resilient nation that is working toward rewiring those antiquated mindsets. If you’re interested in some current news, check this from 2017.
Nonetheless, I would absolutely live here (as a mixed race person) and consider the golden visa for that EU dual citizenry ayyyeee.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Let’s be real, this city is built for expats and it would be remiss if I didn’t add to this list. Home is where the wifi strength is lit and that’s how it is here with plentiful cafes, workspaces, and networking events. I lived in the Nimman area, walked everywhere and saw movies in English once a week (that’s my thing, sue me). English is spoken as well as most menus and signs including English. I rented a motorbike for the month and had a blast going up the mountain and stopping at all the coffee plantations sitting amongst the canopies.
With Chiang Mai being known for some of its ladyboy shows, this city is a bit more inclusive of LGBTQ than the rest of the country. The same goes for ethnicities and creeds, so creating a home here is one of the more accessible places I’ve seen. There’s a plethora of Facebook groups for any sort of interest and that’s how I found the best group to play volleyball with (to date), three times a week for three hours a pop. Twas dope.
Apex of recommendations.
Cordoba, Argentina
Okay, a city not typically on the Argentinian tourist map, but it was such a needed month of respite from doing the absolute most in each previous city. I meal prepped, workspace was ideal, chilled on Friday nights with everyone else from the workspace (dope opportunity), rented a car and relaxed in the Sierras Chicas. Don’t expect too much English or too many people bustling about in typical summer and winter breaks from school; it’s a university town. Get to ATMs early in the week and realize that the usage of cards isn’t as available as other cities. In other news, there’s some seriously interesting immigration and diaspora history in and around this region (think: post WWII movement) and I suggest digging a little deeper into Argentina by at least taking some time in Cordoba.
Would return temporarily.
Medellin, Colombia
Oh, my love Medellin. I knew, similarly to Budapest, the moment the plane landed. I lived in the expat heavy barrio called, Poblado, enveloped within Lisbon-like hills. I was on a particular hill above a clutch cinema, so it was on. The main drag of Calle 10 had tons of cool restaurants, bars, boutiques, and hair salons branching off its sides. It’s a tropical city, so everyday rain for about a half hour is lovely and the meandering, babbling brook that weaves throughout is a nice touch from Mother Nature. I worked out of Selina, which doubled as a hostel, and it was the spot. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it here. The people are inclusive, friendly, and always in a wonderful mood. The coffee is above par, obvio, and the gyms/health food stores/varied dietary needs are well suited for. Most Paisa’s have a second home in the mountains outside the city and you will want to get you a friend with this lituation because… lush green knolls, wide open space, animales, dirt roads, BBQ, what more does one want?
