My European Year Recap

Before Europe, I spent a year in North America. I learned that big cities sell you a dream but charge you your life. The people were working three jobs just to survive the rent.

I refused to comply.

Europe was calling me. Fortunately, I managed to get a visa in Washington, DC. So on December 1st, I flew from JFK to…

A dangerous place to start your European journey. Why? Because the standard of living is so high, it ruins you for everywhere else.

Everything after this felt… human. Amsterdam felt like a machine and a fairytale.

Chocolates, waffles, and a bureaucracy divided by three languages that refuse to speak to each other.

I learned that a country doesn't need unity to function. It just needs good chocolate to distract you from the chaos.

Where I learned snowboarding… and patience. You cannot cheat gravity. You cannot cheat the mountain.

Extreme sports require extreme discipline. So do extreme dreams. If you panic, you crash.

I also crashed hard over France's architecture. Easily one of my favourites. Classique. Chic. Timeless.

The retirement hub of many, and where siesta is non-negotiable. After my first snowboarding experience in the Alps, I was down with fever and fatigue. Spain became the perfect place to recover.

I settled in Valencia. During siesta, everything closes. I usually have my first meal after 3pm, so I found myself starving. Forced to cook more than usual, I learned a simple lesson:

I thought of settling here under the Digital Nomad Visa, but God said, not yet. At first, I wasn't completely sold. Spain felt slow like my country and I hated the fact stores opened late.

When I came to Barcelona, I appreciated it more: more expats, more events, less closed stores. Still, it felt like it wasn't the right time. And honestly, I'm glad I was rejected from getting the NIE.

Had I received it, I would've been required to stay put ~ and I would've missed everything that came next.

Where I learned that pasta from scratch is a form of meditation. Art, gelato, and chaos are better therapy than any advice I've ever received.

Efficiency is overrated. Soul is underrated.

My 90-day Schengen period was about to end. I was worn out. Jumping from country to country had taken its toll. I needed at least a solid month to recuperate.

I was curious about Eastern Europe, Georgia and Turkey. But then I found the perfect Airbnb in Eastern Europe. So I flew to…

Came for a visa run. Stayed for the mountains. My Airbnb was luxury. My bill was budget.

I fell for the Balkans here. Once you taste this level of value, your standards for Western pricing never recover.

I was blown away by this other side of Europe. Raw and deep. I settled in Ulcinj, where there are more Albanians than Montenegrins. Here I was introduced to Yugoslavia ~ once a great country, later divided by history.

And that's how my Balkan adventure began.

I met many Albanians in Montenegro, so might as well explore their roots, right? Loud. Loyal. Die-hard. I saw what it means to fiercely love your origins.

It's not about how rich the country is. It's about the double-eagle energy. 🦅 Pride is a currency they have in surplus.

Albania was once North Korea. Sealed borders, its people cut off from the world. Today, those borders are open. I learned that there are now more Albanians living outside the country than inside it.

Albania is a world in itself: mountains, coastlines, places to ski and seas to swim in, nature so varied it feels unreal. And their culture feels familiar ~ like home. Like Filipinos ~ warm and generous. Once you're in, they wear their hearts on their sleeves.

Where I realised names carry weight. Sometimes adding “North” breaks more hearts than borders.

Lesson: History isn't just in books. It's in the eyes of the people you order coffee from.

I only had a quick stopover in Macedonia ~ my passport wouldn't allow a longer stay. But even in just a few days, it left a strong impression. Their language is close to Serbian, mixed with regional influences. You also see many Albanians here.

Some of the kindest, most generous people I have met ~ and I had people offering help when I got taxi scammed.

Where I stopped believing headlines. The “villains” on the news turned out to be the most intellectual, hospitable souls I've met. Balkan people are complex, and news soundbites never do them justice.

Less tourists. More truth. Never judge a country by its headlines.

I fell in love with the Cyrillic alphabet here ~ it's so sexy. You'll also encounter many Russians who moved here since the war in Ukraine began, because Serbia's visa policies are relatively easy and both languages share Slavic roots.

Of all the Balkan countries, I spent the longest time in Serbia. I decided to invest in learning their language. If I was going to learn one, it might as well be Serbian ~ it opens the door to the rest of the former Yugoslav countries.

I met with my Serbian tutor at least 3× a week. I did not just learn the language ~ I learned the nuances, the history, how locals lived and think. I gained a friend.

Marija became both a teacher and a mother figure. Through her, I learned to love Serbia and the Balkans even more. When I left, I couldn't help but cry.

Three presidents. One country. Generations of healing. I finally understood the heart of the Balkans. Pain still lingers here, but so does resilience.

If they can rebuild from that, I can rebuild anything.

At first glance, the nature alone blows you away: rivers, mountains, canyons, and landscapes unlike anywhere else in the Balkans. But wait until you learn about the history. The deeper you go, the more complex and layered it becomes ~ a crossroads of empires, religions, and cultures that have shaped stone and street.

Bosnia had the best food of anywhere I visited. The cuisine is rich, hearty and incredibly varied. Ćevapi, burek, and Bosnian coffee culture are unforgettable. That coffee instantly became part of my morning routine.

What surprised me most was how the country's religious diversity shows up everywhere ~ in food, music, festivals and especially architecture. Mosques, Orthodox churches, Catholic cathedrals and old synagogues living side by side. A living mosaic of history and belief. Half-east, half-west. Ottoman minarets blending into Austro-Hungarian facades.

The Price of Beauty. That coastline is world-class. But the prices? They hurt. Locals crossing borders just to buy groceries is the ultimate lesson in economics.

Beauty is expensive. Even the locals pay a tax for it.

My video went viral for asking where we should buy groceries. I came back to the Schengen zone via Croatia ~ little did I know, I'd already been a resident here since April. I had applied for a Digital Nomad Visa a while back and somehow, the approval letter got lost in my inbox.

But for good reason. Had I seen it earlier, I wouldn't have understood the Balkans the way I know them now. I wouldn't have been as invested. But I was, and what a perfect way to circle back.

Remember, Croatia was supposed to be my next stop after Italy. I find it quite poetic. Croatians are probably the most nonchalant of them all ~ and maybe the craziest too, in a good way. Still stubbornly Balkan, but once you're in, they would literally die for you.

My last Balkan stop ~ although they prefer to be called Central Europeans. I only had a few days here and I wish I'd be back soon.

Slovenia is insanely beautiful and fancy. People called it “boring” for being too pretty. I called it peace.

8 months after my first visit, I circled back to Spain. Not for the tapas. But for the math.

Not gonna lie, I cried for the Balkans. I'm such a baby, I know. I had not only left a country ~ I left a whole region. Yet, I had to be practical and Spain felt like the next path for me.

I went far this year. Not because it was easy. But because I was willing to be uncomfortable.

I didn't just move through 12 countries. I engineered a new reality. My application is in. The system is being tested.

Follow along to see if we win.