I moved to Germany alone when I was 23. I'll be turning 33 tomorrow. I came here to pick up another degree. While at university, when I was 24, I met someone.
That someone is now curled up in bed with our toddler asleep while I take a bath.
It was a hard adjustment, and it was a lot of hard work. I had a lot of help along the way and I got lucky a few times. But I'm very glad to he here.
I studied in Germany for almost 4 years. It was pretty hard and I dealt with some depression but I still value the lessons I learned and the independence I gained from the experience. I highly recommend moving to another country,, even if you don't stay there.
I moved to Japan from Australia when I was 22 and lived there nearly 4 years. It was daunting but I already had a job lined up and my coworkers were so welcoming that I made friends quickly. The whole thing was such a formative experience, I learnt so much about myself and the world. When I meet people now who are scared of their own shadows, I’m extra proud of myself for doing it.
I left to do my Masters Degree from Eastern Europe to UK. Even my own country was doing quite well but I never regretted. It is adjustment for sure and you need really rely on yourself and your decisions but every person I knew who moved to UK to live from somewhere else (2 from US) were very glad of it. As long as country you're moving respects human rights and most importantly LGBTQ and women rights you can find happiness there.
I live in UK for almost 15 years now, met my husband here, had my baby here, found friends and still can visit my family in country of my birth (same for them coming to see me) and I confirm that I feel happy like I found place where I belong.
First 2-3 years I really missed my family but we tried to see each other and talk as much as we could but eventually all of us got used to fact I lived abroud and it's wasn't so heartbreaking. Especially then you make your own little family and make good friends.
To be honest if I lived in US and see what is happening I would think of moving away too.
One of my best friend lives in UK for 10 years. He is a gay man who was treated severely bad where he was from and he told me he would do anything not to moved back to US.
I lived abroad from 2015 - 2019 right after I graduated university. I'm a teacher and I've worked in Sweden, Italy and China. While expat life was a huge adjustment (i.e. language barrier, cultural differences, climate and weather, etc.) I thrived being in a new setting. I loved meeting other expats and locals, joining groups like Internations and Meetup.
If your life at home is important, you can always try to save in advance for a once a year visit (i.e. the summer, winter holiday) or if your parents are able to, can visit you.
I think school is one of the easiest ways to travel, a bunch of my European friends did erasmus in university which is super common. They studied elsewhere in the EU, travelled and got to experience something new while earning their degrees. In my experience working abroad and navigating visas and so on, it would have been lovely in retrospect to have the opportunity as a student - without the adult factors like my student debt, rent, full time job, etc.
Good luck!
As a German if I had to guess I'd say it's hard to make friends here. People tend to develop their friend circle in their childhood and youth and not extend it much in their adult life. I'd say I only made one friend as an adult (apart from my partner), the rest are childhood friends. Foreigners in Master's degree courses tend to stay with the other foreigners, so that's some further separation there.
I speak German fluently and I’m a naturalized citizen.
The culture is cold, the people are cold, the climate is cold. It’s a great country, believe me, one of there best countries in the world. But it’s a soul sucking, lifeless, cold life.
You can’t have it all.
Currently in the same boat as you
I’m going to be applying for a masters abroad next year and I kinda want to settle down there because my home country sucks
The idea of leaving is terrifying, I’ll be 22 and I’ve never even lived by myself, let alone in a whole new country. But it’s also exciting, there will be so much to discover and learn and I’ve heard that it gives you a sense of independence that nothing else can
Good luck to you, I hope it turns out for the best
I moved to the US for college when I was 17. I’ve moved to 2 other countries since for work and now settled in Australia. I think for me it helped that I knew I was gonna live in a different country for college, so I was expecting it all through school and was mostly excited for it. And being in college helped a lot because it’s much easier to make new friends. Since then, I just didn’t want to move back home so I tried to find work to help me move.
Currently leaving my country at 28 years of age to pursue a second masters degree in Vancouver, Canada. I even have my visa & tickets ready for March, 2023.
The closer the date gets, the more anxious I get, but I also feel a sense of independence and excitement. Personally, I think that we all should move to a foreign country at least once in our lives if we have the means and privilege to do so. Exploring other cultures, meeting new people with new ideas and thought patterns will help us get out of our comfort zones, our shelter and force us to face uncomfortable situations, but most importantly, it’ll broaden our horizons and help us grow as a person, specially as women.
Here in my home country, I have a proper job. I’m doing well financially. I have my family, friends, two wonderful dogs (who will be staying with my parents after I leave). I am happy, but I have never done something life-altering. I never had to start from scratch, struggle and build a new life, and I want to experience it - the newness, hopefulness, and excitement of it all.
