Over the past month, I have been celebrating my 20th anniversary of living abroad. Reflecting on my life has been an amazing experience. There have been many ups and downs. I am excited to wrap up this series.
In this blog post, I will share the top 10 things that I wish I did more of and want to do more of over the next years on my relocation Journey. Check out my other Her Relocation blog posts to learn more about my experiences living in Nigeria, Germany, and the US. Travel more and see the world Especially when I moved to the US, I realized that I was very far from the rest of the world. While I lived in Germany, I could have traveled more. However, primarily due to financial constraints, I was not able to. Now that I am more financially independent, I can now see more of the world. Spend more time with my loved ones For most of my journey, I have lived so far from my loved ones and have not spent much time with them. Especially going through the pandemic over the last 18 months, I have realized how much I want to spend time with my people. Celebrate my cultural identity It took me over 14 years of living abroad to accept the fact that I have different facets of my identity. I now know that I am German-Nigerian, and both cultures influence who I am. There is beauty in knowing and living in your cultural identity. Enjoy the local culture and sights After living in California for almost seven years, I feel like I have seen more in the last years than when I initially moved here. I want to enjoy where I live a little more. There is so much to see and experience wherever you find yourself. Build wealth and invest in my future Most of my first years on this journey were spent being broke and then becoming financially independent. I want to focus more on building wealth. I have learned many valuable lessons about finances and have been applying them to my life. Build new memories While I was reflecting on my journey, I realized that there is still so much that I can experience. I am excited to go out of my comfort zone and do new things. When I am reflecting on the next 20 years, I want to have so much to share. Tell my story Although I started sharing some aspects of my journey over the last three years, there is still a lot that I have not shared. One of the main reasons is that I have not yet entirely permitted myself to share all aspects of my story. I decided to start sharing more about my experiences navigating life in new countries. Do more of what I enjoy In the last year, I have been asking myself what I enjoy doing. I spent most of my journey trying to survive, and now I am in a phase when I'm thriving. I can now enjoy myself more, and I am excited to experience more food and see beautiful places. Worry less and live in the moment For a major part of my 20-year journey, I was very worried about my future. I did not know where my life was heading. Over the past years, I have learned to worry less and want to continue on that path. Enjoy the experience with our son My life abroad changed when I had our son in 2020. I now get to experience living in different countries with him. Sometimes I wonder what his cultural identity will be and how he will live his life. Final Thoughts Looking back, I can see how far I have come on my journey. I am very grateful for everything that I have experienced and excited for the amazing future ahead.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMarie-Christin Anthony Categories
All
Archives
November 2023
|