@abh12345 Life Update : A new adventure with sharks and volcanoes likely!

in life •  7 years ago  (edited)

Hello everyone!

I wondered if you'd be interested in a life update and so i'm just going to start typing and see where this goes!


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Water, wine, and us!


Since I left the United Nations in Valencia, I have been adding content to the Steem Blockchain pretty much daily from the Island of Mallorca, Spain.

And for anyone not sure of their European geography, it goes:

Miami -> Atlantic Ocean -> Steemfest 2 ->The Hanging Gardens of Babylon -> Mallorca.


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ahhh, I know where you mean now.....


My current abode is my mothers apartment which she bought on leaving the UK 4 or so years ago. Luckily (sorry mum!) she lives with her partner and so this place is free, and free to stay excluding bills (thanks mum!). The apartment is small, but perfect in the summer with a pool in the grounds and just a few minutes walk to the beach.

@osm0sis was here prior to Christmas, but travelled to France 3 weeks ago to spend the holidays with Family. And so, this is a good time to say I am looking forward to seeing you again! And also, bienvenue à steemit @ofildutemps, Sylvia's mother who joined us just 2 days ago! :D

In the latter part of last year, you may have seen us cycling around the east coast of the Island enjoying the end of the endless summer here in the Mediterranean.


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Cycles and smiles


Pastures new

As much as I like Mallorca, it is time for a new adventure and Sylvia has recently landed a job teaching Montessori on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.

Yes that's right, I am reluctantly swapping sandy yellow beaches for white sand beaches. That is a lie, I cannot wait to go and explore this new Island!


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Cocktails anyone?


Reunion Island is situated off the east coast of Madagascar and will be an 11 hour flight from Paris!


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Land ahoy! I think?!

A quick google on the sea temperature this time of year and it is looking good, every day of the year!



Yessssssssssss!


Why is the water hot then? Might be this?


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Piton de la Fournaise - Peak of the Furnace 'Shield' Volcano


The Piton de la Fournaise happens to be one of the world's most active volcano's and has erupted at least once a year for the previous 4. source

This frequent action is a good thing though as it reduces the pressure and the chance of a mega eruption.

Since the active areas of the volcano are not inhabited, its eruptions pose little danger and cause little damage.

Good to know!


What kind of fish like this warm water?


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Jaws and friends

arrrghhhhhhhhhhhh! Sharks!


If you have some time, check out this video (which should start playing from 16:05) and find out just how serious the situation is - they have bodyguards for the surfers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=965&v=HiImnCbclt4

Reunion Island has earned itself the title 'shark capital of the world' in recent years, and this does worry me a little - I'm not sure I'll be swimming too far out!


Work and Play

As above, Sylvia will be working in a new school and bringing Maria Montessori's wisdom to a group of fortunate children. She will be teaching in her native tongue for the first time as the Islands first language is french.

My french consists of what I can remember from school, which finished about 25 years ago and is therefore terrible!

I have a good teacher beside me though, so perhaps i'll pick the basics up and at least be able to ask for beer and directions.

What will I be doing for income?

I am taking the chance that Steem blockchain will be able to cover my cost of being alive and will be aiming for a blog a day, as has been the case for the past 3/4 months.

Having recently been approached by a couple of multi-national company's, I've politely declined and I think this message from @connecteconomy last week, sums my present thinking quite nicely!

Bhaaahaha, Nato, no, don't do that. Good decision.
Once you've been part of the future, you can't work in sticky old-fashioned backwards non-innovative bureaucratic offices ever again.

Right on!

Can the Steem blockchain provide me with freedom?

I certainly hope so, and I am going to give it a shot while the circumstances allow. The current situation is that the likes of @utopian-io, @sndbox, and perhaps @dtube can offer a regular income for proof-of-brain activites and so I think now is a good time to make that leap.

What's in store next?

As far as I am aware, we don't have any Steemians currently living on Reunion (shout loudly if this is incorrect!), and so we are really looking forward to sharing pictures, videos and our lives in general whilst we are there.

I'll be hoping to vlog a couple of times each week and hopefully this will include some gorgeous scenery in the background for you to look at while I am waffling away.

