2/29/2016 2 Comments Living abroadIf you're thinking of moving abroad, whether it is to study or just to experience new things, don't be scared. Go for it!
I'm not going to lie and say it'll be easy and that you won't have bad days. Days where the only thing you want to do is hop on a plane and be back home, in the comfort of your bed and your mom’s cooking, or simply the warm weather and sunny days you kind of took for granted back then. Don't get me wrong I'm no expert, and this is all just coming from personal experience, but I know it would've helped to at least read about these things before flying off. Living abroad, your priorities change, and the things you used to care about transform just as much as you do. Just like you, the luggage you'll carry changes, but that's the fun of it all. Before, I used to care about nothing but school, everything else was pretty much settled: food, housing etc. all taken care of. Cooking for myself wasn’t really a necessity, or paying bills, and I didn’t know much on how to finance a budget meant to last you a month and not just two weeks (lesson now learned, promise). There weren't that many worries back then. But then suddenly the minute you leave, you feel like everything gets thrown at you. Now you find yourself reminiscing a lot. Thinking about all those times you imagined what growing up was like and realizing how wrong and naive you were. In the blink of an eye you find yourself lost in the “adult” world, and it’s terrifying. And you think to yourself “why didn’t anyone teach me any of this?”, even though chances are deep down someone did and you knew this was coming, but weren’t ready to accept it. Bills, bank procedures, buying food, motivating yourself to go to Uni, are just a few of the things that become a part of your daily routine. You start to collect items, experiences and memories of all sorts. Relationships change, and go from seeing the same people everyday, to meeting new people everyday, often in a foreign language. Traditions evolve, and the ways in which you do certain things do too. Over these past two and a half years, I‘ve built friendships and relationships that are now scattered all over the globe, adapted and integrated what I grew up with with the ways of the French, and have had to get use to leaving some things behind. Coming to Paris, I left behind the group of friends I grew up with. Some stayed in Mexico and others came to France but are in different cities. They are like family to me, so meeting new people abroad was strange at the beginning. But now, not only have I kept the relationships I had, but I also made new ones that have gotten me to where I am today. I’ve gotten attached to people, places, activities, traditions and routines that are now a big part of my life. There’s just one catch behind all of it. These things won’t always be a part of it. As soon as I leave France and go back to Mexico everything changes, and I go back to old routines. I'm constantly adapting, and this is just a little part of the experience. The more you get to know of the world, the more your mind-set about certain things will change. You learn, and you definitely won't like everything you experience. There'll be days where the distance will hit you harder than expected, others where realizing that not everyone around the world has the opportunity to do what you've done will make you reconsider the path you want to take. You’ll have to fight the urge to give up more than ever, and find the balance between your idea of “freedom” and being responsible with the opportunities you’re given. But after a while, the days where you feel ready and settled will out grow those of fear and incertitude, and you’ll accept with a little bit more ease whatever this journey throws at you. So, if you feel like going abroad might be the right thing for you, just keep an open mind and get started!
2 Comments
Christina
3/3/2016 09:43:11 am
Thank you so much for writing this. It is incredible how accurate it is and how much I can relate to everything you wrote. It is true, everything would have been easier if someone would have told us the things you explained so perfectly. I hope this gets around to many many people, and inspires them to start the incredible journey of living abroad. Because as you said it may be hard sometimes but it is totally worth it!
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Joanna
3/5/2016 07:08:47 pm
Thanks for writing this!!I found it very interesting! I really wish to live abroad. But as you know I have to solve some things first 😎
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