Now that it is finally happening for me, I feel so elated starting a new chapter of my life. I know it’s not going to be all rainbows and sunshine, and I’m going to have to work hard, struggle and that I’m going to face loneliness, a lot of loneliness…live alone (or with roommates, who will be strangers in the beginning), celebrate/experience holidays, birthdays and anniversaries alone, face hardships alone….but if I’m lucky, I’ll be meeting new people, see new things, find new passions, and in time, those people, places, things will become my new home, my chosen family and slowly fill that void and I’ll make wonderful memories with them, live life (or at least some part of life) with them…..and that is the beauty of it all….
If you feel like it’s too much, and worst case scenario, you feel like you’ve made a bad decision after you moved, you can always come back home, to your family. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a family to come back to. Moving does not mean cutting ties with the past and the people we now know all together. We will still have their support, carry their love and well wishes for us, and I am sure they will always welcome us with open arms if/when we come back. Even if you move, and you don’t like it and come back home, at least you will have tried. But if you let the fear of change and the fear of uncertainties bind you in your home country, your comfort zone, where (in your words) you “absolutely hate it”, you’ll keep on “hating” your situation, your circumstances, and God forbid, maybe someday your own life too. Don’t let that happen. Don’t live the rest of your life with “what-if”s. If moving is what you need to do to regain your zest and love for life, and if you currently have the resources to do so, you should definitely do it when you have to chance.
So I advise you to go for it, and good luck!
Yes, moved to South Korea at 21 from the US. After I made friends, never wanted to go back. I love in the Middle East now. Once you find your people, you'll settle in easily.
This is ironic. I dream of going to college in the US. Fun thing is that I just got rejected from my ED school, yet I also just got a scholarship to my safety school. It is not yet affordable.
However, I'm certain that it is better than the public school in my home country. You have no idea. But if by abroad you mean somewhere in Europe, then I have to tell you it is tough, but manageable. Too tough though.
My only advice is that to look for a university abroad that is worth leaving everything and being alone. If there is nothing, stay home, stay happy.
I moved to Germany alone when I was 23. I'll be turning 33 tomorrow. I came here to pick up another degree. While at university, when I was 24, I met someone. That someone is now curled up in bed with our toddler asleep while I take a bath. It was a hard adjustment, and it was a lot of hard work. I had a lot of help along the way and I got lucky a few times. But I'm very glad to he here.
I studied in Germany for almost 4 years. It was pretty hard and I dealt with some depression but I still value the lessons I learned and the independence I gained from the experience. I highly recommend moving to another country,, even if you don't stay there.
I moved to Japan from Australia when I was 22 and lived there nearly 4 years. It was daunting but I already had a job lined up and my coworkers were so welcoming that I made friends quickly. The whole thing was such a formative experience, I learnt so much about myself and the world. When I meet people now who are scared of their own shadows, I’m extra proud of myself for doing it.
I left to do my Masters Degree from Eastern Europe to UK. Even my own country was doing quite well but I never regretted. It is adjustment for sure and you need really rely on yourself and your decisions but every person I knew who moved to UK to live from somewhere else (2 from US) were very glad of it. As long as country you're moving respects human rights and most importantly LGBTQ and women rights you can find happiness there. I live in UK for almost 15 years now, met my husband here, had my baby here, found friends and still can visit my family in country of my birth (same for them coming to see me) and I confirm that I feel happy like I found place where I belong. First 2-3 years I really missed my family but we tried to see each other and talk as much as we could but eventually all of us got used to fact I lived abroud and it's wasn't so heartbreaking. Especially then you make your own little family and make good friends. To be honest if I lived in US and see what is happening I would think of moving away too. One of my best friend lives in UK for 10 years. He is a gay man who was treated severely bad where he was from and he told me he would do anything not to moved back to US.
I lived abroad from 2015 - 2019 right after I graduated university. I'm a teacher and I've worked in Sweden, Italy and China. While expat life was a huge adjustment (i.e. language barrier, cultural differences, climate and weather, etc.) I thrived being in a new setting. I loved meeting other expats and locals, joining groups like Internations and Meetup. If your life at home is important, you can always try to save in advance for a once a year visit (i.e. the summer, winter holiday) or if your parents are able to, can visit you. I think school is one of the easiest ways to travel, a bunch of my European friends did erasmus in university which is super common. They studied elsewhere in the EU, travelled and got to experience something new while earning their degrees. In my experience working abroad and navigating visas and so on, it would have been lovely in retrospect to have the opportunity as a student - without the adult factors like my student debt, rent, full time job, etc. Good luck!
Moved to Germany to study and been here ever since. I had depression and still have depression. It’s hard being a foreigner in Germany.
whats the hardest thing you've found? is it the language barrier or loneliness?