The curation leagues and analysis work for utopian-io are also blogs which i shall continue producing, along with positive writing around Steemit and the blockchain it sits upon.


OK then, consider yourselves up to date!

Thank you all so much for your support during the past year, you have been amazing!

I hope 2018 will be a great year for everyone and cannot wait to see what's in store for us all.


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Photo by @osm0sis


See you soon and have an awesome day!

Asher @abh12345 and Sylvia @osm0sis



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lovely pictures, such an exciting journey ahead of you both. Steemit for financial freedom, when it goes to $20 for sure :-)

Thanks @paulag

Sorry I missed this reply somehow!

I'll take $4 for the next 6 months if SBD stays around there too - don't think it will though!

Hopefully I'll be active again soon, checking out our new surroundings first though!

Hello @abh12345. Your blog is really interesting and taught me a lot about the island of Reunion.
I wonder now if I will not tremble every day at the idea that my daughter will live in this little place. I'm counting on you not to let her do crazy things like she's used to do. Ah ah ah ah.
I know now that, thanks to Steemit, you will not have time to be bored.
By the way, thank you for welcoming me to this network.
In my turn I do not see the time pass. My little quiet life is over! I live Steemit, I sleep Steemit, I think Steemit and when I can think of something else @osm0sis is there to suddenly remind me that I forgot to consult blogs and asks me if I have replied to my new "friends"...
Looking forward to her getting devoured by the Sharks. hahaha

Bye Asher and have a nice trip to La Reunion.

Haha 😁

Well I assume you are joking about the sharks, but she still does crazy things so maybe a swim with the sharks, or a climb to the volcano is on the to do list!

I understand what you mean entirely about your mind being filled with Steemit all day and night! It is addictive for sure and the balance is hard to find.

Good luck with your new followers and Steemit journey!

Asher

I'm not the least bit jealous ! Have a cold beer for me when u get there please and do share a lot of photos of this amazing place- I'm sure it's going to be an awesome adventure for you guys !

I will do these things for sure!

Thank very much for your support man, I hope this year rocks for you guys too!

I have a feeling it will ! If you guys get too hot over there I will send you some winter photos from Sweden to Cool you guys down hehe

I like it baking hot! No rain or snow thank you very much!

You leave soon Dan?

I've said that before I will say again, wishing you both all the success and I'm quite sure steem blockchain will provide you and many others an independent life. All the best guys!

Thank you Bianca!

It is really great to have your support and I wish you guys the same!

What amazing news!! hope you enjoy it and your plans go well!!

Thanks man! How's Valencia?

Valencia still good, a little bit cold those days, but what can you expect in January?
By the way, remember to rent a house with a guest room for visits ;P

Cold here too! Would be bad for cycling to the base!

Yes, we will have lots of room!

Are you going to come to Valencia for a last visit before you move to your new destination?

I don't think so, we leave next week!

I love the temperatures, looks like home minus the pretty beaches. Madagascar reminds me of the Cartoon of the same name. Don't get lost though and stay away from the jaws as I doubt the bodyguards could be able to do so much :)
Lovely Island and good luck with your stay and learning French which shouldn't be much of a biggie. I was almost green with...wait I am Green. Lol

haha :D Vert is green I think? Envy was outside GSCE French levels in the UK :)

Thanks for the support @greenrun, always good to hear from you :)

You already have some French background? That is awesome. Thank you too.

From school, which finished a long time ago!

I have basic vocab, and @osm0sis is french, and a teacher, so I'm hoping to be at an OK level quite quickly!

The two languages share a lot of similarities which a fast learner would grasp pretty quickly especially when you have someone that is from there.

Yes, and I've got Eddie Izzard to help too!

WHAT an incredible adventure for you and @osm0sis!
I could and would definitely forgo the "sharks"... but the views, the culture and all the other experiences sound Heavenly!

I have never traveled outside of the USA and am always curious about those who live and travel abroad; especially to such beautiful places.

I just watched a documentary on Madagascar (right there by Reunion Island) and it was all about pirates, the Knights Templar and buried treasures- definitely gets the mind pumped up for an adventure!

We hope to be visiting Madagascar and Mauritius as they are not far, and oooo Knights Templar? Very cool!

