Oscar

I spoke with Oscar, a Spanish 24 year old teacher of world history and bar owner living in Bishkek with his Kyrgyz wife. Oscar attempted to break the world record for being the youngest person to travel to every country on earth, and has some insightful reflections on love, time and money. Read more below…

What do you do for work?

Now, I do several things.

We have our own bar in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

We have been doing catering for events.

I’m a world history teacher, and a Spanish teacher too now. That’s enough for me.

I can manage all of this, I think, because of my wife! And sometimes sleeping less than I wish. And also not having free time.

What do you do for play?

Now I’m not doing anything for play!

But if I ever get a bit of free time, I like to play video games, or go out for a few beers.

I would like to travel.

And I play basketball.

What are your goals in life?

Good question.

Generally, I would say, experiencing as much as I can. I don’t want to die with a bank account with plenty of money, I want to die with a brain with plenty of memories.

I also have a load of different projects I would like to do, but that is not ‘life’, more 5 to 10 years time.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I think that’s a trick question!

There are some things I regret about my younger self. But I always think that if I didn’t do exactly everything I did, I wouldn’t be here now.

I have been on two trips around the world, and I think all the experiences I had, I wouldn’t have had, if I had left just one day or even one hour later, all the people I meet and friends I make.

I think all the experiences I have, good things and bad things, bring me here.

I am happy with who I am.

Something you are proud of?

Everything I did when I was scared to.

Like travelling, meeting new people. When I was young, I was really shy, and a bit too cold to do these kinds of things.

And passing my comfort zone, talking with new people, leaving everything and travelling without money, everything I did when I was scared, and ten years ago I think it would be impossible to do that.

I am proud of myself for doing that, it makes me the person I am now.

Something you are ashamed of?

With one girl, I pushed too much to try and make things happen, and I made a really uncomfortable situation. That is something I really shouldn’t have done. Even if nothing really happened, how I was pushing and forcing this, when I could see that it wasn’t really working.

That’s maybe like 8 years ago, but still it is something I don’t feel proud of. Now I have passed it, I can live with it, but it was a big problem for me as a teenager.

Something you miss from your childhood?

Everything you discover, now you know is really simple, but it was amazing for you as a child, but you lose that. Everything in your experience is so relaxed.

Everything is more passionate. You don’t think that much; you just feel sad and in five minutes you feel happy.

You play with small things and enjoy things. When you are older you lose this living in the moment.

What does the world need to be more aware of?

Short answer: climate change and nationalism.

I think climate change is a reality we are not working with.

The problem, why we are not solving that, is nationalism.

We are thinking of our own nations, and not understanding we live on one planet. Things we do in one country have global consequences.

This nationalism is appearing in some kind of neo-fascism.

I think we should be aware that everyone is mixed, everyone is a son of Genghis Khan.

Everyone is mixed. Nations didn’t exist 200 years ago. We should be more together, understanding we are humans, and everyone in the same boat.

We could do a load of wonderful things if we worked together.

Is there life after death?

If I have to say yes or no, I would answer no.

If I explain myself, I would say, I don’t know. It’s possible. But all the evidence we have, it looks like there is not.

I would say that it’s better to try and make our world better than thinking about what will happen when we die. Because maybe there is nothing, and we destroy this world for nothing.

How do you want to die?

Fast!

In general, I don’t want to be old, not that long.

If I am old and happy and I can do my own stuff, okay.

The moment I have to depend on other people, not that. I don’t want to be dying, suffering cancer for years. I don’t want to be in a place where I depend on other people.

For me, freedom is the most important thing. When I lose that because of my physical condition, it’s better to pass away.

What is your life philosophy in a nutshell?

I always hear this phrase, ‘in a nutshell’, but I never really understand it.

I always think that life philosophy changes everyday, and the answer that everyone gives you depends on the last month of their life.

What do you think of Guernsey?

Haha!

That Jersey is better!

I don’t really know that much, just that St Peter Port is the capital.