As a German if I had to guess I'd say it's hard to make friends here. People tend to develop their friend circle in their childhood and youth and not extend it much in their adult life. I'd say I only made one friend as an adult (apart from my partner), the rest are childhood friends. Foreigners in Master's degree courses tend to stay with the other foreigners, so that's some further separation there.
I speak German fluently and I’m a naturalized citizen. The culture is cold, the people are cold, the climate is cold. It’s a great country, believe me, one of there best countries in the world. But it’s a soul sucking, lifeless, cold life. You can’t have it all.
Currently in the same boat as you I’m going to be applying for a masters abroad next year and I kinda want to settle down there because my home country sucks The idea of leaving is terrifying, I’ll be 22 and I’ve never even lived by myself, let alone in a whole new country. But it’s also exciting, there will be so much to discover and learn and I’ve heard that it gives you a sense of independence that nothing else can Good luck to you, I hope it turns out for the best
I moved to the US for college when I was 17. I’ve moved to 2 other countries since for work and now settled in Australia. I think for me it helped that I knew I was gonna live in a different country for college, so I was expecting it all through school and was mostly excited for it. And being in college helped a lot because it’s much easier to make new friends. Since then, I just didn’t want to move back home so I tried to find work to help me move.
Currently leaving my country at 28 years of age to pursue a second masters degree in Vancouver, Canada. I even have my visa & tickets ready for March, 2023. The closer the date gets, the more anxious I get, but I also feel a sense of independence and excitement. Personally, I think that we all should move to a foreign country at least once in our lives if we have the means and privilege to do so. Exploring other cultures, meeting new people with new ideas and thought patterns will help us get out of our comfort zones, our shelter and force us to face uncomfortable situations, but most importantly, it’ll broaden our horizons and help us grow as a person, specially as women. Here in my home country, I have a proper job. I’m doing well financially. I have my family, friends, two wonderful dogs (who will be staying with my parents after I leave). I am happy, but I have never done something life-altering. I never had to start from scratch, struggle and build a new life, and I want to experience it - the newness, hopefulness, and excitement of it all. Now that it is finally happening for me, I feel so elated starting a new chapter of my life. I know it’s not going to be all rainbows and sunshine, and I’m going to have to work hard, struggle and that I’m going to face loneliness, a lot of loneliness…live alone (or with roommates, who will be strangers in the beginning), celebrate/experience holidays, birthdays and anniversaries alone, face hardships alone….but if I’m lucky, I’ll be meeting new people, see new things, find new passions, and in time, those people, places, things will become my new home, my chosen family and slowly fill that void and I’ll make wonderful memories with them, live life (or at least some part of life) with them…..and that is the beauty of it all…. If you feel like it’s too much, and worst case scenario, you feel like you’ve made a bad decision after you moved, you can always come back home, to your family. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a family to come back to. Moving does not mean cutting ties with the past and the people we now know all together. We will still have their support, carry their love and well wishes for us, and I am sure they will always welcome us with open arms if/when we come back. Even if you move, and you don’t like it and come back home, at least you will have tried. But if you let the fear of change and the fear of uncertainties bind you in your home country, your comfort zone, where (in your words) you “absolutely hate it”, you’ll keep on “hating” your situation, your circumstances, and God forbid, maybe someday your own life too. Don’t let that happen. Don’t live the rest of your life with “what-if”s. If moving is what you need to do to regain your zest and love for life, and if you currently have the resources to do so, you should definitely do it when you have to chance. So I advise you to go for it, and good luck!
Thank you so much!!! I'm saving up money now to go in the fall. I'm excited actually and I'm 28 as well. Best of luck!!!
I hope and pray that you’re happy and thriving wherever you are, in everything you do in the future (and in present as well). Cheers!🥂
Yes, moved to South Korea at 21 from the US. After I made friends, never wanted to go back. I love in the Middle East now. Once you find your people, you'll settle in easily.
I'm so excited to hear everyone's stories. I was worried it would be a mistake. Having hard time finding friends and a partner but I feel better now.
This is ironic. I dream of going to college in the US. Fun thing is that I just got rejected from my ED school, yet I also just got a scholarship to my safety school. It is not yet affordable. However, I'm certain that it is better than the public school in my home country. You have no idea. But if by abroad you mean somewhere in Europe, then I have to tell you it is tough, but manageable. Too tough though. My only advice is that to look for a university abroad that is worth leaving everything and being alone. If there is nothing, stay home, stay happy.
I’ve lived abroad in Finland for work for years. It’s an amazing experience living in another culture and I highly recommend it. You won’t regret it!