It’s no secret that moving abroad will turn your whole life upside down and be an experience that shakes you up a bit.
But aside from the obvious geographical shift, how can an international move really change your life, for better and for worse?
Keep reading to find out 11 of the ways in which moving abroad can change your life and even who you are as a person!
Turbulence
In the midst of your move, everything will be chaotic, stressful, and kind of turbulent. You’ll feel unstable and uncertain. There will be so much to plan, such as getting your visas, acquiring international IMG insurance for foreigners, finding a new job, etc.
After all that, you’ll need to adjust to life in a new city and country, figure out your cost of living and how to budget, meet new friends and completely restart your life.
This time of turbulence can be taxing, but you’ll get through it over time.
Feeling Lost
Once you’ve settled down a little, don’t be surprised if you still feel a little lost. Some people take years to adjust to a new environment and might feel out of their depth for a long time.
You might struggle with the concept of where “home” is, where you belong and who your people are.
Friendships Ending
No matter how much you promise to keep in touch, make peace with the fact that some of your friendships will come to an end.
It won’t be possible to maintain strong relationships with everyone you knew whilst still trying to build new connections in your new home. You’ll naturally drift apart from some people and you’ll need to be okay with that.
Relationships Strengthening
Despite the loss of a few friendships and relationships, you may find that others will only strengthen with your departure. Often, people will begin to make more of an effort to stay in touch because the physical distance demands it.
You might even find yourself reconnecting with old friends – expect the unexpected when it comes to the people in your life.
Gaining a New Home
While you might feel like you’re walking away from your home or even losing it, the truth is that you’re simply gaining a new one.
Many ex-pats consider both their old and new countries their “home” and you don’t need to make a decision between the two! Calling your new space “home” isn’t a betrayal to your homeland, just like missing your old life doesn’t make you ungrateful for your new opportunities.
New Opportunities
Everything will be different in a foreign country, which means there will be new opportunities for your career, studies, hobbies, social experiences, travel, and more.
You might find yourself in the position to try out new paths and discover new passions within yourself, all while enjoying the experience of a different world.
Finding New Favorite Places
A great way to cope with homesickness is to find new favorite places. A new favorite pizza place, a new favorite park, a new favorite beach. Finding places where you enjoy spending your time will make the experience more exciting and fulfilling instead of isolating and stressful.
You’ll have a whole new world to get to know and love, so make sure to be open to saying “yes” to things.
Building a New Family
One of the scariest parts of moving abroad is being on your own. Even if you move with your partner or family, you’ll need to rebuild and make new connections in your new home. Making friends can be tough when you’re in a new place, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
In fact, it can be one of the greatest benefits of moving abroad. You’ll meet new people and forge new friendships that could last a lifetime.
Gaining Self-Confidence
Moving abroad is a huge and scary decision. It takes guts and it’s an experience that will have you develop a level of independence and self-confidence that you’ve never known before.
Even if you feel small and afraid in the beginning, know that this feeling will fade and as you settle down, you’ll realize your own strength.
Shifting Perspectives
Being exposed to different people, cultures, lifestyles, and experiences can really shift your perspective on life, it’s supposedly good for the brain to travel and experience new places, why limit yourself to a short holiday when it comes to doing this? Immersing yourself in a different culture can help you to grow as a person, if you’re from the US for example, you might find a country such as the Netherlands appealing, with a more laid back lifestyle that you might enjoy. Looking into amsterdam apartments for rent (or elsewhere more appealing for you) and embracing the culture may help you to enjoy the smaller things in life and take things slower. Having experiences like this give you something to take with you through life if you move away again.
Allow yourself to get to know different world views, and let your love and tolerance for others blossom and grow with each new person you meet.
Learning to Let Go
The chaos of moving abroad will certainly teach you the art of letting things go. There’s so much that will be uncertain and that could go wrong, but deciding to move anyway means releasing your control and learning to let go.
This is a great lesson to learn in life and will help you to remain calm and be open to life’s changes for the rest of your days.
