A letter to #thealliance
Intro
I'm a 23 year old student from a corrupt country called Croatia. A country where you can't get a job if you don't have connections. A country where stupid people are on high positions and smart ones are leaving because they can't get a job. A country where my friend with 2 college degrees has to work as a cook in a restaurant. A country I so desperately want to leave because I see no future in it.
I discovered Steemit 6 months ago and since then I have a dream that someday I will succeed and be able to support myself and my gf with the work I put into it. Steemit is a life-changer and the opportunities it brings are amazing. It has already turned my life around for better as I'm finally being able to make money. Something that I wasn't able to do because I don't have the connections to get a job.
The way I see it
I think of Steemit as a beehive and every one of us is a little bee working to make Steemit go forward while improving themselves in the process. Every good post or comment is producing honey, helping Steemit succeed and pushing it further into the eyes of the mainstream.
I decided that I want to be the best bee in the hive and produce the most honey I can. It took me a while to find ways to do it and I'm still working on it daily. I have started a couple of initiatives and am low key working on a couple more. I'm trying my best to do whatever I can to contribute to the community. Here is how I'm doing it and what I plan on doing next.
Steemit World Map Challenge #2 Everyone wins! is an initiative to encourage more Steemians to contribute their posts to SteemitWorldMap which is a great tool that deserves more recognition. I reward every contribution that's posted accordingly.
Caption Contest is a way for any minnow to get an upvote of support as every contribution is rewarded + a chance to win SBD
Minnow of The Week Contest #1 Searching for Undervalued Minnows! is an idea I had for a while but I didn't know how to go about it. With it I want to support minnows that offer quality work but fail to get recognized, while giving at least something to all participants. Finally did it yesterday and am very happy with the turnout. Also rewarding every contribution.
With a friend @enjoyinglife I'm working on a way to offer support to people living in Third World countries which can benefit greatly from our votes as their monthly wages are much less than 100$. For them even a couple of dollars on their posts can mean a lot. Sharing is Caring|💕Project #1 Results| Transparency for Enhancing the Trust and Relationship Power|We are searching for quality authors from mentioned regions and support them on their Steemit journey, not just by upvotes but by being constantly available for them on Discord and assisting them in any way possible.
@steemcreations is a project I started a while back that aims to ensure Free digital artwork and photography. It hadn't really taken off like I planned it to and it has proven to be harder than i thought to get people to give their work for free. @SteemCreations FREE digital artwork/photography/services For steemians By steemians
But I got a way around it. I'm currently speaking with people from utopian to get contests organized and I'll pay for people to contribute their work in an effort to bring more attention to the project. I'm also planning on getting a dedicated website for it when it get's some recognition and people start contributing more often.
Plans for the future
Organizing charity fundrasers for those who need it the most. First on the list are the Chori kids and what they need the most is school supplies and a teacher. THIS IS VERY TOUCHING!! THEY NEED URGENT HELP!!
Promoting Steemit in my country and all over Europe. I'm waiting to get a camera so I can document it all but I plan to make a design contest on utopian for a promo flyer for Steemit, dtube, dsound, dlive and all the other great initiatives on Steemit and then collecting the funds for printing the flyers. I plan on making 10k of them and taking a couple of days to go through all the major colleges in Zagreb promoting and talking to people about Steemit and what it has to offer. If all goes well and I can support my journey with Steemit I would like to be a Steemit ambassador and promote it all over Europe.
Steemit hub in Croatia is still on the drawing board as in this corrupt country you need connections for everything we are having a hard time making this happen. But the idea is to have a place where people can come to learn about Steemit, share ideas and meet other Steemians, write their blogs, or work on helping us promote it further.
Q&A
How did I hear about #thealliance
My friend @nainaztengra told me about it :)
Why I want to join #thealliance
Because it represents something I value and that is family. A family of steemians supporting and helping each other succeed and that's exactly what I'm trying to do on Steemit and what got me interested in #thealliance in the first place.
What qualities do you have that would make you a valued member of the family
I'm always here and willing to help. I'm a positive member of the community always working on ways to help others. Working daily on improving myself and my content, doing the best I can for the community. Always looking for a way to be more and do better.
Hello @runicar. I am Bristena and I'm from Romania, but I live in London. I totally understand how frustrating it is to live in a country like yours with a lot of corruption, Romania is the same. We have teachers and doctors whose results at their final exams are 4 out of 10, but they got the money and the relations that brought them their jobs. It's sad, but it's true.
Anyway, the good news is that we have Steemit. I fully support your efforts to bring it to the wider community, congratulations!! You have an amazing heart. I have no doubt that your success is going to help others succeed as well, and this is creating further ripples/Domino effect.
