About 70 days ago, we started posting here on Steemit.  Jeff Berwick had recently joined and made like $15,000 dollars off of his introductory post alone.  Considering the fact that we had no food, water or money to pay our coming rent bill, we decided to give Steemit a try as a platform for sharing our story.  We were hoping to pay our rent at the very least and to build a following of those interested in our story and adventures here in Mexico.  Although there are other financial aspects at play, Steemit has helped us to change our financial situation here financially, making it easier for us to keep sharing our story while creating new ones.  

Mexico Or Bust

As many who have followed our story know, we crossed over the border with only 50 USD in our pocket.  We decided when we went on the run that we were going to get there at any costs, even if it meant leaving everything behind to run over the border in the desert somewhere.  We'd rather be homeless in Mexico than sitting in a jail in the United States, especially with how things are going there economically, socially and politically.  With a bit of luck and help, we defied the odds and made it to Acapulco where we started over with borrowed money, which we still actually owe.  We are only now getting to a point where we can consider a game plan to pay that back.

Starving for Something More

As we joined Steemit, we were only two weeks away from a rent bill that we had very little money towards.  We had very little food and were eating mostly beans and tortillas at the time.  Money troubles put stress on already developed relationship troubles which made for a really depressing and demotivating life situation.  We were at the point where we were borrowing cash to make our public dinners happen, which really only covered part of our already diminished food costs.  There were several day points where we didn't even have a peso to our names, which is about 5 cents USD equivalent. 

On the Run and Talking About It

Many ask us why we have chosen to go public with our story and where we are, as opposed to going ghost and disappearing.  We thought about this a lot and decided we'd rather share our story and the corruption that we faced, the same corruption millions of American's face every year over marijuana related crimes.  We have taken care to tell our tale in the way we have for several reasons.  We are not interested in embarrassing anyone, just simply in sharing our side of a terrible situation.  Having been anarchists the whole way through the experience, we saw all of the corruption for what it was and feel its worth sharing to those who haven't experienced this.  In regards to the possibility of them coming after us, it's something we've considered heavily as well.  A public face and a great distance with a government that doesn't always extradite when they're told does help our situation.  It does not make us bulletproof however, and I'm prepared to do anything I have to, to avoid going back to the United States to go to prison.  

Small Steemit Success

From the beginning with Steemit, we've had enough success to keep us going. We were making a little money, enough to buy some food, get a pipa of water and work towards that looming rent bill.  It wasn't long before we had more people following us than we follow others. While we haven't always recieved money, we have always gotten good feed back which was motivating in itself.  That feed back let us know that you actually give a damn about what we have to say, which we really appreciate.  We aren't sharing this stuff just to talk, we like the input so we can share more of what people want to know about.

Long Walk Down A Steep Mountain

About two weeks after we joined Steemit and started posting, things came to a head both financially and in our relationship.  The impending loss of our house and near coming homelessness in Mexico had put great strains on our already crippled relationship.  We essentially broke up in a big fight and it ended with me walking down the mountain.  In the several hours after, a friend donated enough money to cover our rent.  John put out messages to find me, and when I replied we started talking again.  After meeting for tacos and talking, I ended up going back up that hill with John that night to try to once again mend things.  Not having to worry about the rent any further made an impossible situation seem more possible, or maybe just less impossible.  

Writing, Working, Investing

We spent the next several weeks getting things done, essentially.  We were writing and posting regularly, with fairly consistent results.  We were able to afford more things, like food and we were doing more dinners which was bringing in more capital.  A lot of our money we made in this time went to glassblowing, in one way or another. Some of it went to the garden as well. Finally despite all odds it seems like things are finally improving. 

200 Followers!

Recently we hit the milestone of having 200 followers here on Steemit.  In less than 70 days, we went from having no following, or money to where we are now.  In my time here I've learned what kinds of things people are most interested in.  My articles on Mexico are well loved by many, as they offer a more real life view of what it's like to actually live here in Acapulco as an expat.  There are other expat bloggers here in Mexico(the one that comes to mind are 2 expats, one of them being an ex-cop), but we offer a different way of looking at life here in Mexico.  The articles we write give the people who are actually considering moving here an idea of what their own Acapulco life could look like.  I've not found any other articles on the things I post, like police chases and what it's like to visit the grocery store here.  As for finances, having recently done the math, we can pay our bills using Steemit if we keep posting at least an article a day, two if we're looking for more luxury. 

Small Victory

I will say that the milestone, while somewhat small compared to other people's followers list is a bit of a victory.  For years I've planned on writing and sharing my adventures online. I wanted to write about all the things I am now: daily adventures, old crazy stories, recipes, life as an expat and gardening.  Not only am I writing about these things, but people are interested in the things I am talking about, especially the things I like talking about the most, like gardening or living in Mexico.  I like knowing that I help people by providing them information they haven't gotten before, in reference to my mexico posts.  I like that I can teach people something about foods they eat by sharing how to grow them. All the feedback and obviously the money keep me going on here. It's also fun when someone with a larger following than you tells you they enjoy reading your blog. 

Motivation for life

This recent success has led to motivation in us both.  I woke up today with a desire to be more involved in all aspects of life.  I'm starting to see, partially through my experiences with Steemit that hard work does pay out, eventually.  I've had a lot of fun with my Steemit experience and I'm glad I started by posting that first article. Thank you guys for your support and input, we appreciate it.  Your thoughts and upvotes keep us goin'.