Comments on: Moving abroad doesn’t make you happy

By: Canada Eldorado » The sound of one hand clapping

Canada Eldorado » The sound of one hand clapping — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:31:40 +0000

[...] So, would I want to move there ? I certainly like what I saw. But I remind myself again that moving abroad doesn’t necessarily make you happy. I’d be leaving behind my family, my friends, my professional network, to start from scratch. [...]

By: elise

elise — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:01:05 +0000

Torito: of course you’re right everything that’s different will take time getting used to.

By: Torito

Torito — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:33:16 +0000

Being latin american i can say not only cultural issues affect your integration to the place. After living my whole life in a hot desertic place i moved to scandinavian countries to study and work. and well, my opinion after some years is: wow its cold up here.

By: De conceptuele ingenieur

De conceptuele ingenieur — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:53:00 +0000

[...] vaak interessante blogposts, niet enkel over haar branche informatica, maar ook bijvoorbeeld over verhuizen naar een ander land of de auteursrechten op het [...]

By: zeta

zeta — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:48:15 +0000

What you say about the “psychological luggage” is very true.

My two cents: “there aren’t good or bad cities, there are just good or bad adaptation capabilities”.

By: elise

elise — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:28:28 +0000

I suppose it’s easier for some than others, like Inferis said ! Good for you

i liked it, but ultimately was happy to come back (after 4 to 5 years) mostly because of my family. A place is as good as the people you know there, in my experience.

By: Bram

Bram — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:22:27 +0000

“Wherever you go, the sky is up and people are people.”

You’re mostly right, but I have to disagree somewhat. There’s nothing difficult about moving to a different country. Sure, cultures are different, but that just means you’ll get annoyed at different things. There are always some things you like and some things you detest. If you’re not willing to put up with that, then moving anywhere “different” is simply not for you.

I don’t know why I found it so easy, to move to a different country, twice, but it’s one of the few things in my life I’ll never regret. It’s an experience that’s been very rewarding, even if I sometimes felt very much alone in the world.

By: elise

elise — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 15:55:34 +0000

As long as one doesn’t have a romantic view of how it’s going to be, it should be OK. This text is mostly directed to people basing themselves on a holiday experience to imagine how it would be.

In itself, it’s certainly interesting, might do it again if an opportunity presents itself.

By: Inferis

Inferis — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:52:42 +0000

I agree overall, but it think that it’s the cultural shock that makes moving abroad such an interesting *and* daunting step.

I think it’s never easy, but I’m sure some people will cope a lot better with it than others.