I think everyone should move abroad at least once in their life. Not in a cheesy “Eat, Pray, Love” way (okay, maybe a little), but in a “you don’t realize how capable and full of life you are until you do” kind of way.
Whether it’s to study, au pair, teach, or just shake your life up in the best possible way, do it. If you ever get the chance, even if it’s just a whisper of an idea floating in the back of your mind, take it. You don’t need to wait until the timing is perfect or you’ve got every phrase of the language down. (Spoiler alert: you probably won’t.) But that’s part of the magic.
What’s funny is… moving abroad was never on my radar. In college, I wrote off study abroad completely. It sounded dreamy, sure, but it also looked expensive, and I wasn’t trying to pay extra tuition just to post in front of the Eiffel Tower. Then COVID happened, and it felt like the world shut down and took all those “maybe someday” opportunities with it. So I quietly filed it away as one of those things that just wasn’t for me.
But then, a friend casually mentioned she was getting her master’s abroad. I was intrigued. A few scrolls on TikTok and some Reddit threads later, I stumbled across a program that honestly sounded too good to be true. Paid to live in Spain? Time off to travel? No master’s degree required? I half expected someone to tell me it was a scam. Within 9 months, I packed up, moved across the country, and out of the country. Wild, right?
Before I moved to Spain, I didn’t fully know what I was getting myself into. I knew enough to be excited, but not enough to be prepared, and honestly? That might’ve been a blessing in disguise. Because if I’d known how hard those first three months would be, I might’ve let fear talk me out of it.
And those first three months were hard. Like, emotional breakdowns over lost mail and closed banks. Like, questioning my life choices at 3 PM on a Tuesday. There were days I felt completely out of place, frustrated that I couldn’t fully express myself in Spanish, and unsure if I had made the right decision. But then slowly… things started to shift.
And then, everything started to bloom.
Nine months later, and I still catch myself saying, “Wait… I live in Spain?” Like, full-on live here. Grocery shop here. Ride the bus here. Get annoyed by siesta hours here. And it’s wild because this move turned into one of the most wholesome, heartwarming, healing experiences of my life.
I’ve learned so much, not just about Spain, or the language, or how to properly drink vermouth, but about myself. And not to be dramatic (okay, maybe just a little), but it’s made me feel more alive than I ever thought possible. Sometimes I cry out of nowhere just thinking about how grateful I am. How full my heart feels. How good it is to feel joy this big.
So, whether you’re thinking about Spain or somewhere else entirely, go. Please, go. Give yourself the chance to grow in ways you can’t predict yet. It might feel scary, but fear isn’t a reason to stay. Fear isn’t even real; it’s just your brain trying to protect you from change. But change is where all the good stuff happens.
You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to start.
And trust me, the good will always outweigh the bad.
Love always,
American Girl Meets World
