Memoirs of a Nigerian in Argentina
IOV labs Value Week, May 2022 in Hilton Pilar, Buenos Aires.
On the 6th of May 2022, my colleagues and I from Nigeria arrived at the Hilton Honors hotel in Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina, for IOV Labs Value Week after 23 hours of flying — transiting in Istanbul, Turkey, and Sao Paulo, Brazil (Including transit, this was 4 hours).
Every year at IOV Labs, a week is set aside for employees from all over the world to learn about the core values and connect with each other since we are a fully remote company with over 130 employees from over 25 countries worldwide.
Hola Amigos! Gracias! Ciao!
These are regular words I found myself saying.
Note: For the past two years, I have taken weekly Spanish classes, thanks to my awesome Spanish teacher — Soledad Curuchet from Baires Language Center, this training is fully sponsored by IOV labs.
The Value week was very important to me because this was the first time meeting my colleagues in person since April 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
I got to meet my Team Lead — Brendan Graetz, who I have only spoken to online for more than two years — no thanks to COVID.
The History of IOV Labs
I learnt about the history of IOV Labs in great detail and from the lips of the Founders.
One thing was obvious — they shared a bond of friendship which is a key ingredient for founders to build a lasting company; I mean, with unity, you can accomplish anything!
IOV labs purpose is to build a more decentralized world for a freer and fairer future.
We value;
- Focus
- Staying Open
- Be Fair
- Take Responsibility
- Making It Useful
The Tango and Folklore Experience
I watched the Tango Dance live, a thing I only saw on TV (occasionally). I learnt that the Tango Dance is of Uruguayan and Argentina Origin.
I also watched the Folklore Dance, an old custom from the north of Argentina.
Maté Making
Visiting Argentina is incomplete without having a taste of the legendary Mate.
We were each given a complete pack of Matte with the Tea, and a special IOV branded Matte Cup.
You can watch my reaction in the video below after tasting the Matte drink for the first time! Let me know what you think in the comments below.
The Food
Advanced warning!!!
If you like spicy meals with lots of pepper, I would highly recommend you travel along with an extra spice because in Argentina you hardly get spicy meals, I have basically bought different types of Pimientas (aka Pepper) and none of them is as spicy as the pepper I am used to as a Nigerian.
I had a taste of the popular Dulce de Leche, medialunas de grasa, spanish pasta, etc, and of course with different types of meat.
Every Day DeFi
“Everyday DeFi is a mass-market opportunity. It is characterized by financially excluded users using decentralized technology to fulfill an everyday needs:
- Paying bills
- Saving with return
- Borrowing at reasonable rates
- Sending money to family
As DeFi transitions from an early-market technology into a mass-market product — it will need to change. DeFi will need to become unthreatening, easy to use, and similar to what has gone before (web 2.0). DeFi must transform from technology a few people use every month to services that everyone everywhere can use daily.” — Daniel Fogg (IOV labs COO).
The RSK-RIF Experience
We were able to test firsthand RSK apps and services and basically had a taste of our own medicine (dogfooding); this was a good experience because we were able to feel firsthand what users felt when interacting with the RSK platform.
We were separated into teams and could only progress to the next stage when all team members had completed the task. I belonged to Team 1, led by Jose Dahlquist of the PowPeg Team.
Our task was to;
- Setup a new Metamask Wallet
- Connect to the RSK Mainnet
- Transfer RBTC
- Convert 50% of RBTC to RIF
- Register a new RNS Domain
- Lend 2 USD worth of RBTC on Tropykus using the Micro Saving feature
- Mint RDOC on Money on Chain
- Purchase a limited edition of IOV Gorra Digital Edition
Note: We won our Easter Egg challenges, thanks to Raul Laprida!
We completed the task successfully despite the challenges, and everyone got a physical version of the just purchased IOV Gorra Digital Edition cap. My colleague, Brendan wrote an article on Dogfood your Web3 Ecosystem.
If you would like to test if my RNS Domain is working properly, please send some funds to me at owanate.rsk 😏.
A Visit to Tigre
The Growth Team visited Tigre and went on a boat tour. Stilt houses and old mansions surround Tigre.
See more photos and videos from IOV labs Value Week.
Appreciation
I would love to thank my colleagues who I met in person for the warm welcome and chat.
I also applaud the entire team in charge of organizing the Value Week 2022.
Gracias, thanks for making my stay in Buenos Aires a memorable one!
Interested in being part of the people building the Internet of Value? Check out the open positions on the IOV labs careers page or join the RSK Open Slack Community.
If you have questions regarding visa requirements for Nigeria, IOV labs, and my general experience. I would be happy to have a chat! Send me a DM to Owanate Amachree on our Open Slack.
Gracias! Ciao!
