Exactly a year ago today, a plane landed on an airport in Kuala Lumpur that flew directly from Manila. Among the hundred or so passengers in that flight was me. Twenty-three years old with just ten months of work experience but ready and raring to start a new life in an entirely different country.
If I try to recall what was going through my head when I got here, I would probably say that I was thinking mostly about where and how to begin the process of settling down in this new environment. No fears, no qualms, no worries, no sentimental crap that you'd normally associate with someone who just willingly uprooted himself from family, friends, and a life that you have grown completely accustomed to.
I'm weird in that sense. I arrived here with a Pinay who's my flatmate and officemate. She's a thirty-something mother of two who was crying on the airport in Manila before we left, crying on the plane, and was sort of crying when we landed. I've been on the other end of the emotional spectrum to say the least.
I've always wanted to live abroad. To work or to study, doesn't matter. The idea was simply too appealing to me. The new life, the independence, the experience, the lessons, and the discovery associated with it was something that couldn't be resisted. So when the situation presented itself I simply couldn't say no.
Now, after a full year of living abroad, of course I can say with confidence that I've learned a lot. From the culture, the customs, the diffirent work environment, to dealing with people you live and work with at the same time and learning how cope with the detachment from home. One of the biggest lessons I've learned so far, however, is that living abroad isn't such a big thing at all. People tend to associate it with something that requires, well, balls. But in fact, it doesn't.
Just the thought of going to another country to live and work and basically starting anew is something scary to lots of people. Obviously because they're highly attached to their families or loved ones or because they don't want to give up the good life they can have back home.
My case has been different though since I've always prepared myself for this experience. I've always known that I had to leave the country for a certain period of time and experience how it is to be out there. I trained myself early on that this is something that should happen in my life and that's why I feel this way. I've never felt any kind of anxiety here or homesickness not because I don't miss my family and friends but because I know that I am meant to be here. So there's really no reason to feel detached from anything.
Don't get me wrong. I encourage people to go abroad at one point in their lives and stay there for a few years. I really do. I think it's something that we all have to go through. Like circumcision or puberty. Living abroad has broadened my mindset in many ways, even if I've only been away for a year. And I sincerely believe that consciously and unconsciously, I'm becoming a better person out of it.
Depending on the opportunities that may come my way, I'll probably stay here for a few more years. I've got my sights set on living in an even farther country in Europe and if that doesn't turn out as I hope it would, I'm glad to know that there are many other options left which may also open wide avenues in my life. One of my favorite TV shows (when I still had a TV), is Lonely Planet. I would watch every single episode and it wouldn't matter what country they were in. In an interview with one of the host, Ian Wright, he said that every single person should make sure that he or she would live abroad for at least two years. That it was simply something that people should do in their lives. I've never forgotten what he said for some reason. Well Ian, here I am. So far so good.
If I try to recall what was going through my head when I got here, I would probably say that I was thinking mostly about where and how to begin the process of settling down in this new environment. No fears, no qualms, no worries, no sentimental crap that you'd normally associate with someone who just willingly uprooted himself from family, friends, and a life that you have grown completely accustomed to.
I'm weird in that sense. I arrived here with a Pinay who's my flatmate and officemate. She's a thirty-something mother of two who was crying on the airport in Manila before we left, crying on the plane, and was sort of crying when we landed. I've been on the other end of the emotional spectrum to say the least.
I've always wanted to live abroad. To work or to study, doesn't matter. The idea was simply too appealing to me. The new life, the independence, the experience, the lessons, and the discovery associated with it was something that couldn't be resisted. So when the situation presented itself I simply couldn't say no.
Now, after a full year of living abroad, of course I can say with confidence that I've learned a lot. From the culture, the customs, the diffirent work environment, to dealing with people you live and work with at the same time and learning how cope with the detachment from home. One of the biggest lessons I've learned so far, however, is that living abroad isn't such a big thing at all. People tend to associate it with something that requires, well, balls. But in fact, it doesn't.
Just the thought of going to another country to live and work and basically starting anew is something scary to lots of people. Obviously because they're highly attached to their families or loved ones or because they don't want to give up the good life they can have back home.
My case has been different though since I've always prepared myself for this experience. I've always known that I had to leave the country for a certain period of time and experience how it is to be out there. I trained myself early on that this is something that should happen in my life and that's why I feel this way. I've never felt any kind of anxiety here or homesickness not because I don't miss my family and friends but because I know that I am meant to be here. So there's really no reason to feel detached from anything.
Don't get me wrong. I encourage people to go abroad at one point in their lives and stay there for a few years. I really do. I think it's something that we all have to go through. Like circumcision or puberty. Living abroad has broadened my mindset in many ways, even if I've only been away for a year. And I sincerely believe that consciously and unconsciously, I'm becoming a better person out of it.
Depending on the opportunities that may come my way, I'll probably stay here for a few more years. I've got my sights set on living in an even farther country in Europe and if that doesn't turn out as I hope it would, I'm glad to know that there are many other options left which may also open wide avenues in my life. One of my favorite TV shows (when I still had a TV), is Lonely Planet. I would watch every single episode and it wouldn't matter what country they were in. In an interview with one of the host, Ian Wright, he said that every single person should make sure that he or she would live abroad for at least two years. That it was simply something that people should do in their lives. I've never forgotten what he said for some reason. Well Ian, here I am. So far so good.
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