I never thought it would be easy to face all the changes I was about to face when I decided to live abroad, I am glad I thought this way, because it was not easy at all. That's the reason why I wait until I felt it was the right moment. I was 25 years old, had my degree, had a career defined, had quite professional experience on my bag. It just felt the right to move on... move up... After almost 7 years living in the US, I'm amazed by the fact that I have been able to achieve so much, personally and profesionally, all by myself, without much direct Support from Family and friends (of course the support is alwyas there, however, in my case it was always over the phone and recently skype). Independence comes with strengths, most of the time I knew what I had to do and I did by my own, otherwise no one would do it for me, I guess this was the first lesson.
Decisions
The second, definately, was to love and believe in myself, no one will love you or believe on you, if you don't feel it first, trust me positive thoughts can bring a lot into your life.It is hard to really value things when you have them and actually most of the times you don't even know there is a value in certain little things unless you lost them. Family routine, duties and responsability were the main things I started to look from a different persperction. Yes, I did miss thoses things, having my parents around every morning and night to talk to, having meals together, watching TV shows. I only realized it when I didn't have anyone around to ask me how did my day goes, or even what time I would be back from work, from the bar or clubs, or who I was going with and who was going to drive, little things like that... Yes, I did miss our own Unique routine. Freedom is good but sometimes you have so much of it, that you get that "Loneliness feeling", that strong sense of emptiness and solitude. On the first couple of years, I will say I learned how to 'deal with it", and now I say I learned how to 'live with it". Well, keep in mind this is coming from my point of view, you might see it in a diferent way.
Looking back now to all the years I've been spending away from my country, my culture and language, my behaviors and believes, apart from family and friends, I can see how much it brought and still bringing to me a variety of new experiences along with different feelings, each experience is unique and come along with a unique lesson, I've been in so many diferent places, I've been learning so much and I made so many friends away from home, I experience so many things, things that you rarely learn unless you live overseas.
