The hard times of my first six months in South America

โ€œHow did you it? How was it when you started?โ€ TJ, a friend from the Philippines asked. I smiled and tried to remember the day I arrived South America. โ€œMighty scarce, sir. Mighty scarce. Something that can pass to be a telenovela piece.โ€

This is not a victim story. This is a story of honesty, of openness, of reality โ€” it wasnโ€™t easy to be out here.

The day I told my mother, โ€œI am not going backโ€ย was also the day I told myself โ€œyouโ€™re own your own now.โ€

The last U$700 I saved for the whole trip was used to book a flight from Africa to Brasil. All of it. I always believed the Universe will provide.

With $80 left in my pocket, I flew to Brasil with the hopes of finally seeing the world on my own,ย healing, and forgiving myself and all those who wronged me.

My flight departed from Casablanca, Morocco and stopped in Dubai for 12 hours. I opened my laptop and looked for a host on Couchsurfing. I was a very disrespectful surfer.

I just kept sending couch requests without even reading their profile. If they had more than three references, thatโ€™s good enough for me.

After a few hours, a girl replied and accepted my request. She had no references from other surfers nor enough information of what kind of person she is. Great! First risk. I guess I have a host in Sao Paulo then.

Note: When using Couchsurfing, it is very important to stay with hosts with positive references.

I arrived three days before my birthday. I got used to the very hot weather in Africa and I didnโ€™t have anything to shelter myself from the cold September of Brasil.

Everyone was looking at Guarulhos International Airport. What is this Chinese girl doing? Itโ€™s freaking cold! I didnโ€™t have any arrangement with my Brasilian host.

She just said, โ€œIโ€™ll check if I can pick you up. If not, take the bus and go down at this station. I will wait for you there.โ€

I approached a random dude, used sign language asking if I can borrow his phone to call my friend. Luckily, he understood. I called my host and told her where I am.

After 20 minutes, there came the girl named Livia, my โ€˜referencelessโ€™ host who became a true friend and a sister. I stayed in her house for three months, met her family and friends, and created the best memories two girls living together can ever have.

It was very difficult for me to find a job but I did land into one. I was hired as a social media manager in a US-based company that pays very well. It was just enough for me to start over.

I had $80 to spend until the first salary comes, ate tuna and egg (with rice) everyday to keep me functioning (very unhealthy, really) and avoided night outs I couldnโ€™t afford.

I also attended Couchsurfing activities every once in a while (when itโ€™s free) and declined all the boys who wanted to take me out for dinner (even if itโ€™s for free).

I wasnโ€™t just ready. I needed to figure out what I was doing in my life first before jumping from one thing to another.

My visa in Brasil was running out. It has been 90 days and I had to leave. I chose Colombia because a friend of mine whom I hosted in the Philippines invited me to stay with her family with the note, โ€œstay as long as you want.โ€

Great! Who wouldnโ€™t take that? I again paid for a $900 flight from Sao Paulo, Brasil to Barranquilla, Colombia. Technically, thatโ€™s everything I saved from my online job.

I couldnโ€™t do anything about it so I let it go. Remember Trisha, the Universe will provide. Again, I spent three beautiful months in Colombia, upgraded to spending U$100 per month, got the chance to see the beauty of the country and have been a part of a family who fed and sheltered me well.

Today, my friendโ€™s mother, Patricia is my emergency contact in case something happens to me while traveling in South America.

It was time to move again. I did my first border crossing with no plans, as always. At the bus station, I met a dude who was working in a restaurant near the border.

I asked if thereโ€™s a place for me. Luckily, there was. I thought it was a kitchen job. I love cooking so I definitely took it. We arrived the place and I was shocked: the restaurant looked like Leonardo di Caprioโ€™sย hostel inย Bangkok in the movie The Beach.

โ€œUhm, where do I sleep?โ€ He then showed me a very small door in the kitchen, at the back of the fridge. Here. Great! I guess beggars cannot be choosers, right?