I am a minnow myself, but luckily enough my first few posts have fared quite well. If you have some time and would like to check me out, here is my introduce yourself post https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@bristena94/introducing-diaryofafreespirit
I am following you, curious to see what projects you will continue to develop and hopefully get onboard some of them. Best wishes!!!
P.S. I'm also 23 years old :)
What's frustrating is that it's happening everywhere and the sheeple don't care about it and won't do anything to stop or fight it.
The system of money in general is made to favor the immoral and those who are willing to hurt someone to make personal profits. Because in this kind of system for you to gain something, another person has to loose it. Meaning that if you are up, someone is exactly the same going down. And the higher you are the more people you push into poverty.
And our polititians don't care as they abuse their powers the most. They are all high ranking masons or well connected families or sent to power from Bruxelles.
Always glad to meet like-minded people on Steemit :)
Read your intro, great job. Steemit truly can change your life if you put in the needed effort and with some luck you will be successfull in no time. Also the fact that our Countries are so shitty and have such bad currencies, our SBD are truly valuable.
P.S try don't spend anything now, just convert SBD into SP. Steem is going to explode soon and the more you get by then the better :)
Wish you much success on Steemit. Cheers!
Thanks for the advice! I'm not spending anything at the moment indeed. I just need to get my head around how all these coins work. I'm just focusing on writing and striking connections with people. Feeling a bit overwhelmed with the crypto world but I'm sure I'll wrap my head around it soon. Much success for you too!!
You should, it's expected we will go as high as 100$ per Steem this year :)
I know how it can feel, that's exactly what I was thinking when I first found out about crypto 5 years ago, but sadly I had no cash to invest then -.-
wow that's a lot indeed! I don't have much to invest either now, but it'll grow in time, I am very positive :)
You a man with good heart, you have done well and still planning to do more, life is about touch, and this what you have done and still doing, a lot of countries are corrupt just like my country Nigeria but the appearance of Steemit had affected so many lifes even in my country too, mine inclusive and with people like you in Steemit there is hope that more lives will still be affected positively. Well-done my great friend and more Grease to your elbow.
I see that everyone is catching on this quote:
Actually, I wrote it couple days ago, almost with same words:
That's why I left everything there and went to Portugal in search for better life, or at least chance for better life.
I will quote you again:
You can always join @steembalkan, we have the same goal. We're new but we're trying to help each other. You can also find us on facebook "steemit balkan".
Hope you will escape from Croatia, soon or later...
Lipi pozdravi iz Lisabona!
The whole state of our country is frustrating me more as each day passes. Don't know how long I can take but I need to take care of myself financially before I can think of going anywhere.
How do I join @steembalkan?
How is it going for you in Lisbon?
About @steembalkam, you just put one of your post tags #steemitbalkan and you are part of the communuty. They will upvote and resteem you. They/We are not so strong atm, but it has just started... One day...
You can also join facebook group "steemit balkan" where you can put your post and share some experience and advice.
About Lisbon, it's really nice, all though people and bureaucracy are way slower than in Croatia. I'm working in one multi-national company (over 68 nations) and I feel really good, far from Croatia corrupcy and other problems. I don't say that here there isn't any problems but at least I have a chance to work and have a normal life. For now I'm staying here... 'till when? I don't know.
This is an incredible post. I love the beehive/honey metaphor, and your passion to help those who need it the most is commendable! I've spent time in Croatia, including in Zagreb. It is a beautiful country, but I wish the people had a better quality of life. I'm in Alpha, and am so glad to meet you here! You're amazing. Keep being you!
Glad you liked it, thanks for the support :)
I agree, Croatia is truly beautiful and offers a lot for tourists as we have great national parks, architecture, islands, festivals, etc... We are getting more attention from the world lately as the elite has decided to focus on toursim as our main source of income.
Yep, it's bad if you don't know the right people and the living standards are terrible, small wages, while everything is getting more expensive. But at least it's nice for foreigners coming with currencies much valuable than ours, they have much more buying power.
A shame to hear Croatia is still like that
You have sure been very busy on Steemit that’s amazing what you have achieved and supported
Yep, and there are no signs of it getting any better :/
Thanks. Would like to do much more, but time is limited and I'm preoccupied with college.
Sorry to hear that may I ask where in Croatia you are I did see quite a bit of the country while there
College takes a lot of time
I'm from Zagreb, and yes some colleges last up to 5 years and more. Mine also 3 years is the first "basic" degree and then you need to do 2 more years for masters degree.
