Would you read my story to discover how we began this journey together on #steemit?
Would you please share your story with us in the comments below to help us get to know you?
While living in Cambodia, I met Jan Schets (@menta), who informed me about Steemit. I'm not sure how we first met, but it may have been my Khmer Conversation Classes, which I taught in Kampot, Cambodia. At that time I was also learning WordPress, SEO and all the other basic skills to build one's first website. In addition to teaching Cambodian and English and learning how to create a website, I was very busy running a restaurant and doing several other side jobs that prevented me from having the time to create and manage the website idea I had in mind. However, as the years passed, I had not forgotten Jan mentioned that Steemit was a faster and easier way to get some content online without the full commitment and time it takes to manage a website. Jan Schets is a wise man, and was a valuable resource while I was learning WordPress and SEO, as he is a bit of wizard with those things. So it is with @menta in mind that my family and I start this Steemit journey together.
My name is Justin Parke (@justinparke), and I am a self-exiled 36-year-old American living in Suriname with Sreypov Heng, my lovely Khmer wife. We have two daughters, Srey Yuu (10 years old) and Sakana (5 years old), both born in Cambodia.
You, like most people, probably already have many questions, such as: "Why do you live in Suriname?", "Where is Suriname?", "What is Khmer?", "Where is Cambodia?", "How did you all end up in Suriname?" and more. Well, one of the biggest reasons we have joined Steemit is that we feel our life together and how we met is a very interesting story, perhaps even worthy of being shared. Many friends have recommended for several years that we share our story together in blog form, and we felt Steemit is the right platform for this tale. Most important of all, we finally have some time to do it. Thank you for making this journey with us and I appreciate you taking the time to read the beginning of this introduction.
Here is a link you might find useful to match with my facebook account.
https://www.facebook.com/justinkparke
Will you try reading more because now I am about to share the really interesting stuff?
My family and I are here in Paramaribo, Suriname, going through the immigration process as we adapt to life in a new hemisphere. It's a long and twisted tale of how we ended up here in Paramaribo, Suriname, from Kampot, Cambodia. I believe this tale is fit for a series of short stories to be uploaded here on Steemit, and to be read by those who find it interesting. I am not sure exactly what style or form our Steemit blog will take just yet, but I hope to deliver bits and pieces of our history and how we met, as well as glimpses into our daily life here in Suriname. Perhaps think of this blog as part Suriname travel blog, part mixed-culture family stories and part immigrants' tale. I will try to give you a brief summary of the events that led to the creation of our family and our relocation to Suriname.
Before we delve in deep I feel I should address the most common questions from above that our family receive as we meander through various countries, languages and cultures, trying to find our forever home.
| #1 | "Why do you live in Suriname?" |
We have only lived in Suriname for about three months, so this is still a new question for us. However, it is a common question the locals ask once they realize we aren't natives. The best answer I have is that Suriname met the conditions and parameters we agreed upon before embarking on our exodus from Cambodia. This is a topic big enough for it's own post, but one of the most important factors was it's proximity to the USA. Of the roughly 10 years I lived in Cambodia, I didn't receive any family visitors. As our daughters get older, so do my parents in the USA. I hoped bridging the gap a bit by relocating to the western hemisphere would increase our chances of my American family members getting to know my Cambodian family members. The multicultural dynamics, the weather, and the flora of Suriname also were big factors in our relocation. Sreypov and I are chefs/restaurateurs, and Suriname has many of the fresh ingredients and spices we were accustomed to using in Cambodia.
I should mention that I already tried to immigrate to Suriname two years ago, and my visa was denied, but that is a future post which is a story in itself. As of April 2019, a new e-visa option made it possible for my Cambodian family members to come to Suriname after all. At the time we were in Quito, Ecuador, midway through the Ecuadorian immigration process. Ecuador was our alternative destination after the financial losses we suffered and time lost due to the previous Suriname Immigration Visa denial. I will explain more about why we chose Suriname originally, why we were in Ecuador, and why we left Cambodia in the first place in a future post.
| #2 | "Where is Suriname?" |
This is a much more easier question to address. Suriname is a small country located on the northeastern coast of South America, bordering Guyana, Brazil and French Guiana. It has a mixed colonial past of English and Dutch rule, with Dutch remaining the official language. There are many more secondary languages, such as Sranan Tongo, Saramaccan, Javanese, Sarnami Hindustani, Akun, Carib, English and more. Strangely, most people whom I've told I live in Suriname generally think it is a country somewhere in Africa. As a Hoosier (person from Indiana), I am familiar with Jim Jones, the history of the Peoples Temple Cult and the Jonestown settlement that once existed in neighboring Guyana, as are most Hoosiers. Jim Jones was indeed one of many strange characters Indiana has produced through the years, and his cult had it's roots in Indiana. Due to this, I unfortunately have to explain to most people in Indiana that I live in the country near Jonestown.
