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How a Bitcoin ATM Led Me To Hive Open Days Alicante

TLDR: I saw Hive Open Days on meetup.com last Thursday, but the journey began with a BTC ATM 2 months ago; or even a story about ETH in 2017.

Hive Open Days merch HOD talk by @livinguktaiwan HOD talk by @alessandrawhite

Preface

In 2017, there was a digital nomad meeting in Barcelona where new friends were excitedly telling me to buy ETH at less than $200. I wasn't totally convinced and put it on my to-do list. I didn't buy any. Big L.

Fast forward a couple of years and as an entrepreneur, I was following GaryVee, who told us to get in on NFTs. This time, I listened.

I didn't buy any until I understood how blockchain worked and whether it had any use beyond crypto. I studied Solidity online with Patrick Collins, a Chainlink developer educator, who I eventually met at the Chainlink Hacker House in Barcelona.

With Patrick Collins at Chainlink Hacker House 2023

The Ethereum blockchain convinced me that Web3 is the future because of practical use cases, like DIDs and supply chain. In Australia, I met a founder who is tracking the provenance of seafood.

But over these past few years, I was focusing more on AI and had not been active in Web3.

Until strange things started happening in the last couple of months.

The Bitcoin ATM

One typical sunny afternoon in Alicante, after admiring the Rolex watches on the corner, I noticed a sign I'd first seen a few years ago.

Bitcoin ATM in central Alicante Alicante Province building nearby

It was a Bitcoin ATM.

I went in and had a nice chat about the bear market with the local guy and asked if he knew of any crypto/Web3 groups in the city. Apparently none.

He showed me some cold storage options. I thought nothing more of it.

Do You Have a Wallet?

A couple of weeks later, I was dealing with a family matter that involved a cross-border transfer.

After looking at our options, my older relative casually asked if I had MetaMask. He suggested doing the transfer via our Coinbase accounts and I happily agreed.

I never knew any of my family had crypto. Apparently I was the last to know.

Recovering My Crypto Winnings

During this exchange, I remembered that my team AcquaChain won a special prize for a non-fintech project at the 1st EBC Hackathon.

AcquaChain at EBC Hackathon 2023 EBC 2023 Startup Battle

I emailed the Founder/CEO to track down my missing XDC. I couldn't even remember where it was.

He sent me the block details and I spent a couple of hours transferring it from the XDC blockchain to MetaMask.

Worth it as it came to around $80. The project also won a contract with a Dubai bank, so worth it to HODL for now.

A Web3 Incubator

A week later, a prominent Web3 founder in London DM'd me about a brand new incubator she's setting up for Web3 projects. I replied that I'm interested in impact projects but had no current Web3 idea.

That changed this weekend at HOD. More on that later.

A Blockchain Expert

Last weekend I saw on IG that a friend who consults on global blockchain projects was in town, for the first time.

I'd recommended her as a speaker at the first Web3 conference in Tenerife, where I was a volunteer.

The Web3 world seemed to be calling me back. Loudly.

Hive Open Days

Last Thursday, after a month of not attending any events, I decided to check the Meetup app.

The first event that popped up was Hive Open Days. It was about to start in three hours.

On a whim, I signed up.

It piqued my curiosity. A Web3 social network! I honestly thought nobody had built one successfully.

After a quick deep dive online, I changed my schedule and attended for the next three days.

Hive Open Days opening night Hive Open Days Alicante Saturday trip to Tabarca Tabarca lsland photography after beach clean up challenge

That same evening, I already had a use case for a project I'm now working on. I'd initially ruled out blockchain because of gas fees but @tibfox (Hive dev) assured me transactions are free.

I was genuinely amazed.

I came with zero expectations and left having met authentic humans IRL who are not the usual crypto bros.

The HOD gang have varied interests and I definitely spotted some neurospicy, kindred spirits.

Muchas gracias to all the lovely souls I met last weekend and I hope to see you all in Barcelona!

@sinochip @livinguktaiwan @tibfox
@schmidi@ninaeatshere @ratona @m31
@lemony-cricket @igormuba @mightyrocklee
@susieisclever @elsurtidor @haastrecht
@edje @curangel @nonsowrites @palomap3
@enraizar @ph1102 @honeydue @godfish
@machamorag2 @mipiano @reiseamateur
@alessandrawhite @bitterirony @hivevive
@marinasalvi3 @nikaradeva @anamz
@juanmatrader @dimrad @gissse

It will be interesting to see where this leads. I'll share more about what I'm building in future posts.