YEEEHAAAAW! Cheers to new adventures babe.
Let's do this 😊

See you in a weeks' time! Meet me under the Eiffel Tower? :D

YES! Great idea 😍

YAY!

Le singe est sur la branche!

et le chat est sous la table

ou est le Boud?

Boud' dort à côté de la cheminée

Tres bien!

All the best to you!! Looking forward to reading about your adventures on the new island!

Thank you very much, I hope to be sharing adventures 😁

Reunion looks like paradise. I am sure that the Steem blockchain will allow you to live independently and let you live the life you want to live.

Thank you @cecicastor, i would love this to be the case.

Best wishes to you and yours for the year ahead.

Hi, @abh12345 you really enjoy life to the fullest and you love outdoor activities. I check all your blogs and it's very enteresting. By the way, thanks for upvoting my post yesterday. I really appreciate it:)

Thank you @tessalonica for your kind message :)

No problem at all, I enjoy reading honest assessments of oneself and their progress here. Things do take time, and there is much to learn but i honestly think that if you stick at it, then the Steem tree will start to bare fruits.

Good luck!

It all sounds like a fantastic adventure Asher! Good luck to you both!

You'll pick up the French again quickly, I'm sure, if you're using it everyday. It comes much faster when you're immersed in it. One tip is listen to the radio in French in the background to start with - it takes a while for your brain to get accustomed to the speech patterns and just having the radio on can help with that.

Thanks man :)

Yes I'm hoping so, immersion should help as it did (a little!) in Spain.

I will certainly hear a lot of French as should hopefully be able to build on the basics, cheers!

This is my first time seeing your post, and must say it does look wonderful. Enjoy every moment as old age keep you at home. Memories never die. Have a wonderful time.

Thank you very much @bigbear!

My posts are quite different from day to day and so I'm glad you have found this one :)

Asher

Due to the fact that we moved to France yesterday, today I had little time to read my steemit feed, so much to do as you just arrived. But, now I did and I read your story. I wish you both a very happy time on Reunion and I hope to read a lot from there!!

Thank you @clio and have a lovely stay in France!

@osm0sis's mother has recently joined and is writing about Burgundy at present :)

Yes I know, I am already 'talking' to her. She makes beautiful pictures, just like Sylvia

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

That's great!

Yes you can see where Sylvia has got her eye for a good picture from now!

Best of luck. I hope to one day make Steem my entire future as well but with one son and a daughter on the way will need to have a decent security blanket saved before I decide to do anything too crazy.

Thank you @gnikisivart. I'm sure in time the blanket will get larger and comfier :)

Ah 2018 is looking bright for you! Unless of course you get bitten by a shark...
When did you leave the UN in Valencia? I'm beginning to think we may have mutual acquaintances... that would be something :)

Shark bites look very cool though right?

I left at the end of August and was there for 1 year. Get me on discord if you have some names to share :)

I'm not on Discord but his name is Pablo, which is common enough for a Spanish guy to post here publicly :) Tall guy, he's the husband of a Dutch friend of mine. He also left in the meantime, maybe you missed each other (not sure how big the office is there). He was doing some IT stuff, I'm sure, and I believe he actually was at Nato in the Netherlands before.

I worked with a Pablo, but I don't think that it is him based on the description (Sorry PabloP!)

He probably worked in the main building, I was in the 'Chicken farm' :D

I realized after typing this that you probably met more than one Pablo there :D

haha :)

Lucky you! neverending holidays when some of us freeze the ass in irish poorly insulated apartment :) The biggest source of heat now is my hand sanding another panel for my second bb8 build :) Enjoy the sharks and living of steem.

That doesn't sound like an ideal set up you have there Mitch!

And thank you, I shall try!

Thanx for letting me read your update. I am so curious if Steem can indeed provide you with the necessary income to live free! I know whenever I can I'll contribute by upvoting man! Have a great one over there! Cheers!

I'm curious too haha!

Thanks man much appreciated!

I love to see this update, I was also very curious to know more about your lifes journey, because it's not linear at all. When are you going to move to reunion? :)

I'm glad you enjoyed :)

We are flying in 8 days time!