| #3 | "What is Khmer?" |
Khmer is the name for the ethnic group which makes up the overwhelming majority of Cambodia's population, about 97%. The word "Khmer" is also used in place of the word "Cambodian", which is the national language of Cambodia.
| #4 | "Where is Cambodia?" |
Cambodia is a small country in southeast Asia bordering Vietnam, Thailand and Laos. Cambodia has a French colonial history with historical influences from Javanese, Indian, Chinese, and Malay cultures. I have found many people get Cambodia confused with Cameroon. Here in Suriname, the Javanese and Indians always ask if Cambodia is in Asia, which we find shocking. We realize the Javanese and Indian Surinamese have been disconnected from Asia for more than a century, but there is so much Javanese and Indian history in Cambodia, it surprises us that many Surinamese have never even heard of Cambodia at all. People from my home state of Indiana, if they know Cambodia at all, generally know it by way of the Vietnam War, and thus sometimes mention the "Khmer Rouge" or "landmines", or the "Killing Fields".
| #5 | "How did you all end up in Suriname?" |
This question is one for which a simple answer doesn't exist. Where everyone ends up in life has much to do with the choices we have made along the way. I will try and give a brief explanation however because this is only an introductory post. The greatest factor which led us to Suriname was the denial of my Cambodian Residency Visa and Work Permit. I am an American citizen, and Cambodia only grants citizenship to those who pay roughly $50,000 USD, or to those who have 'friends' in high places within the Cambodian government. I had been living in Cambodia without issue for nearly 10 years prior to my visa denial, with some brief stints in Jamaica, Albania and the USA. I had most recently been teaching the Khmer language and culture to foreign residents in my own private school/restaurant. Even considering I am fluent in the Cambodian language and know the history and culture well, my attempts at citizenship without the $50,000 USD donation were met with solid refusals. Without citizenship, a foreign resident can't own land in Cambodia. Land ownership disputes are still a big problem even if you are a Cambodian citizen anyways, with the richer party generally winning the dispute.
I always had an uneasy feeling about living long-term in a place where I would never be a citizen or be able to own land. These issues meant I would eternally pay for residency visas and work permits, and potentially own a home in a someone else's name, meaning I could easily lose my property if that person and I had a falling out. Cambodia just never felt like home despite my great efforts to assimilate. Despite these hurdles, I was able to maintain my visa, residency and work permits all the years I had previously lived there. During my 9th year in Cambodia my visa renewal was denied without reason. I went to all the appropriate government ministries trying to figure out why my visa was denied, but all doors were locked and closed, and hope began to fade. With time running out on my visa, and no visa renewal coming my way, I reluctantly left my family behind in Cambodia to avoid becoming an illegal alien in Cambodia. They couldn't join me due to the countless visa issues Cambodians have when trying to go abroad.
I labored in the USA for 5 long months awaiting a Suriname Immigration Visa, which I intended to later use to sponsor my family's immigration to Suriname. I hoped Suriname would give us a chance to remain a united family. Well, I mentioned earlier I had already been denied a Suriname Immigration Visa once before. This was that time. After all those months working in the USA to solve our crisis and get our family permanently reunified, and with only days before my flight back to Cambodia where I intended to scoop up the family and go to Indonesia to apply for their Suriname Immigration Visas in Jakarta, I received some terrible news from the Suriname Embassy in Washington D.C.. My visa had been denied, even though I had been coordinating with the embassy through the process, and provided all things requested.
With this huge setback I flew back to Cambodia entering on a tourist visa with limited savings, and limited time in the country, not exactly knowing where "home" was going to be for our family. After all, going to Indonesia would be useless because I could no longer sponsor them as I didn't receive my visa. We immediately began researching all the countries in the world that would give a visa-on-arrival to Cambodian and American citizens, and also provide a chance at long-term residency without any kind of sponsorship or job offer. We ended up in Ecuador due to their 90 day visa-on-arrival for Cambodian citizens. We ultimately ended up having immigration problems in Ecuador which resulted in us coming to Suriname, for which the new e-Visa from VFS made possible for my Cambodian family members. It was a gift and a second chance for us to attempt Suriname immigration. That is basically the short story of how we ended up here in Paramaribo. The longer story is much more interesting and involves transit visa denials, multiple 20+hour layovers in various countries, being denied permission to board flights, a totally free 4-day-stay in a five star hotel and too much more to mention here.
