Continuing my celebration of 20 years living abroad with another part of my story, comparing the third year of my journey living in the US vs. life in Germany. I am reflecting on my life in 2003 versus where I was in 2017. These were vastly different years; one filled with struggles and the other was reaping the benefits of my hard work.
In this blog post, I will share the factors that made my experiences different and the lessons that I learned. Check out my other Her Relocation blog posts about my experiences living in Nigeria, Germany, and the US. Having family around After almost two years alone, it was a blessing to have family in Germany finally. I can still remember when I heard my sister arrived and I could not wait to see her. Sadly, I was struggling and did not have a stable place to live when she moved. We quickly had to find a place to stay and start making a living. Having her there with me made me happy, but it also put a lot of responsibility on me for taking care of both of us. On the other hand, when I moved to the US, I started life immediately with my husband and had a companion throughout my life here. What did I learn?
A place I call home After my sister joined me in Germany, we started living in a tiny room on the University campus. It was in a hostel where we shared some common spaces with about 20 people. I remember watching TV shows in the TV room with other residents in the hostel. Compared to my life in the US, I got to move into a very comfortable home from Day 1. Interestingly when I think about how important a home is to me, it is because I have not always had a place to call home. What did I learn?
The people who contributed to my life when I was in need Telling my story would not be complete without me mentioning the amazing people who contributed to my life. In 2003, my sister and I were surviving on my small earnings from a part-time job that I was doing. We were incredibly good with our money and only got what we needed to live. We could not afford any luxuries, and we accepted that. So, you can imagine how special it was when one of our friends gave us a significant gift. She gave us a five-kilo bag of basmati rice. It might sound small, but at that phase of our lives, it was a lot. I will never forget how excited we were to enjoy a different type of rice. Living in the US, I luckily was not in need, but I got to give to others. What did I learn?
Living a good life and excelling at work In my third year in the US, I was living a life that I could never have imagined in my third year in Germany. I had settled into my new life and had the opportunity to take on a new role at work. The new position allowed me to travel more and do great work. I got to see other countries like Italy, India and visit other cities in the US. I was in a place in my life that I never thought I will ever be in my private life and my career. Living through some of the struggles in my third year in Germany prepared me for the amazing life that I got to live. What did I learn?
Preparing for the next phase Both 2003 and 2017 were transition years for me. In 2003, I was transitioning to standing on my feet in Germany. I had to make a lot of decisions on how I would earn money while I advanced my studies towards my first degree. 2017, on the other hand, was a year when I decided it was time for me to leave my job at a company that I had worked at for almost eight years of my life. Strangely, I was planning the transition at one of the peaks of my experience. My motto was to leave while I was at the top. What did I learn?
MC's Moment of Reflection The first picture is of me in 2003 in Germany, and the other picture was in 2017. The person that I was in 2003 was vastly different than who I was in 2017. I was really struggling in 2003, but my mindset was that I would do whatever I could to improve my life. My fighter spirit was activated and defined how I approached life. And in 2017, I had to learn when it is time to leave my comfort zone and do something greater.
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