He mentioned Bangkok and Mumbai and I immediately thought Pittsburgh might be just the ticket. But, yes, I see now he's mostly talking about Europe.
I admit I thought it was about living expenses. I assumed you had turned the corner in trading and realized how much of a bankroll you'd have if you weren't living in NYC. I get it now, mostly - and I'm not at all disparaging about any remaining parts of your quest I don't get.
sounds pathetically boring to me. Too fuckin stupid to have fun so you're trying to buy it on a budget. The funniest thing would be to record what the "dinner guests" have to say once they are freed from the boredom.
sorry, I was watching Denver cleaning Pitssburg's clock. Like the man said, it wasn't just the stiff arm, it was the speed. How much is that apartment worth now?
I say forget about traders, and try: http://www.servas.org/ The timeframe is much less than months, but do you really want to stay in Kiev for 3 months? Also, you are going to trade, so for sightseeing there will be much less time. You are trying to mix work and pleasure... Also, if your host learns most of your tricks in 1-2 weeks, they might not want to put up with you for another 2 months. Something to consider... Oh yes, what about timezones? Are you going to change your trading vehicles according to your location, or just put up with strange hours???