Would you ready my introduction below to learn more about me?
| MY INTRODUCTION |
I am originally from a small town in southern Indiana, where I was born and raised. There weren't many chances for travel as a young kid growing up in Indiana, and certainly no international travel. I remember in the 1980's, my brother and I received several boxes of 1960's era National Geographic magazines from a family member. These were the first things I remember which caused me to ponder what it might be like to live or travel outside the USA. I had a typical Indiana countryside childhood, growing up around corn, horses and coalmines. Upon graduation from high school I attended a nearby community college intent upon not going into debt from student loans, paying only for what credits I could afford.
Almost a year later I moved to Colorado and continued my community college education, studying Outdoor Recreation Leadership and Wilderness Studies at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, Colorado. I still remained committed to being debt-free, but after 8 years studying credit-by-credit part-time in budget community colleges, and still without a degree, I was ready for a change. I didn't feel being a wilderness guide was part of my life path anyways, and cooking was my true passion, and what I was ultimately best at. I had helped to pay for these years of college mostly by cooking in restaurants, so why not throw myself into the culinary world 100%, right?
I did exactly that, quit college and began a full-time career in the culinary world. The money was okay, but the hours were long I was never passionate about the food I was cooking. I always enjoyed cooking vegetarian Indian and Thai food at home, but found myself cooking unhealthy and uninspired western food in my various culinary jobs throughout the USA. I dreamed of being able to someday cook and serve the foods I ate at home, and serve it from my own restaurant, but the startup costs were not anything I was going to be able to afford for the next 40 years.
I had done a few international trips here and there by that time, managing two trips to western Europe and also a trip to India and Sikkim. These two experiences were enough to plant the seed in my my mind that possibly the "American Dream" was not in America, for me at least. After the suicide of my best friend and a few unhealthy relationships, I was looking for a major change. I moved back to Indiana to consolidate my life and carefully plot my next steps. It was while in Indiana I decided I could cut my living costs by building a mini-RV out of a Volkswagen truck, and live in it with my 2 dogs. I began construction on this mini-RV, and nearly finished it before making a decision that would change my life forever.
I bought a ticket to Thailand in hopes a three month long backpacking trip through southeast Asia would give me renewed vigor. I had a job offer restoring vintage Vespa scooters in Vietnam as well, in case I chose not to return home and found no other work. Restoring old Vespa and Lambretta scooters had always been a passion of mine, so I was excited at the chance for a career and scenery change. I had previously googled search terms such as "easiest visa without education" and "easiest foreign countries to get residency", and Cambodia was always at the top of my search results. I knew I would be passing through Cambodia on my way to Vietnam from Thailand anyway, so I'd have a chance to check it out.
Well, I arrived in Bangkok at Suvarnabhumi Airport in 2010 during the Red Shirt/Yellow Shirt protests and battles. There were constant street clashes and a curfew was in effect at that time. I arrived late and decided I would simply spend a night on the floor of the airport before plotting my next moves. A sleepless night was spent constantly receiving flyers about about raves and full moon parties throughout Thailand. It was the one night on the airport floor that convinced me that Thailand wasn't the place I was looking for. I immediately headed to the train station and was on my way to the Thai-Cambodian border.
I arrived in Poipet, Cambodia, where I finally could escape the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, and think about where to go and what to do in Cambodia, as I had pretty much arrived without any research, having planned a month or more in Thailand. Poipet was and is still by no means paradise. It's a rough border town with casinos, shady characters, and a lot of human trafficking. Regardless of this, the wild-west feeling of Poipet was alluring, and Cambodia in general felt like there was a lot of potential for micro-entrepreneurship. I struggled and eventually found my way in Cambodia, learning the language after some years, fell in love and out love, grew up a lot, worked many different kinds of jobs, and would eventually meet Sreypov, Srey Yuu and Sakana in 2016. We lived in Kampot, Cambodia, for 3+ years where we owned and operated a language school, an I-tal restaurant and a few other small businesses.
There are all kinds of interesting things that happened along the way to bring us here to 2019 in Suriname, all of which I hope to share with you through my Steemit blog, as well as more properly introduce my Cambodian family members. Thank you for taking time to read this introduction. I hope you stay tuned to find out more about our adventures through life.