The bigger surprise: they were looking for a cleaning lady, not a cook. For the first time in my life, I found myself cleaning toilets, tables and washing dishes. Something new. Something challenging.

Everyday, I was crying myself to sleep, questioning what I was doing in my life and tempted to tell my parents what I was going through. I stopped myself.

If you call mom, she will demand you to come home. If you tell your sister, she will tell your mom. So I stayed there for two weeks until I found a volunteering job in aย hostel inย Quito.

It was much better than the previous job. I met true friends and became a part of a family again. The hostel owner took care of us very well and I will be forever grateful for that.

It was also the best time to focus on my online job, which I was on the verge of losing because of lack of internet connection. I was able to resuscitate my assigned tasks and eventually kept the job even if my employer was furious.

Peru was a quick turn. I lived with friends in Lima and found the best volunteering job ever. It was by the beach, I didnโ€™t pay for food nor accommodations and found myself slowly saving cash for the much awaitedย World Cup.

It was also a good time to focus on building my blog. I wrote and wrote and wrote. I put myself out the world wide web. Everything was great.

The same happened in Bolivia and by the time the World Cup arrived, I was armed with savings and my blog started earning a little cash.

I had the best time in my life in Brasil and treated myself very well from all the hard work and volunteering I did in Peru and Bolivia.

From there, I moved to Uruguay with savings afloat. I stayed with an Uruguayan family for a month, learned about how they live and of course, still avoided paying for anything as much as possible.

Then I landed an English teaching gig in Argentina which allowed me to juggle with my online job. I grew a lot of blog audience and this gave me the opportunity to tie up withย HOTELS ANDย tour agencies.

I got blog sponsorships left and right โ€” I stayed inย LUXURY HOTELS, ate in the best restaurants of the continent and have been treated as a professional writer, with respect.

So hereโ€™s how I did it. It was a long shot but I survived! Today, I am financially stable, still working on the same online company I found 2 years ago and receiving a lot of recognition from my writing.

Do I regret anything? Not at all. These experiences helped me to achieve what I am today. It made me realise that my drive to travel the world is always more important than the money.

I learned a lot of things from these experiences. I was a very sheltered girl growing up โ€” I was given everything I needed and wanted in life and being out here taught me how to fend for myself and be truly independent.

After two years of traveling here, I developed a lifestyle โ€” something that is incomprehensible for many but works well for me. I now know that itโ€™s possible to live a life of travel but I donโ€™t know if I will ever stop.

I came a long way and every time I try to remember how I started, I always get this big smile on my face.

The Universe is never ever kidding.

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15 Comments

  1. Oh my gosh, you were so lucky to find that amazing initial Couchsurfing host and to have a hand in Columbia. The generosity of people never ceases the amaze me. There are some incredible people in the world ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Chester, thank you. ๐Ÿ˜‰ You’ll do the same one day, I tell you. Remember, “drive” is more important than money. Leaving our comfort zone is more difficult than making finances work. Cheers!

  3. You are just great! I read you all the time, but have never left a comment! Thanks for sharing your story! Keep on travelling and inspiring with your stories!

  4. Hi Trisha. You inspire me. Your words keep on pushing me to be fearless at life. ๐Ÿ™‚ I’m happy that TJ hooked me up with your blog.

  5. Hi, Ate Trisha! Thank you for being an inspiration. Your blogs are amazing! This one even got me teary-eyed and I can feel your heart while reading it. <3 One day, hopefully next year, I'll have the courage to do the same thing too. Right now, I am doing the best that I can to explore our beautiful country. Again, thank you! Keep rockin' the world! More power and God bless! ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Your blogs are so honest and nice to read! I think you inspire a lot of people with your words and adventures. ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. Hey Trisha, I just came across your blog and I love your story. My question is: Did you apply for any working visas or did you just wing it?

  8. I love it. I love reading your blogs ? been a follower in fb for quite a while but only read the articles recently. Thanks, Trisha โ˜บ

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