Author Archives: Libby Tucker

About two years ago I was introduced to two file sharing services have that saved my life.  

Box.net and Dropbox.com (formerly getdropbox).  Countless number of files lost after computers hard drives simply crashed, or having laptops stolen, or even external hard drives going bad – or quickly going out of date!  —— then I found Dropbox. 

Dropbox is a service that allows you to store your files online.  I pay for their 50gig service which runs me $100 / year – better than having to replace laptops and external storage drives, and I never have to worry about anything going out of date.  Best of all, with Dropbox, you synchronize your folders online with your local folders, so it’s a seamless experience.  You use your folders like you normally would, then when you connect to the Internet, everything syncs back up to the server and stored automagically.  If your laptop is stolen, as mine was, you can un-sync that computer on dropbox.com.  

Why didn’t this happen sooner?  A breath of fresh air!  Get Dropbox here – you’ll be helping me out by giving me extra storage if you sign up using my link, and you get extra space for accepting my invite (another thanks Dropbox for the great affilate program).   

Box.net is another great service but less for the independent traveler and more for the corporate group looking to share files.  There’s no desktop component (that I’ve seen yet and as of this writing).  The biggest plus to Box.net in my opinion are its easily shareable links to files.  As a company, we store information both on Dropbox and Box.net that is accessible and editable, and secure, to others we work with outside of our company.  

The shift to mobile file storage makes it possible to be working from a desktop computer in an Internet Cafe in Argentina, from your iPhone in NYC, your laptop in Seattle – and stay on top of it all.  

It’s becoming increasingly apparent why I need to write about ways to live/work anywhere.

A friend called last night, distraught, and said ‘I feel like my life is empty. Can you help me do what you did?’. I’ve always wanted to travel. I feel like I’m doing what I’m ‘supposed’ to be doing. I have a good job, car, etc, but… my life feels so empty. Can you help me put a plan together?”

I was shocked.  This girl is tough. Everyone is intimidated but respectful of her. To see her break down, I actually asked her if she was kidding, to which – of course, she said ‘no’. There are so many people that have fallen prey to a system that doesn’t work anymore. Or to a system that is fake with so many ‘rules’. But all the rules were invented, they are part of a game.   We allow others to take control of our strings like a puppet.

Everybody was meant to be free, to live life the way they intended – not sitting in front of a tv but going out and experiencing our passion, unleashing our creativity, and following our vocation.  Instead of taking control of our lives, we allow systems to manage our life for us.  The world is becoming increasingly borderless and there are tools that we can use to build the life we want, including especially not being limited to a particular job or location.  

As this blog continues I hope to provide more tools and tips on how we can live and work anywhere we choose.  Follow me also at libtuck.com and twitter.com/libtuck (@libtuck).  

“Those who say it cannot be done shouldn’t interrupt the people doing it.”

“Vocation is where the world’s deep hunger and your deep passion meet”

“Imagination is the Preview of Life’s Coming Attractions”

No me sale. No puedo dejar de pensar en ello

No me puede salir.  Estoy todavia en la imagen

Como viviendo con un pie en un mundo y otro aqui, dividiendome

Por que .. no se

Me ha convertido no se como ni una explicacion seria suficiente

No tiene sentido

Ya que esta dentro de mi alma

No esta fuera de mi cuerpo

No lo puedo quitar

… y hombre te digo q no quiero quitar

- de sentir

- de vivir

- de cantar

He cambiado, lo puedo sentir.  No me puede despedir no quiere separarse con la pie.

Estoy contando pensado en pesos

Quiero saludar con un beso, un abrazo, un hola

Prefiero estar en the calle (ca-shay)

Donde suponeria que estuviera un monton de gente pero no hay

Estoy sola.  Estoy sola?  Bajo las nubes la lluvia el cafe moreno como la gente sin sueno

Porque no lo descubri antes, se q despues de ocho anios y la vida pasando en los dos pies siempre

El Tiempo es precioso

Y que gracioso que no me di cuenta bajo mis pensamientos mi rutina aburrida y me pasaba la vida

JODER

Me siento otra persona.  Me siento despertada.  Tengo ganas de convertir en otra persona despertada de verdad.

No se en total que significara pero en los ultimos dias me he sentido otra.

Como si estuviera durmiendo la pie y ahora me siento el hormigueo, no dolor, despertador.

GENIAL!

Lo definitivo es renunciar la habitual la normal y continuar subiendo el cerro de hormigas, triunfante.

Ahora metas alcanzadas, dejando de la ‘ruida’, de lo caotico, enfocando en lo que me empuje lo que me envuelve lo que me ayuda, y lo q me da la motiva de seguir

ADELANTE

Don’t cry (for me Argentina) because it’s over. Smile because it happened.

Last night in BA.  I’ve spent it working, recovering from last night’s goodbye party, organizing, and eating Chinese takeout.

I’ve gotten teary eyed a couple of times.  I’m sad to leave.  I’m realizing that a place can really touch you but also the people around you make a difference.

There’s still a lot to share, but I decided to do a summary of parts with some memories.

