Women who have moved abroad, what are the highs & lows?

4 comments

1. I lived abroad many years ago for almost two years, and loved it. So much of this is personal (I’ve visited X, and always wanted to live there) and luck (I met the greatest person/people/SO; found an amazing job; was able to do whatever it is the place you move to offers).

   I think it could work out anywhere on the spectrum stupendous <–> decent <–> wish I never had moved here.

   Research and think it through is my best advice. Don’t put yourself in a situation that’s hard to get out of, unless you’re sure.

   Highs and lows are also personal. e.g. I left my friends, family, etc and miss them on the holidays or every Sunday, whatever.

   I think the more foreign the place is to you and, maybe, the farther from home the more chance for extreme highs and lows.

2. High is experiencing a new place and everything thst goes with it.

   Low is if you go alone, you’ll get homesick a bit eventually and miss speaking your first language if no one speaks it where you move to.

3. 100% no regrets

   Highs – anonymity, start fresh, new friends, new habits, alone time, making myself a priority

   Lows – starting from scratch, no safety zone – having to find a flat with strangers for flatmates.

   I loved living overseas. Would do it again in a heartbeat if we could afford it

4. I moved 5 years ago when my job offered to relocate me from the US to the UK. I jumped at the chance because I had always wanted to experience living in a different country and culture. I had been to the UK several times and was familiar with where I was moving, but visiting and living here were two very different experiences.

   Leaving my family and lifetime friends was more difficult then I had imagined. I spent the first 4-6 months feeling incredibly lonely and removed from everything I knew. I didn’t know many people, just the ones I worked with and they were all nice enough but I had always been firm about not mixing my professional life with my personal life, so I didn’t rely on them much for company.

   Slowly I began adjusting to the differences in culture and my surroundings. When I navigated The Tube (London’s mass transit) without needing a map I knew I might just be okay.
   Meeting friends was difficult, the British people are great, but not overly friendly like American’s and quite reserved. I ended up joining some clubs which centered around my hobbies and met quite a few people which made life better.

   I was determined I was not going back to the US defeated, I stuck it out, grew a lot and learned about my strengths and weakness’s. I had moments of regret, but it’s perfectly normal to feel that way with a massive life change. In my 5 years here I’ve built a really good life, and have had some wonderful experiences which I would have never had if I’d stayed in the US. My home is here now, I cannot see myself returning to the US to live ever.