Ryan Goes Abroad

When I went through Brazil, I would often meet Brazilians who wanted to talk to me about their women. I told them about my plans of romping through southern Brazil, and when I would mention the various cities, they would proffer their opinions. – Me: “I’m going to Porto Alegre.” Brazilian A: Oh, that’s where [...]

Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what direction I am going to take this blog. As I’ve done so, I’ve realized that either 1) generating significant revenue, 2) fomenting a movement, or 3) impacting lives are the main things that would sustain me in the long run with this little corner of [...]

Learning a foreign language, quite frankly, a big project. It’s a little like starting a business. If you have ever tried to start a business, you know that in the beginning, you start with a blank slate, your hopes and dreams, and then it is all up to you to get it done. And by [...]

Every now and then I peak over at my analytics to see what posts on my blog people are reading the most… Do you know what is one of the top pages people see when they first come to this blog? It’s my post about flakey Colombian girls. I didn’t really intend this, but it’s [...]

Here are some things to help you prepare… 1. People on the ground are your best resource. When I first went to Colombia, the number one thing I did right was to have contact with somebody on the ground. I was admittedly a bit nervous when I first went to Bogotá. After all, I was [...]

I don’t know what rock I was sleeping under for the first part of my life, but I had never heard of reggaeton until I came to Colombia in 2011. The music is literally a phenomenon in much of Latin America, with countless clubs and discotecas putting it on to really get the party started. [...]

I’ve got some positive feedback about my cost of living breakdowns in the past, notably from Colombia a couple years back as well as Ecuador. Well, I haven’t done one in awhile, so like a good blogger I thought I’d fill ya’ll in… Backstory: Find Rent + Food In One At the end of January [...]

What you feel before a night out Argentina: “I’m gonna solve this mystery.” Colombia: “I’m gonna have a good time. I really should bring a girl with me, though.” Brazil: “I’m gonna go hunting tonight.” When the dancing begins Argentina: 230am Colombia: 1145pm Brazil: 7pm, 10pm, 2am, 7am, 11am, 3pm… depends where you’re at What’s [...]

I just finished reading an entire book in Spanish, and I’ve got to tell you it was a really good hack to improve my vocabulary and reading skills. It was such a good exercise I am already planning on reading another one, possibly in another language I might be picking up again in the near [...]

One of the questions that comes across my mind often is “Is _____ dangerous?” By “_____”, I’m thinking of a number of places in South America I haven’t been to yet. Specifically, these days I am thinking about Venezuela, a country which I have been curious about for some time, and which sits just across [...]