Still doubting if you should take that shot and go live there? I am here to make sure you will take that shot. Because I know for a fact that living abroad might be one of the most awesome experiences in your life.
As a 20-year-old girl, making the decision of studying abroad alone, was not easy at all!
But I still did it, and you know what really helped me? I had an acquaintance who studied at the exact same university in Sevilla one year before me. Just talking to her and asking her all my questions, convinced me to go!
Now I am there for you, to be your friend and answer all the questions you have. Or rather, convincing you to go 😉 If you have any questions or doubts… let me know in a comment below and I will try to help you with your decision.
What to expect in this article:
1. Learn language
First of all: if you want to learn a new language, living in that country and having to speak the language, makes it so much easier to learn it! I have to admit that in Sevilla I was mostly surrounded by Dutch people, weird as that may sound, I did not learn as much Spanish as I wanted in the 4 months of my stay.
But in the months after that at home, I kept learning Spanish (on Duolingo) which gave me a good basis for when I started to live in Barcelona. Now I am living with a Spanish lady who can´t speak English and I can have conversations in Spanish with her, also because I recently took Spanish classes again.
So if you are surrounded by people who cannot speak English, take language classes and give yourself time, you will get there. Now I think about it, I have to finish my Spanish class for today.
2. Travel (of course)
The reason I love living abroad so much: Traveling! If you live in a place abroad for a couple of months/years, you will visit places you wouldn´t have, if you would have gone just on a vacation there. I have been to numerous places in Andalucía; too many to count. I am also on my way to visit a lot of places in Catalunya.
Of course, you will be the expert on the place you live in. How fun is it when the family will visit you and you know the ins and outs of that place? You can guide them around your (hopefully ) favorite place!
Also, when you live close to another country at that moment, it´s much easier to visit that! I went to Gibraltar, Portugal, and Morocco, because all 3 of them are quite close to Sevilla. Now I am living in Barcelona, France is really close by, yet so far away due to Corona. I hope I will be able to explore places in France soon as well.
3. New New New
It´s a nice fresh start when you start living somewhere else! Everything will be new, which might be challenging of course, but it can also be a fresh start. You can buy a new bicycle, make new friends, discover new values (which might be important to that country).
I love to meet new people. Also from other countries. It shapes you, you will learn so many new things and… you always have a place to stay in the other country hahaha.
I also believe that everything you learn, all the values of the new country/people, you will take with you. It will shape you. Maybe you will lose some of your old habits and create new ones. I for one, am a much more open-minded person than I used to be before I moved abroad.
Besides that, the friends you make at that place will be so meaningful. They experience exactly the same as you do and you can always share your awesome memories with them. I still call once a month with a friend from Taiwan, whom I met in Sevilla.
4. Grateful
You might start to realize it, that it is not that bad at home. Or the other way around, how nice it is in this new country.
I used to live at home the first time I moved abroad and I started to realize how lucky I am with that. There´s always family around and my mom cooked every day 😉
Not just that, but I also started to become grateful for the tiniest things: a good working shower (the one in Sevilla did not work half of the time), being able to understand random conversations on the street, and understanding all the traditions/habits of the country.
I also started to be more grateful about the ´bigger´ things. At home I was independent, I had a car and a free public transport ticket. I know (almost) everything in the Netherlands, I know who to ask what, I know the language… In another country that could be really hard. But that can make you more determined to have the same things in your new country.
Also, I am grateful for the way the Netherlands is structured, the laws, the insurances, the salary… Before I moved out, I always found the Netherlands very boring and did not know why I would want to live there in the future. Now I have lived in Spain, I know better 😉
But it can also be the other way of course! Maybe your home country is not that great and you will feel grateful for anything in the new country. This all depends on the situation of course. I am super grateful that people live mostly outside here in Spain. I love that I can reserve a table at 10.30 PM in a restaurant and no one thinks this is weird.
It´s good to realize this and it mostly only happens once you lived abroad, so that could be a reason why you should live abroad once in your life.
5. Living in the moment
You will start to realize that living in the moment is very important. You are only … months/years in this country, so you have to make the best of it!
When I was living in Sevilla for only 4 months, I traveled with my friends every single weekend. I mean évery single weekend, besides the last few weekends, when we had to focus on our exams. Then reality hit us 😉
A year later, when I was living in Sevilla again… this was not possible, unfortunately, because I had to work often on weekends. So it made me even happier that I traveled the year before that too many many places.
6. Learning
Living abroad means learning. You will learn so many things about yourself when you live abroad! You will have to handle situations differently from back home and then you will realize whether you like it or not and how you treat those situations.
Besides that, you will learn many things about the country/city you are in and the people who live there.
You will also learn to broaden your comfort zone. In so many ways! I had to broaden my comfort zone in the way of meeting people. I am naturally a very shy person, but in Sevilla, I hád to meet people. Because let´s be real, if you don´t have a network or know anyone, it can be very difficult to live somewhere else. On the first day in Sevilla, my roommate had to tell me which stores were open and closed. This is just an easy example, but it can be for more important situations.
That´s it. So are you going to live abroad in the future? Do you have any plans or visions for in the future? Please tell me in a comment! I will read those after I finished my Spanish class of today.