RRRRRRRR’s:

I learned how to roll my R’s.  FINALLY!!!  After 7+ years studying Spanish, living in Spain, Central America, and now South America, finally – and in an unexpected moment on the rooftop terrace eating dinner, out popped a new sound that I’ve been trying to make for yeeeaaaars!  My host brother teased me years ago that I had a speech impediment and that people like me belong in therapy – if he only knew.  I did it! Still I need practice and that I’ve been doing, but I finally did it!

The Christmas Package

My mom sent me a Christmas package.  Thinking it would never have arrived not only due to the time of year but because the package contained food – Gram’s apricot bread and Aunt Renie’s cookies – finally on Jan 11 I got the notice.  Since nothing in Argentina runs smoothly, I decided to arrive when the office opened.  A long line of people and a 3 hour wait later, plus a second waiting room – one was to check in, the other was to wait for the package – finally it arrived.  Smart, mom, for vacuum sealing them.  My roommates and cousin Barry, and me, were all extremely happy! Worth the wait.

Dentista

After 5 years of no insurance and not having gone to the dentist, I decided I would go here.  An educated workforce, but still distrustful of unknown practices, I went in for a cleaning.  I had to be rescheduled for a week later due to the machine breaking (as if I wasn’t nervous enough), but the dentist greeted me with a beso on the cheek, genial.  1 teeth cleaning, 3 cavities, bill total approx. $70 usd.  Score!  I’ll miss some of the costs of living here, including the $5 leg waxing and the dentist.

People, Greets, Dogs

People greet each other here on the street or at work with a kiss on the cheek.  It’s the normal greeting, which seems strange at work, but also very nice.  The people here are really friendly.  In the city, nobody says hello or smiles on the street.  However, if you stop to ask a question or talk to someone, they love to chat with you.  Dinners and lunches last hours as people sit and chat.  When walking in the store, you always look at the owner and say hello / good day / how are you.

Today I saw a lazy fat cat just chilling on the step outside of a restaurant.  It’s amazing to me how the dogs and cats just do their own thing.  Dogs, like the humans, don’t pay any attention to anyone, as nobody else on the street – like in the states – bends down to pet them.  Animals seem well taken care of here and happy.

Upside Down in South America

Did you know that the toilet flushes the opposite way here?  Or how about that instead of the Big and Little Dipper, I see Orion.  Supposedly the Southern Cross too?  Haven’t yet seen that one.  It’s amazing to realize how much the world changes and how we are truly a round earth, not flat!  We eat, walk, sleep the same but we see and experience different parts of the planet.

More useless ramblings to be added…

Unplug yourself!  That´s advice I absolutely did take last weekend. Tickets to Uruguay quadrupled in price as the hectic holiday season is still at its peak. I was hoping to go before leaving, but instead took an offer for my roommate´s parent´s cabin in the town of Las Toninas, just north of Mar del Plata, a famous beach town for people in Argentina

After several hours in the rented car (two hours after getting lost 200k out of the way) and five people crammed with bags, food, and a guitar, we arrived at nighttime in tiny Las Toninas.  Small but alive the streets were bustling well into the late hours of the night, typical for Argentina.

Got to see the Atlantic ocean!  It was so nice to dip our toes after the long drive.  We settled in, got a full chicken and some papas fritas (fries) to share for dinner then off for a night long nap until waking up to bird´s chirping this morning and the sun shining brightly to a gorgeous day on the beach.

Having no running water or sheets suddenly seemed much less important as I headed to the beach.  6 hours later I sat there, typing this, looking like a lobster – burnt to a crisp and exhausted – but happy to be alive.

Dinner that night was an asado on the house grill that is outside yet inside the wall of the terrace.  Sunday would have been another full day of beach, possibly some fishing, and more surfing the waves, but it turned out to be I had to hide from the deceivingly strong sun.

That night after dinner we all cheered on Caleb, our roomie from BA, as he busked (illegally we found out as we had to shut down after 40 min) on the streets as he gathered a large crowed and earned 26 pesos.

The next day was back to city life.  As sad as I was to leave the beach, I sort of felt like I was home when we got into downtown and had a strange sense of familiar comfort, surprising but good.  I got a chance to learn how to drive like a real Portena, I realized if there isn’t a lane, you make one.  People will always cross the street, just try not to hit them.  I would call the driving experience ‘defensive yet creative’.  At least it wasn’t like Sarajevo, no driving on sidewalks.

Now back to being enchufado… plugged.

New Year’s eve fireworks in San Telmo in Buenos Aires.

Another 20 hour bus ride with alfajores, medialunes, bad movies … though much better, and plush seats, back in Bs As it was for warm weather and the anio neuvo.

Like Christmas, everything shuts down early, families and friends celebrate, fireworks are set off in all neighborhoods at midnight (or before in anticipation), and bars/restaurants open back up at 2 am.

Staying low key in San Telmo, had an asado (bbq) with roomies and friends before heading to the Plaza Durrego the main square in San Telmo for fireworks and champagne.  The locals all bought and shared beers and Fernet and CocaCola drinks as bands played in the streets, people laughing and dancing.  I too joined in the firework celebration, lighting off my only firework that almost hit the policia…. good thing I didn’t have to call home to get bailed out of prison.

It was fun to learn new traditions and celebrate the new year in Buenos Aires.

Lil’ old wooden boat sailing down the river in nearby and quaint town of Tigre.