Kualker lugar ê li, kualker moment ê agora

:: 2026.01.18 — life, mindset

After turning 30, I kept asking myself: how do I live more in the present? I work in a fast-paced environment, but my life doesn't have to be like that. I felt always in a rush. I wanted to stop.

In 2022, my wife and I spent six months in São Vicente, Cape Verde, as slow digital nomads. Moving from Milan's rush to Mindelo's island pace was a slap in the face. Life was saying: you can slow down and enjoy the ride.

The island is small. Not much to do. If you want to leave town, you catch an aluguer—a shared van that only leaves when it's full. You jump on and wait. Sometimes 10 minutes. Sometimes 40.

Can you call a taxi instead? Yes. It's 10x more expensive. Can you afford it? Probably. But what's the point?

Living there taught me to accept things as they are. To enjoy the moment. To not rush.

We've been back three times in five years. We fell in love with the island and the people.

After our second trip, I wanted to embrace this way of living more deeply. I found a phrase that captured it perfectly: "Every place is here, every moment is now."

I don't know who said it. I don't care.

I got it tattooed on my chest. In Criol, the Cape Verdean language. Mirrored.

When I feel myself rushing, I look in the mirror and read it. Kualker moment ê li, kualker lugar ê agora.

It works.