6 reasons why living abroad is good for your development

Since January 2017 I am living in Valencia and when I look back on this year I can see that I have made a big development. I have learned a lot of things about myself, about others and about life. This experience already brought me a lot and I have mentally become much stronger. I would therefore recommend living abroad to everyone. Below I have listed a number of things that I have learned so far through my experience abroad:

You make new friend who often have a lot in common and have the same vision of life
Since I’ve been living in Valencia I have made many new friends. It all went pretty fast because I met many people with whom I have a lot in common and that are on the same page when it comes to life. It is nice to be with people who think the same and who also love to live abroad. I learn a lot from them and they inspire me. You also get to know who your real friends are and who aren’t. Letting go is a part of it, but actually that is not bad at all. Your energy is now going to the right people. 

Your self-confidence gets a boost
For me, this has been the most important development. I was always very insecure about my abilities. I did not find myself smart enough, not creative enough and I never really knew what I was good at. Because of that I was always afraid to do stuff, because I thought I wasn’t good enough. Since I have left my ‘comfort-zone’ I got to know myself better and I started thinking about what I really want in life and what I enjoy doing. Since a few months I can tell myself for the first time that I am proud of myself and I find myself smart and creative. If you just do what you like you will feel it. I think that’s quite a development!

You will find out that you can do everything, just like you feel at home in another country
This is also a little bit about self-confidence. Things become easier because you have already made a big step and therefore you are less afraid of experimenting. That is how I started my own projects. For example this blog and my Instagram where I am developing my photography skills. Besides that, I am also working on other projects. I am very enthusiastic about it and things are getting better and better, which gives me even more confidence.

Photography in the Botanic Gardens of Valencia

You learn that materialistic things are not nearly as important as experiences and feeling happy
The salary I earn here is much lower than if I would work in Holland. In Spain also less work is offered and that’s why the jobs are often less challenging, but do I feel happier? Yes! And another 100 times yes! I feel happier and I feel that I belong in Spain. I prefer to be here enjoying the sun and going out for dinner a few times a week, than buying a lot of cloths and saving money for a car or something else.

You learn to realize what is really important to you, because your distance yourself from all superficial things in your life
What and who really makes you happy? You learn to put energy in things and people that make you feel good, that might teach you something and inspire you. You are also going to feel how important some people really are for you when you are far away from them. Therefore, you are going to appreciate being with them more.

You learn a lot about your own country
You will learn about the differences between your own country and the country you moved to and you are going to miss things from your own country. And again you are going to appreciate those things. Personally I miss for example typical Dutch food and typical Dutch snacks. But also some small things like ordering a coffee and getting a cookie with your coffee.

I hope my article helped you out a little bit. If you have any questions you can leave a message in the comment!:)

Love, Sofie
Personal tips about visiting Valencia and moving to Valencia