SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

Gang, I'm at a crossroads. I'm also drunk, but that's not really the story here. But first, a musical interlude of some importance.

The story is whether I stay here or not. First, the pros:

I have three business ideas that everyone consulted in town believes would be successful so I can make money here. Really, the opportunity seems endless.

 Steve is incredibly happy, and if you have a dog then you know that making him or her happy is half the battle. Here he is in a tuk tuk...

sort of a three wheeled deal that will take you anywhere around town for Q20 ($2.50). He also enjoys posting up at the bar.

This town, if it was in America...you wouldn't be able to buy a house for less that 800K. I rent with everything, literally everything, included, for $600.

Let's get into the cost of living because you are going to laugh your ass off. Outside of housing, it's hilarious. The bar I just left offers a Brahva beer (not the best, but you won't choke) for Q15. That's less than $2 USD. You can add a shot for Q7. That's less than a dollar. You can absolutely spend American money here if you want to, but you're dumb if you do. So many spots where you can grab lunch for Q20 (less than $3). The Mercado

(market) runs on Monday, Thursday & Saturday, and there you can get literally anything you want for cents on the dollar. 10 apples? $.20, pound of shrimp? buck a pound at the most.

Everyone is very nice. Except, as usual, the only folks I know are from bars. This seems like a familiar refrain. Go to bars thinking I'll meet folks I want to hang out with, and I do, but the hanging out part never happens. There must be a different way to meet people, but I don't know what it is. Also, I enjoy crippling social anxiety so I need the lubricant. Granted, I've only been here 3 months, but my soul is not patient. That turned into a con, but I didn't mean it to be.

So let's move onto the cons, why don't we?

These business ideas? I can't do them by myself. Financially, I can, but I need at least somebody who could help me. It's too much. Sorta reached out to some pals who might know of somebody who'd want to help but I really don't have any takers.

Ya boy ain't getting any younger. I had a series of mishaps lately that got me to thinking. Both of these mishaps could have been much worse. If I'd broken my leg, who do I call? (randos on twitter: "call me!" groovy, how you getting me to the hospital?) Being alone in a foreign land presents issues, is what I am saying.

Neutral issues: I've considered moving. Steve barks when I leave him. Not all the time, but for about 20 minutes and I'm terrified of offending the neighbors and upsetting the landlord. Also, I want to bring my saxophone from home. There's the opportunity to play some here, but I'd need to work on it a bit before that happens. But I can't really do that with neighbors. Granted, they let their kids sit out on the balcony and scream all day, but I try not to be rude. We're having a session with the local dog whisperer Saturday to address his social anxiety, but it's extreme, so I dunno.

I'm taking this Immigration Law class, and it's alot more interesting than I thought it would ever be. As some of you know, I've done alot of criminal defense work but I kind of feel like I've done it all. There's just so many ways that a client can rob somebody. And once you've done multiple Capital cases, you've hit the mountaintop in criminal defense in terms of complex litigation. So if I'm to ever practice law again, I need a change. Immigration removal defense is like criminal defense, but different. You're still fighting for the folks who need it the most though, which is what I like doing. And in the Pendejo Administration, there's immigration law is changing every day. So that's appealing. I've pursued a couple of avenues, but we'll see if it works out. I don't know.

That's where I am today. Tomorrow may be different. Cheers to you and yours.