What is the real reason to be an expat and being proud of it?

Well I think I moved because we're living in a big big world, we we've got so many things to learn n'see, so many people to meet and so many cultures to discover ...

I think a lot of people don't live their dreams. Now that I am back at home for a while it's quite difficult to hear frustrated people saying things like "Hey you're almost 30 now, you should find a decent job, buy a home, have several children, and wait for retirement ..." No, this is not what I want, I need to enjoy first, life is too short, so let me do what I want!

I am proud to live my dreams (even when I feel lonely) ... and I hope I'll keep that way for a few more years

The ability to change and say Yes to love!

i simply didn't want to end up like so many people in my home village in germany.
they refused to move out of town, even if that meant they had to travel 4 hours a day to get to work and back. i have no doubt these people will live in that small village until the day they die.

i just want to experience as many places as possible, until i get tired of that. and the best way to experience such places is by living and working there.

kazana wrote:

i simply didn't want to end up like so many people in my home village in germany.
they refused to move out of town, even if that meant they had to travel 4 hours a day to get to work and back. i have no doubt these people will live in that small village until the day they die.

Kazana, I feel exactly the same in my home village in France!

Julien wrote:

Well I think I moved because we're living in a big big world, we we've got so many things to learn n'see, so many people to meet and so many cultures to discover ...

I think a lot of people don't live their dreams. Now that I am back at home for a while it's quite difficult to hear frustrated people saying things like "Hey you're almost 30 now, you should find a decent job, buy a home, have several children, and wait for retirement ..." No, this is not what I want, I need to enjoy first, life is too short, so let me do what I want!

I am proud to live my dreams (even when I feel lonely) ... and I hope I'll keep that way for a few more years

I agree absolutely with you Julien! Believe me, I'm a bit older than you, and I've heard it all myself! I didn't get married until after I hit my thirties! You'll "settle down" if and when you want. For men, there really isn't that same urgency. :-)

Life is way to short! Live your dreams, experience the world, and love your life!

Take care,
Melinda.

hey malinda!

first things first: welcome aboard.
i enjoy it a lot to see this community growing at a slow, but stady pace.

just a little pointer:
your blog's address isn't complete. you forgot the ".com", but being "incredibly bright" i figured that out quick enough.

cheers,

kazana

Thanks!

...they refused to move out of town, even if that meant they had to travel 4 hours a day to get to work and back. i have no doubt these people will live in that small village until the day they die.

It's funny - I'm an ex-pat in exactly that kind of place. Most folks have lived here their whole lives and have no intention or desire to go anywhere else. They do travel, they are curious about the outside world, but they would never imagine themselves reallly living in it!

I don't think I would say I'm "proud to be an ex-pat." It's more that I am proud to be the kind of person who is open to living in other countries and in finding ways to live that are unconventional.  It's more that we are people who want to live in a bigger world, who are willing to work without a net in order to experience a more colorful life. THAT is something to be proud of.

;)Happy new year to all of you!!!
I hope that 2006, which is the year of the cat, is also the one for the globe-trotters, travellers, expats.

Happy new year!

Awa

pmandel wrote:

I don't think I would say I'm "proud to be an ex-pat." It's more that I am proud to be the kind of person who is open to living in other countries and in finding ways to live that are unconventional.  It's more that we are people who want to live in a bigger world, who are willing to work without a net in order to experience a more colorful life. THAT is something to be proud of.

well said. i totally agree! it takes balls to leave your net the first time, but after that you turn into something like a "no-net-junkie". that's at least how i am experiencing life abroad.

I'm from Indonesia, I guess nowadays most people know where it is now. I'll be packing out of my country and stranded somewhere in Germany later this year. There are several reasons for me to move to the other part of the world.
First :  I'm in love with Europe. I lived in Holland when I was much younger and I'm just so fond of it.
Second : I want to break free. I don't want to be a regular people who just stay at one place, settle down, have kids, and be happy with their own little world. I want excitement, adventure and freedom.
Third : Living in my own country is not really promising at this moment.

And so I think I would be proud of being an expat our courage to be different, for wanting things that seems crazy for other people and actually go for it, and last but not least, for being open minded and seeing the world from many different perspective.

Julien wrote:

Well I think I moved because we're living in a big big world, we we've got so many things to learn n'see, so many people to meet and so many cultures to discover ...

I think a lot of people don't live their dreams. Now that I am back at home for a while it's quite difficult to hear frustrated people saying things like "Hey you're almost 30 now, you should find a decent job, buy a home, have several children, and wait for retirement ..." No, this is not what I want, I need to enjoy first, life is too short, so let me do what I want!

I am proud to live my dreams (even when I feel lonely) ... and I hope I'll keep that way for a few more years

Julien, You need to talk to my husband Stephane about this because he doesn't believe in the whole kids, house, job by the time your thirty either.

"Undoubtedly, we become what we envisage."
--- Claude M. Bristol

Melinda wrote:

Julien wrote:

Well I think I moved because we're living in a big big world, we we've got so many things to learn n'see, so many people to meet and so many cultures to discover ...

I think a lot of people don't live their dreams. Now that I am back at home for a while it's quite difficult to hear frustrated people saying things like "Hey you're almost 30 now, you should find a decent job, buy a home, have several children, and wait for retirement ..." No, this is not what I want, I need to enjoy first, life is too short, so let me do what I want!

I am proud to live my dreams (even when I feel lonely) ... and I hope I'll keep that way for a few more years

I agree absolutely with you Julien! Believe me, I'm a bit older than you, and I've heard it all myself! I didn't get married until after I hit my thirties! You'll "settle down" if and when you want. For men, there really isn't that same urgency. :-)

Life is way to short! Live your dreams, experience the world, and love your life!

Take care,
Melinda.

Melinda, I'm right there with you girl!!!

"Undoubtedly, we become what we envisage."
--- Claude M. Bristol

I'm definitely proud of having made the big move. I've dreamed about this since I was child and now I've actually done it. This is absolutely amazing and I'm totally enjoying. As others have said, it is not always easy and yes, you do feel lonely at times. But I don't regret anything at all. I'm happy because I live in a different environment now, whereas a lot of people I know still live in the same town where they went to school and later didn't study too far away from that place. I'm not like that. I've always wanted to travel. And now it's actually happening. I have a feeling I might be one of those people who move from one country to another. But I don't know yet. First, I want to be enjoy the wonderful things that I have on my doorstep here in the UK.