When I was 7, my mom moved me and my brothers to the US.
She wanted us to have a better quality of life.
I moved back to the US at the age of 28 and my life is better now than it was when I was there.
At 7 years old, I boarded a plane with my family. She sacrificed her upper-class life in Bogot to become a single parent of four and move to Miami to get her educations in English and money.
The pursuit of happiness was the reason she left. During a time when our country was considered to be one of the most dangerous in the world, my mom wanted to be safe. It still is in some areas. She had a foundation to build on.
My private driver commented that the ones that live there are the ones that can, not the ones that want. I thought I was in the elite.
My mom told me on the phone that I had to keep fighting.
It didn't feel like defeat when I entered my doorman apartment with a balcony overlooking the city. I went to dinner at a renowned restaurant and thought it was cheap. I paid $13 for a manicure and pedicure the next day.
The high of power and access that doesn't exist in the US for a writer is what made me feel happy.
After a four-year relationship ended, I started researching digital nomads. I did not think finances would be a reason to stay. When the average rent in New York was $4,000 a month, I came to terms with the fact that my lifestyle was dependent on my job.
I wouldn't accept that I needed to fall in love and move in with someone else with an executive position for bills to not be a stressor, because according to CNBC, 77 percent of Americans are anxious about their finances.
I wouldn't choose to do anything else because my career looked better on paper. I couldn't afford to live alone in a city that I swore I wouldn't live without. Being roommates with strangers sounded like a step back, and other metropolitan cities were competing to win the title of "most overpriced". If I could let go of my relationship with a man, I could do the same with geography.
Digital-office culture has made it possible for many like me to work remotely abroad, which is cheaper than living in the area.
Poblado is a bubble like most affluent neighborhoods. It's not like America when it comes to poverty. I think I'm better off in a different place. I still use Apple Pay to pay for things, but I won't be stressed about paying. I have a list of places I want to visit in Buenos Argentina.
A career that used to limited my income now allows me to find happiness around the world.
There's an irony in an immigrant being welcomed back to their native country with open arms. My mom sacrificed so that I could be here now.
You can read the original article.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
