How Buenos Aires made me fall in love with coworking
Hi folks! I just returned from a two-week visit to Buenos Aires: the city I called home for a little over three years. For me, the whole idea for Groundwork! really took root during my Buenos Aires life.
Freelancing life in Buenos Aires was pretty great. I’d spend hours in various cafes on “work dates” with fellow freelancing friends. For me, it was the beginnings of coworking. We’d often bounce ideas off of each other, refer clients, celebrate our successes, and vent about failures. There was a certain spirit of camaraderie that made life in a different country fun.
Upon returning to Buenos Aires, I realize that Groundwork! was inspired by more than simple work dates. What inspired me the most in this crazy city was the closeness and intimacy of humanity.
Yes, the very circumstances that made life so difficult actually transformed me as a person.
I’m talking about body slamming your way onto a sweaty subway car every morning. I’m talking about waiting in line to pay your utility bills in cash every month. I’m talking about hearing my neighbor’s favorite TV series (Twin Peaks) through the thin walls of my apartment building.
The very inefficiency of life in Argentina makes for human to human interaction, all the time. So when I moved back to the United States I missed my close friends but I also missed my bank tellers, the family who ran my corner produce stand, the woman who collected my bills, every doorman on my block (all of whom stood on the sidewalk drinking mate in the morning), and my neighbor who has excellent taste in entertainment.
I missed the random miracles that happen on the subway, from the most heartbreakingly beautiful musical performance to the couple bringing a newborn baby home from the hospital.
I missed bumping into people, from all walks of life, all the time. Because that is when magic happens.
So Groundwork! is really just my way of making sure that I will bump into people. It makes me feel more connected, alive, and inspired.
That, my friends, is why I’m here. What about you?
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