OK Zagreb I visited many a time, I am not a big fan of the bigger cities in any country much prefer smaller rural towns myself
\good luck with your studies
I really thought you were talking about Nigeria. My last post was also about how bad governance and of course corruption is pulling the youth down
But thank heaven for Steemit and extension the internet. We can now succeed no matter how bad the Government is.
I want to start a programme to educate the youth of Nigeria about the huge potential and opportunities on the internet. It is more than visiting the social media or watching funny videos and all that.
Well done.
Yes, steemit can change everything!
Great idea, best of luck!
lolzzz...its everywhere bro. If you think yours is worse then come to my country. All we need do is pray for our countries and try to survive in our countries coz there's no place like home. And to think you are 23 and has achieved all these things. Thats a lot man. keep it up.
I know it's home but what kind of home is that when the system is fighting to suppress and destroy the small man while giving to the elite who already have everything they want.
You don't understand how bad it is. Every single one of our polititians is corrupt and is doing some sort of criminal bussines, like smuggling drugs, hookers, corruption, abusing their positions etc.
And most don't realize this and still go on and vote for them.....
I can't do shit here if I want to be honest and fair. Croatia is a state where only criminals succeed.
You think croatia is bad then come to nigeria😥.......not only do they lie, kill, steal etc but they justify all this nonsense and nobody can do anything about it. To the extent even some pastors and 'men of God' are using their own positions to steal and oppress the common man.......anyway jist like you i dont intend to take it lying down, i will definitely find a way to cub these excesses but until then the suffer is real😥.....good luck at your end @runicar
I'm in the states, and I suppose jobs are available, but that's mostly only low wage jobs. The better, higher paying jobs are disappearing. Hard to get a decent job, even with years of school, and years of experience. Connections go a long way. I'd say it is alot like you describe your country, you really do need to know someone to land a good job. I hope to avoid toiling for another man ever again. I hope to start my own businesses, both online and real life. I'd really love to see even a small income from steemit, that would be awesome! But I don't ever imagine it could be enough. Things are very expensive here. I wish you luck friend! You can certainly make your dreams reality!
That's because the whole system is rigged to support the wealthy. And the elites controlling everything are just putting their people in high positions. In end controlling everything you can imagine.
What kind of business are you looking to start?
You will get there man! Just put in the work.
I can imagine. In Cro everything is "cheap". Under quatations because it's cheap if you are comming from a country with a higher standart like USA or something, but if you are from Croatia everything is still expensive as our wages are so damn low. Minimum wage is like 350€. And monthly rent for a small appartment is more expensive than that. I can't understand how they think people can survive on so little money when it can barelly get you a small appartment.
I'm looking to get into whatever pays! Haha, but online, I'm trying out blogging, steemit, making how to videos, etc. I started this year's ago, but fizzled out and didn't take it seriously. I don't intend to make that mistake twice. Selling items online is something I'm definitely going to start doing, again. If real life, I am very good with my hands. Automotive, construction, landscaping, and electrical I do very well at. Anyone can, if they put their minds to it. Really, at this point I have no idea what exactly I am going to do going forward. But it is not going to be doing all the work for barley enough of the profit to eat a proper meal, that much I can tell you :) And yes, it is not much different here anymore, many of my friends break their backs at 2 or 3 different jobs just to pay for the apartment to sleep and the car to get to work, with barley any funds left over. Probably going into debt more often than not. It's terrible. Most of them think it's just life and normal. They act as if they are happy with it! Society is sick, this is not natural, it's barbaric.
Min wage in my country is 45€.
Specially you are strong heart person, you had been tolerate many of the difficulties, but in your mind has a passionate, for that you can cross the all the difficulties, i'm stay now your previous position, i'm now tolerate so many obstacle, as a graduate person but don't got a job, i'm newer here, got so inspired to your speech, best wishes to your future, and pray for me @runicar
First of all I was not aware Croatia is such a hippocratic place. I have been telling my friends lately that Steemit can become a full time job for you, a job where you work on your own terms and get paid on the amount of effort you put in.
I am sure Steemit is going to change the face of lot of things and people will see their dependancy getting less on other sources.
It's like that everywhere, but somewhere they put in efforts to hide it whilst in Croatia they dont give a fuck because people are stupid enough not to worry about it or do anything as they feel powerless to the system and care too much about their own lives/problems not to worry about anything else.
Completely agree on Steemit becoming a job but I have a hard time taking anything out as I want to get the most SP as I can before STEEM explodes :)
But yes, it can surely become a true job if you take in consideration that our average paycheck is 500€, also when SBD goes to 15$ again :) fun times.