Let me know what you think!
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!
I'll do my best to answer you.
I care a lot about what my followers and the Steemit community at large think -- so feel free to leave a comment!
Follow me @justinparke
Welcome to Steemit @justinparke. What an amazing adventure you have been on. I really look forward to hearing more of your story and adventures. I hope you and your family are settling well in Suriname and this gives you what you are seeking.
Thank you very much @tryskele. Thank you for tuning in and be sure to follow me to see the next story. I should be able to finish it and post today. Give thanks, I'll be sure and give you a follow too. We are awaiting a residency visa now, and will have news before September 2nd as to whether or not we can continue to stay in Suriname.
Damn, what a tale and great intro post. Following with interest.
Give thanks for reading my intro. I'm already working on my first story titled "The Great Ecuador Exodus." I am trying to the take time and reply to everyone that genuinely enjoyed my intro, but my resource credits are limited until I get some more Steem Power built up. Do stay tuned and I'll try to provide as much good as content as I have time to produce. Thanks again @novacadian.
Welcome to Steem @justinparke.
Do read A thumb rule for steemit minnows - 50:100:200:25 for starter tips.
Spend time reading Steem Blue Paper to know how Steem blockchain works and if you still have any queries ask them on our Ask me anything about Steemit post and we will try to answer that.
You can earn Steem rewards for reading and sharing your insights using our Highlights Extension
All the Best!!!
Welcome to Steemit @justinparke!
I wish you much success and hope you find Steemit to be as rewarding and informative as I have.
Here are some links you might find useful.
Your stats on SteemNow
Your stats on SteemWorld
Your stats on SteemD
How does Steemit actually work?
Oh yea, I have upvoted you and followed you. Many blessings!
Welcome to the jungle man! Look like you’re always game for a wild adventure and I think steemit will be right up your alley
Good luck 🍀👍 and keep that blog going love learning from people with different lives and taking different paths
Posted using Partiko iOS
Give thanks for reading my intro @chekohler. Steemit is our family's lifeline for now as we await residency visas here in Suriname. By reading and upvoting my stories, you are helping my family more than you know. Mainly I am glad you enjoyed the read. I will continue working on my first official story today, "The Great Ecuador Exodus." My wife can't speak English but I have some people posting content in the Khmer language on Steemit, so I may download Partiko for her iPhone and let her give Khmer language blogging a go. Thanks again for the read and the genuine comments. I'll give you a follow and look forward to seeing some of your posts.
Pleasure man! Always nice to see genuine real faces joining! Good luck with the move and hope your wife takes to the platform too
!BEER 1 !ENGAGE 20
Posted using Partiko iOS
Sorry, you don't have enough BEER in your account. You need 10 BEER in your virtual fridge to give some of your BEER to others. To view or trade BEER go to steem-engine.com
Wowzerz! That's fascinating stuff.. That's coming from an American living in and married to a Malaysian, Tamil Indian.. All the best to you and your family in the western hemisphere.. Steem is an interesting place in and of itself, things are a bit tumultuous within this ecosystem but there are amazing people and in the end making connections and sharing our experiences is what it's all about.
That's my perspective of course. I'm not here to milk the roi and compete with anyone.. I came to freely express myself and not have to filter my voice..
Cheers, I look forward to your future contributions.. Welcome!
Posted using Partiko Android
LOL I was reading homies intro post and I’m like I gotta tag the skra man he’s like to know that there are halfmericans out there! Damn y’all find each other fast
Posted using Partiko iOS
I can spot an americant in a flash! 🤓
Posted using Partiko Android
Lol it’s the same for me when I’m abroad, South Africans are easy to spot too, they’re normally speaking Afrikaans with the most vulgar use or singing local songs for some reason we get hella patriotic when we cross boarders! When we at home, we think the place is shit
Posted using Partiko iOS
You thinking of crossing into Thailand for the fest of steem? I'm still considering being in the same vicinity and basically trolling the official events..
I see some potentially outrageous times sharing our patriotic songs and catching a ping pong show...
Posted using Partiko Android
I am keen on Steem first I just didn’t think I’d have anyone to hang with lol I’d be interested to see what’s going on there and at least check it off my list
Lol sounds like you could make it worth the trip I don’t want to just be geek talking for a week
Posted using Partiko iOS
Hi @chekohler
Is there any chance I could DM you? Do you use telegram? or discord? I've some questions I wanted to ask you (outside blockchain).
