Summer is a time where most of us fancy ourselves globetrotters. It’s that period where many of us take to the skies and get away from the things that tie us down the rest of the year. Oftentimes, especially when coming back, we wonder just how awesome it would be to live like that all year-round. Neon Nation, despite being a young 32 years of age, doesn’t have to wonder because that’s been his life since leaving Jamaica as a teenager.
The first 18 years of his life were spent on the island nation before he decided to study in Argentina. It’s been an unending adventure ever since and the Sinclair student couldn’t be happier.
“Go with an open mind, a clear schedule or planner and experience it as a local.”
– Neon Nation
“I’m a nomad. Home is wherever I am and wherever my wife and kids are. Home has been many places. I like to tell people that I was born in Jamaica, grew up there and in Argentina,” Neon told The Clarion in an interview.
That first trip was spurred, like most adventures, on a whim.
“At the time I knew nothing about Argentina except that they spoke Spanish. All I knew was that I signed up for this university and that I was going there,” he said.
Starting in the rural area of Entre Rios, six hours from the capital Buenos Aires, he would have to learn quick. The language of instruction was Spanish and he had just two weeks after landing before he would have to take his entrance exam.
“I took Spanish in high school and thought I knew the language. Then I landed in Panama on my way to Argentina and realized I didn’t know anything. In Argentina I would also encounter the Castellano dialect, which was even harder for me to understand than the Panamanian one. I crammed and do everything I could. I had to learn Spanish,” he said.
Those early days would serve as the foundation for over a decade in the Argentine Republic. After the entrance exam he had three months before classes started. Within a year he was fluent.
“To do that I stopped hanging out with anyone who spoke English except my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time. I spent my time around Spanish speakers, engaged in debates with them, and memorized words and phrases by association. Starting with ‘quiero’ and ‘como se dice’ I’d use sign language to point something out, then parrot what was said. I listened to music, watched movies, even did my devotions in Spanish.”
While he would leave Entre Rios and its Universidad de advantista de la Plata after a year for courses in Rosario, he left with many friends and fond memories. In Argentina, the youth that left Jamaica became a man. His first daughter, one of two with his wife, was even born there. After spending over a decade there, its no wonder he thinks of the country as home.
“Part of my goal was to live there as long as could and then eventually live in Europe, maybe Spain or Italy. I’ve always wanted to live in different regions and continents,” he said.
Strangely enough, the pandemic would make that dream reality. A visit to see his sister in Dayton in 2021 would serve as a catalyst of sorts.
“Regulations were changing all the time. Argentina was letting people out but not letting anyone in. However, I thought by the time my trip was over flights going to the country would have normalized. I even had a flight booked. So, I was stunned when I left Dayton only to be told in Miami that my Bolivian Airways flight had been cancelled.”
A week later things still hadn’t changed. In fact, to make matters worst, flights to the country were shelved indefinitely. On the invitation of his sister he returned to the Gem City, bumping into hundreds of Argentines stranded just like he was.
“My wife was pregnant at the time and we decided Dayton was a good place to figure things out. It seemed like the perfect time to go back and finish my degree. I’m not a fan of debt, so I chose Sinclair,” he added.
He and his wife welcomed their second daughter in Dayton but neither is ready to hang up their travel boots. They’ve got around seven countries under their belt and look forward to traveling again.
“I think just being able to survive and thrive in different cultures and environments has bene my proudest achievement. Being able to network and rebuild each time from the groundwork are definitely skills I’m happy to have learned,” he said.
Nomadism is tough but to those that have mastered it there simply is no better way to live. Neon offered the curious and adventurous a few pieces of advice before they follow a path he and his family have proudly tread.
“Go with an open mind, a clear schedule or planner and experience it as a local. I know that goes counter to the way many people here travel, that many want to speed through and see as much as they can. But it’s better to have a great time in one area than mediocre experiences in a dozen just to say you went there,” he said.
(Featured Image from Canva)
Written by Ismael David Mujahid, Executive Editor
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