My story (Max Bergmann, GC-Founder)

The year is 2017. At that time, I was 27 years old and completely broken, both with myself and the world. I was stuck in a deep depression. Everything seemed to be falling apart. My relationship had ended, I was unemployed, I had financial problems due to a lack of motivation to look for work, and consequently, I was accumulating debt. In desperation, I sold my car to pay off the debts. With the small amount I had left, I traveled through Europe. The last leg of my journey took me to Barcelona. Arriving there with only a backpack full of clothes, I realized that I don't need much to be happy. It didn't take a week before it became clear to me: I'm going to emigrate; I'm staying here. It was a period in which I felt reborn. Everything was new and exciting. The language, which I didn't understand, ultimately became exactly what gave me inner peace. I could block out the outside world and focus entirely on myself. That was the trigger that freed me from my depression, and from then on, I felt better every day. Over time, I learned English, understood the people around me, and built the life I had always dreamed of. I thought it would last forever. But then Corona hit Spain. We were essentially locked in our apartments for two months. This triggered a change in perspective: I realized that this time, too, would come to an end. The desire to move on solidified and was intensified by the social pressure on all those who critically questioned the situation. This plunged me into a new depression. After four years in Barcelona, ​​I gathered all my savings and fled to the only country that would accept me without a COVID vaccine and where restrictions were minimal or nonexistent: Mexico. There, I took the time to process what I had experienced and make a fresh start, far away from my old life. It felt like déjà vu, similar to that moment in Barcelona when I once again couldn't understand anyone. However, I had acted too impulsively. I had a debit card linked to my crypto investments, but I couldn't really use it because 99.99% of companies don't pay salaries in crypto. The economic crisis hit me hard, investments shrank, money became scarce, and finally, I withdrew my last savings and spent almost two years in Mexico. It ended with me spending five months illegally in Mexico. With the last of my money, borrowed from friends, I fled from Mexico to the US, crossing the border to catch a flight back to Germany. After these two setbacks, it was time to carefully plan my next move. As they say, third time's the charm. Two years have passed since then, I'm now 34, I've learned from my mistakes, and now I have everything I've dreamed of for so long. I can work from anywhere in the world. This is the first time in my life that I truly feel free.