T.T. 50: end of the chapter... an experiment in living
At this time tomorrow, I'll be back home in the U.S.A.
Hola amigos,
Greetings — one last time, for now — from Berlín, El Salvador!
It’s official.
Tomorrow morning — just a few hours from when I’m posting this — my first time ever in El Salvador comes to a close.
It ended up over 8.5 months long on a tourist visa… it ended up probably the most fulfilling period of my life so far.
Unfortunately, however, it was only as a tourist officially so far.
Yeah… I never actually got all the paperwork in order beforehand to set up residency properly here in El Salvador. Oops lol. Worth it though, for where I was at personally. Skipping the full residency paperwork — starting with the extremely simple tourist visa process instead — helped reduce friction for me to actually make this crazy move in the first place. That being said… staying on a tourist visa, with my U.S. passport expiring in August, is not sustainable.
So now, tomorrow morning, I finally fly back to my original home… Washington, D.C.
Home of the Federal Reserve, unfortunately…
But home of my wonderful parents as well!
Also home of great restaurants… great museums… warm showers… toilets that can actually flush toilet paper… and, speaking more generally for the U.S., home of many extended family and friends.
Of course, I could point out some negatives of being back in fiat world. However, I’ll be back there for about two months, or however long it takes to get my paperwork in order properly… so I’m choosing to stay focused on the positives instead!
Same with this post.
It’s my last day for now in Bitcoin Country…
And I’m not gonna lie.
It’s been a bittersweet ending.
Crazy week in the world.
I’ll elaborate specifically later in this post.
But first… a reminder.
Freedom isn’t just the absence of tyranny.
Freedom is a chance to become better…
To make mistakes, but also to flourish.
Freedom to learn… to try… to grow.
Innovation is inhibited by red tape and bureaucratic supervisors. It’s also inhibited by insecurity and skeptics. Sometimes you just need to go for it. It’s a bit of a cliche, but it’s proven true in this crazy experience I’ve had here. I’ve made loads of small mistakes along the way, but the process and the overall outcomes have been worth the growing pains. Sometimes you just need to go for it.
I’ll save further reflection for future posts. For now, it suffices to say that I’ve grown a LOT in my time here, and I’ve also gained clarity about which specific areas I’d like to prioritize for continued growth.
I’ve also witnessed firsthand that Bitcoin adoption is possible.
That being said…
I feel obliged to mention the bittersweet:
A lot happened over the past few days involving the U.S. government in the news. That includes a couple of significant points pertaining to their stance on Bitcoin, as well as other huge policies.
I won’t go into details, but the more general news list includes:
Congress and Biden passed/signed a bill escalating on three fronts (primarily Ukraine and Israel, but also Taiwan) toward potential World War 3
nationwide riots on college campuses
Congress also extended and expanded surveillance state powers, directly challenging 4th Amendment principles
TikTok ban (or mandated sale) also signed
And on the Bitcoin side of demoralizing news… in stark contrast from the optimistic bull market vibes of recent months, the past few days have been the most negative in recent memory:
Samourai Wallet developers arrested on Wednesday (one of the two was extradited from Portugal) over allegations of conspiracy to commit money laundering
FBI warning against similar Bitcoin privacy measures…
IRS announcing new Bitcoin tax form for next year…
And then, just today, Phoenix Wallet (a truly genius self-custodial Lightning Wallet based out of France) pulled from the U.S. app store.
“Chilling effect” to say the least. Especially right after the HALVING just a few days ago… especially right before I return to the U.S. myself.
I’m sure I’ll elaborate more.
But that can wait until another time.
For now, I’ll try to focus on the positives!
Bitcoin still works.
I survived my crazy 8.5 month trip.
I contributed to something meaningful here.
I learned a ton.
I grew a ton…
And now? Yeah… the future is uncertain.
I still have a lot left to learn personally.
But the community here in Berlín is extraordinary. We just had my going away party. I hope to get back here as soon as possible with my paperwork in order! Several of my new friends here, coincidentally, just made signifcant progress submitting their own residency paperwork today… so I know it can be done. I know there’s a viable future here in El Salvador for those who seek it.
In the meantime… I’ll try to enjoy what’s left of the America that I used to love. That definitely includes spending quality time with my family. And once I get the ball rolling with the paperwork, maybe a concert or something as well.
I’ll probably take a significant break from Twitter too… especially for that first week or so back.
That being said, I do intend to keep this weekly Substack series going. So much more reflection to do through the process of writing.
So yeah…
That’s it for this post.
I have an early flight tomorrow.
See ya next week, from back in the U.S.