Agnes Nyamwange shares her experience growing up in an Indian-majority neighborhood in her home country of Kenya, going to college in Kampala, Uganda, and then moving to the U.S. where she completed her Master’s Degree and worked in the healthcare industry for a decade. She opens up about how she struggled through 16-hour workdays, racism, being an undocumented immigrant, and ultimately falling into a depression where she couldn’t get out of bed. She explains how her depression, and the subsequent negative effects of anti-anxiety medications, prompted pivotal self-reflection and life changes that led her to start traveling. Agnes then explains the challenges of being a full-time digital nomad on a Kenyan passport, and shares her experience getting detained at the Miami Airport, held for 36 hours in deplorable conditions, and deported to Brazil. From there, with $300 in her bank account, she explains how she moved to Bolivia and starting to rebuild her life-support-training business with a location independent infrastructure so she could run it from anywhere in the world. Matt and Agnes then recount their experience traveling through West Africa together for 3 months through Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Senegal. They reflect on everything from the amazing music and nightlife to the corruption and military shakedowns they encountered to the history of the West African slave trade. FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT www.TheMaverickShow.com
Episode #46: Undocumented, Detained and Deported: Becoming a Full-Time Nomad on a Kenyan Passport with Agnes Nyamwange
Episode Summary
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About the Guest
Agnes Nyamwange
Agnes Nyamwange is originally from Nakuru, Kenya. She went to college in Kampala, Uganda for her bachelors in the Management Information and then did her Masters in the U.S in Business Administration. With over 10 years of experience in the healthcare industry, she currently teaches life-support to advanced healthcare providers. She has built her practice with a completely location independent infrastructure so she can run her business remotely while traveling the world as a full-time digital nomad. She speaks 3 languages, Kisii, the language of her Tribe, Swahili, and English.
What You'll Learn
- How to slow-travel West Africa as a digital nomad.
- Tactics for surviving and transcending depression.
- How to use your professional expertise to generate location-independent income.
Links From the Episode
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THE #1 BOOK AGNES RECOMMENDS
WINE SHARED IN THIS EPISODE
THE #1 PRODUCTIVITY TOOL THAT AGNES RECOMMENDS
THE PERSON WITH WHOM AGNES WOULD MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER
PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Accra, Ghana
- India
- Ivory CoastÂ
- Kenya
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Panama
- Dakar, Senegal
- Minnesota, USA
TOP 3 FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
THE BEST CITY TO START WHEN TRAVELING TO WEST AFRICA
TOP 3 BUCKET LIST TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
CHECK FLIGHT PRICES TO ANY OF THESE DESTINATIONS
CONTACT AGNES
Time Stamped Show Notes
[2:57] Agnes’s Experience Growing up in Kenya
- Growing up in an Indian-majority neighborhood in Kenya
- Learning to speak Gujarati as a kid
- Agnes and Matt’s shared love for Indian foodÂ
[7:18] Going to College in Kampala, UgandaÂ
- Navigating around a strict religious schoolÂ
- Sneaking out to go clubbing every weekendÂ
- Agnes and Matt’s experiences with the club scene in KampalaÂ
[12:26] Coming to the U.S. to do a Master’s DegreeÂ
- Working 16 hours a day for under $10 hours to finance her educationÂ
- Losing the visa lottery and being undocumented for 5 years in the US
- Trying to survive in a racist work environmentÂ
- Living on 4 hours of sleep a nightÂ
- Falling into depression and not being able to get out of bedÂ
- The negative side effects of anti-anxiety medication
- Self-reflection, quitting her job and making major life changesÂ
- Finding fulfillment through travel Â
[28:03] Becoming a Digital Nomad
- What travel means to AgnesÂ
- Why we are in the best era ever for traveling the worldÂ
- How Agnes lowed her living expenses by becoming a full-time digital nomadÂ
[31:28] How Agnes Built a Location Independent Practice Training Advanced Healthcare Providers in Life Support
- How and why she selected her nicheÂ
- How she operates remotely from anywhere in the worldÂ
[37:31] Being Detained and Deported with $300 In Her Bank AccountÂ
- How the U.S. immigration process works (Visas and I-20s)
- Accidentally falling out of statusÂ
- Being detained for 36 hours at the Miami airportÂ
- Describing the conditions of the detention centerÂ
- Being deported to Brazil with $300 in her bank accountÂ
[46:56] Stranded in Brazil with $300 and Creatively Building a Remote Income Stream Fast
- Developing a plan to generate income remotelyÂ
- Being forced to leave BrazilÂ
- Relocating to Bolivia and her experience getting into the countryÂ
- Reflections on life in La PazÂ
[54:03] Agnes and Matt’s 3 Month Trip Through West AfricaÂ
- Planning the trip and selecting their squadÂ
- The challenges of traveling through West AfricaÂ
- Finding workarounds and creative resolutions to travel challengesÂ
- What Matt appreciated about Agnes as a travel companionÂ
- What Agnes appreciated about Matt as a travel companionÂ
- Handling shake-down checkpoints
[1:11:52] The Nightlife in West Africa
- What Agnes loves about clubbing around the worldÂ
- How Matt and Agnes found the best local clubs in West AfricaÂ
- Describing the nightlife scene and DJs in West AfricaÂ
- Why West African clubs are the best Agnes has seen anywhere in the worldÂ
- The different music types that are prominent in West Africa and the historical context
[1:20:10] Learning the Local History of the West African Slave Trade    Â
- Agnes’s experience and emotional reflections of Goree Island in SenegalÂ
- Agnes and Matt reflect on learning about the horrors of human history through travel
[1:29:37] The Lightning Round
- The #1 Book Agnes recommends
- The #1 App Agnes recommendsÂ
- The #1 piece of advice Agnes would give to her 18-year-old selfÂ
- The #1 person with whom Agnes would like to have dinner
- Agnes’s Top 3 travel destinationsÂ
- The Best city in West Africa to go for your first experience in the regionÂ
- Agnes’s Top 3 Bucket List DestinationÂ
[1:36:10] Contact Agnes
