Let’s start this post off with a throwback to my favorite band Guster, and one of their best songs.

Warning: There are no fun pictures, this is real-talk.

The Situation

So sometimes Remote Year can be hard. It’s not all amazing landscapes and crazy parties. From reading my fellow Remote Year’s blogs I am seeing that everyone is having a tough time of their own. Yes, we have chosen this life, but we left behind all that was familiar, a steady paycheck, and a place to call home. People are finding the adjustment period difficult. As soon as we get used to a city, we are asked to pick up and move again. There really isn’t any stability. Sometimes all if the WIFI in Bolivia goes down, and sometimes we just really want to take a nap and forget about it all.

People are starting question, is this program the right fit for me? Is this really what I thought it was going to be like? Is the money I’m spending to be here paying off? I’m not going to answer for everyone else, but I’m happy to give my view.

My Situation

From the moment I arrived to Montevideo, I knew I had made the right decision. As the program truly got going I felt that I had landed exactly where I was supposed to be. To this day, I still feel the exact same way. I too, have had my ups and downs and there have been stressful situations in which I thought I may have to leave. However more than anything I believe in Remote Year as a program and a product. I know I am the right fit for the program and that leaving would only come because of financial reasons. I see myself finishing out RY in Ho Chi Minh City, saying goodbye to the people who are now and will forever be my family.

Yes, sometimes I question the value, yes sometimes the WIFI sucks, and yes sometimes I skip a party just to catch up on my tv shows. But this is life, this is my actual life. I live this life everyday, although unconventional to some. It would be abnormal for me to go out every night at home so it is something that I chose not to do here. I have found it helps to maintain a sense of normalcy. At home, I would come home from work and make dinner and catch up on tv. Here, since I don’t have the luxury of a kitchen, I’ll grab some dinner with friends and then head back to my hotel and stream a TV show from the night before.

I feel comfortable in this life. I am thankful for this opportunity. When the going gets tough I just have to remember how lucky I really am.

Honeymoon Phase Over

As we head into our fourth month and our fourth home we are realizing that we are in this for the long run. We are almost one third of the way through our year together, and about finished with our first continent. These are big milestones! We know each other now, probably as well as our friends back home know us. Being together day in and day out amplifies the relationship and bonds that you create here on Remote Year. (This is why it IS possible to find love on the Bachelor!)

The conversations have gone past the “What do you do for work?” “Where do you live back home?” Now we ask, “How did that big conference call you had go today?” “Ugh, where should we go for dinner?” We are comfortable both in our small groups and together as one large community, and for that I am so thankful. These people make my world go round each day. Without them this program wouldn’t be possible.

Who, What, Where, When, Why

A friend and fellow remote shared a really thoughtful blog post that I encourage you to read. In this post he posed a few questions that resonated with me, that I want to answer for myself.

• I am participating in Remote Year because… (this is your why)
  • I yearn to see the world, other cultures, and to interact with people different than myself. To become a successful digital nomad, so much so to maintain a remote lifestyle long after the program is over.
• When I successfully finish Remote Year, I will… (these are the personal benefits you’ll acquire upon reaching month 12)
  • Have a full time remote job with a remote company. I will be cultured, diversified, and globally aware. I will have a community of people that I can call upon in any given moment to share sadness, joy, laughter, and successes.
• If I give up on Remote Year, I will… (these are the negative perceptions you’ll develop of yourself, the program or your fellow remotes if you quit – harsh but effective)
  • Only be leaving because I cannot financially support myself here anymore. I will miss these people more than I probably miss my friends and family back home. I will have the biggest FOMO ever. I will feel like I didn’t try hard enough to stay, that there was more I could do, an extra step to have taken.

These questions helped me realize why I am here, and what I want to accomplish. This program is a gift and to squander your time by staying in your comfortable zone is unacceptable to me. I want to get outside your comfort zone, do something I would never do at home. Learn a new language, eat a new food, but I don’t ever loose sight of myself. Of the person I am at my core.

FAQ

People have reached out to ask me what the biggest challenges and surprises are. What are some of the things I wish I’d known before I left.

For those considering applying to Remote Year or for those who have already been accepted, my answer is as follows: