5 Reasons Why You Should Live Abroad At Least Once In Your Life

Having the opportunity to live abroad at least once in your life is probably one of the greatest things you could ever experience. I've had two years abroad now and I'm in no way finished. If you have the opportunity to study abroad I would grab it with both hands. If not I would make my way abroad one way or another as I promise you'll never regret it. Here are my five reasons why you should just go for it:

1. Independence
Moving to a new country can be extremely daunting especially if you're going alone. It's extra daunting if they speak a completely different language to yours. It's hard setting yourself up in a new city, there's nobody there to rely on to help you find the supermarket, or to find an apartment, nothing. You must do everything yourself. But when you get your feet you will forget all about the struggles you had in the first few weeks and you'll be amazed at how far you came all by yourself. The independence you gain while living abroad will serve you in more ways than one. Don't think that you couldn't do it as you're a "home bird", it's possible and you'll never regret having an experience like moving country.

2. Cultural Awareness
Opening your mind to other cultures, is a gift nobody can give to you. You have to experience to learn. Many people don't understand the depth of other cultures and just how different they are to your own. Just because you have one set of values and beliefs doesn't mean other people with a different culture will. Don't assume your culture is the bees knees, delve into their culture, understand it. There's one thing, learning a language but learning their culture too will make you more fluent in any way. Once you begin to realise and understand the country's culture you will begin to see the world differently. You will be so interested in other cultures and question them accordingly. I for one always ask people about their culture because I want to understand that person. Don't immediately assume just because someone can speak English that they also understand what it means to have your nationality. Cultural awareness will change your perception of the world.

3. Appreciation
When you move abroad, you begin to appreciate your own country and the opportunities you've had. I think I have been more nationalistic abroad then I've ever been at home haha. The love you have for your own country is amazing making you appreciate it so much. I spoke about Ireland and especially, Galway when I lived in Italy (both years). The Italians I met loved hearing about my stories from Ireland and they admired how much I loved it. There's no place like home at the end of  the day. As well as this, when you're abroad you begin to realise how lucky you are having the opportunity to even be there. When you tell a local why you have come to live in their city they will  be amazed, you'll begin to realise how much of a big deal it is to move abroad. The experience you'll get from the year, two years etc, will also look amazing on any CV.

4. Personal Growth
You will face very difficult experiences whilst abroad but you'll always come out the other side and it'll help you grow in ways you never knew existed. Moving to another country is not in anyway a holiday like most people believe. Yes I lived in Italy for two years, however it was not plain sailing all the time. You may run into bad experiences or have to go through difficult bureaucracy crap, the list is endless, what happened to me may not happen to someone else and what might happen to someone else may not have happened to me. It's just life, anything could happen, however this time you're abroad alone without your family to help you. Facing these bad experiences will really help shape you and make you see just how strong you are. It's not easy but once you get through one bad experience you'll see how well you'll be able to handle problems in the future. You basically need to go through the bad in order to come out the other side. You'll see how much you've grown by the end of the year.

5. Friendship
The friends you make when you live abroad will be your family. You will have this amazing network of people who will be there for you no matter what. You meet people who are also travelling as well as the locals. I for one met people from all over the world who to this day consider them amazing friends. The type of friendship you make is different than any friendship you'll make at home in your own country. As I said, you'll meet people from all over the world, which means having a huge mix of different cultures who are going through the same thing as you living abroad. I would also recommend making friends with the locals as they can teach you so much about your new city. They can also help with the language. You'll also notice yourself saying yes to more opportunities which generally makes you form very close bonds with your family away from home.

I would greatly advise living abroad at least once. It has changed my life forever and for the better. I still plan on moving again as the experience is just incredible. The world has so many places to be explored. One of my favourite quotes about travel was said by Gustav Flaubert, he said "Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world."

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