Cost of relocation, preparing for the unknown and sustaining life with Splinterlands

over 2 years ago

I've always known that leaving this country was going to be a challenge. Different places I checked online were pretty expensive, but those were just "random internet people" posting their ramblings.

For the first time, I had a direct conversation with a consultant who specialises in helping people get immigrated to Canada. "Help" is used loosely of course, because it comes at a cost, which is expected, and that will be discussed in the following paragraphs.

Why leave?

I'm a Nigerian living in Nigeria, but trust me when I say, I absolutely hate it here. This place has grown into a cesspool of crime, murder, kidnapping and virtually every other vice you can think of.

I remember when I was a kid, the idea of kidnapping was farfetched and it was only in movies that it actually happened. Nowadays, virtually everyone has either been kidnapped or knows someone that has been kidnapped.

Also, with the rise in crime rate and many other vices, it is increasingly difficult to live life on your own terms. For example, taking road trips is like signing your own death warrant and even within the city limits, you can just feel the high level of tension in the atmosphere.

Generally speaking, it's really difficult to live a quality life, regardless of the amount of money you earn. So, this requires many people like me to find a better life in a different country.

How much does it cost?

Well, my conversation with the consultant was pretty helpful, as it gave me some insight into how I can relocate to Canada. After filling a form with some of my details, he asked me a couple of questions about my source of income, education, and my spouse.

It was also very nice that the consultant is familiar with crypto earnings, so telling him about my earnings through publishing on incentivised social media, and freelancing wasn't stressful. For the first time in my life, I didn't feel weirded out by my source of income and I had a lot of hope.

Anyway, after our conversation, I would have to have at least $18,700 in my bank account, to show that I can sustain life in Canada. That money will cover for me and my wife. If we add a baby, it'll be more expensive.

If I'm ready to proceed, the cost of the consultation will also push me back another $3000CAD. Then there's also smaller cost of $300 for language skill test and then $200 for verifying our university degrees.

When we've sorted all this out, and are granted passage, we finally have to pay for our flight out of the country. That's probably going to be at least $1k per person.

So we're looking at a ballpark sum of $26k, to relocate. That's a pretty steep price to pay but it's worth noting that the bulk of the money is proof of funds for sustenance, so it's not all bleak.

Making it work

I set targets, and I achieve them and now, this is my new target, that I'll achieve. I'd be glad if I woke up tomorrow, and the market just swings in my favour.

A combination of dramatic pumps in Hive, Cub, Leo, AVA, and POB would go a long way in sorting out this situation. One thing I'll really not want to do is liquidate my staked assets and pretty much cripple my source of income because I want to relocate.

So if the plan is to relocate with just profit, then that just means I'll continue doing what I'm doing now, and stack more coins. It's all I've been doing for the past couple of years, so no biggie.

Also, this is for Canada, but I'm using it as a point of contact to other countries. Beggars aren't choosers, so I'm open to any country that isn't messed up like Nigeria.

So the idea is to raise the proof of funds($18,700), sort out our language proficiency, and then start a couple of applications in different countries. The idea is to focus on countries that the proof of funds will allow us relocate to.

I like to think that amount of money will enable us to live in many countries, while we find our feet. So, the plan is to raise proof of funds($18,700) and then some for the other parts of the process.

The unexpected

Life is fond of throwing curveballs, and I like to be ready for it, whenever it comes. Due to this, we've been putting aside some HBD ad saving it in an account we created for our future baby.

Hopefully, this fund will not be touched anytime soon and by the time we're ready to leave, it will have grown into a decent amount that could facilitate our relocation project. However, in the event of some unknown occurrence, we're creating this extra safety net to cater to it.

Play to earn

Another feature in my life that has surprisingly taken the drivers seat in my life is Splinterlands and lately, you'd have noticed how I've been waxing lyrical about the game. Well, if you've been paying attention, you'd have seen multiple publications about how the game is experiencing its own version of a "bull market".

The value of assets are constantly rising, the value of DEC is constantly rising, and this means that the "play to earn" model isn't just for show, it could actually go a long way. In Nigeria where standard of living is pretty low, earning $1 a day from gaming and then a couple more from the sale of cards that are surplus to the current requirements is actually a blessing.

Since I started playing the game, I've earned quite a lot of money but this is the first time that I'm actually depending on the game to fund my life. It doesn't afford us a fancy life but at least it puts food on the table and fuels our car.

Our reliance on the game is mostly due to the fact that everything else is pretty much in the gutter right now. The state of the market has affected our lifestyle and so we've had to make necessary adjustments to absorb the shock.

Funny enough, this period where the market is in the red zone has also led to more staking. Since there's no need to sell, I might as well curate, print, and then stake some more.

Playing Splinterlands and to a far lesser extent, Rabona, has enabled us to focus on increasing our stake. Hive is the gift that keeps on giving, and simply just participating could be your source of income.

When I started playing the game, I did it for fun and didn't actually plan to make money from it. I got support from @penderis and many others, grew my deck value and now, it can actually afford to sort out our basic needs. It's such a surreal feeling and draws tears of joy whenever I think of it.