I have the Big Day app installed on my phone, where you can count days up or down for a specific event. I realized last week, that I had moved to Ireland 1000 days ago. Wow, 1000 days, that’s quite some time - two and a half years. For those of you who don’t know my story, I left Germany in 2016 and moved to the States for a year. After returning to Germany, I lived in Berlin for a year before packing my bags again to move to Ireland. Of course, there are some things that are difficult when living abroad, but here’s what I love!
THE EASE OF TRAVEL
When living abroad, I have a different relationship with traveling and I find I make much more of an effort to see new places and try new things. Of course, I could also make this effort at home - yet I think we all know how easy it is to fall into habits and patterns, thinking it’s fine to not have a weekend trip lined up and that you ‘have enough time to do it another time’ - just like New Yorkers might not visit the Empire State Building or Parisians don’t actually climb the Eiffel Tower. Of course, the excitement about living in a new country also fades after a while and you might not have your next three trips lined up at all times (especially during COVID). But at least for me, there is a noticeable difference between living at home and living abroad when it comes to traveling. I guess, since I usually come prepared with bucket lists, I make more of an effort to get around.
THE VARIETY OF CULTURES
I think that when you live in a foreign country, you automatically have more contact with people who are also expats. You probably make an effort of finding people with the same nationalities. For me, this happens a lot naturally - for example when a friend of a friend told me they had a friend who was also German and lived in San Francisco - yes of course I meet up with them! But I also sometimes make a conscious effort by joining Facebook groups for example (‘Germans in Dublin’). This can be quite helpful if you are trying to figure out where to buy a good pretzel (important). I also find that it is easier to connect with people from other countries, as they are also going through an expat experience. Thus, I am always a lot more exposed to different cultures when living abroad - not to mention the culture of your new home country!
THE VARIETY IN LANGUAGES
To me, being exposed to different languages feels great! I like learning new languages and find it comparatively easy (although I’m not a language genius, by all means). However, I do think that learning a different language is not only good for the brain cells in general, but it also makes you understand the culture in a new way. The Irish for example, have in my opinion a huge amount of phrases meaning ‘it is what it is’ that they will use on a daily basis. And let’s face it, you eventually do net to get over this weather. I also quite enjoy that - as I work in an international tech company - I have exposure to many other languages as well, which actually gave me the motivation to kick off my Duolingo Spanish lessons during COVID. Speaking different languages is a great skill to have (and I always wanted my future children to grow up bilingually).
TAKING CHANCES
Moving abroad isn’t always as glamorous as you think. You need to leave a lot behind, your new apartment or roommate might not be as you expected. And when the culture shock hits you, you will probably wonder why you moved in the first place. Living abroad teaches you to take chances on places and on people. You might find yourself in situations you never thought possible or handle things you never thought you could. Oftentimes, places you hadn’t even on your radar are some of the most beautiful places you have seen, and the random Italian lady you moved in with becomes one of your best friends!
THE WORLD BECOMES SMALLER
When I was studying in Nuremberg, I already found the journey back home to my family an ordeal, which took around four hours and two trains. Now, it became normal to take a train, a flight, and then at least two more trains to visit my family back home in Germany. And I am actually quite happy with that since at least the time difference between Ireland and Germany is only one hour and I won’t be jetlagged. Traveling for a few hours doesn’t seem such a big deal and when receiving birthday or wedding invites I always try to make them work - and I am usually rewarded with a great trip and quality time with people I care about.
Have you ever lived abroad? What are the things you like about it?
Kate recommends: Moving abroad is a big adventure, thus I recommend a copy of The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, in which Bilbo Baggins leaves his beloved home to find the adventure of his lifetime (I am sure most of you have seen the movie anyways).