Advice For You To Move Abroad
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If you want to, you can. This is how I did it in my thirties.
You can live abroad if you want to. It doesn’t matter how old you are or where you are in life. Even if you have kids, they can come too. I know, I’ve met plenty of people who have done the same thing I did: Get up and go.
The first memory I have of thoughts of living abroad was when I was 18. It was my fantasy to study somewhere outside of the US. This fantasy was quickly shut down by two factors:
- Money
- University Credit
I wasn’t aware that my student loans could potentially cover the cost of my trip. I wasn’t aware that having an educational experience that didn’t qualify for a university credit was worth more than any credit could give me. I was discouraged from doing by the university and I did as I was told.
Or rather, I didn’t do what I deeply desired to do.
In hindsight, I suppose, everything worked out because I found my way out 13 years later. At the ripe “old” age of 31. But, I think leaving the country should be more tangible than what it seems to be.
If I were myself just a few years ago I would be riddled with envy about me. “How did she do it?” I’d make unreasonable assumptions.
- She has a lot of money.
- She is wildly intelligent.
- She married someone.
- She knows someone.
None of these are true.
I thought I’d write a few suggestions for people who want to move abroad but are afraid to do so or don’t know how to get started.
Quit your job.
Yeah, I know that sounds like a horrible idea, but really, do it. If your job has little to no flexibility regarding where you live or if it sucks your goal out of your body, quit it. When I left the US, I loved one of my jobs and hated the other two. I did a wild variety of things for a brewery in Atlanta for 4 years, had a real estate side hustle and a wedding planning side hustle. The brewery I loved but had grown out of, the side hustles I didn’t like. I quit all three intending to give myself a 3-month sabbatical.