Yours
Piotr
Speaking of South Africa, with the Dutch language spoken everywhere, and the massive Indian and African population here, Suriname honestly reminds me a bit of South Africa. And yes you can find Americants just about anywhere. I gotta be honest, I haven't seen one yet in Suriname though.
Hey @skramatters, thanks for the read. Life is a crazy experience indeed. I love Malaysia. I got to visit a bit of Malacca and the surrounding areas many years ago with a friend from Singapore. I found Malaysia to be one of the friendliest and most beautiful countries I have ever seen. It's a shame their immigration policy is a bit restrictive, but I certainly enjoyed my tourist visa there. Also, Malaysians are among the most well-behaved international tourists that I have seen. I enjoy seeing more genuine interaction on here that isn't solely crypto-based. Give thanks for reading, and stay tuned. I'll give you a follow. Do you post about life in Malaysia? I'll be sure to check your blog when I get a chance. Give thanks again @skramatters.
@justinparke my apologies for the late response, my go to steem app is bugging out per usual on notifications.
Life is a trip indeed. Malaysia is a beautiful place as a true melting pot that has its diverse roots firmly planted in its silk road origins there is no place on Earth quite like it.
Immigration is strict and I'd not advise anyone to seek citizenship here, especially an American! For a myriad of reasons but as long term visa holder(crossing fingers) it's a great place to live.
I don't have any rhyme or reason to my content here. I'm all over the place, I tend to focus on satire, levity, and the peculiar. I'm certainly not taking my self seriously and nobody else should either.
Cheers, and yes give thanks!
Yeah it's such a shame Malaysia doesn't open itself up more for immigration. It is already such a multicultural place. If anything ever changes in the visa department, I'll be the first to attempt it. I have an American friend living in a mix of Thailand and Malaysia due to his long-term visa woes. Anyways, keep living the dream. We are surrounded by Indonesians and Javanese here in Suriname, so it's not a world away from you. There are signs of SE Asia all over the place here. I'll be sure to tune in to your content. Thanks again.
Wow :O what a story !
Thank you for share with us :)
I'm glad you took a chance on your happiness and everything went well.
As the saying goes here in Portugal "quem não arrisca não petisca" or Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I wish you a good journey here at steemit.
Also want to share with you this simple signature that you can use in your future posts:
Hope you like it
Cheers :)
Obrigado @aleister. Thanks for the read and the genuine comments. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm always keen to make Steemit friends with interesting lives around the world. The crypto is secondary to me genuinely trying to find good content on here and both provide some as well. Thanks for the signature too. Stay tuned for my first official story. I'm nearly finished now. I'll give you a follow as well. Give thanks!
Welcome to steemit my friends. Nice to see people from all walks of life here. I hope you enjoy you stay here as you learn how fully utilize steemit. If you need questions or help about this platform please let me know just drop by in any of my steemit post. Well see you around!
Posted using Partiko Android
Thank you very much @ankarlie. I am still learning, but enjoying this new venture. If I have any questions I will let you know.
Quite a great story, @justinparke ! Welcome to Steemit ,and I look forward to more engaging content from you :)
Thanks @robertandrew for giving it a read and welcoming me to Steemit. I try to reward my readers that genuinely enjoy my content. The crypto is secondary but I do try and upvote all genuine comments. I also put my voting bot on any readers/followers that genuinely interact with my posts and give good feedback. Check out my first official post here at The Great Ecuador Exodus and let me know what you think.
Congratulations @justinparke!
Your post was mentioned in the Steem Hit Parade for newcomers in the following category:
I also upvoted your post to increase its reward
If you like my work to promote newcomers and give them more visibility on the Steem blockchain, consider to vote for my witness!
Wow! I am truly surprised to see how well my first post is doing. I'm already plugging away at #2. I checked my post on the Steem Hit Parade, thanks again for that. It has obviously given me a good boost and increased my presence here on Steemit. I also gave you a follow @arcange. Give thanks again!
Welcome Justin
to the Steemit platform, Yes its happening you are a steemian now. This is the moment to warm welcoming you as a new user. And you receive this message because you used the #introduceyourself tag!
I was welcomed with good advice too when I started so here i am. I know that steemit may seem very overwhelming right now but don't worry. After a few blog you will be the best blogger and contributor.
If you have any questions just ask your questions on any of my blog posts and I'll be more than happy to assist you with whatever questions you may have!
