How To Get Your Mindset Right Before Moving Abroad
For some people, this is the hardest part. But we want to make it a bit easier for you. Tips and stories inside 👇🏾
Why do you want to move abroad?
Figuring out the answer to this question can take anywhere from seconds to years for people to answer, but it’s the foundation of a successful move to another country. There is no incorrect way to answer this question, and that can be both liberating and scary. With a limitless number of right answers that will all lead to different outcomes, finding your reason will be like finding your North Star.
That North Star can and should look different from other people’s. You have a different history, different wants, needs, and requirements for where you’d like to move to and why you want to move there. To help inspire you to figure out your WHY, we’re going to share our WHYs and how we got in the mindset to move.
Before I made my great escape, I was the kind of person who always knew that the United States was never my home. Being a first-generation, eldest daughter of two Caribbean immigrants, my family never had particularly deep ties to the USA. Plus, all my feelings about living in the States were tied to a sense of obligation to make the most out of my parents’ immigration journey. Outside of that, it was just another place that I lived.
I knew people who had a true and monumental sense of home, though. For example, one of my friends is from Puerto Rico, and the way she talks about her home brings me to tears. It wasn’t just the way she described the sweet summer heat, or the singing coquis that harmonize through a midnight shower looking for a mate, or the boisterous laughter of her mom and dad in their ever-colorful family home that taught me about what home feels like. One friend, in particular, talks about PR like it’s a person; a person she knows intimately who recognizes her in every grain of soft sand.
Emotionally, my bags had always been packed to find home. My idea of what home looks like has evolved since I first left the USA, and I feel like I’m getting closer. Initially, I thought home would be a place that recognizes me, where I’d feel like the ground was like “hey babe, welcome back, margaritas at 5” as soon as I got out of the airport. Now, I know that home feels like a mix of community, having my needs met (which will look different for everyone), and a place I’d love to learn more about.
Why Shayna wanted to move abroad
Why did I want to move abroad?
I wanted to feel safer and more regulated
I wanted to only live in warm climates
I wanted to immerse myself in a different culture that I admire
I wanted to get good healthcare and be healthier
I can summarize all of this in the statement: I wanted to find my home.
Your WHY can change over time! Arguably, it should change over time as you grow and mature because your needs will change. Your WHY doesn’t have to be forever, but it would be as accurate as possible to your current wants and needs.
I hate to sound like the quintessential Sagittarius (or do I 😉), but I always felt like the world was my home. I don’t know if it was moving from Boston to California as a child that warmed me up to travel and existing in difference, but I always felt called to explore outside my boundaries.
I wanted to see all that I could during my time on this spinning rock, and even though I was cushy as all hell in Southern California, I was severely bored by that level of comfort. And in some ways, I always knew that if I traveled far and the world chewed me up and spit me out, I could always run home to California and soothe my broken soul with Margarita Happy Hours and fresh fish tacos back in SoCal.
So really, my ‘Why?’ quickly became a ‘Why Not?!’
Why wouldn’t I go study abroad in Australia for 6 months, where they also speak English, and the people and cider are delightful?
Why wouldn’t I trade my summer in Paris for a year in Paris, au pairing and making new friends from around the world?
Why wouldn’t I move from a long-distance relationship to a live-in relationship with my partner, moving my life to Denmark?
Why wouldn’t I take those chances to explore? Why wouldn’t I want to challenge myself to see more of the world and unveil more of myself in the process?
So really, my biggest ‘Why’ for moving abroad—and the ‘Why’ that has kept me grounded enough to build a blissfully exciting life abroad—is that I knew I deserved to experience more in this life. And if I wanted to experience more, I had to explore more.
Why Candace wanted to move abroad
Why did I want to move abroad?
I wanted to explore the world and experience its diversity
I wanted to learn more about myself through my differences with others
I wanted to be more entralled by life than exhausted by it
I wanted to build a life with my partner in a place that supported us
I can summarize all of this in the sentence: I wanted to feel at home anywhere.
Community Question!
Why do you want to move abroad? Write out your wants, desires, and whys in the comment section :)
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Great conversation!
Reasons why I want to live outside of the US:
I want to continue exploring the world.
I want the chance to thrive and be more enthralled by life.
I want to experience a society that emphasizes public transportation, biking, good healthcare, reasonable rents, and a populace that respects diversity.
I want to feel safer especially ensuing that police are highly trained and expect accountability.
Love this! Thank you for sharing!!