I was a young 20 year-old kid when I first heard of bitcoin in 2011. The magazine article's main topic was about how this new invention was being used to make illicit purchases online, but the author was kind enough to explain the technology that made bitcoin work. I'll never forget the excitement I felt while reading those few paragraphs. I knew right away that this would change the world, even if I didn't completely understand how. From that moment on I had a new favorite word: blockchain.

I wanted to buy bitcoin, but I had a big problem. I didn't own a computer, and I had never owned one. It's fair to say I wasn't tech saavy, but it's more honest to say I was completely clueless when it came to computers. Feeling discouraged at being such a computer noob, I thought maybe this was too advanced for me. How could I buy bitcoin and run the software when I didn't know anything about computers? I let doubt win, and I didn't even try.

Two Years Later

Fast forward to 2013. Another magazine had an article about bitcoin. This time the main topic was about how the price of bitcoin had gone up quite a bit since 2009. So my gut-feeling had been right two years ago. If this cryptocurrency called bitcoin could go up in price this much since I first learned about it, it meant a lot of people thought it had real-world value. I decided it was time to jump into this exciting new world.

I bought a $400 laptop and learned everything I could. Reading and rereading was all I did for two weeks straight. Finally, I was confident enough to try and install the wallet. The wallet was surprisingly easy to install. It ran with no problems. Feeling proud of myself, it was time to find a way to buy bitcoin.

I came into contact with someone online a few days later. If I wanted to meet him it would be a driving trip of more than three hours. It was far, but I was on a mission. We set the appointment at a coffee shop on a Saturday. After a long drive and loud music to keep me company, I was ready for some coffee. The coffee shop's tantalizing aromas massaged my noise when I walked in. The place was very busy with many people enjoying their cup of choice and chatting away. I saw the person I was supposed to meet sitting at a table in the back. We made small talk for a few minutes then it was time for business.

We agreed on a price of $300 for six bitcoins. He sent me 6.3 bitcoins. The extra .3 was for "driving so far to meet me." I had my laptop open, watching the bitcoin land in my wallet. We chatted about what the future of bitcoin might be as we waited for the confirmations. Finally, the transaction was confirmed! I was so excited I couldn't stop smiling. After a bit more small talk and coffee sipping, we said our goodbyes.

Once back home, I stared at my wallet with those six bitcoins for way too long. It felt exhilarating to have this digital currency that I believed would change the world.

Now that I had bitcoin, my next goal was to learn computers and software so I could somehow be a part of the blockchain world. But life can be cruel, and I had to get real busy working due to a family emergency. I no longer had time to even use the computer, except for rare times just to peek at my wallet balance and try to catch up on blockchain news.

Five Years Later

Sometime during early 2015, I read about a company that would let you buy gift cards with bitcoin. My dear friend's birthday was coming up, and I had no extra money for a gift so I decided to buy a $100 gift card with bitcoin. It went smooth with low transaction fees, and I was able to get my friend something nice. I felt like I was part of the future by using bitcoin to buy something for the first time. But I was still busy with work and mostly unaware of what was happening in the bitcoin world. But by the end of 2015 I had much more free time. It was time to do what I intended to do from the beginning: jump into the world of blockchain.

What I read was unexpected; bitcoin seemed to be in trouble. I read article after article and the situation was getting ugly. I waited until sometime early 2016 to see what would happen. By then it seemed as if bitcoin was running into serious problems, at least according to what I read. I decided it was time to use my bitcoin before it became worthless (it's okay i'm over it lol). I still believed in blockchain technology, but I thought it would happen with a different project sometime later. After all, many new technologies pave the way for better ones later.

I left the blockchain world before I ever had a proper chance to put my foot in. Feeling defeated, this time I decided to leave completely.

Enter BitcoinCash

Now it's 2021, ten years after I first learned about bitcoin and blockchain technology. I officially came back on the first day of March. So much has changed. Many cryptocurrencies now exist. But I found it really strange that there are now three with bitcoin in their name. The confusion about bitcoin, bitcoincash, and bitcoinsv lasted for several days.

I learned about read.cash and how people can earn some bitcoincash by sharing their writing. This made me dig further into why there was now several cryptocurrencies with bitcoin in their name. I came to the conclusion that bitcoincash is a much better use of digital currency than bitcoin. I continue to learn about the possibilities of bitcoincash every day.

Three weeks later I've decided to dive into the world of bitcoincash.

Bitcoin can become whatever it wants to become, that's fine. But now I believe in bitcoincash. That's why I'm going to buy $100 of bitcoincash every month and use 10%-15% of that $100 to tip internet users for posts that I think have a positive impact on the world. I learned about Chaintip and I think it's an excellent tool for what I intend to do. Hopefully I can make others realize how useful bitcoincash is by showing them how easy it is to send a dollar's worth of bitcoincash to a person on the internet.

As for the blockchain, I'm interested in learning the technology behind bitcoincash NFTs and domains that can live on the blockchain and any other uses I may not be aware of. I've come a long way since not knowing anything about computers. After ten long years, I'm finally ready to dive into the world of blockchain with bitcoincash as my focus.

P.S.

After seeing how much the blockchain world has changed, the passion I now feel for bitcoincash was too much to contain. I don't feel bad at all for having spent my bitcoin. I'm just glad bitcoincash exists, a cryptocurrency that is actually useful for people. This isn't financial advice, and I'm not promoting bitcoincash. I wrote this article because I truly believe in bitcoincash. I'm happy to be joining this community. Thank you for taking the time to read my article.