I may know the answer. But very important I recommend you to never give up any off your passwords they are yours ! Please for safety tips read and visit the white paper or my blog about safety
https://steemit.com/community/@brittandjosie/4-o-clocky-steem-keys-key-to-your-succes-so-secure-them
To easy post use APPICSand to control your account use Steemify.
https://steemit.com/busy/@exyle/using-steemify-to-stay-up-to-date-about-the-blockchain-like-project-destiny-please-consider-blockbrothers-for-your-witness-vote The Steemify App I use is great, it is available in the Appstore and its Free.
It gives you insight on what is happening in your account.
Maybe great to join Steemterminal in Discord and visit @heyhaveyamet to See more newcomers onboard.
Here is what we do :
https://steemit.com/heyhaveyamet/@heyhaveyamet/meet-the-hhym-and-the-steem-terminal-crew-part-one-hhym
Good Luck, Have fun and I wish you loads of success on here! :)
Oh and a last tip , this guide :
https://steemit.com/steem/@verhp11/a-complete-guide-for-new-steemians
GREETZ from Holland
Britt
Groeten uit Suriname @brittandjosie. Thank you for the information and links. I'm a bit overwhelmed right now at simply trying to produce quality content, and the crypto is just a secondary bonus for now. Maybe I'll focus on that side of things a little more down the road. Feel free to ready my stories and give an upvote if you like. My family and I are learning Dutch here in Paramaribo. Once again thanks for the links, and I'll give you a follow as well.
I know it’s so much in the beginning but just take it all in and if there are questions let me know
I was in Cambodia twice. I was teaching English in Vietnam for 5 years, 2012-2017. I'm from Oregon. Love your photos here. Amazing. I've been writing about my time in Vietnam on Steemit. I do love tales. There is a lot here. I shared this post. Good work.
Give thanks. When I first left Cambodia to solve our immigration issues, I went work in Oregon for 5 months. I also did a lot of ESL teaching while in Cambodia. It's a small world. Thanks for sharing my intro. I'm now following your blog as I think you may have some good tales too.
That's good. I moved to Vietnam in 2012 with a three month visa and I extended that visa 2 times. Then, in August of 2013, went to Cambodia to make a new Vietnam visa. I extended that visa every three months for about 5 times in a row until March 2015. So, I did not leave Vietnam every three months like some foreigners do. Many people say to me that you have to come into the country and then leave after three months to make a new visa. Most tourists and aliens would say that. I would tell them that I did not. I would instead extend my visa without leaving the country.
Justin, looks like quite a journey you've had! My wife-to-be is from Somalia, and I'm trying to get her back to the US currently, so we've had similar challenges. We started this journey in 2015, and with any luck we will both be in the US at the end of next month.
Cheers!
Give thanks @joshman. I'm glad you enjoyed the read. I'm always eager to connect with folks living interesting lives. I'm a new user and funds are limited, and so are my resource credits, but I'm trying to take time to reply to each person that genuinely enjoys my post. Once I get my first payout in Steem Power from this post, things will be much easier. We actually almost moved to Ethiopia when leaving SE Asia. I have several friends there, and Ethiopia offers a 90 day visa on arrival to Cambodians. It was a tough call but we settled on South America so I can be closer to my family in the USA as they get older. Good luck on getting your fiance into the USA. It's a tough challenge, one we know we could never do. That being said, I love life in Suriname so far. Take care and give me a follow if you want to stay updated. I'll give you a follow as well. Bless up!
I'm curious why this is the case, but would understand if it's personal.
PS I also just delegated 50SP to you and submitted you for a @steembasicincome share to help accelerate your growth. I'll leave that delegation on until you get to minnow. Keep on submitting great content like this post!
Cheers!