Want to read more? Awesome! 🙂
Cultural Capital of Europe 2018: Leeuwarden
Day trip to Leeuwarden Cultural Capital of Europe in 2018. That’s the title Leeuwarden has been given. Because of that I need to check out
Complete Algarve in just one weekend!?
In June 2019 my boyfriend and I wanted to visit Portugal, as it is only 2 hours from Sevilla. So we made a plan, hired
You are going on a surprise trip to….
Prague! Yayy!! You are going on a surprise trip to Prague! Yay!! Well actually that was not my first reaction. I had bought this surprise
A weekend in Edinburgh (During Fringe Festival!)
´The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the single biggest celebration of arts and culture on the planet.´ Sounds incredibly cool! I did not know anything about
The 2 best rooftop bars in Barcelona (with amazing views)
You can not leave Barcelona without spending time on a rooftop bar! I mean it’s in the name! Bar-celona 😉 Ohla and Ayre Hotel Rosellón
The best photo spots in Olvera (Spain)
What are the best photo spots in Olvera (Andalucía, Spain)? Olvera is a town in the middle of Andalucía, south of Spain. It’s 100 km
What is it like to live and work in New Zealand for 1 year
Hi! We are Lizette (34) and Leon (30), aka The Salty Beachbums. We are two Dutchies who love to travel. Around May 2018, we left
Lost in Sevilla
Getting lost is one of the best ways to discover Sevilla! I am not kidding, I discover the most random places by getting lost! Right
Travel plans for 2022 (a girl can dream, right?)
With 2022 coming closer and closer (only 2 months away!), I am starting to wonder about what that year will bring me. Work, personal, but
4 Incredible places to visit near Pondicherry
Are you planning to visit Pondicherry? This French town with its yellow walls has stolen my heart and so will yours. What if you want
Top 10 countries I would love to visit
Top 10 countries I have to visit before I kick the bucket! Sri Lanka Number 1 has been Sri Lanka since my birth, because my
My top 10 places on my travel bucket list – 2023
Since I visited many places that were written on my old travel bucket list, I have to make a new one. In this article I
24 hours in Naples… is that enough?
24 hours in Naples… is that enough? No. It is not. I can end this blog it with saying this. But I don´t want to
How to work in Cape Verde as an expat
Hi! I am Samantha, a 28-years old Dutch lady from ChiMotion Lifestyle. Nice to meet you! I spend over 5 years of my life as
Food Guide Barcelona
Do you want to have the best tips about Barcelona? Are you planning to visit Barcelona soon and do you want to have all the
All the secrets of Plaza de España (Sevilla)
The place you have to visit if you ever go to Sevilla, has to be Plaza de España! It´s one of the most incredible places
Chinese Tea Ceremony at Moychay: Amsterdam’s Authentic Experience
Have you ever done a Chinese tea ceremony or would you like to participate at Moychay in Amsterdam? If you are not sure yet, then
Wat Rong Khun: Chiang Rai’s white wonderland
Have you ever heard of the Wat Rong Khun (the White Temple) in Chiang Rai? If you haven’t please read further! It’s an amazing site
Why am I going to study in Sevilla?
For my final year of pedagogy, I could go a semester abroad. You won’t have to tell me that twice! I explored all my options
Detmold: What to do in this beautiful town in Nordrhein-Westfalen (Germany)
What to do in Detmold? A small, but beautiful town in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Detmold is a small town, located on the northwest side of Germany
12 free Apps to use for Instagram (beginner friendly)
Did you read my blog about how to grow on Instagram and now you are interested in some of the apps I use for Instagram?
All my tips if you want to live & work in Barcelona
Are you planning to live and maybe even work in Barcelona? You have made a great decision. Barcelona is an amazing city to live in.
10+ Tips for travelling in Asia for 4 months
Woohoo you are going to travel for some time through Asia. How fun and lucky you are! In this article all my tips and everything
What´s it like to live and work in London?
Hi! I am Asvin and I am living (and working) in London since I was 9 years old. I am from Netherlands, but I moved
ALL my tips and tricks for your visit to the Taj Mahal (India)
Yes! I finally visited the Taj Mahal, something that has been on my bucket list since forever! It is also my third world wonder to visit. I loved being here and would love to share all my knowledge.
The best photo spot in Ronda (Andalucía)!
Most beautiful town of Andalucía?! Ronda is according to many people the most magnificent place in Andalucía. One of the reasons is because of the
Travel plans for 2023 (a girl can dream, right?)
With 2023 coming closer and closer (only 1 month away!), I am starting to wonder about what that year will bring me. Work, personal, but
Noshi: Fun coffee garden in Porto for brunch
I fell in love with Noshi – coffee garden in Porto and after reading this blog, you might too. A hip, delicious and Instagram-worthy café
4 awesome places in Poland that are worth visiting if you don’t have much time
Which 4 places in Poland are really worth going to? Or what if you don’t have much time to spend in this cool country? Like
Best New Year´s Eve spot in Barcelona + 12 grapes tradition
You definitely have to go to Montjuïc during New Year´s Eve! It´s an amazing place, where you have a beautiful view of the whole city!