For now — hello Hive. I've got a feeling this wasn't an accident.

Have you ever stepped away from Web3 and had something (or someone) call you back? I'd love to hear your story.

Comments · 22

@ladiesofhive(72)· 110d
Welcome to the Hive blockchain!

^!LADY
@alessandrawhite(72)· 112d
Hi Kaye!! You rocked #hodalicante❕

I’m planning a small @buzzparty #hivemeetup very soon in the UK. 🇬🇧 I’ll keep you in the loop.

To join @creativeworkhour, first join our Discord for the deets. I’ll meet you there!

We run daily live sessions from our Zoom. 2:45pm BST | 13:45 UTC

https://discord.gg/Gut9yr95F
@nanixxx(76)· 112d

For now — hello Hive. I've got a feeling this wasn't an accident.

Hello 👋🏻

Whenever we arrive somewhere, it’s because there’s something there we need to know or learn. So welcome! This is sure to be a fascinating journey.
@thoms2(48)· 113d
Web3 finds you when you least expect it.
@reiseamateur(73)· 113d
Great, your first post! Believe me, the beginning is the hardest part, but with time everything becomes very easy!!

Especially since there's so much to discover here on Hive!! There are also NFTs on Hive. But take your time to learn the basics of Hive first!

Everyone here will be happy to help you!!

Cheer 🤠
@tibfox(74)· 113d
It was a big pleasure meeting you in person and I am waiting here for your telegram / discord message for the project you have in mind ;) Hope to see you soon somewhere in RL or the virtual world!
@friendlymoose(77)· 113d
Welcome to Hive! Funny story how you found out about Hive via a meeing app. I am curious what you are planning to build!
@enraizar(71)· 113d
Good afternoon @iamkaye, you brought a lot of enthusiasm to the meeting and it was a pleasure meeting you. I also see from the post that we'll be able to benefit from your knowledge here at Hive. I hope we can meet again very soon.

Best regards!
@ph1102(79)· 113d
It was nice to meet you, to share a table in the bar with you, but also to have some interesting conversations... Can't wait to see your project developed on HIVE! As we are living close, I have no doubts we will meet again at some of the next events/meetups! 🥂
@lovesniper(80)· 113d
Hi @iamkaye welcome to Hive. I'm @palomap3 from Lovesniper OCD team.

I don’t really believe in coincidences; I firmly believe that following your instincts leads you to where the universe wants you to be. It was a pleasure to meet you, and I hope we can meet up again in Barcelona. You’re new to Hive, but you have a wealth of experience in Web3, it’ll be great to learn more from you. Here’s the information I usually give to new users but ask any question you may have. I hope you enjoy this new adventure!

Tips and information as a Hive newbie here: newbie guide.

Communities you might like that are part of the OCD Communities Incubation Program. Important: read their rules and post in the one that fits your content.

Have a good day!
@haastrecht(77)· 113d
Hey, welcome to the community. It was great to meet you.
@latinowinner(58)· 113d
Hive is growing at consistent pace
@demotruk(75)· 113d
!vouch @tibfox

Welcome to Hive 😃
@elsurtidor(53)· 113d
Bienvenida a bordo!
@schmidi(74)· 113d
Thank you to beeing with us. Welcome on HIVE!
@godfish(78)· 113d
Welcome aboard, Kaye! :)
@hivebuzz(74)· 113d
Congratulations @iamkaye! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)

You received more than 400 upvotes.
Your next target is to reach 500 upvotes.

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Check out our last posts:

Our Hive Power Delegations to the April PUM Winners
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Hive Power Up Month Challenge - April 2026 Winners List
@oadissin(77)· 114d
Hive is a complete ecosystem that is growing fast
@livinguktaiwan(81)· 114d
Hey Kaye 👋 Great to see your first post.

You have a headstart in all this web3 thingy compared to many newbies coming to Hive. I knew nothing about it when I started, and still don't know much, so just stick with the vanilla writing.

Hive can be as techy or non techy you want it to be so, so I hope you find some place you feel comfortable here.

See you around!
@honeydue(79)· 114d
Nothing is by accident :) glad you found your way back here and glad to have met you.
@seckorama(78)· 114d
@ladytoken(54)· 114d

^{View or trade LOH tokens.}

@iamkaye, You have received 1.0000 LOH for posting to Ladies of Hive.
We believe that you should be rewarded for the time and effort spent in creating articles. The goal is to encourage token holders to accumulate and hodl LOH tokens over a long period of time.