J
Wow man, give thanks for the surprise gift. I can't thank you enough. When I get some free time later today I'll take time to study @steembasicincome. I am still familiarizing myself with terms like "minnow" and other Steemit jargon. I am learning a bit every day. Basically we had a successful restaurant and school in Cambodia and we lost almost all our life savings in a forced exodus from Cambodia, having lost most of our funds to plane tickets and an Ecuadorian immigration nightmare. We are now here in Suriname trying to put the pieces back together, but we remain a united family here. For that we are thankful. I have time to give Steemit a go as I can't legally work while awaiting residency visa approval here in Suriname. As far as bringing my wife and kids to the USA, there are countless hurdles. Mostly I would say we can't go to the USA because my wife doesn't have the financial resources to impress an interviewer at an American Embassy. I mean this for both tourist, transit and residency visas. Also, I myself have very limited financial resources, so couldn't make a good case as to how I could sponsor or take care of three people and myself in the United States. I honestly don't know how I could take care of them in the USA either, I was only a day laborer in the United States before I left to go abroad for a better life. I was barely able to take care of myself. University was too expensive, the local jobs were either picking watermelons, mowing grass, working underground in a coal mine or going to the rubber factory. Another factor is I really did enjoy my quality of life much better in Cambodia than in the USA. We were quite successful by Cambodian standards, maybe barely middle class. I don't think my wife and our kids could adapt to life in the USA also. Even in Ecuador Sreypov didn't know what to cook because there wasn't the variety of fruits, veggies and herbs that she is used to in SE Asia. I am often reminded of why I live outside the USA when I go back home for visits. Even if I stay away for two or three years before going to the USA, when I visit close friends and family, it's almost impossible to have a face-to-face conversation. People are distracted by their phone and generally sitting in furniture that faces a television, instead of each other. I really feel like people are just generally not available, if that makes any sense. In Cambodia, I miss more than anything just handwashing my clothes in a big bowl next to my neighbor. Something that simple is among the most beautiful things in life to, just squatting outside scrubbing clothes while chatting with your neighbor. You just can't have quality human interactions like that all day in the west. Even here in Suriname, culturally worlds away from Ecuador, there is still a feeling that people live an indoor life behind closed doors. I miss in Cambodia how much the space between the street and houses is alive with activity. All in all, I can't say I regret coming to Suriname though. The people are lovely here, and it will be a good passport to give to my Cambodian family. Maybe one day if we thought we had a chance at getting American residency, I'd love to take them to Guam and give life a go. We would still be close to Cambodia, and live in Guam til she and and the kids could get American passports. I guess everything we do is ultimately for the future of our kids. It's my personal belief that I want to give them passports, languages, experience and knowledge more than money. I hope my random ramblings make sense and it's somewhat of an answer to your question. By the way, thank you again @joshman for your generosity.
Well congratulations on tapping into a new economy (of which STEEM is a small part) that was all but designed for people in your situation!
Living outside the US for some time as well, I can definitely relate to your sentiment on the human part of interaction that has been lost in modern society.
WELCOME! Wow - you're gonna fit in JUST FINE in our little communities. Check out @ecotrain @naturalmedicine and @freedomtribe. Soooo many blended global families.... so much travel and discovery and learning. We are all one. Decentralised and yet cohesive.
Following you from the mountains of Northern Thailand, which is a FAR CRY and a WORLD AWAY from the seedy full moon party circuit and crazy Bangkok. :)
Leading the curation trail for both @ecotrain & @eco-alex.
Together We’re Making This World A Better Place.
Click Here To Join the manually curated trail "@artemislives" to support quality eco-green content.
@ecoTrain
Give thanks for the genuine interaction. I realize there's a lot full time crypto folks on here, and I certainly don't have the time to study all the ins and outs of the financial side of things. I really just hoped steemit would be a place I could share my stories to genuine interested readers. The crypto side of things is secondary to me, so it's good to see a genuine reply here and there. Give thanks again, I'll check out some the links you sent, and following you back. 10 years in Cambodia before coming here to Paramaribo, Suriname. It's a culture shock but we are adapting slowly. Steem on!
I shared this introduction post to the @c-squared curation community to see if we can't help give you a leg up and a few more followers. :)
So many awesome, genuine folks. @riverflows is great to follow, as is @eco-alex. Lots of generosity of spirit on steem, and people happy to help.
The more the merrier, give thanks again.
This post was shared in the Curation Collective Discord community for curators, and upvoted and resteemed by the @c-squared community account after manual review.
@c-squared runs a community witness. Please consider using one of your witness votes on us here
I think @c-squared gave this post a magic touch. After you resteemed my intro post, my post value exponentially increased quickly. I just hope the people who upvoted me actually read my introduction. Already the response has been good enough by fellow steemers that I'm working on my next post. Give thanks @c-squared, following your page as well.
Hi and welcome here! When I started on steemit, my biggest problem was to find interesting people to interact with. So, to help newcomers getting started I created a directory with other interesting and or talented steemians to follow or interact with. Feel free to check it out at https://www.steemiandir.com I am sure it will help you find like-minded people. Enjoy your stay here and do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!
Great, thanks. I will check it out when I get some time. Steem on.
Welcome justinparke!
eSteem is the application that improves your experience on Steem. You have full control over your data and content, unlike some apps we don't use our users to promote our application or services.