That's really soon, I hope you are also going to document and write about it :)

Of course! It will be my job to do so :D

Wow that looks Amazing. It's great to see where life brings people and I'm happy for you. Hope that Steemit brings you a lot of freedom. This is also what I'm looking for here. Wishing you the best of luck =)

Thank you very much and good luck to you too!

Being able cover the costs of living all from steemit earnings sounds fucking awesome! I mean come on, can you do that with any other social media? Hopefully everything goes well and steemit provides enough to live a great life!

Well let us hope I can pull it off! The current situation makes me think it's possible!

I mean come on, can you do that with any other social media?

Not that I know of, Steem is changing lives daily right now!

Thank you very much! :D

uuuhh... hum, hum.

Singing us a song dear? :)

Well, considering most big living costs will be paid for thanks to yours truly, Steemit will provide bonus cash I'm hoping.

I'm a kept man YAYYYY! :D

Indeed, life changing social media! :D Good luck with your adventures!

Thanks dude!

Bravissimi!!! Tanta tanta fortuna!
Great new adventure!!!
Super-mega-big hug
Steemitri The Mannequin

Gracias Steemitri!

It must be a "hard" life. But someone's got to live it ....

Absolutely, I'll take one for the team here though 😁

What a nice post, it's my dream to explore many places and you inspired me. I know you will be more successful on your career. and please don't stop sharing your experiences on us, God bless.

Thank you @onin91 and welcome aboard!

Welcome @abh12345, I hope you would help me grow here in steemit, just keep posting...

Wonderful news!! Congratulations on your next adventure Asher & Sylvia. Those beaches are all dreamy ❤ Wishing you much success on your endeavour to support yourself on steemit and things. You'll be very successful! I look forward to following your adventures.

Thank you @yogajill, very kind of you to say so :)

Bloody blockchain hippies! ;)

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

haha!

If my dad was still around he'd be proud to be named one :D

Mine wouldn't! Hope this horrible little steem downturn ceases soon, that's the last thing you need the week after finalisingn a decision like this. Sensible to have one of you earning fiat.

Yes it's a little worrying but I think we'll be ok as the year progresses.

Dirty paper money as a hedge for now :)

You really are having a great time. Steem on friend. Plus your friend is pretty.

I agree with you very much! Thank you :D

You're welcome 😊

I told you that your best articles are ahead! Sumptuously. You are a happy person because you are surrounded by such beauty. Resteem.

Я же говорил, что Ваши лучшие статьи впереди! Великолепно. Вы счастливый человек ведь Вас окружает такая красота. Resteem.

Not tricky to beat yesterdays effort I guess? Thank you!

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

Yes. Let that be a lesson to us all - If you're tweakin' it, don't go steemin' it.

haha

dammit, back to the charts tomorrow then!

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

Pie charts and travel posts. No more psychedelic brainfarts. Please. 😍

"My current abode is my mothers apartment which she bought on leaving the UK 4 or so years ago. Luckily (sorry mum!) she lives with her partner and so this place is free, and free to stay excluding bills (thanks mum!)."
Your mum is a great mother, I love that type of a motherly love. Happy Holiday with your spouse and my regards to her. Hope to see both of you on your vlog.

Yes my mother is and will enjoy reading this comment very much :)

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

Try to show it to her as appreciation for her kindly love

You are a really wonderful couple
I liked this adventure different from the previous with the wonderful pictures of you together and the smile that I love on your face
The volcano also looks scary
Have you approached him? it is exciting
Thank you, I always hope that the smile will remain on your face, you wonderful couple

I have not approached the volcano yet no :D

Thank you for your kind words!

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

biking is also an indispensable spor for me. ı am happy me happy photos. we are tired of war news ever day. ı hope this year will be happy year for you. @abh12345

Nice!

This made me google 'Reunion Island'. Lol

Certainly worth a look!

it looks like a very nice place. I would like to see @abh12345

Oh my God. I liked.

I'm glad you did! :D

Beautiful photo man,you and your wife are looking so beautiful.
Have a nice your adventure time.

happy enjoy life..

this post is very leaning post @abh12345

Never lean on a leaning post my friend :D

hahahhahah

3.58% @pushup from @abh12345

Am seeing another level of honey moon here. Am happy to see you both together. Wishing you guys all the best

You living life the adventurous one :D