How Living Independently Changed My Life

Two years ago, when I was done with my high school, I was faced with a very difficult decision. I always wanted to move to another country. I felt that I needed a change and there were bigger cities and more opportunities waiting for me. But despite the fact that I wanted to leave and study abroad, it was very tough for me to be apart from my family and friends. After much thought, I decided to move to the United States since it has a lot of good Universities and it is also one of the most prosperous countries in the world. It was not easy for me to move to another continent by myself and leave everything and everyone behind. Even though, I had a decision to move after my high school; it was certainly not easy to leave my hometown where I was born and spent all of my childhood.

Moving to another country meant that I had to start my life all over again, with no support from my family and friends. When I moved to the United States, I was faced with lots of challenges that I had to deal with. Despite the fact that my English was not bad when I first arrived it still was not perfect. I had to deal with a language barrier and for some time I felt really bashful and insecure to talk to people because of my accent. I had to adjust myself to a new culture and overcome the difficulty to communicate.

Every country is different, especially culturally. I thought it would not be complicated to live abroad since I am very open-minded and have traveled a lot; however, it was my biggest mistake thinking that way. Everything in the United States is completely different from Europe where I lived before, taking even the simplest things like transportation, schooling system, and even the way people dress. However, I need to point out that not all the cities and states in the United States are similar to each other and people do not have a similar lifestyle. When I moved to Jacksonville, I was extremely surprised when I realized that there is no subway and the only public transportation are buses. I had to learn how to drive because it was impossible to go anywhere without having a car. My major mistake was assuming that things would work out the same way as in my home country. However, every country is different, and people have different perspectives and ideology.

There was another life-changing experience that completely changed my life. I was not living with my parents anymore which meant I had to do everything by myself; I have learned a lot from having an independent life. When I was in my parent’s house, I did not have any responsibilities; I did not have to go grocery shopping, pay bills, or manage and balance my budget, the only responsibility I had was to keep my room clean. Living and traveling abroad is challenging; however, I learned a lot not only about the country and people but also about myself. I became more skillful and mature; I start handling situations that I have never thought I could manage by myself.

Lastly and most importantly, in order to experience something in life, we need to take risks. Living abroad and adapting to a new culture is an adventure that very likely will be the most fascinating time of our lives. It took me a lot of courage to leave everything and accept that big change in my life. I had to step outside my comfort zone and move to another continent. I truly believe that life is about taking risks. In order to achieve something, we need to sacrifice and give up some things that stop us from reaching our goals. We never know what we are missing until we experience different new things. Change is always great because they give the opportunity to learn new things and get more knowledgeable.