We have Mobile application for Android and iOS users. We also have developed Surfer Desktop application that helps you to gain new followers and stay connected with your friends, unique features - notifications, bookmarks, favorites, drafts, and more.
We reward our users with encouragement upvotes as well as monthly giveaways rewarding Spotlight top users and active Discord users.
Learn more: https://esteem.app
Join our discord: https://discord.gg/8eHupPq
Thank you for the info but right now I am overwhelmed with the task of simply producing good quality content. Getting more steem, crypto and upvotes is secondary for now. Regardless, thanks for the info, and I'll keep it in mind for the future.
Welcome to Steemit justinparke. The official FAQ can be found here and has A LOT of information https://steemit.com/faq.html - Also remember, Steemit is just ONE of the sites built that uses Steem the blockchain. You should also check out DTube and DSound for starters and if you're a gamer, Splinterlands! There are many other cool apps but I can't list them all here, there's just too many! But I'd also like to mention Steempeak, it's a better blogging platform that has a lot of cool features. The latest project you should also check as a new member is a palnet! Welcome to the blockchain! :) Oh, and if you're interested in creating your own tokens or smart contracts, check Steem engine!
Congratulations @justinparke! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
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STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness to get one more award and increased upvotes!
Welcome to Steem justinparke! Partiko is officially the fastest and most popular mobile app for Steem. Unlike other Steem apps, we take 0% cut of your earnings! You can also be rewarded with Partiko Points while using Partiko and exchange Partiko Points for upvotes!
Partiko for Android can be downloaded here on Google Play and the iOS version is available here on the App Store.
If you have more questions, feel free to join our Discord channel and ask @crypto.talk, we're always here to help!
Thank you so much for your interest!
Hello @justinparke
Welcome to Steemit & Wish you luck - success with Steemit!
Currently, We're supporting for the Planktons by our small upvote. If you follow @haccolong you will get free upvote of @hoaithu's Curation trail & minimum 1 follow from me. You may like it, Check statement here.
To get 3000points and receive additional rewards from your activities on Steemit, you can use Partiko app for your phone.
Please ignore this reply if you do not need the above.
Posted using Partiko Android
Hi, welcome to SteemIt. Good luck on your Steem journey and I wish you the best. I've been here since 2016 but it was only last month when I fully committed to take Steem seriously.
Please have a read about my STEEMJOURNEY.
Here are also some tools that I use and I hope you can find them useful too:
If you need help, I am just a message away.
Cheers
Neil
Congratulations @justinparke! You received a personal award!
You can view your badges on your Steem Board and compare to others on the Steem Ranking
Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness to get one more award and increased upvotes!
I will try and reward the top 50 Steemians who follow me, interact with my posts and provide quality feedback. I am just getting my voterbot up and going, learning things in baby steps. Today I begin creating the streams on SteemVoter, thanks again loyal readers. Also check out my first offical post at The Great Ecuador Exodus Pt. 1 if you have time, and please give upvotes and/or comments if you enjoy the read.
Congratulations, Your Post Has Been Added To The Steemit Worldmap!
Author link: http://steemitworldmap.com?author=justinparke
Post link: http://steemitworldmap.com?post=or-an-immigrants-tale-or-the-khmerican-family-abroad-or-1-my-introductory-post-or
Want to have your post on the map too?
WARNING - The message you received from @justinparke is a CONFIRMED SCAM!
DO NOT FOLLOW any instruction and DO NOT CLICK on any link in the comment!
For more information about this scam, read this post:
https://steemit.com/steemit/@arcange/phishing-site-reported-steembot
If you find my work to protect you and the community valuable, please consider to upvote this warning or to vote for my witness.
@arcange. I assure you I am actually Justin Parke, and the links I have shared take you directly to my first post. I am a real person, not a bot, and I put a lot of effort and time into the stories I post. For what reason do you think I am a scammer? They are just good ole standard hyperlinks. I hesitate to downvote your comment as I am new Steemian, and perhaps this is some sort of technical glitch. Anybody else more experienced on Steemit here than can chime in on this one?
I can confirm, however, your link https://steemit.com/steemit/@arcange/phishing-site-reported-steembot is a broken link.
Hey justinparke! If you would like to make your personal feed contain the top trending media and talking points of the whole internet, consider following @coffeebreak and @topicstoday accounts - And welcome to Steem!
Thank you for this info @coffeebreak. I will take some to check it out.