Why everybody should say yes to moving abroad
“I think it’s quite challenging what they’re doing. I wouldn’t be able to do it. You leave a lot of things behind”, echoes out of our TV. We’re binge watching another episode of the Dutch TV show ‘Ik Vertrek’ (I’m leaving), where friends and family of the movers make comments like the above. Besides the fact that this television genre (slow-tv) is fascinating to watch, it has a therapeutic effect for us as well. Namely, that we can put ourselves in the shoes of the movers. We understand what they are going through.
A resounding success
Despite the fact that this television program magnifies certain aspects of the departing participants and is probably also underexposing certain characteristics, it reflects the essence: people trying to figure out how to move to another country. Sometimes it fails and sometimes it is a resounding success. But what fascinates me most are the boundaries these people literally and figuratively push.
Challenge
From my own experience I can say that you have no idea of the impact that comes from saying ‘yes’ to such a challenge. It’s also impossible to oversee all aspects in advance and to anticipate on them. Moving abroad is therefore so much more than just living or working abroad. Besides the fact that you can add skills such as ‘expert in the field of bureaucracy’ and ‘expert in tax treaties between the Netherlands and country X’ to your resume, the biggest gain is personal growth.
Personal growth
Personal growth, that sounds positive. And in the end it is, but it doesn’t happen by itself. You come across yourself at the most unexpected moments. Travelling a lot and taking very little moments of rest was one of those things I personally experienced in the beginning. How you subsequently deal with this and what lessons you learn from it, requires a lot of self-knowledge and reflection. Something I would probably have applied much less if we had stayed in the Netherlands. In addition, you look at the world from a different perspective. It may sounds like a cliché, but it actually happens by itself. Not far from us people live packed in extremely outdated buildings, not to mention the homeless people in the city center and the still relatively low average wage of educated workers of €600 per month. I hereby commit myself to elaborate more around this topic in my next blog.
Dutch weather
To those people who say: ‘It’s quite a challenge and couldn’t do it, because you leave a lot behind’ I would like to say: do it! It’s probably a bit out of your comfort zone, but that’s where personal growth often starts. It is also a wonderful lesson to appreciate what you have or where you come from. The Dutch band ‘De Dijk’ sums this up nicely in their song ‘When she’s not there’. In the sentence: ‘But only when she’s not there, a man knows what he’s missing’, strikes the right chord. Lisa has been close enough to me lately, so I didn’t necessarily miss her, but it’s mainly about appreciating things when you don’t have them at your fingertips anymore. For example, the Dutch order, cozy restaurants and sometimes even the Dutch weather!
Why everybody should say yes to moving abroad
“I think it’s quite challenging what they’re doing. I wouldn’t be able to do it. You leave a lot of things behind”, echoes out of our TV. We’re binge watching another episode of the Dutch TV show ‘Ik Vertrek’ (I’m leaving), where friends and family of the movers make comments like the above. Besides the fact that this television genre (slow-tv) is fascinating to watch, it has a therapeutic effect for us as well. Namely, that we can put ourselves in the shoes of the movers. We understand what they are going through.
A resounding success
Despite the fact that this television program magnifies certain aspects of the departing participants and is probably also underexposing certain characteristics, it reflects the essence: people trying to figure out how to move to another country. Sometimes it fails and sometimes it is a resounding success. But what fascinates me most are the boundaries these people literally and figuratively push.
Challenge
From my own experience I can say that you have no idea of the impact that comes from saying ‘yes’ to such a challenge. It’s also impossible to oversee all aspects in advance and to anticipate on them. Moving abroad is therefore so much more than just living or working abroad. Besides the fact that you can add skills such as ‘expert in the field of bureaucracy’ and ‘expert in tax treaties between the Netherlands and country X’ to your resume, the biggest gain is personal growth.
Personal growth
Personal growth, that sounds positive. And in the end it is, but it doesn’t happen by itself. You come across yourself at the most unexpected moments. Travelling a lot and taking very little moments of rest was one of those things I personally experienced in the beginning. How you subsequently deal with this and what lessons you learn from it, requires a lot of self-knowledge and reflection. Something I would probably have applied much less if we had stayed in the Netherlands. In addition, you look at the world from a different perspective. It may sounds like a cliché, but it actually happens by itself. Not far from us people live packed in extremely outdated buildings, not to mention the homeless people in the city center and the still relatively low average wage of educated workers of €600 per month. I hereby commit myself to elaborate more around this topic in my next blog.
Dutch weather
To those people who say: ‘It’s quite a challenge and couldn’t do it, because you leave a lot behind’ I would like to say: do it! It’s probably a bit out of your comfort zone, but that’s where personal growth often starts. It is also a wonderful lesson to appreciate what you have or where you come from. The Dutch band ‘De Dijk’ sums this up nicely in their song ‘When she’s not there’. In the sentence: ‘But only when she’s not there, a man knows what he’s missing’, strikes the right chord. Lisa has been close enough to me lately, so I didn’t necessarily miss her, but it’s mainly about appreciating things when you don’t have them at your fingertips anymore. For example, the Dutch order, cozy restaurants and sometimes even the Dutch weather!
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