5 Things No One Tells You When You Move Abroad

Your friendships will suffer

I know everyone says that, but it’s so true.

One day, you will look back and realize that so much happened in your absence and that so much has changed. Your friends changed, you changed and the world around you has changed. You will find it harder to keep a conversation going with people who used to be you best friends, and inside jokes will become increasingly foreign and you will realize you have become somewhat of an outsider.

As harsh as it sounds, this will be inevitable at some point or another and even the strongest of friendships will suffer some blows, but if they are worth it to you, you got to be ready to work for them and keep in touch.

In the end, some friendships will end and it won’t be anyone’s fault, and yet everyone’s.

You will get sad, a lot

Yup, even after 5 years of living abroad you will still get homesick very often. Birthdays, losses, holidays come and go and life doesn’t stop and wait for you. I find myself missing even the smallest of things, and those are the ones that hurt the most – the ones I find myself miss the most. It can get really tough and even with supportive family and friends, you will have to learn to be your own hero and carry yourself out through those days.

Even with all those feelings laying heavy on my heart, moving to Denmark was the best decision I have ever made. If I didn’t make this great change I wouldn’t meet the people I did, made wonderful memories and, most importantly, I wouldn’t fall in love.

You will be afraid

There is this normal fear of living in a new country, which is inevitable in the first few months, but it never really goes away. It just changes. It shifts into fear of failure and uncertainty of if what you are doing is right – if everything you’ve gone through is worthwhile.

Disappointing my family at home is one of my biggest fears and I find myself questioning my life choices quite often. But considering all the anxiety and stress that comes with it, this “fear” made me braver and pushed me to do and be better.

Things will almost never go as planned

I am a planner, almost OCD level planner, but when you move abroad things go nuts. You arrive with a specific goal in mind, but sometimes it just doesn’t pan out as you imagined it to. However, every now and then something much better happens.

I remember when I first arrived to Denmark, my goal was to finish school and return straight back to Croatia. And now, 5 years later, I find myself loved up and being a dog mom with a degree! And you know what, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

You will change

Not only will your cooking and budgeting skills be on point, you will be amazed when you realize how far you’ve come. You became this independent and confident person that is just a better version of your old self.

And when you realize that other people in your life have grown up and also changed – you will understand, because so have you.