I was thinking today about what to do next. I don’t mean anytime soon since I’m pretty happy here on the farm for now. I mean more what I want to do between when I leave this place (maybe in a month or two) and the World Cup in June 2010 in South Africa. That gives me about a year to play with and up until just now I hadn’t given it much thought at all.
I have had a lot of time to think about this sort of this lately and I’ve come up with a couple of grand plans that may or may not end up working out. My main idea right now is to spend two or three months living in NYC, maybe taking a painting or photography course or maybe just being a bum. I love NYCÂ and spending some time living there is definitely something I want to do at some point. Now seems as good a time as any, especially since I have a few friends living there and it’s so close to home so I can pop in and see my family a few times before heading further afield.
After doing a bit of research I confirmed the obvious — NYC is expensive. Given the unhealthy condition of my bank account a few months ago, I wouldn’t have even considered a move to New York, no matter how short. But now, having spent a couple months living super cheaply and with at least another month ahead of more of the same, I will be a bit more set up for spending some time in one of the world’s most expensive cities.
This new set of sort of plans has sort of got me thinking about how I approach my travel splurges. I spent a couple of months spending next to nothing in Bangladesh and then lived it up in Beijing in a great apartment and spent money like a crazy person at the Olympics. I hung around Thailand and Burma spending very little and then gave up a deposit on a course and bought an expensive plane ticket to Haiti. I lived cheaply in Haiti for three months and then flew to Australia for two weeks for a wedding. Now, after a few months of cheap living in Nicaragua, I’m ready for a life of painting courses, good food, baseball games and generally living it up in the Big Apple.
If I wanted to (or if I were smart…) I could stick with the cheap living which I enjoy just as much, pad the bank account and give myself more options in the future but I things always tend to balance out in this way where I will spend nothing and then spend loads. I’m not sure it’s on purpose but it seems like it’s becoming a pattern.
So as of right now my super rough plan is to hang around Nicaragua and maybe Costa Rica for another couple of months of farm work and Spanish lessons before heading to New York City for no reason in particular. Afterwards… well I’m not sure but you can bet whatever I end up doing it will be cheap!
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