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Leo Ariel

Postcard 14: Olá de Lisboa

Published over 1 year ago • 1 min read

Hi friends,

Greetings from Lisbon!

Last month, I left my software engineering job to pursue a year of travel. 12 months, 12 locations. I just wrapped up my first destination in Bali.

View from my Hostel

In Bali, the longest I stayed at one place was one week. A homestay in Canggu, hostel in Canggu, Airbnb in Ubud, and Hotel in Jimbaran. In Lisbon, I'm taking a different approach. I'm renting an apartment for the whole month — found one on FB Marketplace for 900 euros. I've also hired a tutor to teach me Portuguese. We're meeting at a cafe. Our first lesson is Wednesday.

View from my Hostel

I've also finalized my November plans. I'm spending a few days in Hong Kong with my mom, then heading to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to see a friend. December is still up in the air, but I'm entertaining South America.

I wanted to share some additional updates:

  1. I've joined The Symmetrical, a web3 social club / investment DAO. Their mission is to bring Web3 to one million GenZ. For me, I'm just looking to meet some new friends my age.
  2. I signed up for Round 2 of Write of Passage, which will start on October 5, and will run for one month. Fun fact: this postcard started as a byproduct of the course. For those enrolled, I'll see you there!
  3. I'm starting a graphic design agency. Doing so will teach me the fundamentals of business and design. I'll start on Fiverr, and see where it goes.

What I'm Reading

  1. Endurance. My 32-hour journey from Asia to Europe pales in comparison to Shackleton's 2-year Antarctic expedition. Wet, freezing cold, gale force winds, 24h sunlight and darkness. Humbling.
  2. The Mist. My first Stephen King novel. Introduction to America's #1 Horror Fiction writer. His MO seems to be small Northeast town with supernatural creatures. Reminds me of Goosebumps, which I enjoyed as a kid.

Have a wonderful week,

Feel free to reply to this email. I'd love to hear from you! :D

Leo Ariel

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