You can move for fun

While your reasoning to move to a different country can be big, it can only be just because you want to.

When I first applied for the Peace Corps in my senior year of university, I did it for one big reason: it sounded fun.

I spent 3 months in Guatemala when I was 18 and spent a summer studying in Buenos Aires when I was 20 and they both had one big thing in common: excitement.

I found it intoxicating to be in a place I hardly spoke the language (at that time my Spanish was basic at best), where simple acts of going to the grocery store or ordering at a restaurant were full of cultural curiosities and unknown ingredients.

I knew I wanted to get abroad again and the Peace Corps seemed like the perfect ticket.

Always eager for the next adventure (this one in the Philippines)

Sure, I was interested in learning another language or improving my Spanish. I was interested in learning from others and sharing my knowledge with them. I was interested in living somewhere off-the-beaten-path, completely unlike where I grew up.

But really, all the small reasons boil down to the fact that it sounded really, really fun.

I was eager to get back to that sensation of living in the unknown and honestly, how alive it made me feel.

I hopped on the flight to Ecuador full of butterflies. I was anxious leaving behind a core group of friends and a serious boyfriend but my gut was guiding me and I was listening.

Not all days in Ecuador were easy. Homesickness definitely hit. I went through a bad breakup on my own. The language barrier was real and the mental exhaustion at the end of each day was probably the only reason I was able to fall asleep sticky with sweat each night.

But, at it’s core, I had a blast. The locals in the small town I lived in welcomed me with open arms. They laughed kindheartedly when I sounded dumb or didn’t understand things and showed me a lot of patience and grace as I got used to the lifestyle. I played on a local soccer team, taught at the elementary school and high school, and spent most afternoons with my students doing a variety of afterschool programs.

While I thought I’d “get it out of my system” at the end of my 2.5 year contract, my time in Ecuador pushed me the other direction. I was hooked on the lifestyle and ready for the next location.

I didn’t think much but continued to follow my gut and the advice of others as it took me around the world to where I’m now married with 2 pets in Italy.

My desire to overthink has gotten stronger as I’ve gotten older and honestly, I can’t say if I would make the leap as a 35 year old if I never left as a 22 year old.

But I do think moving so young with nothing but this emoji (🤩) guiding me, it taught me something valuable: You don’t have to make a big shift in your life because of “grown up” reasons. You don’t have to have a spreadsheet and everything figured out.

You can do something simply because it sounds fun or seems exciting.

Maybe for you it will be something you do for just a year and until you actually do “get it out of your system” or maybe you’ll be more like me and let it guide your entire life.

Most people assume I moved abroad because of politics, money, or lifestyle. But I actually moved when Obama was president and I proudly tried to convince people he was my uncle. Sure, the politics and cost of living in today’s America aren’t urging me back but they also didn’t drive me away.

I’m still hooked to the sensation of navigating a new language and new culture and that each time I walk out of my door, I don’t quite know what to expect. And while there are plenty of other reasons I’ve decided to build my life abroad, if push comes to shove, the biggest reason is simply the enjoyment I get out of it.

My point here is that maybe you do have these big overarching motives to move abroad. And if that’s the case, let them to drive you.

But really, yours can be more simple than that. It can be just because you want to. Maybe it’s to challenge yourself to try something new or because you’re bored where you currently are. I really do think those are valid reasons.

The only thing I would say is that moving to another country isn’t easy. Visas are a nightmare and navigating bureaucracy in a country you don’t understand takes a lot.

So whatever your reason(s) may be, just know it needs to be enough to drive you past the finish line when hurdles arrive and delays occur. But from my experience, the simple act of moving abroad because it sounds fun can actually be enough to get you there.

xx,
Kat